Touring Hong Kong
See the other side of Hong Kong outside the concrete jungle.
updated May 2023
People think of Hong Kong as a concrete jungle with crowds of people, vehicles and tall buildings. It is that, but it is also so much more that most people are unfamiliar with. There are jungles, monkeys, pink dolphins, Buddhist temples and many other exciting places to visit.
Although now it is technically part of China, Hong Kong is very different from the rest of the country. As Hong Kong used to be a British colony, they drive on the left. The rest of China drives on the right. Canadians and tourists from some other countries can visit Hong Kong without a visa, but a visa is required to visit other parts of China. There is a border crossing between Hong Kong and mainland China, similar to a border between two countries. They even have a different currency than China. Hong Kong uses the Kong Kong dollar while China uses the Yuan.
My Thatched Hut Travel Tip
If you want to travel from Hong Kong to mainland China, you do not need to get a visa before leaving home. You can get it in Hong Kong. Ask a travel agent for directions to the visa office. Allow three days.
The main city in Hong Kong was initially called Victoria by the British in the 1800s, but today it is known simply as “Central”.
First, you will want to tour the city before getting off the beaten path to see the rest of Hong Kong. So I suggest you spend one day just wandering around the city, doing sightseeing, window shopping, and trying some authentic Hong Kong restaurants.
Eating in Hong Kong
Won Ton soup in a Chinese restaurant in Canada is primarily liquid and served as a side dish. Won Ton soup in Hong Kong is full of long, thin noodles and comes in a large bowl. I was pretty full after eating it. Eating the noodles was a new experience. They are quite long, and you do not get a knife to cut them. Instead, you eat with a porcelain spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other. Some noodles are held on the spoon with the chopsticks and brought up to your mouth so that you can bite off some and the remainder drop back into the bowl. It was fun as it was all new to me. We sat at a table with a lady that we did not know. Sharing a table with strangers is common here as there are many more customers than tables. Ducks (photo) and pigeons are popular food items.
The Chinese restaurants that we have in Canada do not exist here. I have learned that Chop Suey, Chow Mein and other so-called Chinese food are, in fact, North American food and do not exist in China. You do not order a complete meal but many separate things. We ordered chicken, pork, vegetables, fish, rice, and other things. All this is placed in the centre of a round table, and everyone takes what they want. You get a spoon and chopsticks: no knives or forks. Napkins are not provided, even at very nice restaurants, so people bring their own.
The Peak
Take the tram to the Peak for a magnificent view of Hong Kong. This little train is pulled up the mountain on rails with a cable.
From the peak, you can see all over Hong Kong Island from Central to Kowloon on the other side of the harbour.
Kowloon
Take the ferry across the water to Kowloon. Walking along the waterfront in Kowloon is a popular Hong Kong pastime. Here you will find street performers, street venders, good food, and other things of interest. But the best thing about Kowloon is the view of Central on the other side. So be sure to stay in Kowloon for your evening meal and the view of Central after dark. Then, you can return on the subway or ferry.
The Jungle
Hong Kong is not all concrete jungle and crowds. There are places where you can walk in the forest and meet a pack of Rhesus Macaques. Do not try to eat anything or display any food. This is not a good place to stop for a picnic. The monkeys can be aggressive, and you could get mugged for your sandwich or cookie. They have large, sharp teeth, and you could get seriously hurt. However, I stopped to photograph them, and although they were unafraid, they did not bother me. You should be fine if you do not display food or get amid a group of them. If any monkeys approach you too closely, walk away. It is worthwhile going to see them. Look for them at a place called Shing Mun Reservoir.
Fung Ying Sin
There are many Buddhist and Taoist temples around Hong Kong. Of course, you would not want to visit all of them, but you should definitely go to see a couple of them.
We visited a Taoist temple called Fung Ying Sin. Taoism and Buddhism are very similar. Neither of them believes in a god that created the planet and humans. Both of these religions believe in several gods, such as the god of wisdom, the god of compassion, the god of fire, and so on. Both religions worship statues, although there are more in Buddhism than in Taoism.
The central belief in Buddhism is that desire leads to suffering. Therefore you will have a better life if you don’t desire anything. Buddhist monks live a life of self-imposed poverty. Taoists believe that life is good and you should enjoy it. So they don’t see any problem with desire.
After death, Buddhists believe that a person goes through several reincarnations and that they could be punished for wrongdoing in some of these reincarnations. Eventually, if you are a good person, you end up in a place called Nirvana. The Taoists believe that your soul rises from your body after death, as Christians do, but the soul travels through space and not to heaven.
Buddhists believe in devas which are something like angels. Taoists do not believe in angels.
Many Buddhists are also Taoists, and vice versa. Some are also Confucians. Neither of these religions sees any problem with belonging to more than one religion.
It is possible to purchase a tiny box in a wall at these temples where, after you die, your ashes can be interned, and the box is sealed with a photo of the deceased person. These boxes can sell for $14,000 to $40,000 (Cdn).
Yuen Yuen
We went to see a Buddhist temple called Yuen Yuen. This temple has a lot of interesting buildings and a pagoda.
One of the buildings is lined with Buddhist saints. The main temple has its three most important saints at the alter.
Many of the buildings feature the swastika on them. The swastika has been a Buddhist symbol for hundreds of years; long before Hitler adopted it as his party emblem. Click the small photo on the left to enlarge it and see the swastikas.
The buildings are beautiful works of art with intricate designs and colourful paintings.
Chin Lin
The Chin Lin temple is very pretty and photogenic. In addition, they have a wonderful gift shop where you can get exquisite souvenirs that I did not see anywhere else.
The 10,000 Buddhas
The temple of the 10,000 Buddhas is a fascinating place and something you must see on your tour of Hong Kong. There is too much information and too many photos to include here, so I made a separate post. Click here
Lantau
Central is located on Hong Kong Island. We travelled to Lantau Island. A massive double-decker bridge connects the two islands. Vehicle traffic goes across the upper level, and the subway train uses the lower level. We went on the subway. The bridge’s lower level is enclosed, so you cannot see out.
After getting off the subway train, we travelled by cable car up into the mountains to a tiny village called Ngong Ping. The cable car is a marvellous ride from Tung Chung up and over several mountains for a distance of 5.7 km, which takes about 25 minutes. You get a great view of the city on one side and the international airport on the other.
There is nothing much to see in the village, but the place is famous for the Buddhist temple of Po Lin, which has a giant statue of Buddha. The Buddha is 23 metres tall, or 34 metres if you include the base. There are much bigger Buddhas. There is one in Sichuan province that is 71 metres tall, but still, I was impressed with the size of this one. We climbed the 260 steps up the mountainside for a visit with the Buddha.
The area has many hiking trails, including one that goes from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping instead of taking the cable car. Unfortunately, we didn’t go on any hikes. We didn’t have the time or energy, and the deadly Bamboo Pit Viper inhabits the area.
Pink Dolphins
After seeing the Budda, visitors can take a bus or taxi down the other side of the mountain to a little fishing village called Tai O. The village is an interesting place and worth a visit, but the main attraction here is getting a boat ride out to see, hopefully, the Chinese Pink Dolphins. These dolphins range from the southern coast of China to the northern coast of Australia. It was one of the things that I had hoped to see on my visit to China, but my expectations of seeing them were low, but we were lucky. Very lucky. We not only saw the pink dolphins, but they were jumping out of the water all around the boat. It was wonderful and will be one of the highlights of my time in China. I enjoyed seeing the dolphins so much that I paid for another trip and went out to see them again, but we were not as lucky the second time.
(Dolphin photo courtesy of Hong Kong Dolphin Watch).
Summary
So you see, there is much more to Hong Kong than a crowded city. There are lots of exciting and beautiful things to see and do. I highly recommend a holiday in Hong Kong.