LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL: HK Island

Showing posts with label HK Island. Show all posts

Central-Mid-Levels Escalators (中環至半山自動扶梯) has always been a place I wanted to visit during our previous visits to Hong Kong and we finally made it this time! Stretching over 800 meters in distance, it runs through Des Voeux Road, Shelley Street, cutting through the SOHO district and to Conduit Road in Mid Levels.

We took the MTR to Central and found our way to the staircase that lead us to the escalators.

The escalator runs daily downhill from 6:00am to 10:00am and uphill from 10am to midnight. If you do not wish to climb all the way up, its best to visit after 10:30am and avoid the rush hours in the morning. The escalators are covered and there are several exits/entrance for us to explore the Soho district.

The Central-Mid-Levels Escalators has been a popular filming spot for a couple of movies. However, the one that left a deep impression on me are the scenes from the Hong Kong movie - Chunking Express (starring Faye Wong, Tony Leung). Two years ago, our favourite Korean game show - Running Man has also filmed an episode at the escalator where they did a speed quiz challenge which attracted a crowd.

It feels so good to be standing here, admiring its unique structure and the pack of restaurants and shops surrounding it.

View from the top of the escalator

Shelley Street

Soho district - This area is filled with eateries, restaurants, bars, art and antique shops.
Do you know that SoHo stands for "South of Hollywood Road" and NoHo stands for "North of Hollywood Road"?

Looking at the steep slopes, the series of 20 escalators and 3 inclined moving walkway has definitely helped the residents in their daily commute. We had a leisure walk and it took us about an hour (to and fro) to complete our trail along the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator.

Travelling on the covered walkway.

Central–Mid-Levels Escalators is not the usual tourist spot but definitely a not to be miss if you like to experience taking on the longest outdoor covered escalator system. I can only imagine how vibrant this area would be when the night falls with the restaurants and bars packed with the locals and tourists.

To reward our kiddos for completing the hiking trail at Lamma Island, we brought them to Tai Yuen Street to hunt for a toy each for themselves. ^_^

Tai Yuen Street (also known as Toy Street), is located in the Wan Chai district. There are all sorts of toys here and it is a paradise for children. Denver & Gladys' face brimmed with joy as they hopped from one shop to the other in search for their present. Although the area is not as big compared to the other night markets, children will be delighted to see the range of toy collection it has to offer here.

It started to drizzle and we had to end our walk earlier. We have never taken a tram in Hong Kong and decided to take the tram ride to the next MTR station - Admiralty. Tram system is one of the earliest public transport in Hong Kong and it has undergone some changes since it started its service in the 1900s. Passengers can pay the exact fare via Octopus card or coins and the experience is best sitting on the upper deck.

6:50pm - We had a late lunch earlier and hence we had a light dinner at McDonalds. It was very interesting to find the Sausage McMuffin hamburger meat patty is made of pork. Definitely not something that we can find in Singapore. :)

I love Yau Ma Tei as there are shops still operating till late hours. ^_^ Hubby and I can always go out to look for extra food around the area. The next day will be our final full day in HK and we will be missing a lot on our late night supper hunt when we return home.

Places of Interest
Tai Yuen Street (太原街)
Address: Tai Yuen Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island
How to Get there: MTR, Wan Chai Station, Exit A3.

The sun was scorching hot and the spectators’ seats at the Ocean Theatre instantly became a pool of brollies overlooking the stage. We were at the mercy of the heat, perspiring furiously while waiting for the show to start. The scenic view of the ocean and mountains helped to cool off my thoughts for a moment.

It has been more than 10 years since Hubby and I sat down at this very spot. We can vividly remember how impressed we were with the performance put up by the dolphins then. The contents of the show has changed over the years and we seem to be seeing lesser action from our ocean friends. Nevertheless, "Sea Dreams" is the one of the main attraction to catch at Ocean Park.

The Rapids is the only ride that we hopped on despite the risk of getting soak. The thrill of this ride is not how the raft swayed along the course but how I can avoid being attacked by the splashes of water!

Now that we have Kai Kai and Jia Jia at the Singapore Zoo, Le Le and Ying Ying are the Super Stars at the Giant Panda Adventure.

They are so adorable! No wonder we got mesmerized by our furry friends.

The cuddly red pandas nearly stole the limelight as they make their appearance. These little reddish brown, bushy-tailed mammal has a cat-like face and white whiskers. They look like raccoon and is about the size of a small dog.

We met Whiskers and his friends at the Whiskers Theatre. Mommy helped to translate the story to the children as the show was mostly in Cantonese. Despite the language barrier, Denver & Gladys enjoyed watching the lovable characters and performance very much.

Merry-Go-Round is a MUST have at every theme park. It is a ride not only for children but also for adults. :)

Experience the culture of Hong Kong in its 50s to 70s at Old Hong Kong.

More Merry-Go-Round.

As the night falls, we headed back to the Waterfront Plaza for a series of acrobatic performance as a team of Balloonatics and Aviators explode across the sky.

Symbio - A combination of light, fire and sound effects as the Lagoon transformed itself into a stage for the world’s first 360° water screen show in the night. The final finale before the park closes for the day.

Check out our Ocean Park photos at BPDGTravels' facebook page.

3 September 2012 - Ocean Park (香港海洋公園)

Our 3rd day in Hong Kong and our children have been waiting for this day to come since we arrived. We will be having loads of fun at Ocean Park! We geared ourselves to a heavy breakfast and load up our haversacks with bread and drinks for our trip.

Taking the MTR down to Admiralty station, we hopped on Citybus - 629 which runs daily to Ocean Park.

It was a beautiful, sunny morning and the children were excited to visit the theme park!

For hubby and I, it was a moment to re-visit the memory lane which we took almost 10 years ago.

Our first stop is The Grand Aquarium.

Denver and Gladys got the opportunity to touch the starfish at the touch pool. We marvelled at the fishes in the aquarium and the gigantic swirl tank.

It was our first time catching the showcase of birds in 'The Emperors of the Sky' show at the Amazing Bird Theatre.

Our kiddos get to take photos and did a little donation to help preserving the wildlife animals.

We were a little dissappointed that the cable car was down for maintenance during our visit. :( Nevertheless, we got to take the train at the Ocean Express Waterfront Station (which was also our first ride) as an alternative.

While waiting, we scent a fragant smell nearby and could not resist buying a packet of grilled squid for our snack. Simply delicious!

We have reached the Summit and here is where the adventure lies. If you crave for thrilling rides, this is the place not to be missed.

Since we have a 'weaker' heart, we prefer to say "Hi" to the animals from the Arctic.

Entering the South Pole Spectacular, we were delighted to see the little penguins wading their way on the icy grounds and diving into the waters for their morning exercise rounds.

Moving to the North Pole Encounter, we felt the coldness biting into our bones. The temperature needs to be low throughout the year so that our arctic friends can feel happy and comfortable.

We spotted walruses, seals and snowly owl here! :)

Before we end our polar adventure tour, we saw the cute, little arctic foxes in the Artic Fox Den.

There was a vast difference in temperature upon exiting Polarland. Time to take off our jackets and put on our hats. Fortunately, we were able to hide in the shelter as we await for our Ocean Park Tower ride.

Seated comfortably in the viewing room which rotates gently, we soar through 72 metres into the air and got a magnicient view of the park, Hong Kong and its outlying islands.