Travel Photoblog: January 2011

After Singapore, Hong-Kong! For real holiday this time, to visit a friend there, and to spend the end of the year somewhere (warmer!) else. My Hong-Kong experience was great at this time of the year, good weather, few pollution, not so crowded. If you are quite an active walker like me, 4-5 days is quite enough to visit Hong-Kong, Hong-Kong island south part, Kwoloon, the New Territories, and some near islands, and a trip to Macao! Train your legs because Hong-Kong is everything but a flat place, you will encounter lots of stairs and steeps!

~ The very cheap double-decker tramway ~

~ Hong-Kong has also its hidden green places ~

~ An escalator (800m) links the lower & higher grounds of the city ~

~ View from my friend's place (9th floor) ~

~ Ladder St deserves well its name. My friend lives at the top...~

~ Banyan trees consolidates lots of walls in the city ~

~ View from the Bank of China tower ~

~ the Giant Buddha (25m high), in Lantau Island ~

~ Hong-Kong temples all use spiral-like enscents ~

~ Somewhere at the Peak ~

~ The sun is setting behind the Peak ~

~ Hong-Kong, the Victoria Bay, and Kwoloon on the other side ~

~ The Star ferry is cheap and a great way to travel between Hong-Kong and Kowloon ~

~ Japanese culture is present everywhere ~

~ Ladies Market, good place for bargains and fake products ~

~ 4 for 10$US ~

~ There is no limit to what you can find in Hong-Kong's market! ~

~ Temple street, a night market place at nigh, heart of Kowloon ~

~ Nathan Rd, main street in Kowloon is filled with fake watch reseller ~

~ Nathan Rd at night ~

~ Avenue of the Stars ~

~ Causeway Bay, East part of Hong-Kong city ~

~ Stanley village, south of Hong-Kong island ~

~ Resting the legs at Repulse Bay ~

~ Tin Hau temple at Repulse Bay ~

~ People throw coins into the statue's mouth for good fortune ~

~ 1 min after that, the sun was hidden behind a pollution cloud... ~

~ Climbing the 400 steps to the Ten Thousands Buddhas Temple in the New Territory ~

As I had the time, I took a ferry and spent an afternoon in Macao (1h from Hong-Kong, you will need your passport to go through immigration). Besides the casinos, the city is not that modern and feels like some Mediterranean small city. Macao is a former Portugese colony, and the language is still present everywhere, though I have seen only Chinese people there... Even if you are not a gambler, or penny less like me at the time, Macao still worths a 1-Day trip!