Business trip to Hong Kong. Part 1 - Transport in Hong Kong
In early September 2015, I got a call on my cell phone - an unfamiliar Moscow number. I pick up the phone, introduce themselves as LiveSignal from Moscow and ask a question about the possibility of broadcasting the project "Chekhov is alive" from Google from Vladivostok and Hong Kong. I give positive confirmation, adjust the timing and estimate, form two teams and fly myself on September 23 as part of one of them to Hong Kong, via Seoul with Peter Ringelman. We fly with Korean Air, everything is convenient and on schedule as always. We arrive in Hong Kong late in the evening, as always, he meets us with night stuffiness. . .
After leaving Hong Kong International Airport, we decide not to torment the brain and not look for night adventures on the ass - we choose a taxi, although there are enough ways to get from Chek Lap Kok International Airport to Hong Kong at night.
At the taxi stand, we are met by queues for cars of different colors, our color is red - he is going to the city. Taxis in Hong Kong for the convenience of passengers are distinguished by colors according to their territorial affiliation.
Those who will carefully look at the meter and think that the amount that it will show upon arrival at the intended destination is final, will be disappointed - you will have to add another 100 HKD for travel on express roads from the airport.
About 300 HKD and about an hour driving through night interchanges and tunnels and we are on Hong Kong Island. Here, skyscrapers prop up the sky, and ancient buildings peacefully coexist with modern high-tech.
The taxi driver we gave in advance a printout of our hotel reservation, delivered us with our belongings exactly to the place. The choice of the Best Western PLUS Hotel Hong Kong was due to its good location next to The University of Hong Kong (HKU), from which we were actually supposed to conduct our Hong Kong part of the broadcast of readings "Chekhov is alive" from Google.
In addition, bus and tram stops are nearby, and Hong Kong MTR HKU Station is 150 meters away.
With transport in Hong Kong, in general, in my opinion, everything is very successful. There are also taxis, ferries, metro, buses and trams. There is even the world's longest street escalator, listed in the Guinness Book of Records - Mid-Levels Escalator, which takes residents from the Central area up to residential areas and back. Its length is 800 meters. In total, it has 20 mechanical stairs and 3 moving walkways. About 60.000 Hong Kong residents use its services daily.
In Hong Kong, you can choose which bus to take - with or without air conditioning, the price of the trip will also vary accordingly. And sometimes for short distances it is cheaper and faster to get on a double-decker tram than to wander through the galleries of the Hong Kong subway.
For those who came here to see the sights of Hong Kong, the sightseeing buses of the BigBusTours travel company are the best fit.
The company has 3 inexpensive daytime and evening tourist routes in Hong Kong, and by purchasing a full package of tours from this company, you also receive as a gift tickets for a Hong Kong ferry between the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island, a funicular that takes tourists to Victoria Peak, a sampan boat which will take you around Aberdeen Bay, free tickets to the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.
All buses are double-decker, equipped with an electronic audio guide that speaks 10 languages, including Russian. On the entire route, there are stops where you can get off to explore the sights, and then after 40-45 minutes you can take the next bus of this company and continue your tour.
You can buy tickets from official sellers at the Central Pier on Hong Kong Island, or at the Star Ferry piers on the Kowloon Peninsula.
Star Ferry is Hong Kong's calling card. Ferries have been running between Hong Kong Island from Wan Chai and Central and the Kowloon Peninsula since 1922, transporting locals cheaply and quickly. Tourists have long fallen in love with this route, because during a 10-minute trip, a stunning view of Victoria Harbor opens before your eyes, especially if you ride it in the evening during the Symphony of Lights light show.
Star Ferry ferries are easily recognizable from afar, they are traditionally painted in two colors: the lower deck is green and the upper one is snow-white. Ferries operate daily from 6.30 am to 11.30 pm, fare 2.5 - 3.0 HKD.
In addition to Star Ferry ferries between the mainland and the islands, a huge number of boats of various calibers run on regular routes, from boats to high-speed catamarans. For more information on routes and timetables, please see HERE
For those who are going to visit the Asian casino capital Macau, located next to Hong Kong, there are high-speed ferries and helicopters.
Only about an hour and you are already in the former Portuguese colony and you always have a choice - to squander your money in a casino, or to see the ancient sights of Macau. . .
