One of the great things about living in Yuen Long (besides the bike trails, proximity to the Tai Tong County Park and food) are the public amenities. Most, of which, are clustered in the same area: along Yuen Long Tai Yuk Road.
The first public amenity is the Yuen Long District Sports Association Jockey Club Complex (long name!). It's a space where the locals can participate and organize sporting events right in our district…opposed to traveling down to Kowloon.
While reading up on the sports complex, online stated that this complex was built back in 2011. It was meant to "nurture public interest and participation in sports" as well as developing young athletes. It's a wonderful sounding place, where there are a myriad of sporting activities that can be joined.
I haven't really joined any of the activities, but I have seen people practice dragon dancing outside of the building. And inside the complex there is a wall of plaques and even a window of trophies that have been won. So, it seems like this complex is quite busy with activities.
It's like the YMCA almost…where kids can go and do their sports thing and get off of the street (like the streets are that bad here!).
Right outside of the Sports Comlex is a beautiful walking area…where there are benches to sit out and enjoy the sun. The walking area goes straight towards Yuen Long Park.
It's also where my favorite scent lingers…osmanthus bushes run along the median of the walking area…
Along the way to Yuen Long Park is the Yuen Long Swimming Pool…the public amenity I probably use the most. It was this year that we realized that there was the option of swimming through the winter, as the main swimming pool is now a heated pool.
Usually, in the summers this place is packed, but, in the early mornings, there are only a few older citizens swimming in the lanes. So, if you like to do laps, the early mornings are ideal!
It ranges from $17 - $19 HKD for admission into the pool. You can also buy a monthly pass for $300 HKD if you swim daily.
In the evenings, this place is a great place to take a stroll. There are always people out with their families just walking and enjoying the cooler evenings.
Yuen Long Park, again, is where this pathway leads to. This place is often quite busy during the spring, summer, and fall…because it's a great place to just chill and hang out. This past weekend, people were out with their families, setting up tents and picnic blankets…it was quite a nice scene. It makes me think of Capitol Hill in the summers…when everyone is just sunbathing at Cal Anderson Park!
Another public facility that I use a lot is the track at the Yuen Long Stadium. Often times, I've seen the Yuen Long Football club practicing here too. It's actually a really fun thing to watch them train…though I've never really seen a game. It's nice to know that we have a football club of our very own. Makes me think that Yuen Long is bigger than it really is! I mean, most days, I can walk from one part of Yuen Long to the other in 15 minutes…along Castle Peak Road…so, it seems like quite the small district to me!
Usually, during the early mornings or late afternoons are the best times to walk/run the track. It's free, just walk in and jump on the track. It's quite nice and padded. And people like to stick to their lanes, just like the swimming pool, which is nice.
A little bit up the road is the Yuen Long Theatre, where quite a few English shows can be seen. But, I do admit that the majority of the time, I'd rather head into TST or Wan Chai to see the shows because they're always bigger, better, and badder. The shows that I've seen at the Yuen Long Theatre were all right. They do make for a nice little date night activity though. And it is nice to have a theatre nearby.
The final public facility that I'm blogging about today is the Yuen Long Town Hall. It's like every other town hall, I guess. There are spaces that you can rent…there are events held inside…and there are administrative things that go on here that deal with Yuen Long district.
Right beside the Yuen Long Town Hall building is a little play ground and also court…another public facility!
I actually didn't realize that there were a good amount of public amenities in Yuen Long. It does make living here quite nice. Most everything is in walking distance, but I guess everything in HK is quite in walking distance (since districts are pretty much self contained). There are loads of places that are child-friendly to go to…like the swimming pool (where they also offer swimming classes) and the park, where a lot of the locals celebrate festivals at. It's a really nice little district to live in…I should realize that more often!
