Once again I started out with a good breakfast, hit the streets and headed to the Tin Hau temple and the Big Bus stop for the second day of my ticket.
You aren’t permitted to take pictures inside the temple but I doubt whether any would turn out given the haze on incense permeating the establishment. Although there is not whole lot to see it is still worth a look given the reverence the locals have for their gods.
I had again arrived too early and had to hang around with all the ‘characters’ in the park at the rear of the temple until the bus arrived.
Lippo Building (once owned by Alan Bond apparently)
I stayed on the bus until it reached the Peak Tran terminal and then I bailed and headed towards Statue Square.
The Cenotaph.
The Legislative Council Building.
As walked around the Legislative Council Building there was a particularly noisy demonstration going on. From what I can tell it had something to do with the world banking crisis but I may be wrong. Even though it appeared peaceful I decided (given the number of police also in attendance) that it would probably be better to skirt around, rather than go through, the protestors.
After checking my map I decided that I would head to the observation deck on the 43rd floor of the Bank of China Tower.
Once you get inside the lobby you’ll find a security scanner over on one site. Go over there and send any bags through the scanner in exchange for an ‘all clear’ card. Now take that card to the reception desk and produce some ID. A passport is probably best but I only had my driving license, which was good enough luckily. Your details are recorded in exchange for a pass.
You then take that pass over to the second bay of elevators (that services floor 43 and above). At the entrance to the elevators you’ll find a helpful security guard who shows you how to swipe you card to gain entry to the lifts. Once past the barrier you grab a lift.
Inside the lift you’ll find only two buttons, one for the 43rd floor and one for the floor you are currently. Push the 43 button and shortly you’ll find yourself on the observation deck.
After exiting the tower I headed west into the financial centre of the city.
Past the HSBC building which has these two lions outside. If you look closely you’ll see they have plenty of holes and nics. Apparently, during the Japanese occupation they were used as target practice.
I then headed to the Exchange Square for a quick drinks break.
I then headed to the escalator which is a 792 metre long string of moving stairs that runs up the hill from the afternoon till late at night (it runs down the hill in the morning).
much easier than working up steps I must say.
My next stop was the Man Mo temple where I would pick up the Big Bus again.
Prior to bus arriving I went inside the temple (again not pictures are allowed). I though the Tin Hau temple first thing was hazy, it was nothing compared to this temple. Wow, make sure you don’t suffer from breathing aliments before you enter.
Prior to the Big Bus arriving about 6 or more other tour buses arrived and disgorged their cargo of tourists (the white socks brigade again) so when my bus did turn up I had to jog down the street and catch the attention of the driver or I would have missed.
So it was back on the Star Ferry back across Victoria Harbour and onto the Big Bus for the blue route through Kowloon.
I jumped off the Tin Hau temple, which is close to my hotel to take a bit of break before heading out later in the evening.
After dinner I finished off the day with a walk through the Temple street market.
Plenty of interesting stuff and people. If you like markets and haggling this is the place for you and best of all it operates every night.
