Inside The Skin Of A City,Hong Kong

Hong Kong is the most expensive city in the world.That is the reason many budget travellers skip Hong Kong.But with the advent of home stays it is possible to spend weeks in Hong Kong on budget  enjoying the city for its active picturesque spots.Be it The avenue of stars or the symphony of lights show or the golden Buddha in Lantau Island or its markets.

But travelling in HongKong is the cheapest with its affordable options like Trams,Buses,Tubes,Ferries,Coaches etc.All who travel make it a point to travel to Macau and the preferred mode is the ferry service.These ferry services start at 7 am and goes till late midnight with an interval of 15 minutes without interruptions.The fares are incredibly cheap in economy class with HK$ 133 one way.

Ferries run from Shun  Tak in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island and from china terminal in TST in Kowloon.Normally they take 60 to 75 minutes depending on the weather and sea conditions and the type of boat used.These high speed ferry travel on hydrofoil and one will not feel the turbulance which normally comes across ships and boats.These boats travel at a speed of 38-40 knots and can go upto 45 knots in good sea.

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I just took the tram to Kennedy station and walked towards the china pier.It was mid afternoon and was pretty hot.But I could see walkers on the walkway along the beach.It was surrounded by beautiful gardens and plenty of seats to sit and enjoy the boats moving in and out of the ferry terminal.

Occasionaly I could hear the thundering sound of chopper blades of helicopters as they ferry passengers from the top of the terminal to Macau and back.Also many people take the slow moving ferry from Kowloon to reach the other side of the Hong Kong island enjoying the scenary.It is a wonder to note that this Star ferry is in operation from the year 1898.

These ferries carry a passengers of 65,000 daily and an astonishing feat from its initial beginning.No doubt it has bagged many prestigious awards including the First runner up in Top 10 destinations to see by a poll conducted with world travellers.It was also named by National Geographic Traveller as one of the 50 places of a  lifetime.

The prices for the ride is hardly HK$ 2 and you will follow the Victoria Harbour.You can purchase an octopus card which can be used for all your travel in HK without worrying about the change as you will not get back any balance if you put extra fare in the coin box .

 

Many visitors take the ferry during the time of Symphony of lights across the skyscrapers in the night around Avenue of stars which is a spectacular sight one should not miss in HK.