Let's go to Kowloon!

In the early morning we took the subway to Causeway Bay station. Here we wanted to buy a special box with two bottles of Absolut Vodka for a friend in a kind of trendy shop. Unfortunately, the limited collection box was already sold out the day before. Since we were nearby, we took a detour to the “Times Square” shopping center. There are all kinds of shops here, from luxury bags to technology. We strolled through the passages for a bit and looked at all sorts of technology, including the new generation of 3D televisions or the new Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Mobile 7. The latter still needs improvement!

Hopewell Center

After our shopping trip, we took Hong Kong's famous double-decker tram to the Hopewell Center. As an adult European you should be aware of the height of the passenger compartment. Long stretches with your head hunched are really not comfortable.

Das Hopewell Center war eins der ersten runden Hochhäuser in Hong Kong. Hier gibt es einen kostenlosen Panoramaaufzug. Wenn man, wie wir von der Hafen zugewandten Seite, das Gebäude betritt, muss man erst einmal in die 17. Etage hochfahren. Hier ist der Zugang zum Glasaufzug, der bis in die 56. Etage durchfährt. Da dieser um die Mittagszeit aber nicht geöffnet ist, fuhren wir in die 52. um endlich mal unsere kostenlose Regus-Goldkarte (als Kunde von Miles&More) zu nutzen. Regus ist ein weltweiter Anbieter von Business Lounges. Hier vertrieben wir uns die Wartezeit bei einem Kaffee und Postkarten schreiben, bis wir schließlich kurz nach 13 Uhr mit dem Panoramaaufzug fahren konnten. Die Fahrt dauert ungefähr 30 Sekunden und der Ausblick in den Hafen ist grandios. Für Leute mit Höhenangst ist es aber nicht zu empfehlen.

Currency Museum on the 55th floor of the TWO ifc Tower

The next item on our “Free Attractions in Hong Kong” list was the Currency Museum on the 55th floor of the TWO ifc Towers. We stood here yesterday, unfortunately in front of closed doors. The easiest way to access is via the adjacent ifc mall. Simply walk towards TWO ifc and go down the escalator on the right. To access the 55th floor you need a visitor pass. This is available at the registration desk on the ground floor upon presentation of a photo ID.

The museum itself is probably not interesting for everyone. The different security features of the Hong Kong dollar are explained. Tourists like us go up here because of the view. The southern part of Hong Kong Island, Victoria Peak and the harbor area can be seen through the panoramic windows. But we were unlucky with the position of the sun and so everything was reflected in the window and we couldn't take any decent photos.

Take the Star Ferry over to Kowloon

After a quick snack at Subways, we took the Star Ferry to Kowloon. This historic means of transport, which has been running since 1898, has already become a symbol of Hong Kong. We bought a ticket for the Upper Deck for HK$2.20 (approx. EUR0.20) and it took about 5 minutes to cross.

Kowloon Park

We walked through Kowloon Park, which was a welcome change from the noise of the city. There is a swimming pool, a bird park and several terraces with water features. At the edge of the park we came across Nathan Road. This is the boulevard of Kowloon. There are many luxury hotels, shopping malls and smaller shops here. But there are also many Arab and Indian “pushing gangs” who want to give you their business cards of fake Rolex watches or suits on every corner. Things like that always annoy me!

Avenue of Stars

We visited the “Avenue of Stars” on Kowloon’s waterfront. This is an Asian imitation of the well-known “Walk of Fame” in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, apart from 2 or 3 names like Jackie Chan or Jet Li, we didn't know anyone else.

A Symphony of Lights

Every evening at 8 p.m. the city puts on a light and laser show for tourists. Around 20 high-rise buildings and buildings around the river take part in the approximately 15-minute show. The appropriate music comes from loudspeakers on the promenade. We thought the show was very good, but unfortunately the overall picture was somewhat spoiled because several buildings were simply missing.