Change your running shoes with walking
shoes and start a new adventure on the same route of the Standard
Chartered Marathon 2005. We specially select "The attractive
Scenic Spots" which you should not and cannot miss along
the 42.195km. Get ready? Let's start the journey!
No. 1 - Clock Tower
The Clock Tower
is an ideal starting place for a Heritage Walk in Tsim Sha
Tsui. The Cultural Centre is highly interesting both out-
and inside. Look for the unusual golden statue of a winged
figure on the side facing the Star Ferry, an avant-garde gift
from France.
Like the Marathon, our journey starts
at Tsim Sha Tsui which is the location of the old Clock Tower
as well. The old Clock Tower near the Star Ferry concourse
at Tsim Sha Tsui is a landmark of the bygone era of the Age
of Steam, when trains arrived here with passengers who weeks
before had embarked from London on the world's longest railway
journey. With its distinctive design in red brick and granite,
the 45-metre Tower is a graceful reminder of those Colonial
times. But over many years it had far greater significance
for tens of millions of Chinese for whom the former terminus
was the final stop on their rail journeys from villages in
their homeland to new lives either in Hong Kong or by ship
to distant destinations overseas. Now the site of the historic
railway station is occupied by the Hong Kong Cultural Centre,
its curving roof and futuristic features creating an unusual
background to its solitary neighbour.
No.2 - Cheung Sha Wan Road Fashion Street and Apliu Street
Sham Shui Po
is the area that features with its street fashion on clothing
and electronic devices. Here's a hot tip for fashion-conscious
ladies... little known to many overseas visitors there's a
sort of unofficial "fashion street" in Cheung Sha
Wan Road, Sham Shui Po, that's a great place to pick up trendy
fashions at wholesale prices.
Most of the shops can be found between
Yen Chow Street and Wong Chuk Street. The clothes are over-runs
from garment factories in and around Sham Shui Po - with a
few rejects thrown in for good measure. Many of the shops
are run by fashion-conscious operators who take only the best,
and sell on to Hong Kong boutiques or even overseas buyers.
Just the same, they still have lots of bargains available.
The latest fashions aren't the only
items on sale in Sham Shui Po - at the other end of the scale
there's a flea market in Apliu Street where, with luck, you
might pick up a rare antique for a song. While the items sold
here are mainly electrical devices, electronic products and
the like, you can sometimes find antique clocks, old coins
and other aged relics.
No.3
- Tsing Ma Bridge
Being a Marathoner, you are lucky to
have a chance to touch one of the world class architectures
- Tsing Ma Bridge, by your feet. Every year many millions
of people use the Tsing Ma Bridge without actually getting
a close-up view of this modern-day engineering accomplishment
of breathtaking skill -- the world's longest suspension bridge
carrying road and rail traffic.
The explanation is that the Airport
Express, which whisks them across the bridge in either direction,
travels through one of two rail tunnels slung beneath the
six-lane roadway. All are passengers who have either just
arrived at Hong Kong's ultra-modern new International Airport
at Chek Lap Kok, or are hurrying there to catch their return
flights.
Happily, however, most of them see
this superb example of bridge-building genius at least from
a distance during their stay in Hong Kong. The newest and
greatest engineering marvel of this dynamic mega city, it
is now Hong Kong's proud new landmark, massively imposing
by day, and a twinkling fairyland of lighted lacework by night.
No.4 - Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International
Airport (HKIA) is one of the world's finest airports, moving
passengers and cargo efficiently and placing Hong Kong at
the forefront of Asia's aviation expansion.
A blank sheet of paper presented planners
with the opportunity to create an airport that is functional,
practical, and beautiful. From building the foundation of
the airport platform form the sea bed up, to determining the
highest standards of service and convenience for passengers,
the result is world-class in every aspect
HKIA is one of the few airports with
its own internal underground rail network. An Automated People
Mover swiftly transports arriving or departing passengers
from the furthermost gates in about 70 seconds. This is complemented
by over three kilometers of moving walkways or travelators
located inside the terminal building.
Adjacent to the terminal is the ground
transportation center where fast transfers to urban Hong Kong
can be made via the Airport Express, public buses and taxis.
No.5
- Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland located at Penny's
Bay, Lantau, which had opened to public to visit on 12 September
2005. The Park comprises four theme lands, including the Main
Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
"Disney On Parade" (Disney characters parade) and
"Disney in the Stars" (fireworks with Disney songs
and music) will perform daily. Besides, other facilities such
as Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre, Hong Kong Disneyland
Hotel and Disney's Hollywood Hotel are welcomed you to visit.
Let's join a fantastic tour!
No.6 - Tsing Yi
Maritime Square
in Tsing Yi is a fascinating combination of Hong Kong old
and new. The Square features more than 200 shops, themed restaurants
and a cinema. Its proximity to Hong Kong International Airport
makes it a great stop-off for transit passengers.
No.
7 - Mid-Levels Escalator
For an intriguing glimpse of old and
new Hong Kong, ride the world's longest covered outdoor escalator
system which snakes through the back streets of Central. On
your walk, you'll see the Li Yuen Street East & West markets
packed with stalls and shops selling casual clothes, leather
goods and knick-knacks to local housewives and visitors.
Then along the Mid-Levels Escalator, discover Central's most
fascinating nooks and crannies. Twenty escalators and three
"travelators" comprise this 800-metre-long outdoor
"people mover" which links Central and the Mid-Levels,
one of Hong Kong's most expensive residential districts. With
29 entry and exit points, it takes about 20 minutes to travel
from one end to the other. But with the variety of city life
to be seen along the way, it is 20 minutes well spent!
No.8
- Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo
Cheerful warren
of Western-style restaurants, nightclubs, delicatessens and
bars, Lan Kwai Fong is an L-shaped, cobble-stoned lane just
a stone's throw above Central's cluster of skyscrapers. Nearby
lanes are also buzzing with bistros and pubs in what is Hong
Kong's trendiest nightlife area.
Stroll along Hollywood Road and you'll
soon discover Hong Kong's "SoHo", the area "South
of Hollywood Road". The neighbourhood offers a wide range
of upmarket eateries and watering holes congregated mainly
on Staunton, Shelley and Elgin streets. Here, you'll enjoy
international fare from New Orleans to Nepal, Mexico to Malaysia,
Provence to Portugal.
No.
9 - Peak Tower
Designed by
British architect Terry Farrell to take the fullest advantage
of the sights, it devotes 20 per cent of its total space to
viewing terraces that seem to be suspended in space above
the stupendous visual feast dramatically occupying almost
the whole skyline.
When finally sated by the view, visitors
can now enjoy the many superb attractions offered by the Peak
Tower, which was opened in 1997. Among the entertainments
is the 'Peak Explorer' with moveable seats in a spaceship
setting that creates hair-raising virtual adventures, plus
Ripley's amazing 'Believe It Or Not Odditorium', displaying
more than 500 weird and wonderful exhibits. Still another
attraction is Madame Tussaud's Hong Kong, displaying more
than 90 highly life-like figures of the famous and infamous,
including muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger, pop icon Michael
Jackson, and movie superstars Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh.
The Peak Tower also has a wide range
of restaurants and food outlets plus novelty shops where visitors
can get a souvenir to remind them of their exciting experience.
No.10
- Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Sitting on
the Wan Chai waterfront is one of Hong Kong's most impressive
and stunning pieces of architecture. The Hong Kong Convention
& Exhibition Centre, with its sweeping sails and vast
glass windows, is a striking visual testament to Hong Kong's
ongoing development. Thanks to its wide range of state-of-the-art
facilities, the HKCEC is also an ideal venue for exhibitions
and trade shows and is regularly voted "the best convention
and exhibition venue in Asia". The HKCEC was the site
of the handover when Hong Kong was returned to the motherland
in 1997; an event commemorated by the adjacent Bauhinia Square
that is a huge attraction for mainland visitors.
No.11 - Golden Bauhinia Plaza
Our journey
ends at the finishing area of the Marathon - Golden Bauhinia
Plaza. The Expo Promenade (often defined as Golden Bauhinia
Plaza) outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
on the waterfront of Wan Chai marks what was without doubt
the most significant occasion in Hong Kong's history - the
return of the former British Colony to the People's Republic
of China (PRC), and the establishment of the Special Administrative
Region of Hong Kong.
The Golden Bauhinia is a gift from
the people of the PRC to mark the widespread joy of the Chinese
at the return of the territory to the Motherland after 156
years. Other gifts to commemorate the historic occasion were
sent by each of China's provinces, autonomous regions and
other territories.
Near the Golden Bauhinia stands the
Reunification Monument bearing inscriptions of President Jiang
Zemin's calligraphy. The white ring around the pinnacle denotes
the return of Hong Kong's sovereignty to China, and the 50
smaller rings symbolise that Hong Kong's way of life will
remain unchanged for 50 years from mid-1997.
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