Trip Preparation

Flight confirmed. Hotel booked. Itinerary done.

This is what I usually do before going for a vacation; be it with family or friends. I will be going to Hong Kong with my family in June 2014. Even though, I still have about two months before the vacation, I have completed the itinerary. 

This will be my second time of going to Hong Kong. The first one was a vacation with our closest friends in year 2012. The previous trip had us going to the major theme parks such as Ocean Park and Disneyland; we spent a day  in each theme park, thus we lack of time to explore the city and try their street snacks. 

Therefore, this time I have decided to just explore the bustling city itself and I believe that my parents will appreciate that as they are not theme park lovers. =). I have always been the person who is in charge of the itinerary as my friends complimented a lot on my self-made itinerary. 

Honestly speaking, completing an itinerary is not an easy task as you need a vast information about the city, places of attractions, checking people's blogs if the attraction is worth to visit, getting the directions using Google map and also recommended food. 

The longest time I spent on itinerary was the South Korea itinerary; which I spent almost half a year doing it. It was completed with pictures, directions with Hangul (South Korea language) -in case we need to ask for directions from the locals. =)
Alas, it was perfectly done and we had a smooth trip during that time.

This time around, I spent about 3 days to complete Hong Kong itinerary and I think it is not perfect yet. No clear directions based on Google map.Might do some changes before the trip =p


Hong Kong 13th June (Friday)-Kowloon
1) Depart from KL to HK Int.Airport (7.10am – 11.05am)
2) Take A22 Airport Bus directly to the apartment. It takes within 30 mins and the bus stop is right          located 5 mins from the apartment
Address: 48 Man Wui Street 1/F, Hong Kong, Kowloon
3) Check in 
4) Lunch 
5) Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple 
6) Chi Lin Nunnery
7) Nan Lian Garden(*4pm)
8) Teatime
9) 1881 Heritage (*6pm)
10) Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars 
11) Dinner (*7pm)
12) Clock Tower 
13) Avenue of Stars-Symphony of Lights (8pm)

Hong Kong 14th June (Saturday)- HK Island/Central
1) Breakfast (*8.30am)
2) Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Garden 
3) Statue Square 
4) Central Police Station Compound
5) Lunch (1pm)
6) Old Wan Chai
- Old Wan Chai Post Office
- Pak Tai Temple
- Blue House
- Wan Chai Market (3pm)
7) Teatime. (4pm)
8) Tram Journey( Causeway Bay- Peak Tram Station)West-bound tram (5.30pm)
Alight at this tram stop ("Cotton Tree Drive") near Admiralty
Then walk uphill along Cotton Tree Drive to the Lower Tram Terminus.
(HK Squash centre on your left--go along this path--then straight ahead, you will see the Lower Peak tram terminus across the road on your right)
9) Peak Tram-Victoria Peak (7.30pm)
10) Dinner (8pm)
11) Take Star Ferry to return to Kowloon (9pm)
12) Return to hotel

Hong Kong 15th June (Sunday)- Lantau Island
1) Breakfast
2) Ngong Ping 360
Directions: MTR Tung Chung Station, Exit B. Walk 5 minutes to Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal
3) Ngong Ping Village
4) Ngong Ping Piazza
Directions: Walk from NP Village for 5 minutes
5) Tian Tan Big Buddha
6) Po Lin Monastery
7) Wisdom Path
8) End of NP. Return to MTR Tung Chung and return to Kowloon. Rest at hotel
9) Teatime (3.30pm)
10) Snoopy’s World
Directions: East Railway to Sha Tin Station. Exit A. Walk through New Town Plaza Shopping Mall for 5 minutes to reach. (5.30pm) 
11) Dinner (6.30pm)
12) Temple Street Night Market 
13) Ladies’ Market (10pm)

Hong Kong 16th June (Monday)- Cheung Chau Island
1) Breakfast (*8.30am)
2) To get to Cheung Chau, take the MTR to Hong Kong Station and walk towards Exit E1. Find the IFC Mall and walk through it to get to the pier. Look out for Central Pier No. 5, take the ferry and you're on your way to Cheung Chau. 
3) Mini Great Wall
Directions: Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach towards Kwun Yam Temple along Cheung Chau Beach Road for 15 minutes to reach the entrance
4) Kwan Kung Pavillion
5) Pak Tai Temple
6) North Lookout Point
Directions: From Pak Tai temple, walk towards Pak She Praya Road, climb up Cheung Pak road from Cheung Kwai Road. (Takes 50 minutes)
7) Lunch. Seafood and snacks in Cheung Chau.
8) Ferry back to Central. 
9) Li Yuen Street East and West Shopping. (2pm)
Directions: MTR Central Station, Exit C. Walk along Des Voeux Road Central towards Sheung Wan.
10) Central-Mid-Levels Escalator
11) Jardine’s Crescent Street Market
Directions: MTR Causeway Bay Station, Exit F (6pm)
12) Jusco $10 Plaza Plus
Directions: 3/F, Chong Hing Square, 601 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Opening Hours : 10:00 am – 11:00 pm
13) Dinner- Sam Sui Po for food
14) Hotel –Packing

Hong Kong 17th June (Tuesday)- Hong Kong Free and Easy Walk
1) Breakfast (*8.30am)
2) Kowloon Park (*9.30am)
3) Tsim Tsa Tsui Promenade (11am)
4) Check out
5) Lunch 
6) Proceed to airport (1pm)
7) Depart from HK at 6pm


Recommended Food

Fung Shing Restaurant
G/F & 1/F, Goldfield Mansion, 62-68 Java Road, North Point
Branches: Tsim Tsa Tsui, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay

妹記生滾粥品 Mui Kee Congee
4/F, Fa Yuen St Market, (Mong Kok)

四季煲仔飯 Four Season Claypot Rice
46-58, Arthur Street, Yau Ma Tei adjacent to Temple Street)

Lucky Star Delicious Food 智多星
Set dinners. 145 Camp St, Sham Shui Po, 2387 7562. Chinese only.

Sham Shui Po
OODLES OF NOODLES CHEUNG FAT 長發麵家
One of the few remaining licenced dai pai dongs in town, Cheung Fat does stellar noodle dishes at dirt-cheap prices. The most popular offering here is the soupless thin egg noodles mixed with Cheung Fat’s house blended sweet soy sauce ($22). This street stall also pounds its own cuttlefish balls, which are best eaten with a bowl of flat rice noodles ($22). 1 Yiu Tung St, Sham Shui Po, 2777 2400. Chinese only.

SMOOTH-AS-SILK RICE ROLLS HUP YIK TAI 合益泰小食
The freshly steamed rice rolls ($10 large; $7 medium; $5 small) here are regarded as being the best in town. The slippery rolls don’t have any fillings but come doused in a deliciously messy combo of sesame seeds, sweet sauce, soy sauce and peanut sauce. The secret to the dish’s success is the splash of lard that’s mixed in with the sauces before serving. While you’re here, also try the stir-fried noodles loaded with leeks and sprouts ($8). 121 Lam St, Sham Shui Po, 2720 0239. Chinese only.

PIG LIVER NOODLES WAI KEE NOODLE CAFE 維記咖啡粉麵
Wai Kee’s name is synonymous with long queues and liver noodles. The signature dish is essentially just a bowl of instant ramen soup noodles topped with beef and slightly gamey slices of pig liver ($25). It’s unabashedly simple but it’s also delicious enough to draw in the crowds day after day. It’s a definite must-eat if you’re in the area. 62 & 67 Fuk Wing St, Sham Shui Po, 2387 6515. Chinese only.

BAMBOO NOODLES KWAN KEE 坤記竹昇麵
Kwan Kee’s yellow egg noodles are manually kneaded the old-fashioned way with a giant bamboo pole. The end product has a beautiful natural sheen and is more al dente than your regular machine-made noodles. The regular bamboo egg noodles in soup go for $12 a bowl but it’s worth tacking on an extra few dollars for the wonton noodles ($15) or the signature soupless noodles tossed with shrimp roe and oyster sauce ($29). Shop E, 1 Wing Lung St, Cheung Sha Wan, 3484 9126. Chinese only.

FUN FUSION SWEETS CHUNG KEE DESSERT 松記糖水
Chung Kee seamlessly blends traditional Chinese desserts with newfangled, fusion creations. We’re especially enamoured with the ‘six treasures’ glutinous rice dumplings ($18), which are plumped with everything from red bean to custard and black sesame. For a refreshing warm-weather treat, go for the aptly named ‘summer’ ($18) – a duo of ice cream and seasonal fresh fruit served over a bed of chewy tapioca pearls with a generous dousing of mango sauce. Shop CB3, Smiling Plaza, 162-188 Un Chau St, 2720 7123; www.chungkeedessert.com.hk.

‘SILK DOLLS’ EIGHT HUNDRED MILE NOODLES 八百里珍珠粉專門店
Eight Hundred Mile pays tribute to the Guizhou province’s rich culinary tradition. The menu is starch-heavy with a wide selection of slippery rice noodles with mix-and-match toppings. As much as we love the noodles though, it’s the beautifully named ‘silk dolls’ dish ($28) that grabs our attention. Similar to a Vietnamese rice paper roll, this Guizhou specialty consists of a rainbow of different ingredients – from shredded chicken and bean sprouts to julienned cucumbers and carrots – wrapped in a paper-thin rice flour crêpe with a dollop of hot sauce. We could eat these all day. 17 Cheung Fat St, Cheung Sha Wan, 2386 1228. Chinese only.

Lau Sum Kee Noodle
G/F, 48 Kweilin Street,
Sham Shui Po
Open daily from 12:00 – 01:00