Hong Kong - a different view

2ifc, with Hong Kong Station

Hong Kong is one of my favourite cities. It is dynamic, easy to navigate and there’s always a surprise just around the corner. That, and the harbour. Enough said.

The easiest way to get in to the city is via the MTR Airport Express, with the station right after arrivals. The Airport Express Travel Pass at HK$100 is a good way to get around town. It gets you a return ride on the Airport Express and unlimited trips on the MTR network for 3 days. Plus, it acts like the normal Octopus Card, reloadable and all so you can use it on the Star Ferry and tram networks, apart from paying for groceries.

So, this time around, I decided to stay an extra day to really explore Hong Kong. I have never really done the tourist bits in Hong Kong, bar the Peak so this would be different.

Of course, no trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a ride on the Star Ferry. There really isn’t much of a fare difference between the upper and lower deck on the ferry, and the terminal is connected to the ifc complex on Island Side, and across the street from Nathan Road and the Brutalist Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon Side.

The 'new' Central Pier

Along the Promenade on Tsim Sha Tsui (or TST to those who can’t quite pronounce Djim Saa Choi or however it’s rendered correctly), every morning at around 8-ish, you will see both tourists and locals doing some exercise: locals doing their fan-based tai chi and tourists trying out their hand with an old master tutoring them.

'Political Statements'

Kowloon skyline

The view from TST is sheer amazing, and even with the dense fog during my stay, it is still a panorama to soak in and enjoy. Interesting architecture and cultural sights along the way, the Promenade also functions as Hong Kong’s Avenue of the Stars, an homage to the city’s film industry.

Dense fog over Hong Kong Island

Amateurs in background left, professionals with fans in foreground

Part of the Avenue of Stars

Around TST, little bits of old Hong Kong abound. There is the iconic Peninsula Hotel, a very nice spot to while the day away over a cup of tea and scones, or just down the road along Salisbury Rd is the Heritage 1881, a beautifully restored colonial Former Marine Police Headquarters, now a shopping mall/restaurant complex. While it does look a little over-done in some places, the old structure still looks on proudly despite her questionable facelift.

Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Rd

Heritage 1881, Salisbury Rd

Main building and stables to left, Heritage 1881

Artillery gun relic, Heritage 1881

'Down the barrel of a gun'

'Response' to 'Political Statements'

Back on Hong Kong Island, an architectural gem lies in the west past Sheung Wan and at the border with Kennedy Town. Getting out from Sheung Wan MTR station, old Hong Kong is before you. The quaint trams wind their way through narrow streets as the Western Market makes you wonder if you are in Melbourne. The damp cloudy grey weather does not help erode the questionings.

Western Market, Sheung Wan

Sheung Wan side streets

Sheung Wan

Hong Kong University, a secular educational institution set up by the merchants, traders and gliteratti of Hong Kong, is a beautiful building, tucked away in a leafy area of the city. Surrounding it are quaint residential buildings and Hong Kong’s King’s College, a high school with a very beautiful frontage.

King's College, Sheung Wan

King's College, Sheung Wan

Hong Kong University’s Main Building is a wonderful structure, and wandering around the cloisters and porticoes provides a nice respite from the somewhat congested feel of the city. For one of the densest cities in the world, this part of the island feels very spacious.

Courtyard, Hong Kong University

Main Building, Hong Kong University

Back in Central, I went to pay a visit to my friend’s office in the International Finance Centre. Little did I know, 2ifc has a little surprise for visitors, if you dig. In a separate lobby, facing the linkway to the Central Piers is the entrance to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the effective Central Bank of Hong Kong, and among the few (if not the only) authority to contract out the printing of currencies to non-government linked banks.

Central, from Hong Kong Monetary Authority Plaza

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is located on the 55^th floor of 2ifc. Ask to visit the visitor’s centre, bring your passport and you’ll be whisked away for a lofty view of the city. There is a decent exhibition on Hong Kong’s currency and how fiscal policies works, but it is the view that stands out, quite literally.

Jardine House view from 55th floor, 2ifc

Sadly, there was a very heavy fog when I was there, so I could not see much. The view was not much different from my friend’s office a few floors down. Of course, my friend had only one thing to comment when we saw nothing but white:

“We have our head in the clouds, up in our lofty towers.” Quite literally, head in the clouds.