Five hidden gems on the Lantau Island

Five Lantau Island hidden gems for travelers

Apart from saying hello to the Big Buddha and Mickey Mouse, you can still find 5 out of common tourist track sightseeing points on the largest Lantau Island in Hong Kong......

Inspiration Lake

The free Inspiration Lake, which has a water fountain capable of shooting up to 18 meters in height, is Hong Kong's biggest artificial lake.  

Disney uses the water to irrigate its plants.  

Travelers may pay a reasonable price to ride bicycle around and have paddle-boating on the lake.  

It is a good place for the lovers and families to make some happy memories.

Pak Mong Village

You can see indigenous people's history and life at Pak Mong near the North Lantau Link Highway.  

In the past, most Lantau islanders relied on Pak Mong to travel to other places for works and businesses by boats, just like today's Mui Wo or Tung Chung.  

You can see two heritages at the remote Pak Mong: a small incinerator to burn the wastes and a guard tower to protect the people.

Tung Chung Fort

Lantau was infamous for its pirates lairs and opium smuggling in the past.  

The Qing Dynasty thus built the Tung Chung Fort in about 1830 to strengthen the defense.  

The (190 x 740)m fortress is a rare well-preserved military heritage in Hong Kong.  

You can still see the old cannons there.

Lou Han (Arhat) Temple   

Lou Han (Arhat) Temple is a good place to understand more about the Buddhism.  

In its Arhat Cave, you can see Buddha's students, 18 Arhats.

They have achieved enlightenment, but Buddha ordered them to stay in the world to help the people.  

They have different capabilities and wisdom.  

They propagate Buddhism through helping people, just like the Saints in the Western religions.

Chek Lap Kok New Village Tin Hau Temple

When government developed the new airport on the Chek Lap Kok Island, the indigenous people with their small temple, which was completely built by the granite, were moved to Lantau.  

The rebuilt temple can show you the popular local Goddess of the Seas (Tin Hau) belief, Hong Kong's old industry, masonry, and the masons' great works. 

If you want to get more details and have the private tour planning for the Lantau Island, please contact Frank the tour guide.

You may also consider the three well-designed and highly rated Lantau private car tour program...

Full day Hong Kong Lantau Island tour with Ngong Ping Cable Car ride

Half day Lantau Island Big Buddha tour with Ngong Ping Cable Car ride

Big Buddha Tai O sunset Lantau Island tour with Ngong Ping Cable Car ride

Five WWII relics in the city of Hong Kong

See five WWII relics in the city center of Hong Kong

15 August 2015, is the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender.  Hong Kong was invaded by Japan in 1941.  You can still see Hong Kong's WWII history through five relics in the city of Hong Kong.

(1) Peninsula Hotel

The Christmas decoration of Peninusla Hotel is nice.  But on the Christmas day of 1941, when Japan fully occupied Hong Kong, the grand hotel had no lighting at all because the power station was damaged.  

Hong Kong Governor, Mark Young, was forced to sign the armistice in the room 336 of the hotel under dim candle light.

You can still have afternoon tea set at the lobby floor of the hotel. 

You may even try to book and stay at the room 336 to recollect the history!

(2) Defense position at Stanley Market

There is still a concrete defense position at the Stanley Market next to a big banyan tree.  

Long before WWII, British leaders once guessed that Hong Kong's enemy would come from the sea.  

So lots of defense facilities were built on the southern part of the Hong Kong Island.  

In 1941, however, Japanese Army came from the north. 

Although there were heavy fighting and casualties, the defenders at Stanley could withstand the enemies effectively.

They were the last to surrender to the Japanese. 

(3) Osborn statue at the Hong Kong Park

During the fierce 18-day battle of Hong Kong, defenders fought bravely.  

On 19 December, Canadian defender, Company Sergeant Major Osborn and his company were besieged by the Japanese at Mount Butler.  

For covering his comrades, Osborn just picked up the enemy's grenades and threw them back to the enemy.  

At last, Osborn even threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades.  

The hero was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross and a statue was made to remember him.

(4) Private Maxwell's grave near the St John's Cathedral

Private Maxwell was killed in Wan Chai on 23 December 1941, just two days before the fall of Hong Kong. 

As that was impossible to ship the Catholic Maxwell's body to the cemetery, his comrades decided to bury him near the Protestant St John's Cathedral.  

Later, people led Maxwell rests in peace permanently in Central after the war.

(5) Queen Victoria Statue at Victoria Park

Queen Victoria Statue was once the icon of the Statue Square in Central. 

For securing more metals to make more weapons before its defeat, Japanese Army decided to 'invite' the queen to go to Japan, i.e. STOLE the bronze statue and tried to MELT it.

After Japanese surrender, the Allied Army found this VIP in a warehouse and sent her back to Hong Kong. 

In 1957, Hong Kong Government placed the statue at the entrance of a new Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. 

For private tour planning about the WWII relics, please contact Frank the tour guide.

YOU may also consider the Round Hong Kong Island private tour.

YOU can visit the out of the common tourist track Chung Hom Kok Battery in the southern part of Hong Kong during the tour.

4 types of Hong Kong private tours, which you need to think twice before booking

Think twice before you book the 4 types of private tour product

There are a lot of different types of private tour product in Hong Kong.

You may thick twice before you book the 4 types of private tour product.

(1)PRIVATE FOOD TOUR/FOODIE TOUR

You can find good food very easily by yourselves in the culinary capital (please refer to the openrice.com).  

The food tour is not good because it is not good to eat too much in a short period of time (about 2-3 hours) especially when you are traveling.  

The experience of travelers diarrhea due to non-acclimatization is bad!

(2)PRIVATE MARKET SHOPPING TOUR

You can reach Hong Kong's markets easily as they are in the city center (please refer to: Discover Hong Kong: Street Markets and Shopping Streets).  

You NEED to bargain in the markets by mobile phone calculator app.  

It is easy.  

You need to pay the hourly rate to the private guide to go shopping with you.

This means the cost of shopping becomes a lot higher.  

Just save more for more souvenirs is better!

(3)Bus metro walking (BMW) tour

BMW tour means tour relies on bus, metro and walking for transportation. It has actually no private transport. 

Using PUBLIC transport as the main transportation method contradicts the definition of a PRIVATE tour.  

Public transport cannot offer you point to point transfer.  

You need to walk to the sightseeing points after alighting the train with your private guide.  

Lots of uncertainties impact your tour.  

You can find no bus or taxi and the weather may not cooperate.  

How much time is left for your PRIVATE tour?

(4)PRIVATE TOUR BY PRIVATE 'DRIVER-GUIDE'

Driver-guide is a bad idea in the bustling Hong Kong.  

Talking to the driver when the car is in motion is illegal.  

So driver-guides cannot introduce Hong Kong properly to you when they are driving.  

Driver-guides need to spend your valuable tour time to find the insufficient parking space.  

How much time is left for the driver-guides to make the tour commentary?

As a smart travelers and customers, you deserve something better.  

Book the easy private tour with a set but flexible program, which includes private car with driver and private guide is your best choice. This can save your valuable sightseeing time and keep your privacy.

For your private tour planning, please contact Frank the tour guide.

You may also choose your private car tour program.

Five Things to do at Shau Kei Wan (Colander Bay) Fishing Village

Five things to do at Shau Kei Wan 

Shau Kei Wan Fishing Village is on the eastern part of Hong Kong Island.  'Shau Kei' means 'colander' in Cantonese.  'Wan' means 'bay'.  So the name's meaning is 'a bay which looks like a colander'.

There are five things to do in this interesting, 'old meets new' and out of the common tourist track Shau Kei Wan.

(1)Visit the Shau Kei Wan Wet Market

This market is one of the oldest and biggest outdoor food markets in Hong Kong.  

It is next to the Wholesale fish market.  So you can find different kinds of freshest seafood there.

(2)Visit the old temples and join the celebration of Tam Kung's birthday party

There are three old temples for the fishermen.  They are the Shing Wong Temple (District God), Tin Hau Temple (Goddess of the Seas) and Tam Kung Temple (also a sea god).  

If you don't want to travel a long way by ferry to go to Cheung Chau to join the over-crowded Bun Festival, you may go to Shau Kei Wan on the specific day in mid-May every year to take part in Tam Kung's birthday party, which also has amazing lion dancing, wonderful floating colour parade etc.

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/events-festivals/highlight-events/cultural-celebrations.jsp

(3)Enjoy the local delicacies

The local delicacies of Shau Kei Wan, fish ball noodle, deep fried fish skin, Hong Kong style milk tea etc., can make you salivate.  

You can find them at the Shau Kei Wan Main Street.

(4)Visit the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

After enjoying the local delicacies, you can walk to the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence in 10 mins.  

Apart from the war history, you can also enjoy the beautiful Victoria Harbour view in this old coastal defence fort.

(5)Take the double-decker tram ride at the terminal

It is easy to get a seat inside the double-decker tram car if you take it at the Shau Kei Wan Tram Terminal.  

The 'ding ding' takes about 1 hour to go back to Central.

From the very slow tram car, you can see the very fast life style of the Hong Kong citizens. 

During the full day city private tour, YOU get the chance to visit Shau Kei Wan Food Market.

For the details of the full day tour, please browse the tour webpage.

YOU may also contact Frank the tour guide for private tour planning.

Pros and cons plus suggestion of traveling to Hong Kong in the summer time (May - September) 在夏季(五月至九月)到香港旅遊的利與弊和給你們的建議

The pros and cons of visiting Hong Kong in the summer time and our suggestion

This passage is going to show you the pros and cons of visiting Hong Kong in the summer time. We will also suggest some cool things to do for you.

PROS......YOU CAN ENJOY THE BEST VIEW

On the sunny days in the summer time in Hong Kong, the sky is clear and visibility is extremely high. 

SO you can enjoy the best view and scenery at different areas of Hong Kong. Please see the photos......

Victoria Peak

Victoria Harbour

Sai Kung

Sai Kung

PROS...YOU CAN GET LOTS OF SHOPPERS' INCENTIVES

Apart from the best scenery, you can get a lot of shoppers' incentives in the summer time in Hong Kong. 

Every year, Hong Kong offers the 'Hong Kong Summer Fun' programme to the travelers. 

You can get the details of the program through the link attached:

CONS...YOU NEED TO TOLERATE THE HOTTEST AND WETTEST WEATHER OF HONG KONG

When you are enjoying the best scenery of Hong Kong, you need to bear the hottest and wettest weather of Hong Kong.

Temperature is often about 30-33 degree Celsius. The relative humidity is often about 90%-100%.

(2) THUNDERSTORM OR TYPHOON MAY COME TO HONG KONG WITH YOU

Chinese have an old saying: When the VIPs are visiting your city, the thunderstorm and typhoon follow suit! 

Hong Kong's summer time is also the rainy season and typhoon season. The bad weather may impact your holiday in Hong Kong.

OUR SUGGESTION...GO TO THE AIR-CONDITIONED MALLS & MUSEUMS

A lot of shopping malls and museums, which are air-conditioned, are waiting for you in the hot and humid summer time.

OUR SUGGESTION...TAKE A PRIVATE TOUR BY PRIVATE CAR

You may book a private tour, which includes private car and private guide.

Then you can have a 'COOL' private tour in the hot and wet summer time in Hong Kong.

YOU may browse different private car tour options.

YOU may contact Frank the tour guide for private tour planning.

Five things, which the travelers forget to do at Stanley Market

Five things travelers should do at Stanley

Apart from shopping at the Stanley Market and dining at the Stanley waterfront, travelers can do five more important and interesting things at that famous small peninsula.

(1)Mail the post cards at the Stanley Post Office

If you want to mail the beautiful post cards to your friends after shopping at Stanley, you can go to the Stanley Post Office, which was built in 1937. 

It is the oldest post office in operation in Hong Kong.

(2)Buy the drinks at the Old Stanley Police Station

After shopping, you may feel very thirsty.  You can go to the Old Stanley Police Station, which is a supermarket today.

The old police station was built in 1859.  The government just restores and re-uses it.  

So you can buy the drinks at a special supermarket, which is the heritage building.

(3)Visit the Stanley War Cemetery

British soldiers were the first customers of the Stanley Market.  

During WWII, the Commonwealth soldiers at Stanley fought until the last minute and surrendered to the Japanese on the Christmas evening of 1941.  

Lots of heroes, who lost their lives in the line of duty, were buried at the Stanley War Cemetery.  

You can visit the cemetery to salute the heroes and enjoy a good view of Stanley Peninsula.

(4)Visit the Goddess of the Seas Temple

The Goddess of the Seas Temple is often ignored by the travelers because of its location.  

It is actually a museum of Chinese religions or Chinese religion supermarket, as the temple has more than 10 gods' statues.  

You can learn more about the Chinese religions or get the helps from different gods very easily.  

Also the 'tiger skin',which was taken from a killed tiger at Stanley in 1942, is an interesting exhibit.

(5)Enjoy dim sum at the Stanley Plaza

Now you can enjoy very good dim sum at a restaurant at the Stanley Plaza.  

The restaurant has lots of modernized traditional Chinese cuisines.  

If you are not very hungry and just want to have a light meal, you may even just order ONE shrimp dumpling and ONE pork dumpling. 

Remember the normal Chinese tea is free of charge!

If YOU want to have a private tour, which includes visit to Stanley, YOU may contact Frank the tour guide for private tour planning.

YOU may also browse the webpages of the three easy private car tour options... 

Half day Hong Kong highlights tour

Full day Hong Kong Kowloon tour

Round Hong Kong Island full day tour