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Hey All:
By this time next week we will be winging our way to HKG! I am just wondering at the last minute if there is anything that has changed in the last month that we should be made aware of. Places to avoid, swine flue etc...The weather has looked cool compared to what we were expecting so we are pretty stoked about that!
Thanks again to everyone for helping us make this trip work. I'll post some pictures and let you know how we fared. You guys rock!
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I'm not sure what you expected of the weather. The itinerary I proposed on Lantau back in March was based on an assumption about you travelling quite soon thereafter. It is getting up over 30 degrees (86-90 Fahrenheit) every day at the moment.
Note also that I recently walked stage 7 of the Lantau trail from Tai O to Fan Lau, and this is hard work - I'm not sure I'd want to take a ten year old along there, especially in 30+ degrees unless they are proven to be very hardy and adventurous. Some of the path is quite seriously overgrown at this time of year (it is the main "growing season" for the undergrowth) and in places it is quite muddy underfoot. The path is also a little hard to discern in places. You will also encounter a lot of spiders' webs across the path, most populated by quite large specimens - they are not venomous (although some of the snakes out there are) but you might be a little averse to them dropping down the back of your neck when you walk into their web and dislodge them.
One thing I didn't make explicit in the original itinerary is that to get to Fan Lau Fort you need to take the Fan Lau Country Trail, which is a small loop off the main Lantau Trail path. You would actually be doing this in the reverese direction to that shown on the map (i.e. coming from Tai O and going to Shek Pik).
I very strongly recommend only doing this is you are serious walkers, properly equipped for hot weather tropical walking. You must have good hats (the UV intensity is extreme in the middle of the day), sun block, insect repellent, good quality walking shoes and lots of water. And I mean lots - I drink almost a litre per hour when hiking that sort of route in these temperatures, so between you I recommend you should start out with at least 8 litres (some of it energy replacement drink - Gatorade, Pocari, Lucozade Sport, or whatever) for the route I suggested. You also, obviously, must have a map & compass, and know how to use them. And have a mobile phone for use as a last resort in emergency (although there are parts of the route with no mobile coverage, or where the only network you can see is one of the Chinese mainland ones, through which you would have great difficulty getting help). If connected to a HK mobile phone network the code of the emergency services is 999; the operators speak English.
Note that once you start on that hike there are no "drop out" options except turning back or carrying on. Please think carefully before you attempt it - I would hate to be in any way responsible for you and your daughter getting into trouble in one of the most remote parts of Hong Kong.
If you want a gentler, but still very nice alternative on Lantau then I suggest part of the South Lantau Country Trail. To do this, from Tai O get a #11 bus towards Tung Chung, and get out at the stop at Pak Kung Au, which is on the very brow of the hill as the road crosses the saddle between Lantau Peak and Sunset Peak. (You might want to ask the driver to tell you when you get to Pak Kung Au.) From the bus stop you cross the road and go up a few steps to a pavilion near where there are signs for the trail. The one you want is the one that goes off more or less level, not the Lantau Trail over Sunset Peak (which is only an option if you are really sure that you can cope with a 3000' mountain trail in 30 degree heat). Both paths reach the same point, Nam Shan, which is on the road above Mui Wo. The more level country trail passes a couple of very nice little waterfalls where you can take a dip in the pool if you so wish; it takes about 2.5 hours to walk from Pak Kung Au to Nam Shan. From Nam Shan you can either walk 2km down the road into the town for dinner at the China Bear, or catch a bus at the adjacent bus stop (any bus going down the hill will do, although the Airport buses (numbers starting A) are more expensive).
Other than that, everything is much as it was - the hysteria over swine flu has more or less passed. Enjoy your visit here!
If you plan to visit MongKok, becareful and watch the sky (aka buildings) more often as some crazy people dump some corrosive liquid from the roof of some random building
As other may not mention, the local street side junk may be interesting to try out also (if you are worrying about your stomach, do them in 7-11 instead), curry fish ball is always tasteful
If you plan to visit MongKok, becareful and watch the sky (aka buildings) more often as some crazy people dump some corrosive liquid from the roof of some random building
Let's not over-exaggerate this - it's happened a total of three times in a very specific area which is now heavily monitored by the police; nobody has been seriously hurt. This is far less of a risk than crossing the road!
Wow, the walk above sounds really difficult, much more than I could hike.
Hope you and your daughter have a great trip, let us know how it all goes.
Bon Voyage!
If you are not used to the heat and HUMIDITY, strongly advise against these hikes. Easy to get dehydrated and heat stroke for first timers to HK summers.
I suggest to bring some hand sanitizer and alcohol based travel wipes with you.
I’d refrain from making any cross border trip to China as the overzealous Chinese health authority continues to quarantine any one with flu symptoms, e.g., body temperature higher than 37ºC, or deemed to have come into close contact with a person infected with the H1N1 Human Swine Flu.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by christep
If you want a gentler, but still very nice alternative on Lantau then I suggest part of the South Lantau Country Trail. To do this, from Tai O get a #11 bus towards Tung Chung, and get out at the stop at Pak Kung Au, which is on the very brow of the hill as the road crosses the saddle between Lantau Peak and Sunset Peak. (You might want to ask the driver to tell you when you get to Pak Kung Au.) From the bus stop you cross the road and go up a few steps to a pavilion near where there are signs for the trail. The one you want is the one that goes off more or less level, not the Lantau Trail over Sunset Peak (which is only an option if you are really sure that you can cope with a 3000' mountain trail in 30 degree heat). Both paths reach the same point, Nam Shan, which is on the road above Mui Wo. The more level country trail passes a couple of very nice little waterfalls where you can take a dip in the pool if you so wish; it takes about 2.5 hours to walk from Pak Kung Au to Nam Shan. From Nam Shan you can either walk 2km down the road into the town for dinner at the China Bear, or catch a bus at the adjacent bus stop (any bus going down the hill will do, although the Airport buses (numbers starting A) are more expensive).
Other than that, everything is much as it was - the hysteria over swine flu has more or less passed. Enjoy your visit here!
I think we will do this option. We live in Virginia Beach and we are used to hot and humid summers, so we should be ok. We both do a lot of hiking in the woods, and she is a real trooper, so we are both looking forward to this. I would love to do the original option but I think you are right about the conditions. We will be climbing Mt. Fuji later in July, so this will be a great warm-up!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Clipper801
I suggest to bring some hand sanitizer and alcohol based travel wipes with you.
I’d refrain from making any cross border trip to China as the overzealous Chinese health authority continues to quarantine any one with flu symptoms, e.g., body temperature higher than 37ºC, or deemed to have come into close contact with a person infected with the H1N1 Human Swine Flu.
Done! I always travel with them...Thanks!!!
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Detroit Michigan is in the Eastern Time Zone...
I think we will do this option. We live in Virginia Beach and we are used to hot and humid summers, so we should be ok. We both do a lot of hiking in the woods, and she is a real trooper, so we are both looking forward to this. I would love to do the original option but I think you are right about the conditions. We will be climbing Mt. Fuji later in July, so this will be a great warm-up!
Having grown up near VA Beach I can say with certainty that VA Beach heat & humidity is not the same as HKG heat and humidity Plus you have to factor the jet lag in. Please don't underestimate the weather conditions - especially for your child.
most ridiculous was that the third time happened as the CCTVs were being installed to catch the perps. this happened at one specific intersection though so just stay away from there....
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Back home!
Hi Everyone!
We are back from our trip to Hong Kong and Japan. Aside from the Hanshin Tigers' game we went to, we both agree that Hong Kong was our favorite place!! I think that is because of all the great ideas and tips all of you contributed to our journey.
First off, we did the Peak, which was amazing. We walked from our hotel thru the park, which evidently is a big wedding hot spot. There were FOUR weddings going on and I can tell you the dresses and gowns were amazing! Believe it or not, we did the tea museum too. Very interesting on how to make some of the pots. Her idea, I swear. Anyway, the Peak was fantastic.
The next day we went to Lantau Island. We were going to do a nice hike, but there was a typhoon warning and the folks at the hotel did not think it would be a good idea, so we ended up doing doing the cable car by the airport over to the island. It was a great view and we saw some of the trails towards the Buhdda. My daughter said those looked great and wished we could have done a little bit of them. Especially since the weather held up, but it was the right move anyway. We really enjoyed the Monastery and even bought a brick. For $25, how can you go wrong?
The next day we went to Kowloon and walked through Kowloon Park, which if you have kids, I highly recommend it. I have over a hundred pictures of the flamingos etc...It was a really nice park, well laid out with a lot of really cool stuff. We caught the ferry back and watched the light show from the Star Ferry. Christep, good call. And, as much as I hate to admit it, the press was better than it was, but we are still glad we saw it.
Monday we pretty much did shopping and walking around Central. Antique Row, Chop shopping (Jeff, dude, GREAT CALL!! They were fantastic!) and pretty much just enjoying the hustle and bustle. The escalator was a lot of fun till we got to the top and then the rain came!!! And came...So we got a little wet. It rained so hard that some of the locals thought it was really raining!!!
We ate SO much good food; we were both quacking like ducks and we never grew tired of Dim Sum. Its amazing how inexpensive good food is in HK compared to Japan!
On the water discussion. We did the bottled water thing for the most part, but there were quite a few times we drank out of fountains. Cailin is 10 and when she saw a fountain and was thirsty, she drank. We did not have any problems at all. On the sanitation side, there was so many people with sanitizer everywhere, there were no germs any where! Airport: Since we got in late, we did the bus to the hotel, outbound we took the train, though the taxi driver tried to talk us into him driving us! We told him we already had tickets...We loved the Octopus Cards and the fact you could use them everywhere. Great setup. Overall, in spite of the weather, we still had a fantastic time. I owe most of it to this community. My daughter had plenty of culture AND fun, which I couldn't have done without your help. Christep, I wish we could have had that beer, sorry that couldn't happen.
I have a ton of pictures, I don't know how to post them here. If anyone can tell me how, I would be happy to do so. Otherwise they are on my Facebook page, which I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say what that is...
Thanks again everyone. You guys are the BOMB!!!
John and Cailin
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Detroit Michigan is in the Eastern Time Zone...
Plus you have to factor the jet lag in. Please don't underestimate the weather conditions - especially for your child.
Back home!
