Tourism board provides tips on ways to stretch your money while in China's most expensive city
Sarah Richards
Concluding my four-month cross-China expedition in Hong Kong had seemed like a good idea. While slogging up steep mountain passes and through deserts in a beat-up mini-van, or huddling aboard cramped train carriages sucking watermelon for hydration, the promise of cosmopolitan comforts kept me going. But after the relatively reasonable costs of mainland China, the shock of the country's most expensive city hit hard.
As my bus crept along busy Nathan road though, flashes of bold neon, exotic smells and the din of honking cars came crashing together, exciting all my senses. The jumbled warren of side streets begged to be discovered; the sparkly skyscrapers towering over scruffy market stalls were too photogenic to neglect. I was suddenly determined to conquer this city on a manageable budget, to seek adventures and experiences that wouldn't send me spiralling into debt.
A condensed metropolis, Hong Kong extends from Hong Kong island, over the spectacular skyline studding its northern coast, across Victoria harbour to Kowloon peninsula, which juts out from the mainland.
At Kowloon's southern tip, the Tsim Sha Tsui district is equally a tourist's friend and a foe. It bustles with unrelenting street vendors, enticing shopping malls and glamorous hotels. At the Tsim Sha Tsui pier visit HKTB, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (http://www.hong-kong-travel.com.hk/tsimshatsui.asp) for maps and a copy of its weekly publication, What's On, packed with tips for stretching Hong Kong dollars with cheap harbour tours and free tai chi and feng shui classes.
Behind the HKTB, Hong Kong island's stunning skyline shines in the distance like an all-star line-up of sparkling corporate giants. On the pier you'll find the entrance for the iconic Star Ferry (+852 2367-7065; http://www.starferry.com.hk), a commuter vessel that shuttles locals between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central or Wanchai on Hong Kong island. Don't worry if you don't get that perfect snapshot the first time around. At HK$2.20 (10 baht) a go, you can just ride back and forth until you're Star Ferried-out.
Quite a different cost of admission predominates on Victoria peak, Hong Kong island's 168m mountain. But the slanted Peak Tram ($20 - 90 baht - one way) whisks hillside dwellers and tourists to the top on the cheap. After you've soaked up the view, walk down. The winding trail, buffered from the noise pollution of the city below by tropical foliage, ends near the serviced apartments of the ritzy Mid Levels neighbourhood. If your feet are aching, swing over to the Mid Levels escalator, actually a collection of 20 escalators and three moving walkways that let you descend in style.
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| HONG KONG ENCOUNTER: 450 baht from all good bookshops. |
Fashion-conscious travellers can revel in Hong Kong's bargain shopping, epitomised at Mong Kok, a tangle of open-air markets. Haggle on clothes, shoes and accessories in the Ladies Market, which segues into the colourful Goldfish Market at Argyle street. Dazzle the senses at the Flower Market and Yuen Po street bird market, or rummage through sportswear along Fa Yuen street. Slightly higher brow is Stanley Market, a smaller venue at the southeastern corner of Hong Kong island. Stalls here stock clothing for men and women and decent-priced souvenirs. Haggling is less common.
Hong Kong has plenty to see for free. Don't skip Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin temple's (Lung Cheung road; +852 2854-4333) Good Wish gardens, and shopping in Causeway Bay, where markets heave under the weight of seasonal peach blossoms, chrysanthemums and orchids.
At the Museum of Hong Kong History (100 Chatham road south; +852 2724-9042; hk.history.museum; admission $10 (45 baht), Wednesdays free), history buffs and beginners can trace the city's growth from a fishing village to colonial outpost and 21st century symbol of China's ascension. There's no better place to enrich your perspectives on Hong Kong's unique culture and heritage.
Sarah Richards is a freelance
writer based in Toronto, Canada.
Content copyright 2008 by Lonely Planet.
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