HK Part III - Kowloon
Across the harbor from Hong Kong Island is the area known as Kowloon. This urban area is home to several well known neighborhoods, especially the area closest to Hong Kong Island called Tsim Sha Tsui, and the areas around Mong Kok and Mong Kok East, where some of the densest neighborhoods in the world exist. This area, while originally underdeveloped by the British, has quickly grown into a chaotic vertical city in it's own right. While some areas are luxurious, with fancy hotels and expensive restaurants and shops, other areas are cheaper, more ethnically diverse, and offer local food stalls, street markets, and handy services. Throw in a couple of good museums and Kowloon is enough to easily fill any time there.
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Although in today's modern world there are a plethora of options for traveling between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, but one of the classic and must-do options is taking the Star Ferry. Once the primary method of transport between the two, these ubiquitous green and white boats are nowhere near as popular as in the past, but are still a very common sight in Victoria Harbor. It takes about 15 minutes total to wait, board, and ride it across the harbor. It was a fun way to take some pictures and enjoy a piece of Hong Kong history.
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Hong Kong Science Museum
Our first stop in Kowloon was lunch. We ended up at a place called the "Hing Fat Restaurant", which apart from being a tad pricey was pretty good. My noodles were a bit plain but everything else was pretty tasty. It came out super fast too.
One of the things very high on our list of things we wanted to see was the Hong Kong Science Museum. It came very highly regarded from numerous reviews as well as from friends stories. It wasn't too far from Tsim Sha Tsui so we caught a taxi and headed over. The museum was a whole lot of fun. Although most of the information presented was stuff we had seen in numerous museums in the state, it was still presented in a great way, and the amount of hands on learning offered was incredible. One of their biggest messages was one of being a proper environmentally friendly citizen, and was great to see in a place like Hong Kong. |
Our favorite part of the Museum was this area called the "Hall of Mirrors". In this area, they had created numerous exhibits involving mirrors and using perspective on the images created by various combinations of mirror numbers and combinations. They had some that rotated you, some that stretched or squashed you, some that parts of you disappear, and even a mirror maze. It was a whole lot of fun and we ended up spending a good amount of time in the area.
The rest of the museum was a nice mix of exhibits about real life science. There was an exhibit with household appliances shown cut open, to see what was inside. Needless to say the inside of the dryers and the ovens looked pretty darn familiar! There was an exhibit about renewable energy, with lots of hands on learning and fun tests and games to play on numerous computer screens. There was an exhibit on construction sites and other work places and their hazards. A big maze structure filled much of the empty void between the floors, and bowling balls were going whizzing by overhead through this thing. There was a nice hall about life science, with more games and tests to take, and a section comparing Traditional Chinese medicine to western medicine. Pretty incredible place!!
After the Science Museum we wandered around the Tsim Sha Tsui area some more and did some shopping. Kelsey found a couple of organic beauty shops, so she was super excited. The area was much more intimate than a lot of places on Hong Kong because it was much more narrow. The streets were noticeably skinnier here, and combined with a nearly constant skyline of at 25+ story towers on all sides, it was quite a melee of humanity.
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After Tsim Sha Tsui, we headed north into the neighborhoods of Mong Kok. This area, one of the most ethnically diverse areas around Hong Kong, is also one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Huge forests of public housing skyscrapers are mixed with shopping malls and commercial towers. At street level there are numerous levels of stores, and it's a non-stop barrage of small markets, street markets, luxury stores, and restaurants. The whole thing blurs together and is a non stop, glittering rush into the true heart of Hong Kong. Just like the glittering towers of Central, this neighboorhood is one of the places to visit to get the "true" Hong Kong visit. Whereas Central is the better example of the business end of Hong Kong's spectrum, Kowloon (and especially Mong Kok) is the perfect counterpoint with an emphasis on the people and the social flavor of the city.
That night we enjoyed a great steak at a restaurant on the 4th floor of the Sheraton. It had a wonderful view out to the city beyond, so we got to enjoy our dinners with the classic nighttime view of Hong Kong Island right out the window. The steaks were fantastic, and the meal was amazing all around. Everything was great, and thanks to a simple mistake Kelsey made in her reservation, they thought it was our anniversary so we got a free soufflé for desert. I had never had one before in my life. And apparently I really enjoy it, as I munched ours down. Thanks guys. Fantastic dinner with a fantastic view, and a fitting end to a super fun day in Kowloon.
Above (both): Night time view of Hong Kong's waterfront.
On to Part IV ->
All photos copyright Kit Davidson.