Transportation in Hong Kong

I've been waiting for this post for so long! Tell you what, I really wish I could include this into the post about "The World's no.1s". Anyway, there's no way to prove it. But the transportation in Hong Kong is just brilliant.



Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transportation network. Over 90% of the daily journeys are on public transport, making it the highest in the world.

Railway Transport

Hong Kong has an efficient train network. Public transport trains are operated by the MTR Corporation Limited.

The MTR (Mass Transit Railway) operates the metro network within inner urban Hong Kong, Kowloon and northern part of Hong Kong Island with newly developed areas and the northeastern and northwestern parts of the New Territories.

There are altogether ten lines in the MTR system, with a total of 82 railway stations and 68 light rail stops. Eight of the lines provide ordinary metro services, whereas the Airport Express provides a direct link from the Hong Kong International Airport into the city center, while the Disneyland Resort Line exclusively takes passengers to Hong Kong Disneyland.






The Light Rail possesses many characteristics of a tramway, including running on streets with other traffic on some of its tracks and providing services for the public in New Territories West.

All trains and most MTR stations are air conditioned.

Tramways

The Hong Kong Tramways is the tram system run exclusively on Hong Kong Island with double deckers. It started operation in the 19th century. Local people call it "Ding Ding" because of the sound of the moving tram. The Peak Tram connects Central, Hong Kong's CBD, with the Victoria Peak.
It is a bit slow, but you can imagine the old lifestyle in Hong Kong.

The tram fare is REALLY cheap, $2 per adult.

Funicular railways

The Peak Tram is a funicular railway service which was inaugurated in 1888. It carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. It provides the most direct route to Victoria Peak and offers scenic views over Victoria Harbour and the skyscrapers of Hong Kong.

Exchange Rates Table for Hong Kong Dollar

The exchange rates, perhaps, fluctuate a lot. The table below is just for your reference, using values from Friday, December 12, 2008.

However, we have a fixed exchange rate with USD (American Dollar), which only slightly varies from time to time.


1 American Dollar = 7.7497 HKD (more or less fixed)

1 Australian Dollar = 5.09929 HKD

1 Brazilian Real = 3.23039 HKD

1 British Pound = 11.5269 HKD

1 Canadian Dollar = 6.22316 HKD

1 Chinese Yuan = 1.13267 HKD

1 Danish Krone = 1.38886 HKD

1 Euro = 10.3451 HKD

1 Indian Rupee = 0.160782 HKD

1 Japanese Yen = 0.0849189 HKD

1 Malaysian Ringgit = 2.16472 HKD

1 Mexican Peso = 0.572779 HKD

1 New Zealand Dollar = 4.22203 HKD

1 Norwegian Kroner = 1.11901 HKD

1 Singapore Dollar = 5.20813 HKD

1 South African Rand = 0.758659 HKD

1 South Korean Won = 0.00566085 HKD

1 Sri Lanka Rupee = 0.0696915 HKD

1 Swedish Krona = 0.959383 HKD

1 Swiss Franc = 6.56977 HKD

1 Taiwan Dollar = 0.233004 HKD

1 Thai Baht = 0.221547 HKD

*Must-visit - Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. We usually call it The Peak.

The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island. With an altitude of 552 m (1,810 ft).
It is a major tourist attraction which offers spectacular views over central Hong Kong, Victoria Harbor, and the surrounding islands.





Fed up these pictures? Haha it's just what you can see when you look down from the Peak.
You will be amazed by the spectacular view of the surrounding city skyline, the world-famous Victoria Harbour and Kowloon.







The Peak Galleria and the Peak Tower is a leisure and shopping complex. You can relax at a cafe in the open area, enjoying the stunning view from different angles. There are also souvenir shops where you can enjoy shopping on the top of the mountain!

Standing on the Peak Tower, you will see a more panoramic view of Hong Kong. Remember to take some pictures!







One question: How to get there?

There are several ways: buses, minibues, taxis, on foot(I'm not kidding you, it just takes an hour from Mid-levels, I walk up there most of the time)

And the most popular way for tourists is ..



Peak Tram!

The Peak Tram carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Central district to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, the 15-minute ride provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong.

There's nothing in the world like the Peak Tram. Pulled by steel cables, the tram climbs 373 metres (about 1,200 feet). It's so steep that the buildings you pass look like they're leaning at a 45 degree angle.

And it costs a little bit more than other transports. Still, it is definitely an unforgettable trip. Worth paying right?









There are many nice (but can be pretty expensive) restaurant at the Peak. I tried one of them. (Ask me for the name if you are interested)

Very very nice restaurant.
It's cozy, the food is fantastic. It costs around $250-400 per person for such wonderful dinner, which is not bad. Of course it depends on what you order.

They offer western dishes, including different kinds of appetizers, salads, soups and desserts, as well as steaks, pasta, seafood, mexican food etc.

There are both indoor and outdoor area, if it's not too cold or hot, having dinner at outdoor table would be a more romantic choice.

The World's No.1sss

There are countless outstanding buildings in Hong Kong and, most importantly, a number of them are (or had been) the world's no.1s: the longest, the highest, the best................ Let's have a look at some of the representative works in Hong Kong.

1. The Lantau Buddha

The Lautau Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha. The Buddha is 34 meters tall, weighs 250 tonnes, and is the major centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong.


Visitors have to climb 268 steps in order to reach the Buddha, though the site also features a small winding road to the Buddha for vehicles to accommodate the handicapped.

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Of course, the harder it is to reach, the cooler it is when you are standing right next to the enormous Buddha!

2. Tsing Ma Bridge




The Tsing Ma Bridge had been the world's longest span suspension bridge carrying both road and railway traffic. The total length of wire is enough to stretch four times round the world!


It is part of the Lantau Link, which, with two long span bridges links the New Territories and Lantau Island, and eventually leads to the Hong Kong International Airport.

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So, if you go to visit the Big Buddha in Lantau Island, you will as well travel through the Tsing Ma bridge!

3. The Central-Mid-levels Escalators

The Central-Mid-levels escalators in Hong Kong is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. It consists of twenty escalators and three moving sidewalks, linking the centre of Hong Kong-Central and one of the most affluent areas - Mid-levels.

The whole system is 800 meters long with a vertical climb of 135 meters. The total travel time is twenty minutes, but most people walk while the system moves to shorten their trip. Daily traffic exceeds 55,000 people, although originally forecast to transport 27,000, and using it is free of charge.



Watch this
http://www.geobeats.com/videoclips/china/hong-kong/central-escalator
you will understand it better


(Oh I just miss this place so much..... it is my favorite area where I had lived for 17 years since I was born)

Last but not least..

4. Hong Kong International Airport

Dear potential visitors, you will be arriving in one of the BEST airports in the world.

Opened on 6 July 1998, it took six years and US $20 billion to build. It is one of the world's busiest airports in terms of international passengers and the second busiest airport in the world in terms of cargo movements.

Despite a relatively short history, Hong Kong International Airport has won more than 20 notable international "Best Airport" awards. In 2001-2005 and 2007 - 2008, it came first in Skytrax's World Airport Awards, and second in 2006.

Although it's built on an island, it is directly linked with the city.
Remember Tsing Ma Bridge? It is the main way to get the other parts of Hong Kong.

It's a little bit far away, but you know what, you have various choices of transports: buses, taxis, ferries and, of course, Airport Express.

Alright you might say, "Dude, this is where people stay only for a couple hours, what's so important?!"

Well, I believe the airport you arrive at always gives you the first impression of that city. Also, wouldn't it be nice to enjoy such fantastic services and facilities when you travelled to a new place?!

Believe me, it's huge, with wonderful facilities.








Ciao guys!

What Makes Hong Kong So Special

In the my previous posts, I always emphasized Hong Kong is an "international city" or a "British colony", it is because I do believe these are simply what make Hong Kong so special.



We have buildings of both Chinese and Western style;




Apart from the spectacular skyscrapers, you will also love the gorgeous scenery in the countryside areas of Hong Kong;

Owing to the impact of British governing and our free trading port, Hong Kong has become a city with mixed culture and economy where you can see international elements and bustling of international people anytime, anywhere.

Although Hong Kong is a small city in terms of land size, it contains EVERYTHING you need.

You may think it is a bit crowded - that's just one of the characteristics of Hong Kong.

People walk faster, eat faster, work faster. Time matters most. It is exactly our way of life.


Don't worry about being sick of the busy busy city, just take a ferry across Victoria Harbor, or simply visit the beautiful countryside or islands, you will still be embraced by nature and breathing the fresh air which you are used to.

If I were a tourist, I would say the transportation network and food are the most impressive parts of Hong Kong. After reading all my posts, plan a trip(ask me for details anytime), then you will see if you agree with me.

A Brief Introduction of HK History

The main thing you have to know is Hong Kong was a British colony, then in the following posts, you will see how the economy, culture, buildings, names and languages have been influenced by this.

12th century – Hong Kong was a sparsely populated area dominated by the Five Clans – Hau, Tang, Liu, Man and Pang.

1840 – The First Opium War broke out. The war was caused by the Chinese seizing an estimated half tonne of British imported opium and burning it.

1841 – The Chinese signed a peace treaty ceding the island of Hong Kong to Britain.

1843 – Hong Kong’s first governor, Sir Henry Pottinger was dispatched to take charge of the twenty or so villages on the island and conduct British trade.

1850 – The population of Hong Kong stood at 32,000.

1856 – The second Opium War broke out.

1860 – The Chinese found themselves on the losing side again and were forced to cede the Kowloon peninsula and Stonecutter’s Island to the British.

1898 – Britain forced more concessions from the failing Qing Dynasty, gaining a 99-year lease of the New Territories. This lease would end in 1997.

1900 – The city’s population reached 260,000, this number continued to grow thanks to war and conflict in China proper.

1950 – The population of Hong Kong reached 2.3 million.

1950’s – Many refugees provided the labour for Hong Kong’s rapidly expanding manufacturing industry.

1980 – The population of Hong Kong reached 5 million.

1984 – Margaret Thatcher announced that the whole of Hong Kong would be handed back to China at midnight on June 30th 1997.

1997 – The Hong Kong Handover took place. Prince Charles and Tony Blair led the British party, while China was represented by Premier Jiang Zemin.

2008 – The Hong Kong population reached 7 million.


When you come to Hong Kong, you will be amazed by how densely it is populated - 7 million of people packed in such a small area!

The Weather of HK

We have pretty mild weather in Hong Kong, instead of 4 distinct seasons.

As you can see from the graph, it gets a bit hot in summer and becomes cooler during winter.

There are no tornados or significant earthquakes in Hong Kong, thanks to its geographical location.

The only destructive thing is typhoon, and it only occurs once in a time during summer.


So, if you wanna come to Hong Kong in summer, I suggest that you bring only summer clothes, of course.

But if you are going to travel to Hong Kong during winter, it might depend on where you come from, you know, like Canada, or Finland and so on, I would say you just need to wear what you normally wear in summer or fall.


Oh ya, it sometimes rains in Hong Kong, especially during summer, bringing an umbrella with you would be a wise choice too.

Geographical facts of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, officially called the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is located China's south coast. The 1104 sq. km land area can be primarily divided into 3 areas: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories.

Hong Kong's terrain is hilly to mountainous with steep slopes, less than only 25% of the landmass is developed, and about 40% of the remaining land area is reserved as country parks and nature reserves. Most of the territory's urban development exists on Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and in scattered settlements throughout the New Territories.

As you can see from the above map, Hong Kong's long, irregular and curvaceous coastline also affords the territory with many bays, rivers and beaches, and that is why Hong Kong people can enjoy fresh and cheap seafood.





If you have to point out Hong Kong on a world map, it will be a tiny little point that you can hardly see!

Nevertheless, this small piece of land has everything you need, including countless world's most outstanding infrastructures, services, as well as spectacular views and monuments.

Welcome Everybody! - Introduction

Hi everyone,

• Want to experience a unique vacation in Hong Kong?



• Sick of joining those monotonous tours without special features?



• Or just want to know more about Hong Kong - an international city in Asia?

First of all, welcome to my blog! I'm a 100% 'Hong Kongnese' that I was born and grew up in Hong Kong, and I'm still in love with this city. Not only do I like to go around trying new things in Hong Kong, I also travel a bit, Canada, US, Thailand, Germany, Austria etc...

I always believe that travelling to a new place is all about experiencing something different, something with local characteristics, instead of visiting a few tourist spots with a crowd of foreigners every day- and that's the end of the trip. Nothing special eh???

Can such kind of tour really make your trip a memorable one??!
Well, okay I know it depends on individual interests.

But if you are someone who has so much energy and wants to explore a foreign place by yourself (or with family/friends) without any time/transportation constraints, I suggest you plan your own trip, customize your own trip, and make it a unique experience!

Okay let me first help you get rid of your worries.

"Oh I speak only English!!"

This is not a problem at all.

Hong Kong was actually a British colony, and though it now belongs to China, it is still independent to some extents and British culture can always be found in this international city. Just want to let everyone know English is one of the official languages in Hong Kong, and a great proportion of people in Hong Kong can speak enough English.

So, DON'T EVER worry about having difficulties asking for directions, ordering food etc. Street names, station names, food menus, directories, most of them are in both Chinese and English.

Most importantly, Hong Kong has one of the busiest tourism businesses in the world, most of the people involved in tourism/tertiary industries are certainly trained in spoken English. Still worrying about language problem? I don't think so.

"I'm not joining a tour enjoying safe bus trips, will it be difficult and time consuming for me to travel around?!?!?!"

Well, you have to know Hong Kong is a small piece of land of slightly more than 1,000 sq. km. With its incredibly large population - 7 millions of people, there are definitely all kinds of public transports that you possibly need, buses, minibuses, taxis, trams, ferries, MTR(un underground railway), trains, airport express...

Also, the routes/schedule details are clearly indicated in every station, as long as you are able to read and you know where you want to go, you can get to everywhere without any hassle.

Believe me, when you come to Hong Kong, you will be amazed by how convenient it is to get around. What's more, the fares are REALLY cheap.






It's only part of the introduction, coming up will be some information about facts, culture, weather and characteristics of Hong Kong. Then different must-visits and must-eats will be shared.

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You are ABSOLUTELY WELCOME to leave comments if you have anything to share or any questions to ask! I will frequently update the blog and reply the comments. Once again, welcome to my blog and thank you for your interest.