Traveling Tuesday: Tsuen Wan Beaches

It's summer time and the thing I love the most, besides junk trips, is going to the beach.

I was looking up beaches closer to my home and came upon a lot of beaches in Tsuen Wan.  They seemed to be all along Castle Peak Road.  I thought I would check them out, as a little bit of research for anyone curious.

Originally, I had planned to just chill out at the beach, but, when I realized it was an actual URBAN HIKE, I thought I would put aside visiting the beaches for another day.  Before leaving the MTR station, I loaded up on water (which is a MUST in this hot weather!).

How To Get To The Tsuen Wan Beaches:

1.  Exiting from Tsuen Wan West MTR Exit A

2.  Catch bus 234B

3.  Jump off at Hoi Mei Beach

Along this bus route, you can hop off at any beach, but I got off at Hoi Mei because it seemed like a good place to start my urban hike.  The path is pretty clearly marked and it goes all the way back to the Tsuen Wan West MTR station.  I think the walk back was over 4000 meters.  

The walk is beautifully scenic because it goes along the beaches, but it also passes under some of Hong Kong's most beautiful bridges.

There were also some villages spotted along the way.

Ting Kau Village has a beach of their own, which is coming in a future post!

After passing most of the beaches, I got to the huge waterway where all the boats were resting.

Under one of the bridges, I found a fisherman.

The actual promenade started at this point near the freeway.

There were also fishermen on the promenade.

It took me about two hours to slowly make my way from Hoi Mei Beach to the Tsuen Wan West MTR station.  I stopped a few places, took photos, and also noted where the beaches were (...so I could go back).  There are many places to sit and rest.

Plan for tomorrow...explore one of the Tsuen Wan beaches!!!!!

Traveling Tuesday: Ma Wan Chung

Looking out at the Tung Chung Cable Cars sits a small fishing village called Ma Wan Chung.  The village still, partially, sits on stilts, like Tai O, which is due west of there.  It's quite quiet and remote, even though it sits so near the Yat Tung Estate of Tung Chung.

How to get to Ma Wan Chung:

1.  From Tung Chung MTR Exit B, hop on bus no. 38 (to the Yat Tung Estate)

2.  From there, walk towards the water

NOTE:  There are no clear directions.  My friend and I just GPSed it to the Ma Wan Chung Public Toilet.  We walked from Tung Chung MTR station instead of catching the bus.  On the walk, we passed the Tung Chung Battery, which made for a great photo session.  But, searching online, it seems like the easiest route would be to catch bus no. 38 to the Yat Tung Estate terminus and walk in the general direction of the seaside.

Ma Wan Chung Public Toilet area

The village is not a touristy village like Tai O.  There is a restaurant that sits on the pier, but this village is definitely on the path less traveled by.  It is a gem of a place to explore and glimpse into the lives of the local villagers.

Traveling Tuesday: Riding the HK Ferry

Today, we're traveling to Mui Wo by ferry!  The ferries are a great way to get to other islands around Hong Kong.  From Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), this blog's post begins.

The TST Star Ferry terminal is easy to maneuver:  Heading to Wan Chai or Central.

Like riding the bus or the MTR, you must pay the fair before entering the waiting area.

The times of the next ferries are always on display over the turnstiles.  The Star Ferry from TST to Central is pretty frequent.

I think getting from TST over to Central is a really fun thing to do with visiting friends and family.  Plus, once you've touched down at the Central Ferry Pier you have a great view of Kowloon Side.  So, while you are all in TST, you get the Hong Kong Island skyline.  Then when you reach Central (Hong Kong Side), you can take a photo of the Kowloon skyline.

The Central Ferry piers are run by a handful of different ferry companies, which run to:

Pier No. 2:  To Park Island

Pier No. 3:  To Discovery Bay

Pier No. 4:  To Lamma Island (Yung Shue Wan Side) and (Sok Kwu Wan Side)

Pier No. 5:  To Cheung Chau

Pier No. 6:  To Mui Wo and To Peng Chau

Pier No. 7:  To TST

I'm usually in Mui Wo visiting friends, but there are numerous things to do here:

1.  Swim at Silvermine Bay Beach

2.  Hike to the Silvermine Waterfalls

3.  Explore the area

4.  Explore the villages

5.  Try out the local eateries

The most exciting thing about our trip to Mui Wo was stumbling upon some local buffalo!  I love how they let us watch them for so long while they were eating.

Traveling Tuesday: Wetland Park

When it is hot, it is good to be in a place that is cool.

When there are a chance of thunderstorms, it is good to be in a place with shelter.

And...when there is beautiful weather, you also want to have the option to be outdoors.

Today, we headed over to the Wetland Park because it was close by and also a great place to spend the day.  There is a huge indoor complex where you can view the exhibits on the Hong Kong Wetlands, check out a pretty interesting exhibit on Human Civilizations, engage in the Interactive Learning activities, and also watch a documentary (ours was nearly an hour long) on birdlife (which probably changes periodically).

How to get there:
1.  From Tin Shui Wai MTR Station, go down to the Light Rail station (which is right below the MTR station)
2.  Find the 705 or 706 Circular Light Rain trains and hop on
3.  Get off at the Wetland Park Light Rail stop
4.  Once you get off, look for the signs that direct you across the street and along the Wetland Park parking lot, to get to the main entrance

If the weather is bad, you can view some of the wetland life from this viewing gallery.  Granted, nothing seemed to be out on this particular day...and I think it was because of the oncoming thunder.  So everyone and everything was taking shelter!

My folks and I actually headed out to the Wetland Reserve despite the thunderstorm warnings.  There are several paths you can take to different points of interest:  Succession Walk, Mangrove Boardwalk, etc.   Each path seemed to take us to a little shelter where we could birdwatch.  Besides viewing the wetland reserve, the grounds also host a Butterfly Garden and also an actual "Garden" area.  I put "Garden" in quotes because we saw taro patches, water lily patches, and the like.  I am not an expert on identifying plants, but I know a garden when I see a garden!

The Wetland Park is definitely a place to spend the entire day.  We spent over 4 hours there, but had to leave because we had other plans.  But, definitely an easy way to spend a week day!  For people who love birdwatching, this is a great place to photograph some beautiful birds and scenery.  There were some people out on the reserve with their massive lenses stationed (for what seemed like the day) out in the towers, which were dotted all around the reserve.  As of now, there doesn't seem to be a lot of people who are visiting the Wetland Park.  So, if you don't like massive crowds, check it out!!!

There is also a Cafe de Coral inside the complex...great for afternoon tea or a light snack.