New Garden Hostel

New Garden Hostel / Kowloon...

by chngbw

New Garden Hostel / Kowloon Hotel
Our tiny twin room cost us about US$30/day, air-conditioned with toliet/hot shower, ceiling-mounted TV and without meals. Up till to today, I still have a nagging hunch that we were being overcharged. The seemingly nice lady-in-charge (a Chinese national who works there) told us that if we stay for more than 3 days, she is willing to lower the price for us. But we were too busy exploring HK that we forgot all about our plans to shift!

Lesson Learnt: We should have made up our mind there and then! Well, the people there don't exactly differentiate between a motel and a hotel as u can c fr the pic! The moment u step out of the Airport, there will be people coming up to u to recommend various places of accomodations - these people probably recieve commission of course! This is probably one of the ways to advertise in HK since competition for accomodation is pretty stiff, I think.

Serene & I had no particular destination in mind and since it was pretty late at night (about 9pm), we decided to follow an elderly man who appeared pretty harmless & friendly.

We put up at a motel in the accessible area of Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon for the entire trip. Had actually meant to stay there temporarily and shift once we looked for nicer places with cheaper tags. No great views except for a greyish concrete wall facing our window. We were told that we have to fork out more $$ if we opted for a slightly larger room that overseeing the streets.

Anyway, one thing I like about this lodge is that there is a numerical door lock for the corridor leading into our room and many others, of course. A person would be frequently stationed in the common area in front of the door. It definitely gave us a sense of security against any suspicious intruders.

Itinerary from Hongkong(Kowloon) 4 Days

by hanelg

"DAY 1 (Thur) Visiting HK toward Mirador Mansion"

Day 1
AM: Arrival on hongkong Airport then Skyplaza then Straight to Hostel preferrably Tsim Sha tsui Area
Note: Buy frm airport octopus card, ngong ping cable car ticket at Asia Hollywood 6/F at Skyplaza, Terminal 2.
(Showing lighthouse 4D) 11:15AM 12:25PM 3:20PM 5:40PM 6:50PM 7:25PM 8:00PM
Bus: Ride A21 ($33) to Nathan Road. Stop at 12 or * 13th bus stop(Mirador Plaza/Chung King Mansion) OR N21A ?
Train: Tung Chung Station to Lai King (11.3) Then Lai King transfer to Tsim Sha Tsui (8) (D1Exit)
Bus: Ride S1 to Airport (3.5) then ride A21 ($33) to Nathan Road
LOCATE: Kowloon New Hostel @ A3, 16/F, Mirador Mansion, 58-62 Nathan Rd. Tsim Sha Tusi, HK. +85223112523.(NOTE: BEWARE of EXCHANGE RATE payment for the room of the hostel)
and check for tour package and China Visa process (180HKD?)
CLASS: Jewellery Appreciation
GO: Shop G16, Holiday Inn Golden Mile Hotel, 50 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Exit C1, hotel is across the road. 10am - 11:45am (Tuesday and Thursday) +852 2311 2532 Free. By Mr Henry Cheng and Mr Alex Chan 20 people.
PM: Go to Ngong Ping
* Train: Tsim Sha Tsui (8) (D1Exit) to Lai King then transfer then rode to Tung Chung Station (11.3).
Ngong Ping terminal
*Bus and Cable:
Fr airport To Tung chung cable Station: Ride S1(airport terminal/asiaworld expo 3.5 )
Ride A35 (airport passenger $15-25)
then Cable Car (Promotion: HKD 178 rnd trip+ free 4D movie ticket+sky deck visit+i-sport+asia holywud admission)
*Tsing Yi Station to Tung Chung Station to cable car.
Bus: go to Tung Chung bus Terminal (cost & Time)->ride bus #23 (HK25) to Ngong Ping/Po Lin Monastery
Taxi: Blue Taxi to ngong ping(125cost+luggage)
GO: Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tan Buddha-> Ngong Ping Village->Ngong Ping tea house
Hike: Toward Keung Shan, at 490 metres-> Tai O
GO: Waterfront View & Avenue of starsVictoria Harbor, Science Museum(1-9pb,HKD25), Space Museum,(1-9pm/10-9pm,HKD10) Kowloon Park, Harbor City(Exit A1), Cultural Centre.
SHOP: SOGO Shopping Center
RETURN to Hostel: Just walk

"Day 2 (FRI) Ocean Park,peak, hollywood & Soho"

Am: Tai Chi & Ocean Park( 10-6pm)
CLASS: Tai Chi Class
GO: Toward TST museum. 8am - 9am (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) Mr Ng is one of Hong Kong's best-known masters, having practised tai chi for many years. Visitors are advised to wear light clothing.

Note: Inquire about 10% disc upon presentation of Ngong Ping 360 tickets, Family Passes.
MRT & Bus: Admiralty (Exit B, HKD ) then ride Bus No.629 (HKD10.6) to Ocean Park(9-6pm,HKD 185)
?Bus: (City Bus from Causeway Bay) 72, 72A, 92, 96, 592/( City Bus from Central) 6A, 6X, 70, 75, 90, 97, 260 from Central, get off the bus after going through the Aberdeen Tunnel, and it's a short walk to the park
Bus Tour: City bus Tour at Admiralty MTR station or Central's Star Ferry Pier (HK$209 includes return bus fare & admission), or
Bus: hop bus to Aberdeen Bus Terminal. It's a 15-20 minute walk to the Tai Shue Wan entrance from there.
NOTE: Last bus departs at is 5:30 fr ocean park
Pm: Peak & Soho & Lan Kwau Fong – Night Life,
NOTE TO GO: Victoria Peak, Mid-Level Escalators, Maxim's Palace City Hall Dimsum Restaurant, IFC Shopping Mall / Pacific Place Shopping Mall,
Lan Kwai Fong
RETURN: admiralty
CLASS: Nan Lian Garden Guided Tour
GO: MTR Diamond Hill Station Exit C2, cross Sheung Yuen Street and walk for one minute. 4pm - 5:30pm (Friday)
HKTB Visitor Centres. (please see page 52 for addresses). Free. Docent of Nan Lian Garden. 10 people per class
HKTB Visitor Hotline +852 2508 1234. Main Gate, Nan Lian Garden, 60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Lotus Pond -> Blue Pond,-> Chinese Timber Gallery, ->vegetarian restaurant (Long Men Lou) vegetarian cuisine fromChi Lin Nunnery and a Chinese teahouse (The Pine Teahouse) .

CLASS: Chinese Tea Appreciation Class

GO: Lock Cha Tea Shop G/F, KS Lo Gallery, Hong Kong Park, Admiralty, Hong Kong MTR Admiralty Station, Exit C1, walk across bridge to Pacific Place, take escalator up to Hong Kong Park, gallery is to the right. 4pm - 5pm (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) +852 2801 7177. Class organised by Lock Cha Tea Shop by Mr Ip Wing-chi 15 people.

GO: Hongkong Park(6-11PM) then Peak Tram
Bus: Bus no. 15C (10min/3.20 HK$).
Tram and hike: tram ticket for HK$20/1 wayHKD30/2way,
Bus from central(pier): # 15 (NW First Bus) HKD9.80

Bus fr Causeway(Tin Hau): # 15B (NW First Bus): $9.80
RETURN: Ride bus 15C toAdmiralty / MTR center/ center Pier or 629 bus Garden Road
If Central Pier : Go Tsim Tsa Tsui Star Ferry Pier to Central(HK$2.20 - upper deck seat),
Bars: head to Knutsford Steps, Knutsford Terrace(TST ExtB1 then walk kimbrly rd), Observatory Court, Ashley Road (TST 2 then walk Humphreys Ave.) or Hart Avenue and Part Avenue,Tsim Sha Tsui East (TST Exit C1, then walk cross Nathan Rd to Mody Road to Chatham Rd South)
Else: Soho, Mid-level Escalator then Lan Kwau Fong(D'aguilar Street and Wyndham St Staunton and Elgin streets)
HOW to SOHO: You can walk from Hollywood Road or Caine Road, then via Central-Mid-Levels Escalators at Shelley Street to "SoHo" district.
NOTE GO: Cat St. Market at Hollywood rd
Note: Walk along Queen's Road Central towards The Center. Then take the Central - Mid-Levels Escalator.Stroll along Hollywood Road and you'll soon discover Hong Kong's "SoHo", the area "South of Hollywood Road".
Note: from Central exit C.3. (Des Voeux Rd Central), turn left (going northwest). After 3 or 4 blocks, you will see Hang Seng Bank Headquarters building on your right (tall building with big rounded metalic corners), and Central Market (slated to be demolished some time) on your left (sandwiched between Queen Victoria Street and Jubilee Street). You will also see two pedestrian bridges / skywalks in between overlooking Des Voeux Rd Central. Go up to the same level as the pedestrian bridges.Go southwest once you are upstairs along side the Central Market (away from Des Voeux Rd Central). At the other end of that building, you will find the connection to the escalators. escalator only goes in one direction down towards Central(am) Vice versa (AFternun)
Train: fr Central to Tsimsha Tsui

"Day3(SAT) Stanley Market / Day 4: Shopping"

Am: Stanley MARKET
GO : Stanley Market Bus 6,6A,6X, 66 or 260 from exchange square bus terminus, Central OR New World First Bus 65.

Pm: Causeway Bay
NOTE TO GO: Causeway Bay, Times Square Mall, Sogo,
GO Shop: World Trade Centre @ 280 Gloucester Road Hong Kong, (exit D1 in MTR's Causeway Bay Station. Causeway )
GO SHOP: Times Square 時代廣場 Causeway (directly MTR's Causeway Bay station. At exit, coined "A1" OR by tram in the direction to Happy Valley or Shau Kei Wan OR OR TRAM to Time Square . take any one heading for Happy Valley and get off on Percival Street. Go west on on Russel Street. Times Square is just one short block away from the tram track. HK$2 / ~ US 25
.)
Day4(SUN)
Am: Mongkok Area to Jades to Ladies Market
NOTE TO GO: Langham Place (Mall), Ladies Market, Sai Yeung Choi Street, Temple Street Night Market

GO Temple Street ( 6:pm – 11pm). MTR to Yau Ma Tai or Jordan

GO Start Jade Market 10:00 – 4:00 (MTR Yau Ma Tei Station Exit C, walk along Nathan Road to Kansu Street. Walk along Kansu Street to Jade Market or continue along Kansu Street to Canton Road for 10 to 15 minutes.then,
GO: Ladies Market 12:30 - 10:30pm @ Tung Choi St. (1.MTR Mong Kok Station Exit E2, then walk along Nelson Street for two blocks. OR Bus 1, 1A, 2, 6 or 6A from Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier.)
GO: Fa Yuen St.
GO: Kowloon (Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Shantung Street, Dundas Street) - Look out for trendy shops in malls selling the cutting edge fashion plus the latest Japanese and Western toys and games!
GO: Flower Market( MTR Prince Edward Station Exit B1 and walk east along Prince Edward Road West. OR MTR Mong Kok East Station Exit C. Walk to Sai Yee Street via footbridge and follow the signs.)
GO: Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, ( MTR Prince Edward Station Exit B1 and walk east along Prince Edward Road West. OR MTR Mong Kok East Station Exit C. Walk to Sai Yee Street via footbridge and follow the signs.)
OR
Sino Centre Arcade: In this plaza, there are many products about Japanese cartoon, such as VCD's, DVD's and comics.
Ho King Shopping Centre: In this plaza, you can find many products having to do with computer and video games. They are sold for relatively low prices compared with other shops.
Grand Century Place: This is a new plaza next to the Mong Kok KCR station. Most of the famous-brand and popular shops can be found here.
Sai Yeung Choi Street South, (西洋菜南街) - A street full of shops selling consumer electronic products, comestics, and discount books, the last of which usually located on the lower floors above ground floor of buildings.

Class: 3 Kung Fu Corner

GO: Kowloon Park every Sunday KungFu Corner.Public are invited to try their skills, and the instructors are happy to lead visitors through typical kung fu movements.

Class: Chinese-style cakes@ Wing Wah Cake Shop.Wing Wah
GO: Shop 4, G/F, Union Mansion, 35 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Exit D2, walk along Carnarvon Road to Hart Avenue, reach Chatham Road South and turn left. Noon - 1:15pm, 3pm - 4:15pm (Sunday)
HKTB Visitor Hotline +852 2508 1234.Visitors are required to show their passport and register in advance.

When you visit Hongkong try...

by gimmick2000

When you visit Hongkong try their dim-sum. Delicious snack served with tea, Try to eat their roasted goose and congee. I bought lots of clothes, the fun part is all of them are on a discount price. Also when we went to Ocean Park we had the fun of our lives.

Travel between HK n Kowloon...

by chngbw

Travel between HK n Kowloon via a ferry! [For those who dunno, HK consisted of 2 major islands - HK island n Kowloon! :) ]

The ferry seemed like a popular form of daily transportation for the Hongkongers. u hafta pay a nominal fee for the ferry trip.

The journey though only about less than 15 mins, was rather relaxing! Most just sat back and enjoyed the waves...but we gals were too busy snapping away! :)

By leveling the island of Chek...

by Anne_Miranda

By leveling the island of Chek Lap Kok, off Lantau Island, and reclaiming land from the sea, a platform was made for the new Hong Kong International Airport. Upon arrival, our guide led us on a brief guided motorcoach tour of Hong Kong Island and through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel to Kowloon.

A sampan ride the next day took us on a tour of Aberdeen Harbour on the southeast coast of Hong Kong Island. The harbor is home to one of Hong Kong’s largest fishing fleets; the fishing junks, home to their owners, rub shoulders with luxury yachts at Aberdeen Marina Club. Given that the apartments in the high-rise buildings that most Hong Kong families live in are a mere 300 to 400 square feet, some of the junks seemed quite spacious! Also in this harbor is the famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant.

We rode the tram, built in 1888, to Victoria Peak for panoramic views of the Hong Kong skyline. We attempted to use our ATM card at two different locations here with no success. It took two more tries at the Stanley Market area before we found one that would accept my card. We have found this to be typical of our travels outside the United States…patience is the key to success. Brightly colored mailboxes caught our eye and I dropped off a postcard to our grandson who collects stamps. Living along the road to the Peak are the wealthy of Hong Kong. The farther up the mountain you go the more costly the homes become. The residence of the United States Ambassador to Hong Kong is located here.

Along with another couple, we rode the subway to the Flower Market and Bird Park. Before leaving we had a bowl of delicious noodle soup in a tiny café around the corner from the hotel. The place was crowded with locals and the food was inexpensive. It’s on Canton Street across from the Harbour City shopping, office and hotel complex, and Ocean Terminal where the cruise ship QE II was docked.

Seniors get a discount on the subway fare. Tickets are purchased from vending machines and then inserted in a slot at the turnstile. When we came out of the subway at our destination, map in hand and looking confused, a man approached us and offered to help us find our way. He proceeded ahead of us and kept looking back and making sure were going in the right direction.

The Flower Market is a group of streets with stores selling every imaginable type of flower. We turned into an alleyway and found stores with small birdcages for sale. In other alleys we watched shopkeepers working on bouquets. An elderly man setting on a box cutting his toenails with a small knife did not look up or stop what he was doing as we walked by. No one seemed to care that these Americans were in their alleys.

In a shop selling fresh fruit we purchased three bananas, and an orange that was very hard to peel. After we were through eating and had orange juice all over our hands, a man working in the store brought a water hose, so we could rinse our hands at the curb. Peelings were put in a box in the gutter. At a shoe store window an elderly Chinese man attached himself to our group. Although his English pronunciation was good we could not understand him because his sentences did not make much sense, he just rambled on. He finally left us when we started to climb the steep stairs to the Bird Park.

The Bird Park used to be an actual park where people walked their birds and visited with other bird owners (the birds were in their cages, not on the ground). Now it is a market area selling birds, cages, food, toys and other items for birds. Birds are about the only pet that one could have in one of Hong Kong’s tiny apartments. This was an interesting glimpse into the everyday life of people living in Hong Kong.

A sampan ride the next day took us on a tour of Aberdeen Harbour on the southeast coast of Hong Kong Island. The harbor is home to one of Hong Kong’s largest fishing fleets; the fishing junks, home to their owners, rub shoulders with luxury yachts at Aberdeen Marina Club. Given that the apartments in the high-rise buildings that most Hong Kong families live in are a mere 300 to 400 square feet, some of the junks seemed quite spacious! Also in this harbor is the famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant.

We rode the tram, built in 1888, to Victoria Peak for panoramic views of the Hong Kong skyline. We attempted to use our ATM card at two different locations here with no success. It took two more tries at the Stanley Market area before we found one that would accept my card. We have found this to be typical of our travels outside the United States…patience is the key to success. Brightly colored mailboxes caught our eye and I dropped off a postcard to our grandson who collects stamps. Living along the road to the Peak are the wealthy of Hong Kong. The farther up the mountain you go the more costly the homes become. The residence of the United States Ambassador to Hong Kong is located here.

Along with another couple, we rode the subway to the Flower Market and Bird Park. Before leaving we had a bowl of delicious noodle soup in a tiny café around the corner from the hotel. The place was crowded with locals and the food was inexpensive. It’s on Canton Street across from the Harbour City shopping, office and hotel complex, and Ocean Terminal where the cruise ship QE II was docked.

Seniors get a discount on the subway fare. Tickets are purchased from vending machines and then inserted in a slot at the turnstile. When we came out of the subway at our destination, map in hand and looking confused, a man approached us and offered to help us find our way. He proceeded ahead of us and kept looking back and making sure were going in the right direction.

The Flower Market is a group of streets with stores selling every imaginable type of flower. We turned into an alleyway and found stores with small birdcages for sale. In other alleys we watched shopkeepers working on bouquets. An elderly man setting on a box cutting his toenails with a small knife did not look up or stop what he was doing as we walked by. No one seemed to care that these Americans were in their alleys.

In a shop selling fresh fruit we purchased three bananas, and an orange that was very hard to peel. After we were through eating and had orange juice all over our hands, a man working in the store brought a water hose, so we could rinse our hands at the curb. Peelings were put in a box in the gutter. At a shoe store window an elderly Chinese man attached himself to our group. Although his English pronunciation was good we could not understand him because his sentences did not make much sense, he just rambled on. He finally left us when we started to climb the steep stairs to the Bird Park.

The Bird Park used to be an actual park where people walked their birds and visited with other bird owners (the birds were in their cages, not on the ground). Now it is a market area selling birds, cages, food, toys and other items for birds. Birds are about the only pet that one could have in one of Hong Kong’s tiny apartments. This was an interesting glimpse into the everyday life of people living in Hong Kong.

On our last day in Hong Kong, my husband and I left early in the morning on the Star Ferry to go back to Hong Kong Island. We were headed to the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens founded in 1871, which we assumed was right next to Hong Kong Park. After arriving we learned that the Gardens were about four blocks from the Park, up hill all the way! A woman with a thick Scottish brogue, who had lived in Hong Kong for 6 years, gave us directions. We only had time to visit about half of the complex, the jaguar enclosure with a black and a spotted jaguar, the Green House, the Aviary, and the Fountain area with beautiful flowers, arbors and paths. Nannies were pushing their charges in strollers, elderly women were practicing Tai Chi, and an elderly, shirtless, gentleman was giving Tai Chi lessons to a man in a business suit.

Before leaving for the airport for our return home we enjoyed afternoon tea in the hotel lobby lounge. We had a choice of about 15 different teas and we chose the food plate for two ($15 US). Served on a tiered server the small sandwiches, quiche, pate and desserts were delicious. This ended our gastronomical adventures in the Orient on a rather elegant note.

On the trip to the airport we passed the container port at Kwai Chung, the busiest in the world, and the elegant Ting Kau Bridge, which carries traffic directly into southern Mainland China. The highway median strip was planted with young trees and ground cover. Scattered among the plantings were metal birds in flight, leading us to our way home. Our big discovery in Hong Kong was that, if you stood staring at a map looking like you were lost, someone would always come to your rescue. We seemed to need this help quite often!