Batgung - Things to see and do

Hong Kong museums

Mr Tall — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Although I've mentioned Hong Kong's museums in an article on things to do for visitors, I thought I'd spend a bit more time discussing their relative merits -- and deficiencies. I feel much more qualified to do so at the moment than I did several years ago, since Daughter Tall is now entering the optimum age range for museum action (she's seven going on eight). So let's take a little tour of our fair city's publicly-funded repositories of history and culture. Note that the name of each is linked to its official site; all have adequate information on exhibits, location, opening hours, transport and so on if you root around their sites a bit.

Hong Kong Science Museum
It was the Science Museum that inspired me to write this article. A couple of weekends ago, Mrs Tall had a business dinner, so Daughter Tall and I took the opportunity to make an evening visit to the Science Museum. First off, if (after reading the remainder of my account) you have the urge to follow suit, might I highly recommend Saturday evening as a good time to go? Unlike the rest of Hong Kong's museums, the Science Museum stays open till 9:00 on each of the six days it's open (it's closed on Thursdays). Saturday afternoons (I can inform you reliably from past experience) at the Science Museum are ugly: it's crowded; you waste lots of time lining up for lame attractions (more on this forthwith); and even the walk-up exhibits can be hard to observe given the milling masses of humanity.

Now, speaking of lame attractions, please accompany me to my favorite corner of the Hong Kong Science Museum. It's on the upper floor, way in the back on the left. Comprising a projection screen and a fire-engine red automobile chassis, I suppose it could be loosely described as a 'driving simulator'. One's child sits in it, pushes a button to choose a voiceover language, and off it 'goes'. The screen shows a through-the-windshield view of a car traveling from somewhere in Tsim Sha Tsui over to Nathan Road, and then down the latter to its terminus at the tip of the Kowloon peninsula. But why are my directions so vague? It's because the Tsim Sha Tsui depicted has not existed in at least three decades. This exhibit is so old it's of essentially historical interest.

But that's not its worst flaw. No, the real problem is that for reasons unfathomable, it's terribly popular, including with Daughter Tall. So if we visit the Science Museum when it's busy, we inevitably squander at least 15 minutes lining up for this travesty. And as one waits for one teenaged mutant after another to take a turn, it's impossible to avoid watching the simulation video itself and realizing, with increasing horror, that each time it runs the simulator car 'stops' at a traffic light on Nathan Road. That's fine, but then the light doesn't change, and it doesn't change, and it stays the same yet some more, and you're thinking 'Did the simulation designer, recruited as a consultant from Planet Bonehead, not realize that video can be edited so that 37 years later a tall, ruggedly handsome, but terribly impatient gwailouh will not need to stand here chewing the insides of his cheeks while his kid is waiting to 'experience' this stupid attraction?' Or perhaps that is too much to ask.

Anyway, the Science Museum has some amusing exhibits (I like the funhouse mirrors section), kids seem to enjoy it, and it's cheap (just $25, which is far less than science museums in many other cities; its special exhibits usually also require a separate fee that's often more than the admission itself). But it's no shining star in its genre, and if you're from out of town, I wouldn't bother unless you need a rainy-day option.

Hong Kong Museum of Art
Perhaps the outstanding characteristic of the Hong Kong Museum of Art is its location. It's right on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, and there's a fantastic view of the harbor from the lobbies on its upper floors. There are also some decent exhibits. My favorite is the Chinese Antiquities gallery, which features objet such as pottery, seals, statuary, etc. representing most of China's dynasties, although they're in short supply for the earlier eras. There's a gallery of some 19th-century pictures which are of perhaps greater historical than artistic interest, and another with Chinese traditional paintings and calligraphy. There's also a contemporary Hong Kong art exhibit, but I'm not really into that scene, so I shall withhold my judgement, no matter how much I would love to render it . . . . Anyway, the Art Museum is also a good deal on the financial side, as it's one of Hong Kong's $10 museum specials.

Hong Kong History Museum
In years gone by Hong Kong's History Museum was confined to a poky little building in Kowloon Park, and aside from a very handsome clan of stuffed Neanderthals inhabiting a life-sized diorama, it was of limited interest. But then the History Museum was granted new premises in Tsim Sha Tsui East, and it graduated from laugher to legitimate. The current incarnation still follows a rough timeline-based walk through Hong Kong's history, but its exhibits are much more sophisticated and extensive. My favorites are the galleries covering the Opium War, and Hong Kong's folk history and early commercial history (the latter is done via a mocked-up street scene complete with a tram), but there's plenty of interest. Allow at least a couple of hours for this one, and more if you're a history buff. At just $10 for admission, it's a great deal.

Hong Kong Space Museum
What was I saying about lameness? In much the same vein as the Science Museum, Hong Kong's aging Space Museum houses a group of interactive scientific exhibits of varying currency and interest. The main attractions at the Space Museum, however, are the IMAX movies that are projected on to the ceiling of the Space Museum's domed interior. You won't find Avatar playing here, though; it's all hour-long documentary-style programs. Kids like them, mostly, and they do fill up quickly, so a bit of planning is worth it if there's one you'd especially like to see. Admission to the museum only is $10, but the IMAX films cost $24 or $32, depending on your seat.

Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
I've got nothing but praise for the Museum of Coastal Defence. It's an indoor-outdoor museum comprising a number of galleries of military and war photos and memorabilia, plus a walk around the site itself. Lei Yue Mun, the promontory on which the museum is perched, commands the eastern entrance to Hong Kong's harbour, and this site was fortified in the 19th century with the aim of sealing it off. You can visit gun emplacements, munition stores, and even a torpedo launching site. It might just be the best $10 you'll spend at any of Hong Kong's museums.

Hong Kong Heritage Museum
The Heritage Museum, located not far from the Sha Tin MTR station in the New Territories, is neither here nor there. It's part history museum, part art museum, part 'interactive' kids' zone -- but not a huge success at any of the above. Perhaps its singular feature is an exhibit dedicated to Chinese opera, but then I'll leave it up to you to decide whether that's a plus or a minus. This museum's existence seems most likely to be a sop to local interests (i.e. 'Hey, let's have something that will attract tourists to Shatin!') than to any other clear purpose. It's worth a visit if you're in the area, but I would not strain to get to this one until I'd exhausted the possibilities at the History, Art and Coastal Defence museums. Admission is $10.

Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum
I have not visited this museum! Any reader feedback on its merits/demerits would be very welcome. All I know is that Dr Sun did reside in Hong Kong for part of his life, and that this museum occupies an historical building, although not one that he lived in. Admission is $10.

Flagstaff House (Teaware Museum)
Flagstaff House is the pleasant white colonial building you see off to one side in Hong Kong Park. It houses a collection of tea accoutrements that are strangely soothing to behold. Seeing them won't take you long, though; this is a small museum. It's free.

Railway Museum
Located appropriately enough in Tai Po, right on the old Kowloon-Canton rail line, this museum comprises the old Tai Po railway station itself, plus a couple of engines and several passenger cars from the historic KCR. It's fun and it's free.

Sheung Yiu Folk Museum and the Sam Tung Uk Museuem are similar, in that they're preserved/restored traditional clan compounds. You can walk through them, see examples of some of the implements of daily life in days gone by, and be very grateful you've got an air conditioner and a fridge. Sheung Yiu is a bit of a hike to get to -- literally -- as it's a few minutes' walk down the Pak Tam Chung Nature Trail in the Sai Kung Country Park. Sam Tung Uk is in a more urban setting, near the Tsuen Wan MTR station. Both are free.

Buying tickets
All of the museums I've listed so far are run by Hong Kong government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The LDSD offers a couple of bargain ticket options for its museums:

If you're here as a tourist, a weekly pass to all of the LCSD museums can be had for just $30. You can buy this pass at any of the fee-charging museums.

If you're a Hong Kong resident, an annual pass for individuals ($100) or families ($200 for a family up to four members) provides the best value. The form you need to fill in is provided as a .pdf file here, along with instructions for submitting it.

All LCSD museums also offer half-price concessionary fees to kids, people over 60, and people with disabilities.

Finally, you should note that Hong Kong's museums offer free entry on Wednesdays (although note that this may not apply to special exhibitions, and it definitely doesn't apply to the IMAX movies at the Space Museum).

Now, just before we close, I'll mention one more museum that's not part of the LCSD group.

Hong Kong Maritime Museum
As our faithful reader and commenter Gweipo has mentioned, the Hong Kong Maritime Museum is great. It's also conveniently located in the reconstructed Murray House in Stanley, so a trip to the market there can be spiced up with a fascinating look at ships and shipping both historical and modern. Admission is $20, and again note that this museum is not covered by the LCSD's weekly and yearly membership schemes I've just mentioned above.

Readers, any notes to add? What are your favorites?

Hire a bicycle

mrb — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Cooler weather will soon be here - time to start thinking of outdoor activities. How about a cycling trip?

Get out from hilly Hong Kong and crowded Kowloon, and there are several places where you can hire bicycles. They're a good option if you're visiting and would like to go ride a bike, or live here and fancy an occasional bike ride without the trouble of buying and storing your own bike.

They usually offer a variety of bikes, from children's to adults, and may also have some more unusual options such as tandems and four-wheelers.

Note that this is a popular family activity on the weekend, so if you can, aim for weekdays. The paths are a lot quieter then. Safer too, as many of the weekend cyclists are very wobbly!

The main options are:

Cheung Chau: the shortest rides – many people just seem to pootle along the seafront in one of the four-wheeled creations.
Lamma island: Like Cheung Chau, there aren't any motor vehicles to worry about. Hire a bike at Yung Shue Wan and ride across the island and back, or explore the concrete paths in the north part of the island.
Mui Wo on Lantau: A ride along the South Lantau Road to Shek Pik, then along the catchwater towards Fan Lau, then back the way you came would be about 30km.
Tai Wai - Tai Mei Tuk. There's a cycle trail that runs from Tai Wai past Sha Tin to Tai Po, then up to Tai Mei Tuk. From there you can cycle up and over towards Luk Keng.
You can hire a bicycle at Tai Wai, Sha Tin, Tai Po, or Tai Mei Tuk, so you can tailor the route according to how far you want to ride. The longest round-trip from Tai Wai to Luk Keng and back will be 40-50km. HK Magazine has more on this route.

If you're a confident cyclist, there are other options in the New Territories. Eg Roz gives a good idea for a 3-hour cycle from Tai Wai, followed by a ferry ride back. For more adventurous mountain biking, there are several trails in the country parks, though you'll need a (free) permit. Trail maps and permit details are on the AFCD website.

More details on routes, prices, and places to hire bicycles on the HK Outdoors website.

Readers, any other advice and suggestions for people interested in hiring a bike?

Waterfall Bay

mrb — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:41:24 +0000

Waterfall Bay Park runs along the shoreline in front of the Wah Fu estate. At the southern end of the park is a collection of Chinese gods - worth a visit if you're in the area. Then if you follow the park to its northern end you'll see the small bay and waterfall that gives the park its name.

Here we pan from the waterfall on the right, round to the peninsula and pillbox 6. In the background you can see the towers of Bel-Air on the Peak, as Cyberport is just over the other side of the hill.

The people you can hear in the video were fishing. They say you can walk across the bay at low tide, but when the tide is in you have to go up over the top, behind the waterfall. As the tide was definitely in I walked back up the steps, and climbed over the fence to find this pretty stream.

Don't forget how high that waterfall is - so don't get too close to the edge!

There's a well-worn path from the park, across the stream, and up to Cyberport Road. (If you're starting from that direction, look for the point where the concrete barrier on the edge of the road changes to a metal fence - you'll see the path leads down to the river from there. Cross the water and you're at the edge of the Waterfall Bay park.)

The oldest image of this waterfall is a watercolour by William Havell dated 1816. At that time the waterfall was known to Western sailors as a place to replenish supplies of fresh water. Click here to see the watercolour (the audio guide on that page is also worth listening to if you are interested in the history).

There's another picture in the library collection, this one a photo dated to the late 1870s. [Use this search form, check the 'photo' box, type 'waterfall' as the search text, and click the 'search' button]. The description given by the library suggests it is a photo of the waterfall that runs into the sea, but I think they are mistaken. The cliff-face in the photo looks different, there is a bridge that shouldn't be there, and there is no sign of the sea in the foreground. So it may be part of the same river that runs down to the waterfall at waterfall bay, but I believe the photo was taken elsewhere. Could the bridge be the one that is just above the head of the water in the current Pok Fu Lam reservoir? If the reservoir was drained would you see the waterfall shown in the old photo?

MrB

Rest home for retired Chinese Gods

mrb — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:05:31 +0000

One of our banner photos is of a collection of ceramic gods at Deepwater Bay. The gods are no longer there - I thought they'd been cleared away by the government, but maybe they just upped and moved here instead to be part of the party.

Hopefully the video is clear enough for you to see them, there are several hundred of them arranged along the bank.

They are at the very southeast corner of Waterfall Bay Park - just follow the path along past the saltwater pumping station and you can't miss it. There are some steps into the sea near there, so you might also see some of the hardier locals heading into the sea for a swim.

How to get there when you don't know where to go

mrb — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:00:00 +0000

Last week we introduced the new Places feature. They help you find your way to a place in Hong Kong.

That's great if you know where you want to get to. But what if you've just got a vague idea? eg 'I expect to be working in Central, which serviced apartments are nearby?'. Or "I'm staying in a hotel on Nathan Road, any friendly pubs nearby?".

Here's the next part of the Places idea to help answer those questions. eg, to answer the second question, here's a map of pubs that Mr Tall and I like. It only took a few minutes to pull together - we added each pub as a new place, and made sure that each place had the word 'pub' as a tag. Then we typed in 'pub' as the tag on the searchable map, clicked submit, and hey presto there's the map of pubs.

A map of pubs isn't a great example though - a Google search shows there are plenty of these maps already, so why reinvent the wheel?

Instead we're hoping to see maps of whatever niche interest you have. Just choose a tag, and away you go. eg I'm not surprised that a Google search for maps of ARP tunnels in Hong Kong didn't find anything. So here's one I put together last night.

Here's another small map put together to answer a question we're often asked - where to buy a digital camera in Hong Kong?

What other ideas are there? A few weeks ago, Gweipo's blog mentioned places to go for a picnic. That would make a good map.

When we were new parents, a map of places that had good changing facilities for baby, and a map of places for breast-feeding would have been useful.

Or when I'm wandering around the streets or trails of Hong Kong I'm always interested to see old marker stones, old (say pre-1940) buildings, and old military constructions (ARP shelters, pillboxes, bunkers, batteries, etc). Maps of those would be useful for me.

We'll be using the maps to illustrate several of the articles on the site (beaches, swimming polls, restaurants, etc, etc), but feel free to add your own. Just choose your tag, add the places, and the map will take care of itself.

Happy mapping!

Regards, MrB

A visit to Hong Kong's Wetland Park

Mr Tall — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:00:00 +0000

Mrs Tall and I took some days off around Christmas to spend some extra time with Daughter Tall. On one of them we decided to visit one of Hong Kong’s newest attractions, Wetland Park.

The park comprises about 61 hectares (that’s about 150 acres to those of us accustomed to traditional measurements), most of which is indeed, well, wet. It was originally set aside in the late 1990s as compensation for wetlands lost during the development of Tin Shui Wai new town, but the HK Government then decided to go whole hog and develop it into a full-fledged eco-tourism site.

What’s there to see? The heart of the park is a series of five short walks through slightly different types of wetland environment:

a stream that flows over and around rocks and such;

a ‘succession’ zone, i.e. an area that follows the transition from open water to dry land as a series of different types of plants take over;

a mangrove forest;

several ‘hides’ from which you can view migratory birds out on mudflats much like the ones at Mai Po Marshes; and

a ‘wildside’ path that snakes through a variety of swamp-scapes.

There’s also a large and quite elaborate visitor center with a number of natural history-museum-style exhibits, including:

a ‘living wetlands’ exhibit with examples of plants and wildlife (which were mostly not living, i.e. stuffed) from wetlands around the world;

a ‘human culture’ exhibit, whose purpose and connection to wetlands I found hard to grasp; this one also features a small ‘simulator’ ride, i.e. the sort that shakes you about as you watch a brief Imax-style movie (not worth it if you have to wait); and

a ‘wetland challenge’ exhibit, which was ostensibly an interactive, post-modern-museum-style ‘experiential learning environment’ in which you’re meant to take on the role of a news reporter investigating eco-crimes, or something like that, but which in practice was a pure You Should Feel Guilty For Being Human didacticism zone. These seem to be de rigueur in just about every museum you visit these days, but that’s another rant . . . .

Finally, there are several throw-in features to round out the park’s attractions:

a gift shop with lots of bird-and-swamp t-shirts, books, and so on;

Pui-Pui the famous Randomly-Appearing Crocodile of the SAR, who is on display in a tank right next to the visitor center; and

the ‘Swamp Adventure’, a playground kitted out to look like a Tarzan-meets-Swiss Family Robinson habitat, with some big curvy slides. Daughter Tall loved it. Note that the attendants strictly enforced a 130 cm maximum height limit on the kids who wanted to get in.

Our visit was, I have to say, a mixed bag. We enjoyed ourselves, and the park is mostly well-designed and visitor-friendly – it’s certainly worth a visit – but the curmudgeon in me has to admit to a mild case of disappointment.

What was good? Well, the paths around the wetlands themselves were interesting, with useful signboards and about as much visual variety as you’re going to get in a park whose whole purpose is to preserve swamps and mudflats. The blinds set up for viewing the migratory birds are also a fine idea; you get the chance to peer out between the boards and spy on birds from quite close by, much as you would at Mai Po Marshes, but without the hassle of booking a visit and then standing around and having to keep on watching those birds for hours on end to justify your visit. (You may be sensing at this point that I am not a bird watcher; I’m sure what I’ve just said is heresy of stake-burning magnitude if you are a genuine ornithophile.)

The park’s paths and structures also look good. The visitor center is built into a hillside, opening out onto the wetlands in an impressive wall of glass. The paths and bird-watching blinds are made weathered-looking wood, and blend in nicely with their environment.

What could have been better? The content of the visitor center seemed mostly a waste of time and tax money. I don’t think our visit would have been much compromised if we’d missed it out altogether. What you need to know about the wetlands is well-presented right out there in the wetlands themselves; why maunder around indoors?

Second, although we visited on a weekday before the school Christmas holidays began, the park felt far from roomy. There were a couple of schools on outings, and bless those children, but they were a pain. There are signs all over the park admonishing visitors to be quiet to avoid spooking the birds, but you try enforcing that with 900 primary school children. Any birds averse to screechy horseplay have no doubt long since departed to quieter climes. The need to follow quite narrow paths and walkways around the park also exaggerates the feeling of overcrowding. The mangrove walk was particularly bad; it’s so narrow as to virtually guarantee people will be falling over each other. Otherwise, our visit didn’t feel too oppressive, but one of Mrs Tall’s colleagues who visited on a weekend recently described it as the equivalent of Causeway Bay vis-à-vis the crowds-on-sidewalks effect.

Third, and this is obviously my own personal failing, but I just don’t find wetlands all that inherently interesting. Hong Kong is blessed with so much spectacular scenery – mountains, rocky sea coasts, the surprising mazes of abandoned villages and farmland – that spending a day looking at murky water and reeds seems a bit anticlimactic.

Finally, a few tips for your visit:

I’d strongly recommend visiting on an ordinary weekday if at all possible to avoid crowds.

Definitely – and I mean definitely – bring along sunscreen, hats, and other sun-fighting weaponry. The day we went was coolish – the HK Observatory recorded a high of 22.1 – but Wetland Park’s high was over 25, and even that mild reading felt pretty hot. The main reasons: there’s virtually no shade whatsoever once you’re out of the visitor’s center, and the park’s low-lying, swampy setting made it feel quite stuffy and windless.

Getting there didn’t take nearly as long as we thought it would. Travelling from Tseung Kwan O, we took the MTR to Mei Foo, switched to the railway-formerly-known-as-the-West-Rail, got out at the Tin Shu Wai stop, made an easy transfer to the LRT Route 705 (706 is also fine) and we were there. All told, we travelled a long way in HK terms, and it took less than an hour and half.

The only place to eat at Wetland Park is a Café de Coral in the visitor center. We packed a lunch and were glad of it!

If you missed the link above to the official site for Wetland Park, it’s here.

This site from Hong Kong University provides some interesting background on the park’s genesis and design.

Where to swim in Hong Kong

mrb — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:00:00 +0000

Hong Kong has lots of options if you like swimming. Here are some of my favourite places for a swim, plus details on opening times, costs, etc.

MrB's favourites

I'm writing this in December, so let's start with the heated pools. The indoor pools I visit regularly are the public government-run pool in Kowloon park, and the pool at the South China Amateur Athletic Association in Caroline Hill. As a family we've recently joined the Stanford Swimming club, so I've also been swimming there a few times over the last few months.

There are more options from April to the end of November, as the outdoor public pools are open then. I have to avoid the strong sunshine, so I only visit the outdoor pools in late afternoon / evening. Most often I'll head to the public pools in Kennedy Town or Victoria Park.

We're lucky to have lots of good beaches too. You can certainly swim all year round, though in winter it is more of a quick dash in and out. During summertime the seawater is very comfortable, and both you and your children can stay in as long as you want. I find it is getting chilly around November-time, which is when the government chart shows the sea temperature drops under 23 deg. C. It keeps falling, dropping under 17 deg. C. in February, then warming up til it passes the 23 deg. mark again around mid-April. Jun-Oct see the temperature hover around 27 deg!

On Hong Kong island we regularly visit Deep Water Bay and Chung Hom Kok beach. A little further away we like Lo So Shing on Lamma. Then my favourite is Tai Long Wan in the North-east New Territories. That needs a longer hike to get to though, so we won't be going there again until our girls are older.

Notes for visitors

If you like swimming, consider choosing a hotel with a swimming pool. Larger hotels heat their outdoor pools, which allow year-round use. When my sister & her family visited one Christmas, they got a kick out of swimming outdoors in December.

Otherwise the public pools in Victoria Park (April-Nov) or Kowloon Park (year-round) make a good choice.

Notes for residents

If you are moving to Hong Kong with children, think about swimming pool facilities when you are choosing where to live. It can be one of the advantages of living in a new larger development (eg Ocean Shores, Park Island, The Belchers, etc). These developments with several residential towers typically have a 50-metre outdoor pool plus a smaller indoor pool. Smaller single-tower developments may only have a small outdoor pool – too short for laps, but still fun for children to splash around in, meet other children, and burn off some energy!

What else you should know

SCAA

My favourite 50m pool for lap swimming. It's never too crowded, and the water is a good temperature – not too warm in summer and warm enough in winter. I can't find any details in English on the latest version [Sep 2010] of their website, You can contact them at info@scaa.org.hk, or visit them at 88 Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.

Points to note:

They close each year from mid-Jan to end of Feb for maintenance
Each session costs HK$22, but you must also be a member. Membership costs HK$100 a year, or HK$50 a month for visitors
There's a warmer 25m pool too if you're just splashing around with children
You need to bring your own padlock for the lockers
The lockers are small, so don't bring a bulky bag!

Stanford Swimming Club

They run the swimming pool in Chi Fu Fa Yuen, which is convenient if you live near Pok Fu Lam. Only a 25m pool, and one that is kept at a very warm temperature. Good for swimming with your children (the main use of the pool seems to be for children's swimming lessons), but check the temperature if you're planning on swimming laps, as I find it uncomfortably warm.

Their website is all in Chinese, but there are english-speaking staff at the pool. Annual membership is HK$200, then per-session costs are HK$28-38, depending on how many tickets you buy. Locker keys are provided each visit.

Opening hours: 0700-0945, 1000-1245, 1300-1545, 1600-1845, 1900-2145.

Public Pools

The government-run public pools usually have one or more 50m pools, plus a shallow pool for children. Entrance is $19 per session, with three sessions each day: 6:30am-12:00, 1:00-6:00, and 7:00-10:00pm. Lockers are provided and you can either insert a HK$5 coin (refundable) to get a locker key, or lock it with your own padlock. Check the government website for a map of the public pools in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Points to watch out for:

Your neighbour's elbow. If you reach the pool at 7pm, you're going to hit the rush-hour for public swimming pools. You'll either need to perfect your slalom-stroke, or collect a few bumps and kicks along the way. If you can, swim during the daytime or later in the evening instead, or head along to the SCAA.
Check it's really open! The pools may be closed for a variety of reasons:
- It's a cleaning day.
  One day each week, the pool shuts from 10:00-7:00 for cleaning. Check the cleansing schedule for details.
- The pool is booked.
  Sometimes the pool will be booked for a school swimming gala, and so closed to the public. This mainly seems to affect the Kowloon Park and Victoria Park pools. Again you can check online to see if your pool is affected.
- There's a chance of rain later.
  Ok, they don't close if it's raining, but they will shut outdoor pools if there's a thunderstorm warning – which can often happen without a sign of rain or thunder anywhere nearby.

Beaches

Swimming in the sea is one of the pleasures of life here. The government has a list of 'public bathing beaches', where you can expect to find showers and changing rooms, anti-shark nets, and tethered platforms to swim out to.

Note that the Tai Long Wan beach mentioned above doesn't fall under that category, so there are no public facilities. Though when we've visited in the past, one of the cafes has a hose out front you can use to rinse off after a swim. The lack of facilities are part of the attraction though, along with the beautiful beach and waves big enough for body-surfing.

Points to watch out for:

Sharks.
Not really something you need worry about, though you'll see there are nets around the beaches, officially to keep sharks out. In the 1990's several people died from shark attacks in the Clearwater Bay area. Since the nets have been installed, there have been no further fatalities.
Jellyfish.
A couple of times a year we'll get a sting, nothing serious and the sensation goes away after a few minutes. I've only had problems with them at Lo So Shing beach.
Sea-urchins.
A pain if you step on one. They seem to come onto Deep Water Bay beach around April-May time each year, but we haven't had problems with them anywhere else. We've trodden on them a couple of times. They weren't poisonous, but it's a hassle having to dig out the spines.
Dirty water.
You can also check the local beaches' water quality online. The beaches we've mentioned all get the top 'good' grade, but you might still need to avoid them after heavy rain. The government suggests waiting up to three days after heavy rain before going swimming. There are two different problems – first is heavy rain after a long dry spell, when the rain washes accumulated pollutants from the roads down to the sea. Then there is a longer spell of heavy rain in areas where there is no mains sewage facilities, causing septic tanks to overflow... So, definitely worth checking those water quality ratings again if it's been raining heavily.

Javascript is required to view this map.

Beaches		Swimming Pools
F - Deep Water Bay		A - Kowloon Park
G - Chung Hom Kok beach		B - SCAA
H - Lo So Shing		C - Stanford Swimming Club @ Chi Fu
J - Tai Long Wan		D - Kennedy Town
		E - Victoria Park

Where do you like to go swimming in Hong Kong?

Regards, MrB

Family hiking in Hong Kong

Mr Tall — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 01:00:00 +0000

The Family Tall went out for our first hike of the 2007-08 season last Saturday morning, and in the flurry of preparations required for hiking with a five-year-old, I was reminded of both how easy it is to get out on Hong Kong’s hiking trails, but also of why it’s just enough trouble that surprisingly few people actually do it.

So my purpose today is to try to pass along a few tips that might make it more feasible to get out and about on family hikes in Hong Kong. Longer, more ambitious hikes for all grown-ups we’ll leave for other times.

So how do we go about planning our family hikes?

As our own dear mothers no doubt reminded all of us, ‘Safety first’! While we’re actually hiking, Mrs Tall and I are careful to keep Daughter Tall close by us, and to make sure she’s taking a hand or is otherwise supported on the rougher bits of the trail. That’s common sense. But we also suggest the following safety tips:

Bring more water than you think you’ll ever need. The number one danger of hiking in Hong Kong is dehydration and heat exhaustion/heat stroke. When you hear of people getting in trouble hiking in Hong Kong, the odds are it’s a medical problem, not really a ‘hiking’ problem such as a fall or getting lost.

Buy, carry and use Hong Kong’s admirable Countryside Series of maps. Although most of Hong Kong’s trails are pretty clearly marked and signposted, it’s still entirely possible to get lost, especially late in an afternoon when the light starts to dim a bit. Having a good map is essential, even though you’re hiking in the middle of one of the world’s densest urban conurbations.

Make sure someone else knows where you’re going to be. This is a simple hiker-safety procedure, but it’s also pretty easy to not bother with.

Always take hats and lots of sunscreen. Hong Kong’s autumn and winter weather can be deceptive. Although temperatures are often quite cool (under the influence of the Northeast monsoon), the sun is still strong, since Hong Kong is geographically in the tropics. Therefore it’s easy to get a severe sunburn even on a cold but sunny day here. Hazy days – and days with the thin overcast that’s common here – may also have surprisingly high UV ratings.

Watch out for snakes. The only really dangerous wildlife you’re likely to run into in Hong Kong are poisonous snakes. In the years I’ve been hiking here, I’ve seen just three significant snakes, but one of these was in fact this past Saturday. We Talls were just about finished with our walk, and were coming down toward Tseung Kwan O on a disused roadway, when Mrs Tall jumped and yelled. She’d spotted quite a large (maybe five or six foot long) snake right in front of us. I caught sight of it just as it was escaping into the undergrowth, but saw enough, in combination with Mrs Tall’s description, to tentatively identify it as a Red-necked Keelback, a poisonous snake that’s common around Hong Kong. Hong Kong is also home to several other poisonous species such as Bamboo snakes and cobras, plus some big constrictors and pythons. But if you stick to the trails and watch your step, the chances of your being bitten by a snake are vanishingly small. After our sighting last week, Mrs Tall is a bit harder to convince of this than she once was, but Daughter Tall and I took our snake encounter to be the crowning event in an exciting hike!

Watch out for other feral animals. Hong Kong’s infested with feral dogs, cattle and monkeys. The dogs are likely the most dangerous, but all are best avoided. If you’re going to be hiking in an area in which you know you’ll see such animals (as in the Golden Mountain hike I mention below) it’s not a bad idea for at least one member of your hiking party to carry a hiking stick that can double as a makeshift shoo-ing away weapon.

Now that you’ve got all the safety concerns squared away, and you’re looking to get out on a family hike soon, where do you start?

Of course you have to identify a hike that’s feasible for children. This is easier than it sounds, though. For example, although Daughter Tall is just five, she can handle a trail that’s surprisingly rough. Most of Hong Kong’s trails are therefore possibilities. In fact, Daughter Tall is much more balky and uninterested when our hikes come out on paved roads or other ‘easy’ sections: there’s just not as much novelty value and excitement for her. But it’s also foolish to plan a hike that has lots of steep climbs or rough sections; small kids do tire easily, and you don't want to be stuck a long way from anywhere with a child who won't walk.

If you’re lucky (like we are), you’ve got a hiking trail or country park near your home that you can use as a base. This past week we just took a taxi up the hill behind our housing estate, and we were on the Wilson Trail. But we've also got a number of other favorite short hikes that we take that are all family-friendly, i.e. their starting/ending points are easy enough to get to; they’re at a difficulty level a small child can handle; and they’ve got enough inherent scenic or other interest to make for good clean family fun:

One lovely, nearly all-downhill walk we do starts at the Peak Tram station, goes down the south side of the Peak, then around the Pokfulam Reservoir, coming out right at a bus stop on Pokfulam Road. The hightlights here are getting up to the Peak itself, spending a little time at the station, maybe for lunch, and the very pleasant segment of the walk around the reservoir itself. Tips for this one: you do have to turn off the road that leads down from the Peak and onto a regular dirt hiking trail. There’s a signpost there to guide you, but it’s still easy to miss.

An alternative on Hong Kong Island is to start at Wan Chai Gap, near the Police Museum, then walk down to Aberdeen via the Aberdeen Reservoirs.

Back on the other side of the harbour, we do any number of routes starting from the ‘Golden Mountain’ section of the Maclehose Trail, i.e. the point at which the trail crosses Tai Po Road; this spot is also popularly known as ‘Monkey Hill’, since it’s where crowds of feral macaques gather to harass, and be harassed. We’ve never had any serious problem with them (until recently; see below!), but you do need to take care not to expose food to them, as they have been known to attack. Usually we head west from this point, and do some combination of the paths around the Kowloon Reservoirs; they’re flat, with water always on one side.

The Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve, also off Tai Po Road. This little gem of a country park is circled by a variety of generally easy trails of differing lengths. To me, it’s the best spot in Hong Kong to get a feel of a ‘real forest’, as its trees are quite mature and dense.

The hike across Lamma Island, from So Kwu Wan to Yueng Shue Wan, is also very suitable for families, and includes nice ferry rides, which kids like.

So, readers: what are your favorite trails, especially those for the whole family?

Planning your beach holiday from Hong Kong

Mr Tall — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 01:00:00 +0000

Summer holidays have become much more important in the past couple of years for the Tall family, as Daughter Tall’s availability is now constrained by her kindergarten’s schedule. So although I’ve always been a travel fan, and enjoy trip planning as part of the experience, the stakes have been raised. Fortunately, as I’ve mentioned, Hong Kong is an excellent base from which to travel all around Asia. And since we Talls have just completed one of our favorite kinds of holidays – a trip to a southeast Asian beach resort – I thought I would pass along a few tips and experiences I’ve found helpful in getting the most out of beach holidays.

Now, some of you may be like MrB and family – you’ve found a resort that perfectly fits your requirements, so you’re content to stay there every time you want to hit the beach. This certainly cuts down on trip planning stress! But alas, it’s not the case for the Talls. I would be happy to revisit a small rotation of places I liked from my early Asian travels, but Mrs Tall craves variety, so we’ve tried out lots more places over the years. All told, I’ve been to Phuket, Koh Samui and Koh Samet in Thailand; Pulau Tioman, Penang/Georgetown, Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi (our most recent trip’s destination) in Malaysia; Hainan Island in China; and Bintan Island in Indonesia (actually just a short ferry ride from Singapore). I’ve also stayed at just about the full range of beach accommodation, from decrepit shacks with shared toilets to five-star-plus resorts.

When Mrs Tall and I planned a beach trip in the past, we just triangulated three factors: flight/hotel package offers from HK travel agents (these usually get you pretty good prices); reviews from travel guidebooks; and whatever word of mouth we had heard. Deciding which resort to book didn’t take long: we just lined up the costs, then picked a suitably-priced resort that got a decent guidebook review, or that someone had put in a good word for.

Usually this worked out all right, but we had a few disappointments, too. For example, when we visited Kota Kinabalu, we booked a Shangri-la resort. Those of you living in Asia surely know the name, and its high reputation. We were all geared up for a great stay, but it turned out that – like Hong Kong – KK has two Shangri-las. One has a big beach – and I adore beaches – but the other is much closer to the city and has only a man-made beach. Guess which one we ended up at? Ah, well . . . .

With the Internet, there’s now no excuse for such oversights. These days I use a combination of resorts’ own websites plus reviews from TripAdvisor.com to try to divine what places are really like. If you don’t already use the incredible resources TripAdvisor provides, allow me to strongly recommend that you do. I’ve used quite a few travel sites – Fodors, Epinion’s travel section, Yahoo Travel, etc. – but I like TripAdvisor best. It often provides hundreds of reviews for popular hotels, building up informative profiles no single writer could ever equal.

But I’ve also found TripAdvisor has its own pitfalls, so here are a couple of tips when using it to find a good Asian beach resort:

Pay attention to the numerical ratings. If, that is, the resort you’re looking at has been reviewed enough times to make these average ratings meaningful. I usually start to consider them if there are, say, at least 20 reviews or so. When there are lots of reviews – for example, the resort we ended up booking in Langkawi had well over 200 – I take them that much more seriously.

Make sure you have a look at both sets of photos most TripAdvisor resort reviews provide. One set comes from the resort’s own publicity department, so these photos usually shimmer with luxury and natural splendor. But then take a look at the candid photos provided by reviewers themselves. If you notice a huge disparity between the two, beware!

Read more than just the most recent reviews. TripAdvisor default review pages show only the five most recent reviews. This sample size is too small to be meaningful. I therefore usually read the ten or so most recent reviews first, then sort the reviews according to the ‘User rating: lowest’ and ‘User rating: highest’ as well, each time reading at least another five or ten.

Why go to all of this trouble? Well, I’ve found that beach resorts are subject to wildly varying reviews.

On the high end, you’ve got the young couples, let’s say Jessica and Jason from the UK, who’re making their first trip to Asia. Jessica’s review will gush with praise; staying at their resort is ‘a must’, taking every local tour they took is ‘a must’, sampling all the exotic foods they ingested without undue intestinal distress is ‘a must’ – well, you get the picture.

On the other hand, the lowest resort reviews are often written by men, and usually fall into one of two categories. Either Mr Dissatisfied feels that he’s ‘spent all that money for a luxury holiday for my precious family only to find that the resort’s rooms/pool/bar/buffet breakfast (my own obsession, I’ll freely admit)/local transport arrangements are unacceptable/overpriced/inconvenient/just not what he expected’; or some member of the resort staff was rude to him/didn’t understand proper English/was observed openly goofing off instead of rushing over and asking him ‘Please, Sir, may I provide you with another frosty Carlsberg immediately, Sir, please?’.

Obviously, neither of these types of reviews should be taken all that seriously. But reading reviews from both ends of the spectrum will usually alert you to a resort’s genuine good points – and its failings.

And all resorts have failings, don’t they? No matter how powdery the beach, no matter how attentive-but-unobtrusive the staff, no matter how exquisitely prepared the Bircher muesli at breakfast (there I go again . . . ), there’ll always be a fly somewhere in the ointment. And the more you pay, the more eagle-eyed you’ll be in spotting them. Even the very nicest resort we’ve ever stayed in – the Banyan Tree in Phuket – isn’t perfect. It doesn’t have direct beach access: you have to take a little golf cart, or walk for five minutes or so. If that’s not asking a lot of a guest, I don’t know what is!

Seriously, though – how do you avoid being disappointed when you’re paying quite a bit for a resort holiday? I’ve decided it comes down to making several fundamental choices:

Beach vs. pool. Now, before you start spluttering ‘hey, this is not a mutually exclusive category!’, bear with me. I’ve noticed that many – not all, but many – resort websites feature prominently either their fabulous pool, or their stunning beach, but not often both. If you have strong preferences about these watery resources, I’d suggest examining all available sources to see what they’re really like at the resorts you’re checking out. Most resorts of course provide both, but sometimes even very high-end establishments don’t have great beach access, for example. And there’s are a couple of good reasons for this, which we’ll get to next . . .

‘Best beach’ vs. newer/bigger/better resort. In many Asian beach areas, for obvious reasons, the most beautiful beaches were developed earliest. Koh Samui is a good example. Chaweng Beach, which is truly lovely, was the epicenter of the island’s first wave of tourism development. We stayed there a couple of years ago, and it’s great – except that the entire beach is fronted by a seemingly endless string of beach hut complexes mixed in with smallish resort hotels. The one we stayed in was nice, but it wasn’t big enough to support the kinds of amenities many of us enjoy, e.g. multiple restaurants, a big pool or pools, a gym/sports facilities, a spa, and so on. Samui has bigger resorts, but they were built later, at less impressive beaches. This pattern is repeated in numerous places around Asia: famous beach = lots of small places; newer, more luxurious resort = secondary locations, often chosen for their remoteness. Again, there are of course exceptions, but it’s often a choice you’ll need to make.

‘Exclusive’ vs. ‘convenient’. Here’s a good culture-clash category that’s closely related to my previous point. When many of us westerners dream about beach holidays, we see ourselves walking hand-in-hand with Mrs Tall (at least I do), down a softly surf-washed beach at sunset, with noooooo one else in sight . . . . (Daughter Tall must be back in the room watching Monkey King episodes.) But Mrs Tall doesn’t like truly isolated resorts, no matter how picturesque and ‘exclusive’ they market themselves to be. Why not? First, she (and I, too) resent being part of a captive market for food and transport. We’ve stayed at a couple of places that really were remote, and we quickly tired of paying way-over-the-top prices for unremarkable – even bad – food. Also, Mrs Tall again likes the variety of restaurants and shops available at beach areas with at least several resorts – she likes a least a bit of ‘buzz’ that doesn’t require a long taxi or minibus ride to get to.

Cost vs. luxury. Making this choice is unavoidable. Although Asian beach resorts in general are excellent value, there’s still a point at which most of us must say ‘enough is enough’. The problem is, once you’re stayed at a very good place, it can be hard to resign yourself to dropping back down the luxury ladder. If you are making a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip, e.g. a honeymoon or big anniversary, I’d say go crazy, because you’ll likely get good value and fond memories. But if you’re going on ordinary holidays like the Talls, you have to rein in your ambitions most of the time, and settle for less. Keep in mind what you’re really looking for: if it’s the beach, sun and sea you’re after, remember that often the best of these aren’t dominated by the ‘best’ resorts, so you should have plenty of good mid-range options. If you must have absolute top-end service, though, you’re going to pay for it no matter what the location.

Whew! I’d better wrap up. I think my days of lazing on the beach last week left me far too primed for expounding on this subject.

Readers, what are your favorite resorts/tips for enjoying the beach?

Ten days in Hong Kong - ideas for visitors with young children

mrb — Thu, 24 May 2007 01:00:00 +0000

Last month (April) we had a couple of friends (Mr & MrsJ) and their daughters (3 & 5 years old) pay us a visit from the UK. Here's how we kept them busy.

Day1 - Welcome to Hong Kong

I met them at the airport. If you're used to meeting local residents, be prepared for the much longer time it takes for non-residents to clear immigration. It took them about an hour from landing till they emerged into the meeting area. Also remember there are two exits (A & B) from the baggage claim area to the meeting area, so it's worth agreeing beforehand which one you'll wait for them at.

We'd pre-booked a taxi by telephone. The current going rate from the airport to Admiralty is HK$250 all-in, quite a bit cheaper than the meter fare. The driver was a bit grumpy about having to wait so long (he'd also assumed he was collecting a local resident), but before long we'd arrived at the Marriott hotel, where the family were staying for the holiday.

The plan to beat jetlag was to keep the days busy (to keep the children awake), and tiring (to help them sleep). So we dropped the bags in the hotel and went straight out to Hong Kong Park for a walk around, and to let them play in the playgrounds. Hong Kong's parks have some great playgrounds for young kids.

The sky gets dark around 6 at that time of year, so we walked down to the tram stop near the bottom of Garden Road to catch a tram to Wanchai. Not the brightest of ideas as it was rush hour - the trams were full and there was lots of traffic (and so exhaust fumes).

We finally managed to get on a tram, and spent the next few minutes wiggling our way along so we could get off at Johnston Road. By this time the troops were getting hungry, so we popped into the local greasy chopstick for some BBQ meat. No English menus, but a very friendly waitress who basically told me what we should have. Probably our cheapest meal of the holiday, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.

From there we went down to Wanchai MTR, bought everyone Octopus cards to use for the rest of the holiday, then took the MTR back to the Admiralty and their hotel. It's definitely worth picking up Octopus cards as soon as possible, as they make getting around much easier.

MrsJ: Actually going to Hong Kong Park and straight on to the tram and Johnston Road was a great idea. I felt instantly transported to HK and forgot that we'd been on an aeroplane for 12 hours. The trick seems to be not to give the jetlag any house room. The meal at the greasy chopstick was one of the best of the holiday - maybe I was just very hungry! It also converted the non-rice eating MissJ-3 to sticky rice and she now eats it at home with enthusiasm.

Day 2 - Ocean park

We walked over to Admiralty, and took the direct bus to Ocean Park. The ice-skating show has been a big hit for MissB, so that was our first goal of the day. As we had a little time to kill before it started, we had a wander around the aviary, then sat down to cool off with an ice-cream.

After the show we set off up the long escalator to get to the dolphin show in time for a seat. Except half way up we heard the announcement it was already full.... Still, we managed to stand at the back, and put the girls on shoulders so they could see most of it. If you're arriving early, try and catch the morning show as it isn't so busy. Otherwise, if the park is busy, arrive at the theatre at least half an hour early to get a seat.

Those were the two must-see items for us, but there was plenty more to see besides. The big aquarium kept us busy for over half an hour, and of course we had a stop for chips, essential fuel for any British day out. After that the plan was to catch the cable car, but the queue was the longest I've seen it - the whole park was very full as it was school holidays in Hong Kong, and there were lots of mainland visitors too.

So instead we went up to see the seals and sea lions, before catching the escalator back down the hill. More crowds, but it didn't take too long. Fortunately, they all seemed to belong to tour buses, so there was only a very short queue for a taxi.

We caught the taxi back to our flat. Even that was part of the Hong Kong experience for the girls. It's easy to forget how odd living in a high-rise block of flats seems if you live in a Victorian terrace house in the UK.

MrsJ: A really good first full day. Lots to see and smell (remember the orange birds?). The weather was perfect for Brits, warm and very slightly muggy so feeling excitingly tropical but not sticky. Everything was so lush it reminded me of Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs (unless you count MrJ). I think this was the night we had sushi that was a bit more authentic than I had experienced before - I'm converted to the egg but you can keep raw fish!

Day 3 - Dim Sum, Shopping, Parks, Beer

Since it was going to be another day of walking, a hearty Dim Sum lunch was called for. It's hard to beat the Dim Sum at City Hall, so that was our first destination. You can walk most of the way there from the Marriott via shopping malls and raised walkways - in fact if you don't, you'll end up stuck at road level not able to cross the road!

We got to City Hall around 11:30. Many of the big tables already had a squatter in place - the unlucky office employee sent out early to stake their claim to a table. If we'd arrived much later we'd have faced a long queue, but at 11:30 we had no problem getting a table.

Both girls were very cautious about the food - they couldn't even be tempted by the usually irresistible mango pudding. Cha Siu Baau were well received, though - I've yet to meet a visitor who doesn't love them.

Enough of the food - time to shop. We took a leisurely stroll through Central, making our first stop in Li Yuen Street to pick up some gifts for the folks back home. MrsJ also wanted to buy a digital camera, so we popped into Fortress to grab one of those.

From Fortress we walked over to the nearby Mid-levels escalator, and rode that up the hill until we were up at the same level as the Hong Kong Botanical and Zoological gardens. We paid the monkeys a visit, then headed for the main attraction - the ice-cream stand. Then it was over to Hong Kong Park, stopping at the playground again. Are the children looking tired yet?

A short break for everyone to freshen up, then time for that institution, Friday Beer. We met at the Fish Bar, next to the swimming pool at the Marriott. It's a lovely setting anyway, but it's especially good for hotel guests with children. They could join us for dinner, play with the supplied lego & drawing stuff, then head straight up to their room when they flaked out. It was also a good chance to introduce the visitors to some of our local friends. Much as we enjoy having visitors, we'd drive each other crazy if we spent all the time together. Meeting up with other friends helps keep everyone sane!

MrsJ: It was great to meet your friends that evening - one of the best things about visiting friends in a foreign country is actually getting to meet other people who live there all the time. It makes you feel you've lived there at least a little, not just visited.

Day 4 - Gluttony

Friday's excuse for a big lunch was all the walking we'd be doing. Saturday there was no excuse, just gluttony at the TOTT's tea buffet, top floor of the Excelsior hotel in Causeway Bay. The big hotels in Hong Kong usually have one restaurant / coffee-shop where life is a continuous buffet - as the breakfast buffet is being cleared away, the lunch dishes are being arranged, then comes the tea buffet, and finally the one for dinner. They are a good way to stuff yourself with nice food in pleasant surroundings. They're generally child-friendly - and parent-friendly too. You can eat at whatever pace you want, and over several hours you can be sure to get exactly what you want. A nice change from eating with children at a normal restaurant, and taking it in turns to bolt down food between child-minding.

From the hotel we waddled over to the nearby Victoria Park, and tried to keep the children on that fine line between running around to enough get tired, but not so much that the tea would make an unwelcome re-appearance. They found the model boat racing pool strangely hypnotic too, so that was another stop.

We left the park and took a stroll around the area (MrJ had lived in Causeway Bay for a year in 89/90), then took taxis back to our flat for a light evening meal. Taxis are very reasonably priced in Hong Kong, so it's worth getting the hang of them early on. MrJ's verdict was that the streets and alleys were much cleaner than he remembered.

MrsJ: This was 3G day. Gluttony, guilt and gut. We definitely didn't earn our lunch that day, but the indulgence was lovely. Just as well we don't live in HK b/c the plethora of great places to eat and some first class food would be our total downfall.

Day 5 - Lamma Island

Sunday's destination was Lamma Island. First though, we made our usual Sunday morning trip down to play in the local park. MissJ-5 had spent the night with us, so it was a chance for her to try a bit more local living.

Then we took a taxi to the Central ferry piers, where we met the rest of the J family. We took the fast ferry to Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island. After liberal applications of sunscreen and anti-mozzie squares, we set off to walk across the island.

It was a warm day, which made the first part of the walk hot work for our visitors. (Note to self, remind future visitors to swap jeans for shorts on a walking day). There were lots of strange plants (eg banana trees) and bugs to see, though, and as it's all pedestrian-only it makes a good change of pace from staying in the city.

We walked over to Lo So Shing. The beach is one of our favourites, as it rarely gets busy, and it feels a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. That day there were several dead jellyfish washed up for added excitement - the biggest one we saw was as big as the girls' hands.

After some more playing in the sand, we went in for a proper swim, then it was back to the beach and time for everyone to have a shower.

Ah, the best part of the day. All clean, fresh clothes on, and a cool drink.

From the beach, it's a short walk on to Sok Kwu Wan, the other main village on the island. It has lots of seafood restaurants, but we didn't stay to eat this time - something to look forward to on a future trip when the girls are older. Instead we walked on to the little ferry (kai-do), which chugs its way across the channel to Aberdeen on Hong Kong island. I always enjoy it, and it ends up passing all the fishing boats in Aberdeen harbour. The girls were asleep by this time, though, so something else to mark down for their next visit.

From there we popped the Js in a taxi back to their hotel, and then caught one home ourselves.

MrJ: This was a great day out. Lovely beach. It was very hot and still though and we were inappropriately dressed in jeans. We should have checked the weather forecast first. Obvious... but there you are.

Day 6 - Shopping

The main goal of the day was jewellery shopping - something where my lack of expertise is surpassed only by my lack of interest. Fortunately MrsB's sister has no such limitations, and stepped in to carry the tour-guide flag for the day.

There was a pre-emptive strike on Toys R Us to keep the girls happy, then it was off to a shop that MrsB's sister has used for many years. MrJ had a new pair of glasses made, and a new set of lenses made for his existing pair. Meanwhile, MrsJ's more expensive tastes called for something sparkly - a new set of diamond earrings.

The feedback was that they were very impressed with the service at the jewelry shop, and the prices were great too.

MrJ: To any of her Majesty's Government that may be reading, I should like to point out that we paid all tax due on all goods purchased in Hong Kong as per Customs and Excise law in the UK! The shop did offer to post our receipts back home to avoid this: a trick well-known by air hostesses, apparently. Very good shop. The service on the glasses was superb. They said they knew MrB - he went in their occasionally when he had been naughty.

After shopping we had a quick lunch at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao in TST. We ordered too much. About 4 times too much. But it was very good.

We had a look around TST, picking out bits from my memory. Like Chungking House - "De Luxe Hotel".

We went back to the hotel and went swimming for an age and then, since it was my birthday, we went out to supper with the B's. We were at a lovely place - the Lei Garden. MrsJ says it was the best meal of the holiday. MissJ-5 ate some sort of deep fried bun [deep-fried man tou, served with condensed milk! - MrB] which she adored. We had a lovely chocolate cake with lashings of embarrassment-from-being-centre-of-attention.

Days 7 & 8 - Disneyland!

These two days were the best as far as the girls were concerned - a trip to Disneyland. We booked rooms at the Disney Hotel for both families. They had a special offer where if you stayed at the hotel and bought a park ticket, you got a second day's park ticket free. Staying at the hotel meant we could:

stay late to watch the fireworks, and not have the hassle of getting back to HK island with sleepy children
spread the visit to the park over two days, so we got to see everything we wanted to
eat breakfast at the hotel, where you get to meet Mickey, Minnie, etc. up close as they walk around the breakfast restaurant

We spent mid afternoon till close (8pm) in the park on the first day, and 11am till 6pm on the second day. It's true that the park is smaller than other Disneylands, but it's also true that at that age, young girls would happily move in and never leave.

MrJ: This was certainly the highlight of the holiday for the girls. MrsJ and I put it nearish the top too! MissJ-3 said she liked the fireworks and particularly seeing Mickey in the hotel at breakfast.

[Back in the UK ] I was shopping with the girls yesterday in the supermarket when suddenly an old woman walked into our aisle who had an enormous stack of very elaborately combed hair. I would say the structure was about 14" (~35cm) high. I told the girls she was a retired princess because the hair reminded me of Cinderella's. The girls followed her around the supermarket for the rest of the shop hiding, pointing and whispering. Very poor behaviour. In the end MissJ-5 decided it wasn't a retired princess because... we weren't in Hong Kong.

Day 9 - Wanchai and The Peak

All signs of jetlag were gone by now, so everyone was in good shape for a walking day.

We started off by catching a bus to the Wanchai Ferry Pier, then walking back to 'old' Wanchai via the raised walkways. We stopped at Central Plaza to take the lift up to the big lobby on the 46/F, and admire the view.

Next we walked along the streets and market stalls around Cross Street. The stalls selling live fish (and displaying freshly dismembered fish, hearts still beating) caught the girls' attention. We managed to pick up some gifts for friends, then after a cup of fresh fruit juice we jumped on a number 15 bus to the Peak.

By now it was lunchtime, so we stopped at the Peak Tower for lunch.

Refueled, it was time to walk around the Peak. Luckily it was a sunny day, so there were great views over the whole city. Both girls ran for a large part of the way, tempted by the promise of an ice-cream around the corner (it's a circular walk...)

We walked back to the Peak Tower, passing a pretty waterfall along the way. Rather than taking the bus back down, we went in style on the Peak Tram. Great neck exercise! Then it was a walk back through Hong Kong Park, to drop our guests back at the Marriott to freshen-up again.

We had our last dinner together at the Peking Garden Restaurant in Pacific Place. There were a few unusual flavours & textures ("eating jellyfish is like eating rubber bands") in the dishes, but hopefully nothing too upsetting.

After that MrJ and I headed over to Wanchai to cash in the deposits on their Octopus cards and blow it on beer...

Day 10 - Homeward bound

It was an early start to the day, as they had a morning flight back to the UK on Air New Zealand. In retrospect flying with an airline that had a night flight would have been better. (Most flights from Hong Kong to the UK leave Hong Kong around midnight, and arrive in the UK very early in the morning.)

Other comments from MrJ:

1. No matter how much we prepared the girls for a long trip - inflatable atlases showing how far France is and how far HK; tripling up journey times ("it's to London and back four times!"); it's getting up, a whole day of school, then back home for supper and bed - the girls had absolutely no concept of how long it would be. MissJ-5 asked 40 mins in on the initial coach trip - "are we nearly there yet?". We were in fact in Reading.

2. Set up your own security bag check for your children by your front door before you go. We packed the night before the girls' own little bags for toys, books, etc. for the flight. Carefully put them by the bed. Got into the coach and found that they had both chucked loads of other stuff in there. Including a large, clay model of a flower which weighed about a pound. "But I want to show MrB!" Good grief.

3. Fly by night. Then they sleep.

4. Lots of fresh air and light when you get there for the first few days.

5. The children's fuel and fluids are important and the major source of irritation rather than lack of sleep, we found. No matter what your own cultural appetites are, ensure you eat and drink enough "normal" stuff for the children.

6. The 20 hour trip back was more challenging, partly because we were exhausted and partly because it was a day flight.

7. The Marriott was an extravagance for this trip. We had breakfast in the hotel once, but the thought of paying GBP20 per person per day was a bit much. We went down to the cafe in the Pacific Place basement each day after that. Also we needed an emergency laundry trip near the end of the stay. The prices shown in the room were exorbitant, but we found if we dropped the clothes off at the laundry desk the prices were only half as exorbitant!

8. The main differences between Hong Kong in 1989 and this time were: it was much cleaner; there were no visible beggars; much less spitting; the pollution was bad; people were much more polite. On the other hand, I am older and a bit more seasoned as a traveler; and we had much more money than I did before!

9. Finally, allow some time to sit around a bit and watch people - even if just on the buses & MTR. There is a temptation to get caught up in the whirlwind of HK and never actually sit down and take some of it in. I went out a few nights and walked randomly around Causeway Bay and Wanchai which was good. TST I should imagine would be just as good. Nice to do this without children!

What would you add to the list of 'must-see' activities for visitors?

MrB