Hong Kong offers plenty of options, ranging from a junk cruise to
remote islands with century-old Chinese traditions to a breathtaking
hike over rolling green hills to stunning white beaches, a trek to
charming Chinese fishing villages or a fascinating city tour of art,
history and modern museums.
From the vantage point of Victoria Peak, overlooking the world's
busiest deepwater port, you can see a city geared not only to making
money but feeling good about it. At night, it's like looking down into
a volcano.
Despite its British colonial past, Hong Kong has always stuck to its
roots, and the culture beneath the glitz is pure Chinese. That didn't
stop locals from feeling apprehensive about being reunited with the
motherland when the British handed the colony to the People's Republic
of China in early 1997, but their unease has largely evaporated.
Hong Kong is divided into four main areas - Kowloon, Hong Kong Island,
the New Territories and the Outlying Islands. Kowloon and the New
Territories are on a peninsula of the Chinese mainland, on the northern
side of Victoria Harbour; Hong Kong Island is on the southern side of
the harbour facing Kowloon.
The city itself is centred around Victoria Harbour. The main business
district is Central, on Hong Kong Island. East of Central lies the
Admiralty commercial district; Wan Chai, known for restaurants and
clubs; then Causeway Bay, a major shopping area. Towering above it all
is the Peak, Hong Kong's premier scenic outlook and residential
district, which happily has plenty of public green space. In Kowloon,
Tsim Sha Tsui (on the southern tip), Jordan and Yau Ma Tei are busy
hotel and shopping areas, while Mong Kok is a bustling residential and
shopping area.
The Northern part, known as the New Territories, is the gateway to
China for many travellers. Although many travellers just rush through
NT to arrive at the border, it might be an idea to explore this area
with its dualistic character. You will see small ancient rural villages
alternated with modern towns.
Kowloon is the southern tip of the peninsula and faces Hong Kong
island. This paradise of shops, bars and hotels is not only popular
with tourists but also with inhabitants of Hong Kong island who can
easily take the ferry to this melting-pot of everything relating to
spending your money. Besides the important shopping areas, such as the
shops and street markets around Nathan Road (better known as the
‘Golden Mile’) and Mong Kok, there is an abundance of bars and cafés.
However, there is even more in Kowloon. Although they are not dipped in
neon-lights, there are a few nice temples you can visit, such as the
famous Wong Tai temple, and a couple of quite interesting museums.
Hong Kong Island, the busy commercial centre with its high skyscrapers,
has a lot to offer of the same kind: shops, bars, headquarters from
companies and, for those who feel like it, a handful of culture namely
a few museums and some sights. Make sure you go to Victoria Peak where
you can have astonishing views of the surroundings. One of the nicest
beaches, despite its shark warnings, is definitely Repulse Bay and a
lot of people make the effort to go over there for at least a day. For
those who want to see a bit more of the Hong Kong Island, it might be a
good idea to visit Aberdeen. This is partly a sort of floating city
because over 20,000 people live on boats. Although a lot of people live
on boats on Hong Kong Island, the sight of Aberdeen at night with most
boats illuminated by little lights is definitely an unforgettable
experience.
The Outlying Islands simply refers to any of the other 235 islands.
This article is written by contributors of world66.com, modified by travelers-online.com editors and licensed under a Creative Commons License .
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