A trip to Hong Kong (part 4 – walking around Kowloon)

/ TRAVEL

Kowloon is the southern peninsula of the mainland, looking South onto Hong Kong Island.

 

Kowloon has been described as “downtown Hong Kong”. But “downtown” denotes the busiest part of a city where the shops, restaurants, offices and financial centre are to be found. The financial district of Hong Kong is firmly located on the Island. Kowloon might be jam-packed with shops and markets but it’s also residential, so “downtown” is not really the term.

 

South Kowloon comprises two districts – we have Tsim Sha Tsui at the bottom, developed and touristic, and then the traditional area of Yau Ma Tei above it which includes the famous night market on Temple Street. For my first few days I was based at the Silka Hotel (it was a bit run down, I wouldn’t recommend it) in Yau Ma Tei, and from there I did a lot of exploring by foot. 

 

Hong Kong is certainly walkable. However, I found that Googlemaps is only approximate (because of the tall buildings?), and you can’t be sure which side of the road or square you are standing on by studying it – the localisation meanders around of its own accord. So I strolled along, telephone in hand (safe to do here, not like London), and just relied on Googlemaps for the the general direction of travel.

 

Here’s a map of lower Kowloon and some of the locations I mention in this post:

(extract of a very useful 2-page PDF map from the Hong Kong Tourist Board)

Nathan Road and Canton Road

A view along Nathan road, the artery of Kowloon running north-south. This is at the southern end. Chungking Mansions is infamous for its cheap hostels.
Parallel to Nathan road, Canton Road seems to be the Avenue Montaigne of Hong Kong with its high-end flagship fashion stores for Prada, Gucci and the rest, and luxury shopping departments like Harbour City and the Galleria.

Street markets

A typical street market selling fruit and vegetables
These permanent butcher shops back onto a market. The smell wasn’t great.

Temple Street

An animated street market between the two famous gates, with pushcarts selling cheap clothing, sunglasses, watches and electronic stuff.
Open into late into the night. With its photogenic decorations and seedy sidewalks, it has that frozen-in-time feel.

Jade

This bazaar, not far from the north gate of Temple Street, houses hundreds of small dealers of jade, that precious green gemstone
For some reason, the Chinese find jade jewellery attractive

Tin Hau Temple

This Taoist temple is a stone’s throw from the Jade market. Tin Hau is the Chinese goddess of the sea. Not as bling-bling as the glittering temples in Thailand.
Old men play Xiangqi, a kind of Chinese chess, in the temple forecourt until the early hours of the morning!

Kowloon Park

 

I was advised to go there early morning. With its impenetrable high walk, I almost gave up until I found a way in through a small shopping mall. It was pleasant enough, but as I think Dr Johnson said, “it’s worth seeing but not worth going to see”.

Some flamingos chilling
Tai Chi

The underground

 

If you want to go further afield, the MTR is the best option.

The maps above the doors shows the location of the train – a godsend for seeing at a glance where you are without having to strain to read the names of the stations
Really not busy at all during the day. The seats are metal with slight indentations for you to sit – much more hygienic than the fabric seats of most European trains.
The full MTR map, and the stations I used during my trip

I travelled by MTR to the Kwun Tong district of East Kowloon. I was there too short a time to be able to offer a detailed impression, but behind the bustling traditional streets like Fu Yan Street, there are also striking highrises, and I’ve heard that the area is now known for its tech startups and creative industries.

 

 

In the next post I’ll share some further photos from Kowloon.