Hong Kong: Day trip of markets and Chinese temples

On my first lens, I gave details about arriving at Hong Kong Airport and choosing the right means of public transport to travel to town , so I guess there is no point to repeat all that...

If coming from the airport, the right thing to do is to take the Airport Express Train to Hong Kong Station (terminus), from where you switch to MTR Central (through the pedestrian passage) and commute with the red-marked Tsuen Wan line to either Yau ma Tei, MongKok or Prince Edward (4th, 5th and 6th stations - respectively), where you switch to the green marked Kwun Tong line and travel to Diamond Hill MTR Station.

Sounds complicated ? Don't worry... It is not. Switching from one means of transport to another in Hong Kong is a piece of cake.

Chi Lin Nunnery is possibly the best site to start your "Chinese Hong Kong" day from.

Occupying a large complex of beautifully landscaped gardens in Diamond Hill, north of Kowloon, the nunnery is built in a unique Tang Dynasty architectural style, without a single nail, and although it is not as "historic" as some of the sites you will visit later on today, it is certainly the most spectacular...

In the temple itself, there are some beautiful statues of Chinese deities, but the real 'feast for the eyes' are the gardens, on the other side of the bridge, with lotus ponds, rock gardens, manicured bonsai trees and what not...

To get there: Drop off at MTR Diamond Hill and via Plaza Hollywood (Exit C), walk out and turn left to the street. Proceed a couple of minutes (pass the curve) to the junction of Fung Tak Road. You will see the entrance to Nan Lian Garden on your right hand side, across the road (The nunnery can be accessed from the garden, through the footbridge).

The compound is open daily, from early morning till late afternoon (The garden is open from as early as 7am, while the nunnery opens at 9am).

Wong Tai Sin Temple, one of Hong Kong's most popular places of worship, is our next station. Occupying a fairly large compound on the southern side of Lion Rock Mountain in northern Kowloon, the temple has a reputation of answering almost every plea that is sincere and genuine... "What you request is what you get".

A Taoist priest by the name Leung Renyan brought the message of Wong Tai Sin, a Chinese Taoist deity with a power of healing, from China's Guangxi province to Hong Kong, back in the early 1900s.

After operating for a few years from a small Wanchai apartment and a herbal medicine shop, the temple was constructed in its current location only in the early 1920s, following a dream in which the priest received a message from Wong Tai Sin, instructing him to built a new temple 3,600 paces from Kowloon Pier...

The temple went from strength to strength and many new structures were added along the years... Skipping the harsh Japanese attack on Hong Kong during WW II with hardly any damages has just added to its miraculous reputation.

Kau Cim, a traditional practice of fortune telling, is the main draw here... You have to shake a bamboo cylinder with fortune sticks, and once a stick falls out, you exchange it for a piece of paper with the same number. With this paper you can go to one (or more) of the soothsayers, for interpretation.

Other than fortune telling, the temple boasts some fairly impressive pavilions, shrines and landscaped gardens that are worth visiting, such as the Nine Dragon Wall (a replica of the famous Nine Dragon Wall in Beijing), the Bronze pavilion and the Good Wish Garden.

Getting to Wong Tai Sin Temple is as easy as ABC: Just drop off at MTR-Wong Tai Sin, and you are basically there... (One station from MTR - Diamond Hill, on the green marked Kwun Tong line)

The temple is open from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm daily, and runs overnight in the Lunar New Year Eve.

The birthday festival of Wong Tai Sin, on the 23rd day of the 8th lunar month, is a very busy time at the temple.

After completing the visit to Chi Lin Nunnery and Wong Tai Sin Temple, you basically have two options: Either to proceed to the areas of Yau ma Tei and MongKok (in Kowloon), where local markets and bazaars can be found, or to travel to Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island, where traditional Chinese shops and a few old temples can be visited.

You can jump to my lens about how to cover Hong Kong's "must sees" in a day for the full details of the street-markets journey in Yau ma Tei and MongKok

If you decided to opt for the area of Sheung Wan, MTR-Sheung Wan would probably your best starting point. From Chi Lin Nunnery or Wong Tai Sin Temple, you should board the green marked Kwun Tong Line to either Prince Edward, Mong Kok or Yau ma Tei, switch to the red-marked Tsuen Wan Line and proceed with it to either Admiralty or Central, switch again to the blue-marked Island Line and proceed with it to Sheung Wan MTR station... Again, it sounds like a lot of hassles, but it is not difficult at all.

Walk out of the station through exit B and proceed for a couple of minutes along Des Voeux Road Central, till you get to Western Market, where our journey starts from.

Another option is to drop off at MTR-Admiralty and walk out through exit C-1 to Queensway, from where you should catch the Tramway to Western Market (make sure you board the westbound tram).

Occupying a distinctive brown Edwardian building, highlighted with "bandaged" brickwork on its four corner towers, Western Market was built in 1906 and is the oldest surviving market building in Hong Kong (Another section of the market was built earlier, in the 19th century, but was demolished).

The market is open daily, from 10 am to 7 pm

From the market, walk through Morrison Street or On Tai Street and turn right to Wing Lok Street, (more commonly known as the Ginseng and bird's nest Street), where you can start exploring traditional Chinese shops, packed with all sorts of exotic products like shark's fins, birds nests, dried seafood, Chinese herbal medicines and what not... At the end of the street turn left to Des Voeux Road West, which is better known as the Dried Seafood Street, and from there, turn left again, to Ko Shing Street (Herbal Medicine Street), turn right to Queen Street and right again to Queen's Road West, and left, to Hollywood Road.

Known as the "The Chinese heart of old Hong Kong", Sheung Wan is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods and is characterized by historic streets that stand in contrast to the modern skyscrapers of neighboring "Central".

This is also the place where British Victoria City (as Hong Kong was then called) started its history from, and although some of the historic sites are now covered with concrete and tarmac, the area is still packed with Chinese traditions and cultural attractions that are worth exploring.

Historic Hollywood Road is Hong Kong's first constructed street and unlike what everybody thinks, has nothing to do with LA's glittering suburb, but is actually named after a shrub of the same name that used to grow around this area... (As a matter of fact, when the road was constructed in the 1840s, California's famous Hollywood was not even born...).

Hollywood Road became Hong Kong's undeclared antiques market, right from its first days, when the shoreline was closer (before reclamation "pushed" it away) and European merchants, who passed through here on their way back home, used to sell the antiques they brought from China... Even Nowadays, the street and its small offshoots boast many galleries and trinket shops, that are worth visiting, even if you don't plan to buy anything...

Possession Street, on the western side of Hollywood Road, is where the Brits first set their foot on the island of Hong Kong, back in 1841. The exact landing point is within Hollywood Road Park, just around the corner from Possession Street.

In the early 1960s, Hollywood Road became internationally famous, when part of a Hollywood movie, called The World of Suzie Wong, was shot here.

Man Mo Temple, halfway along the street (126 Hollywood Road: Near the corner of Ladder Street) was built in the 1840s in honor of the gods of literature (Man) and war (Mo), and although it is not one of Hong Kong's most imposing temples, it is quite atmospheric, and boasts many incense coils that fill the prayer halls with their strong and aromatic scents.

Ladder Street, a stone-stairs alley right next to Man Mo Temple, used to house some funeral homes in the old days, and bodies of the departed were rested here before being sent to their home villages in China. Upper Lascar Row (Cat Street), below Hollywood Road, is also worth a visit.

Walk up Ladder Street and turn right to Bridges Street, through which you can walk to Tai Ping Shan Street,/i>, where an 1850s ancestral hall can be visited. The Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences, just above Bridges Street, occupies an impressive 3-storey Edwardian building that once housed the old pathological institute, and is one of the only museums in the world that compare traditional Chinese and Western approaches to medicine.

Not far from there, on Castle Road, Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum is dedicated to the legendary Chinese statesman, who played a vital role in transforming China from a monarchy to a republic, back in 1911. Occupying a beautiful Edwardian mansion, the museum provides a glimpse into the life of the "father of modern China", who received his education in Hong Kong and developed his revolutionary ideas in this city.

At the eastern end of Hollywood Road, just a heartbeat from the internationally-famous escalator, there are some declared historic buildings that are worth visiting, such as The Former Central Police Station, Victoria Prison (on Old Bailey Street) and the Former Central Magistracy (Facing Arbuthnot Road).

From here you can walk down Pottinger Street, which is also known as "stone-step street", thanks to its historic granite steps, turn left to Lyndhurst Terrace with which you can climb back to Hollywood Road, visit the wet market on Gage Street, or take the escalator up to SoHo, where plenty of great restaurants and cafes can be found.

While Sheung Wan is home to som of Hong Kong's most popular dim-sum eateries and authentic teahouses, SoHo boasts some of the city's loveliest cafés and bistro-style restaurants... So you really have a decent selection to choose from...

Here are some recommended places:

Lin Heung Lau, on 160 - 164 Wellington Street, has been serving delicious Dim-sum and traditional Chinese tea for God knows how many years and is still as good and popular as it has always been...

Lin Heung Kui, on 46-50 Des Voeux Road West, Sheung Wan, is an offshoot of Lin Heung Lau.

Taste Better Curry, on 7 Graham Street, just below SoHo, specializes in delicious curries at reasonable prices.,/p>

Malay Mama, on 11A Mercer Street (a minute walk from MTR Sheung-Wan Exit A2) is a good place to try Singaporean, Malay and Southeast Asian food.

Kau Kee noodles is an iconic eatery, famous for its Beef Brisket Stew. It is located on 21 Gough Street (from Hollywood Road, walk down Aberdeen Street and turn left to Gough St.).

Tsim Chai (Jim chai) Noodle is at Jade Centre, on 98 Wellington Street, and specializes in Wonton noodle soup, which some say is the best in town.

Lan Fong Yuen, on 2 Gage Street (near the escalator) is a real Cha Chaan Teng (teahouse-café), where you can try some uniquely Hong Kong stuff, like "Pantyhose milk tea", Macanese pork-chop bun, Hong Kong style French Toast and some lovely Ramen dishes (not uniquely Hong Kong, but still nice).

Café Graham, on 51 Graham Street in SoHo, serves homestyle French and European bistro-fare in a pleasant and unpretentious environment and at good prices.

Boca tapas & wine on SoHo's Peel Street is a great place to chilout and unwind with a glass of wine...

The Press Room, on Hollywood Road, just a heartbeat from Man Mo Temple, is a fantastic modern-brasserie, where you can enjoy a range of delicious familiar favorites in a lovely ambiance and at relatively sane prices.