A Day with the Jonssons: Let's go to Hong Kong

at Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau Island

Find your way around Hong Kong and follow these signs

An Airport Shuttle bus from Hong Kong International aiport

Arriving in Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau Island

Do you see the high tech devices the coach has on board?

There are two companies which run the airport buses to the city, Citybus ('CityFlyer') and Long Win. They will offer lush views of Lantau Island and traverse over the Tsing Ma Bridge, the seventh longest suspension bridge in the world.

Tsing Ma Bridge

It was rainy day when we arrived, but that did not keep me from taking photos of where we are going.

Buses between the airport and Central take around 45mins

travel time by bus to Kowloon around 30mins

I can't help but notice the light traffic from the airport to the city district

this way to Tsim Sha Tsui & Hong Kong

a typical tourism bus that transports guests to hotel

A convenient transport option from the airport to our hotel is the Airport Shuttle bus. One can also take the taxi or the Tung Chung MTR station ($3.50) and change to the Tung Chung underground line for a cheaper ride to the city (Kowloon $11.4, Hong Kong $18.8)

magazines, hotel directory and Hong Kong dollars

First things first, stretch and relax as soon as we reached our hotel room . It was a long way from the airport to the hotel.

passport, hotel key card, Octopus card, postcards and shopping coupon

folded and crumpled but a very handy Hong Kong map

We knew it's going to be a challenge to read those chinese characters on the street signs. So we browsed through local magazines and checked the map to see what's happening around Hong Kong.. where to go, what to do, and what to buy.

checking Google map on the Sensational XL.

It took some time before our phone got synched with Google. I say a crumpled Hong Kong map is still a better way to find streets in Hong Kong.

Now let's go to Wanchai where we can get a better view of Victoria Harbor.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wanchai

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Asia's trade fair capital and a premier international convention and meeting location

The Golden Bauhinia Square, right behind Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

boat dwellers

Tanka people or boat dwellers live on these boats. They are like water taxis too.

Let's go sightseeing on a sampan ride

We hired a sampan for HK$ 60 per person for a thirty minute ride around the harbor, which is a reasonable price considering the rainy weather. Usually they ask around HK$50 to HK$100 depending on the day. And make sure you have exact change to pay the boat owner, they will ask for it before you reach the end of your sampan ride.

a view of the Aberdeen Promenade before we left on a sampan

Aberdeen Marina with Jumbo Restaurant in background

Jumbo Floating Restaurant and feeder shuttle boats

The Jumbo Restaurant is a cultural attraction by itself. It is intricately designed with pagodas and dragons,

sightseeing in Aberdeen Harbour

This restaurant was featured in a James Bond movie “The Man WithThe Golden Gun”

It's a fantastic experience. The restaurant is built like a Chinese palace. But expect to see expensive menu of chinese dishes, so make sure you bring in enough cash. They serve breakfast/brunch, lunch and dinner

the largest floating restaurant in the world with seating capacity of 2000+

fishing boats

follow the arrow and we'll be in the shopping area

we got lost on this station

checking the map for next destination

Korean food in HK

chopsticks

customer service centre at MTR station

Octopus Card users benefit from lower MTR fares than single-journey ticket fares. Always check your balance on the Octopus card. Best to load your card before you get a negative value for your next transaction. You might end up buying from a kiosk before you can go out from the MTR station.

MTR station

commuters

Here's a collection of the photos we took while we were going around the city. I don't know what I find so fascinating about the high skyscrapers. I don't want to miss the chance to try out my Canon. There is so much action on the street with the busy shoppers, commuters, people going to work, cars, buses and trams.

billboards in HK

rainy day streetlife in HK

We looked up and down from tall buildings,

We went up and down escalators and elevators,

turned to the left and right, looked near and far across busy streets

Times Square

We wanted to see at least twenty malls in a day, that was our challenge. But it turned out otherwise. At an average, shopping malls are twelve storey high, not including the escalators and elevators in and out of the train stations. We can only do twenty floors in a day. So we ended up taking a shortcut, spend the rest of the day having brunch and coffee.