A. From the Airport to your Hotel

Maps: Free maps are available just before the "Visitors" immigration counters at the airport. They were sufficient for me for the entire trip. Hong Kong comprises of around 230 islands and a portion of mainland south of China. Hong Kong Airport is on Lantau Island. Major hotels are in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

Map of Hong Kong

Transport: MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is Hong Kong's fast, efficient and air-conditioned underground railway systems. It is recommended that you buy an Octopus Card, a smart-card that can be used to pay fare not only in MTR but also in buses and ferries. The Octopus can be bought using a credit card at the airport. There is a deposit of 50 HKD. The deposit plus any unused amount can be reclaimed upon returning the card. Do not bend or scratch the card.

If you are staying at a major hotel, the most convenient means of transport is the Airport Express, one of several railway lines operated by MTR. It takes you from the airport to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island (these are two places where the big hotels are situated). From the Airport Express stops, there are free shuttles to all major hotels.

MTR Map

If Airport Express + free shuttle does not take you to your hotel, enquire at the airport for the cheapest alternative. Here are some ideas: If you are traveling light, you might want to hop to other MTR lines and get off at the closest MTR station. Then, either walk down to your hotel, or get a taxi. Taxis are readily available on the streets. Switching between MTR lines is straightforward and service is very frequent. Street names and announcements+signs+maps in MTR are in both English and Chinese. However, most people on the street do not speak English. If you have lots of luggage, consider taking a taxi from either the airport or one of the stops of Airport Express. With heavy luggage, traveling in MTR (except the Airport Express line) might not be convenient as you would have to lug your belongings along escalators in MTR stations and in the busy-busy trains. Taxis cost roughly 200-400 HKD from the airport, but less if you get off at one of the stops of Airport Express.

If you are on a shoestring budget, the cheapest means of transport from the airport is buses (roughly half the cost of MTR and much cheaper than taxis). Citibus Ltd operates buses from the airport to several parts of Hong Kong. I never traveled in these buses. Most bus drivers, I believe, do not speak English. Plus, I am not sure if any announcements are made. Try this website for more routes to the airport.

Money: Convert as little money into HKD as possible at the airport because the exchange rate is very poor. In Aug 2002, the rate at the airport was 7.1 (1 USD = 7.1 HKD). US Dollars can be converted at some hotel receptions as well! The typical rate was 7.3. A better rate is available at banks (open from 9am to 4:30pm on weekdays; 9am to 12:30pm on Saturday). However, beware of "service charges". One bank I visited charged 50 HKD flat for any transaction. I found the best rates at American Express (7.7 with no service charges). A friend of mine told me that an even better rate (7.8) could be obtained at some "Currency Exchangers" during certain hours.

Summary: At the airport, (a) buy an Octopus card, (b) pick up free maps, and (c) convert as little money as possible into HKD. Remember, Octopus card can be bought using a credit card.

B. Hiking in Lantau Island

The best map available is a Government Map, "Country Side Series", Lantau Island, scale: 1:25000 for 50 HKD, available at Hong Kong Tourist Association which has worldwide offices. I'll write more about hiking sometimes later. Mail me if you are really interested.

Here are some pictures.

C. Visiting Shenzhen, China

The easiest way to visit Shenzhen is to let some travel agency like China Travels take you in a coach. They require advance reservations. If you are adventurous or would like to have a flexible schedule in Shenzhen, you could travel by yourself. Here are some guidelines:

Money: Chinese currency is Renminbi (RMB). The official exchange rate in Aug 2002 was 1.00 HKD = 1.06 RMB. Within China, HKD is happily accepted. In fact, the exchange ratio on the streets is 1.00. If you would like to save 6%, obtain sufficient RMB's within Hong Kong itself. Taxi drivers and ticket counters at Windows of World and Chinese Folk Culture Villages do not accept credit cards.

Visa and Entry: Take KCR East Rail from Hung Hom in Kowloon to Lo Wu, the last station at the border of Hong Kong and China. The KCR ride takes roughly half an hour. Octopus card can be used for KCR also. The free maps you picked up at the airport show the Hung Hom KCR station clearly.

At Lo Wu, you would have to stand in long lines at Hong Kong immigration counters. Beware of pickpockets! There are signs that warn you of the same. After crossing the Hong Kong immigration counters, you have to walk a little before you reach the Chinese immigration counters. However, to enter China, you first need a visa. A four-day visa for Shenzhen is easily obtained for 100 HKD at the China Visa office in the same building. The visa office opens at 8am. Obtaining a visa takes less than ten minutes. Armed with a visa, you need to stand in another line to cross the Chinese immigration counter. Then, there is a very short line for customs. On the whole, expect a total of 1.0 to 1.5 hours to cross the Hong Kong and Chinese immigration counters.

Transport: Once inside Shenzhen, be careful of your belongings. Plenty of websites warn of petty thieves and pickpockets. There is a big shopping complex right in front of Lo Wu train station. You could either shop, or head for tourist attractions like Windows of the World and Chinese Folk Culture Villages. These attractions are next to each other and are around 15 km away from Lo Wu. The most convenient means of transport are taxis. The best place to take a taxi is Shangri-La Hotel, a very big hotel, clearly visible once you start walking out of Lo Wu. It was in fact a Chinese professor in Hong Kong University who recommended that I walk down to Shangri-La rather than head for the local taxi stands. He said he did not feel comfortable with the local taxi folks despite the fact that he was Chinese!

You *must* have names of destinations written in Chinese to tell taxi drivers where you wish to be taken. At Shangri-La Hotel, ask for local maps and a visiting card that mentions Shangri-La (to show the taxi driver where you'd like to be dropped when returning). A taxi ride from Shangri-La to Chinese Folk Culture Villages is around 15 kms and costs around 50 RMB. Many websites advise that you fix the rate a priori and not use the meter. However, I had no problems with meters.

Chinese Folk Culture Villages (CFCV): The entrance fees was 85 RMB in cash. Credit cards not accepted. CFCV showcases twenty-four ethnic villages and fifty-six nationalities' social customs. Each village consists of one or two life-sized models of ethnic houses. There are performances by members of ethnic tribes and nationalities throughout the day. Most performances are after 12:00 pm. Extra tickets are required for some shows. Show times are listed on a brochure one obtains at the entrance. On the day I visited CFCV, some shows were not performed at the times listed in the brochure. CFCV closes at 6pm.

Here are some pictures. A map of CFCV with wonderful descriptions of various villages is available here.

Windows of the World (WoW): The entrance fees was 120 RMB in cash. Credit cards not accepted. WoW is a pretty big theme park with miniature-sized replicas of several buildings from all over the world. Most buildings are shrunk 1:15 and they are grouped by continents. It will take you several hours (one whole day) to enjoy all the buildings. If you are a brisk walker, it is possible to see them all and take pictures in around four hours. There is a huge replica of Eiffel Tower in the center. For 20 RMB, you can buy a ride to its top. The views are breathtaking. There are a few rides at some of the places. However, I was not impressed with their quality.

There is marvellous show in the evening at the huge open air theatre just in front of the main entrance. The show is roughly two hours long and is followed by a display of fireworks. Do not miss the show! Hundreds of dancers perform in a sequence of episodes threaded together highlighting some theme. The show is on a grand scale. The theatre has two kinds of seats: close to the stage, and far away from the stage. The show is free. However, to be able to sit close to the stage, one has to pick up a "ticket" from a certain counter inside the park. The catch is that this counter opens only at a certain hour (5pm when I visited) and tickets vanish within half an hour. So plan your tour such that you're close to this counter when tickets become available.

Here are some pictures.

Return to Hong Kong: A taxi ride from Windows of the World to Shangri-La Hotel will take around half an hour. From the hotel, walk up to Lo Wu train station. There you have to stand in a very long line to cross the Chinese immigration counter. This took me nearly two hours on a Saturday evening (from 9:00pm to 11:00pm). Then, you have to stand in a second line (immigration into Hong Kong) which cost me another half an hour. The last KCR departs from Lo Wu at 12:30am (this was in Aug 2002; double-check). Keep these times in mind when you plan your return journey.