When you get to Hong Kong, you will be surprised at how easy it is to move around the territory. The city is known for its efficient business procedures, and most especially, its transport system. With the large number of tourists that flock to Hong Kong every year, it would be utter chaos if there was not a method moving around since the area is pretty small compared to other hot tourist spots.
In most cases, walking around the city is the usual norm. In fact, traffic is not as bad as you would expect from a small city. Shopping streets and areas are only a hop, skip away from dining places, and your hotel; and the weather is normally not too hot to be enjoying a brisk walk around the area.
Hong Kong however is equipped with a Mass Transit Railway (MTR) which is a safe, efficient and cheap way to move around Hong Kong. It proves a reliable transport system to over 2.4 million people every working day! There are 6 lines in the MTR which are color coded for easier access and maneuvering.
The blue line is called the Island Line and is found at the north side of Hong Kong Island. The red line is Tsuen Wan Line and you can go to Sheung Wan and Chai Wan with this line. The orange line is the Tung Chun Line and services the same areas as the Airport Express line with the additional points of access to Lantau Island. The Airport Express allows travelers to go to the Hong Kong International Airport and downtown Central. The fifth line is the green line, which is also called the Kwun Tong Line and services the Yau Ma Tei and Tiu Keng Ling areas. Finally the sixth line is the purple line or the Tseung Kwun O Extension which starts from Hong Kong Island, crosses the harbor to Po Lam in Kowloon.Another way to go around the island is by ferry. The Hong Kong Ferry Service travels from mainland China to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, outlying island including Macau.
There are basically two kinds of ferries in Hong Kong – the standard regular ferry and the upscale, more expensive ferries that provide more quality services.
There are different ferries that you can ride on to go to different areas in Hong Kong. The Star Ferry travels from Central and Kowloon to Hong Kong Island and the Outlying Island Ferries go from the Central Ferry to the tourist spots in Lantau, Cheung Cahu, Lamma, and Peng Chau.
If you plan to visit Hong Kong, you need to get a visual picture in your mind. For instance there are 4 major areas in Hong Kong. These are the Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, New Territories, and the Outlying Islands.
Hong Kong Island was once a desolate rocky and barren land, but with the strength of mind and spirit of the people from Hong Kong it is now the Hong Kong you see most often. It has become a extremely successful project of turning nothing into something spectacular.
Kowloon, which means 9 dragons, is modern Hong Kong. You can shop and tour to your heart’s delight in Kowloon, and never tire of the area. The New Territories is where you can see birds migrate by the thousands. It is a reserve right now and there are organized tours you can sign on for. Otherwise, the area if off limits to everyone but the birds.
The Outlying Islands are the beautiful bays and residences of many of the locals. Lamma is the 3rd largest island and people here live a simple live with fishing as their main source of income.
Once you have a mind’s eye picture of Hong Kong, you will never get lost in this modern day paradise.
