Half Local Half Tourist Visits Hong Kong
12:53 PMIt’s been a while since I traveled back to the city that never sleeps, the truly multicultural metropolis, and the place which I call my hometown. Hello Hong Kong, I am back!
Being a half a local and half a tourist brings disadvantages when trying to decide on the key attractions I want to visit while in Hong Kong. In this post, not only will I mention the places I have visited this trip, I will also bring back other attractions I've visited in the past in hopes to provide a holistic half local/half tourist point of view and you can decide what to visit!
Tourist Attractions
Victoria Peak (aka. The Peak)
I think the Peak is probably the top attraction in Hong Kong. It is the highest view point that a tourist can access to easily during night or day, by tram, by bus/minibus, by taxi, or by hiking! I obviously prefer to take the tram, the most convenient yet scenic route. For further details on how to get there I have embedded the link here.
I’ve been to the Peak during both night and day. While both views are amazing, I definitely prefer going at night because you can still see the buildings at night despite the smog! That being said, the option is yours to choose!
At the Peak, there are also other attractions, such as the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. I really enjoyed it, but perhaps it’s more for Asian tourists, because there are tons of Asian celebrities there. It’s worth a visit! Click here for more details.
Stanley Bay
My second favourite attraction in Hong Kong is probably Stanley Bay. Stanley is one of the oldest villages on Hong Kong Island and many tourists and locals are actually aware or know about the history behind Stanley. This village dates back as early as the Ming Dynasty (1573 – 1620). The English name originates from Lord Stanley, a British Colonial Secretary in the 19th century. This area was the most populous area in Hong Kong Island when it was under the British rule in 1841. The Brits like this area so much that it soon became a base for its garrison. Traces of the British Colonial Times can still be found today such as the Stanley Old Police Station which was established in 1859 – the oldest police station in Hong Kong. Nowadays, a restaurant as well as supermarket can be found in the original Stanley Old Police Station. And if you were curious…. the new police is actually just across the street. As a joke, when I visited Stanley, my uncle would ask me why I’m visiting the prison – just an FYI, the military cemetery as well as the prison were built in close vicinity of Stanley.
So what can you do in Stanley? There are many things you can find in Stanley:
(1) Stanley Market. This is a must-go of all the Hong Kong Street Markets. Not only because the shops and stalls offer a wide variety of products, but it covers the styles from both the East and West. To be quite honest though, I merely just walked around these stalls. But it does have an interesting atmosphere, so it is good to check it out if it’s your first time here.
(2) Stanley Promenade and Waterfront Mart. There are many restaurants, bars and cafes clustered around this area. People usually hang out around here to enjoy the nice weather, good food and drinks.
(3) Murray House. Murray House is one of Hong Kong’s oldest buildings and was originally located in Central. This house was built in 1846 and was known as officers’ quarters of the Murray Barracks back in the day. Today, this iconic building is a popular location for photo and movie shooting. While I was here, I did see photo shooting happening!!!
(4) Blake Pier. This probably my favourite destination in Stanley. I have a thing for piers for some reason and I find this pier one of the coolest (temperature-wise) in Hong Kong. I love the nice breeze on a summer’s day. Something that is hardly imaginable in Hong Kong.
For directions to get to Stanley, please click here.
Lantau Island & The Giant Big Buddha (via Ngong Ping 360)
Lantau Island is another key attraction if you want to check off a bucketlist item for the touristy-you. Not only will you see the Giant Big Buddha in view whichever direction you go, there also street vendors, and traditional desserts here too!
You can go to Lantau Island to visit Tian Tan Buddha by minibus, but why would you pick that option when you can go via the Ngong Ping 360 cable cars! This ride is about 30 minutes to an hour, all depending on whether it stops while you are on it. (Stopping the cable cars is never a good sign though!). The year I went here, I got to even try out the crystal cable cars. This means that the bottom of the cable car is glass, so you can see the view from below as well!
My apologies for the smoggy view, but that’s how it is on a very hot day in Hong Kong. And in the summer months, it’s ALWAYS hot here. On the way up to the Lantau Island to see the Giant Big Buddha, you will see many hills/mountains, apartment buildings, and the airport in a distance!
As you get to the Lantau Island, you will see a street with many shops and cafe. Just keep on walking towards the Giant Buddha, until you meet him at the bottom of the never ending staircase.
For the devoted ones, please continue up these stairs to be as close to Tian Tan Buddha as possible. For me, I continued onwards, skipping the stairs to enjoy some traditional tofu dessert and looked at Buddha in the distance.
The above is a traditional bowl of tofu desserts with grounded yellow sugar. It’s probably impossible to find these nowadays unless you look really hard for it! Nowadays, they use syrup, but it’s just not the same.
And finally, one more snapshot of Buddha before we move on to the next attraction.
Disneyland Hong Kong
As a little girl, my goal was to go to all the Disneylands in the world. That dream shattered when they built one in Hong Kong, and I think there is going to be one in Shanghai now too. I can no longer say I’ve been to all the Disneylands in the world since the opening of the one in Shanghai on June 16, 2016. However, I’m only one away from fulfilling that dream since I went to the one in Hong Kong!
It’s super easy to get to the Hong Kong Disneyland because there’s a special MTR station just to get there! And they even decorated the station and the subways so that everything has a Disney theme! Way to hype it up for probably the smallest Disneyland in the world.
I don’t remember how many rides there were at the Hong Kong Disneyland, but there wasn’t a lot. The park is quite small, perhaps smaller than one of the theme parks in the US. However, they still have the iconic Disney tower in the distance, and firework show at night starting at 8PM sharp (rain or shine).
I probably won’t ever go back to this Disneyland again. It’s too small for my liking and way too crowded. But before we move on to a better theme park in Hong Kong, lets just look at a few more Disney branded structures, shall we?
Bye Mickey *waves*.
Ocean Park
Last but not least, my favourite theme park / aquarium / exhibition in the world, OCEAN PARK! I’ve been to this place many times since I was a kid, and it’s literally different every time. Not only do they have theme parks with roller coasters and other fun stuff, they also have a giant aquarium that features many types of water-living creatures as well as other wildlife that lives on land!!
From the aquarium life...
To the jellyfish (I love jellyfish! They are so pretty!)
To more water living mammals and creatures, including dolphins and seals!
And then my favourite animals in the world... PANDAS! and red pandas!
There’s only one place where you can see it all, the one and only Ocean Park!
That’s all the attractions I can think of at the top of my head. I’m sure there are other ones out there, but these are probably my favorite attractions. Aside from the Avenue of the Stars which features footprints of celebrities like those in Hollywood. Except this place is currently it’s closed for renovations.
But honestly, there’s so much to do in Hong Kong aside from the attractions mentioned above that you would not ever have a dull moment when visiting. One last fun “fun attraction” however, before I close is that you must ride the Star Ferry! Just even once, to feel how it was like back in the day when people get from Kowloon to the Hong Kong Island. Just to walk down memory lane like locals would do.
Until the next post! Good morning and/or good night!
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