The Shatin to Central Link... Almost.

Fewer photos today, my camera was running out of batteries!


Originally, today we were supposed to go to Kowloon City (九龍城), a great place for ethnic cuisines and a locale with a somewhat strange history.  But it started raining.  And then thunderstorming. And there was no way we were going to walk around the streets in a neighbourhood we've never been to before in a thunderstorm.

So we postponed that trip for another day.  Instead, we went to Sha Tin (or Shatin, 沙田).  One of the original "New Towns" developed by the (then-colonial) Hong Kong Government in the 1970's, Much of the current urban area is built on what was once a shallow bay at the mouth of the Shing Mun river (城門河), and its current population stands at over 600 000 people.  Oh, and it's completely separated by mountains from Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

To overcome this small setback, urban planners in the city have created a total of four highway tunnels connecting Sha Tin with Tsuen Wan and various parts of Kowloon.  On the way there, we pass through the eastern- and northernmost Shing Mun Tunnels (城門隧道) linking Tsuen Wan with the area. 

The Panda Hotel in Tsuen Wan, known for this mural of pandas climbing bamboo.

The Tsuen Wan entrance to the tunnels.

 In the middle of the two tunnels is a valley in the mountains,  through which the Shing Mun river flows.

Arriving in Sha Tin, we are greeted by the Olympics display in the middle of the recently-renovated New Town Plaza (新城市廣場).

Yet another Japanese novelty that's gained a foothold here, many restaurants (especially Japanese ones) display wax versions of their dishes right at their doors:

My brother and I both thought that this particular escalator was a bit weird:

We had lunch at Jika Udon (自家烏冬), a local chain that's supposed to be decent.

I ordered the spicy beef udon lunch set:

And while the beef was nice and fatty, the soup was pretty bland and the udon was limp.  There was also a side of takoyaki, which was so poorly made I didn't even bother taking a picture.

Wanting some coffee, but not Starbucks or anything else I had tried before, we went to this place:

Left to right: Hazelnut cappuccino, cappuccino, and a double espresso.

Decent, but for some reason that coffee in the music room was still the best I've ever had.

We head out to the local MTR station (which is conveniently connected to the mall):

 And here's the train approaching:

 You may notice that both the platform design and the train look completely different from the other pictures of the MTR I've posted.  This particular line, the East Rail Line (東鐵線), was the original link between Hong Kong and the mainland, built in 1910 connecting Kowloon with Guangzhou (formerly Canton, 廣州).  The line was naturally called the Kowloon-Canton Railway (九廣鐵路), or KCR (九鐵).  Later, as New Towns started popping up everywhere, intermediate stations to service them were warranted.  The East Rail Line and its branch, the Ma On Shan Line (馬鞍山線) are the only lines on the MTR without platform doors.  The line ends at Hung Hom (紅磡), the major train station in the city, and shares its tracks with intercity trains coming from Guangzhou, Shanghai (上海), and Beijing (北京).  


There is a plan to eventually tunnel the line all the way to Admiralty on Hong Kong Island, giving Sha Tin a direct rail link to the city centre, but for now, we have to change for the West Rail Line at Hung Hom.

We get off at East Tsim Sha Tsui (尖東), and go down to the waterfront and walk along the Avenue of Stars (星光大道), Hong Kong's equivalent of the Walk of Fame.

Personally, I think it is notable not for the stereotypical statues and handprints-in-concrete, which it has in droves, but the (literally!) multi-million dollar view of the Hong Kong skyline across Victoria Harbour (維多利亞港).

The clock tower here in Tsim Sha Tsui, built in 1915, once marked the original terminus of the KCR.  Behind it to the left you can see a Star Cruises (麗星郵輪) ship.

Today the Clock Tower is a "declared monument" (法定古蹟), the highest classification and protection a heritage site in Hong Kong can receive.

Another Hong Kong landmark (watermark?) is the Star Ferry (天星小輪).  The cheapest way across Victoria Harbour, the ferry is popular with locals and tourists for its very scenic route.

Tsim Sha Tsui is the main shopping district in Hong Kong, and as such, one cannot go anywhere without finding a mall of some sort:

This is the old Marine Police headquarters, also a declared monument.  It is now a hotel and shopping centre, like everything else here.

We reach Nathan Road (彌敦道), the "Main Street" of Hong Kong.

 One famous address on Nathan Road is the Chungking Mansions (重慶大廈), named after the city in China now re-romanized as Chongqing.  It is the melting pot of Hong Kong, with various migrant workers, backpackers, and non-Chinese locals  all living and working in the maze of a building.  Apparently, the place is famous for its curry.  Go figure.

We hop on the MTR and head back to Tsuen Wan, where we stop for a snack.

Fish balls (魚蛋) are a popular street food, and are sold on skewers to be eaten on the go.  They are made from a slurry of pulverized fish meat with various seasonings, and then cooked in various sauces.

 We take the minibus home from its terminus at the MTR station.

Notice those cars in the back and the right?  They're taxis.  The red one in the back can travel anywhere in the city, while the green ones on the right cannot travel in Kowloon or Hong Kong Island.  The fares are set higher on the red taxis for obvious reasons.  I've never heard of any other city in the world that has regular sedan taxis with five passenger seats (two in the front beside the driver, and three in the back).