Trip Young & Dangerous (HK, Macau & Shenzhen) : Day 1 - Star Ferry Ride

First day in Hong Kong, we woke up early around 5.30am to perform Subuh prayer and continued to bed :D Only when the alarm rang second time at 8am, we took turn to bath and had breakfast; instant 3in1 nescafe and biscuits. Once all set up, we went out from our hostel and ready to explore!!

Boil water taken from the pantry


There were about 5 hostels available just in our level. Imagined how big this building is....

Went down the elevator, walked out from the Chungking building, guess where was our first destination? I did mentioned that Hong Kong consist of few territories right? We were staying at Kowloon area, so today we planned to tour Hong Kong Island which most of the attractions located. There are 3 main public transports in HK; MTR, bus and ferry. As for this day, we would like to start with ferry ride, but first of all we went to 7-11 nearby to buy Octopus Card. Read my previout post HERE for info about this card.

View outside of our hostels. All the locals already started their day. Such a busy city it was.


i) Hong Kong Star Ferry

As a coastal city, Hong Kong regularly operates ferry routes that connect Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the Outlying Islands. While the two sides of Victoria Harbour are now connected by a world-class infrastructure system of road and rail tunnels, tens of millions of people still climb aboard the humble Star Ferry vessels each year.

The Star Ferry is a passenger ferry service operator and tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island (Central) and Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui). It was founded in 1888 as the Kowloon Ferry Company, adopting its present name in 1898. Rated first in the “Top 10 most Exciting Ferry Rides” poll by the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) in 2009, one definitely shouldn’t miss this ride anytime when you visited Hong Kong!

You may get more info on their website, www.starferry.com.hk


To get the ferry, we needed to go to Tsim Sha Tsui Pier. That’s why I recommended you to stay at TST area as it is a hub of all public transports in HK! Direction from Chungking Mansion to TST Pier :

i) Walk further (from entrance TO THE LEFT!) along Salisbury Road
ii) Turn right, take subway (pedestrian tunnel) next to YMCA to TST Promenade / Clock Tower
iii) Turn right to the Star Ferry pier
(Don't worry as the signboards are adequate here to guide you. Bravo)

Walk through the pedestrian tunnel was quite enjoyable with lots of interesting and informative mural along the way.


The pier located next to the TST Promenade, Avenue of Star, Clock Tower and many more attractions.

Nearly there.


Finally, about 10-15 mins of walk, we arrived at the pier.

The tall building behind my back was the Two International Finance Centre which is among HK highest building located in Hong Kong Island.


First place to visit in Hong Island was Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and our initial plan to get there was by ferry to Central Pier, then switch to MTR (Central – Wan Chai). However, upon our arrival at the TST pier, we saw there’s a route from TST to Wan Chai. Then we quickly changed our mind to take ferry direct to Wan Chan Pier instead of Central Pier. It was much easy since the HKCEC located nearby the Wan Chai Pier and we didn’t have to take the MTR. Save the budget too..!!

Basically, the Hong Kong Ferry offers 2 main routes connecting :

TST – Central (Hong Kong Island)
Operating : 6.30am – 11.30pm
Class 1 (Upper deck) and Class 2 (Lower deck)

TST – Wanchai (Hong Kong Island)
Operating : 7.20am – 10.50pm
Class 1 only

The ferry operates at interval every 10mins and the rides take just under 10 mins.

Star Ferry Fare
Adult : HK$ 3.40 (Class 1), HK$2.80 (Class 2)
Child 3 – 12 : HK$2.10 (Class 1), HK$2.00 (Class 2)
Senior +65 : Free

You will need exact change for the turnstiles, or you can also use the handy Octopus Card, which I recommend you to get to avoid lines at the ticket counters and can be used on all sorts of public transportation throughout Hong Kong.

It's like been back to the past here. Reminded me of the ferry in Penang too. Waited for the ferry to board.

Inside the ferry and enjoying the view.

Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which enables ready access by international cargo ships, and its skyline, with a very high density of skyscrapers; the territory boasts the second largest number of high rises of any city in the world.

HK island

Approaching Wan Chan Pier where you can see HKCEC from here.

To be continued in next post.


Trip to HK, Macau and Shenzhen Fast Link Here
Preparation
Day 0 – Departure to Hong Kong and First Night at Chungking Mansion
Day 1 – HKCEC and Golden Bauhinia Square
Day 1 – Repulse Bay and Stanley Village
Day 1 – Lunch at Islamic Muslim Centre, Ammar Mosque and Tram Ride
Day 1 – The Mid Level Escalator
Day 1 – The Peak Tram and Night at Victoria Peak (Sky Terrace 428)
Day 1 – End of Day 1

MACAU Day Trip
Day 2 – Journey to Macau by TurboJET Ferry
Day 2 – The Venetian, Macao
Day 2 – City Of Dreams and Hard Rock Hotel
Day 2 – The Galaxy Macau
Day 2 – Grand Lisboa and Senado Square
Day 2 – The Ruins of St. Paul’s
Day 2 – Macau back to Hong Kong

Shenzhen Day Trip
Day 3 – Starting Journey to Shenzhen, China from Hong Kong
Day 3 – Window of The World
Day 3 – Shopping at Shenzhen and back to Hong Kong

Hong Kong Trip Continues
Day 4 – Ngong Ping 360, Lantau Island
Day 4 – Aberdeen Floating Village and Jumbo Kingdom
Day 5 – Disneyland Part 1
Day 5 – Disneyland Part 2
Day 5 – Disneyland Part 3
Day 5 – Shopping at Ladies Market, Mongkok
Last Day – Avenue of Star
Last Day – HK Museums, 1881 Heritage and Back to Malaysia
Total Expenses