New Town Plaza

New Town Plaza is the largest and one of the best shopping malls located in Sha Tin, New Territories. Operated by the properties developer giant, Sun Hung Kai, the mall features ten levels of restaurants, banks and other stores. A wide range of international brands (including Toys R' Us, Starbucks, Tommy Hilfiger, Marks & Spencer) can be found at this 2,000,000 sq. ft. paradise. New Town Plaza also houses Asia's first Snoopy outdoor playground "Snoopy's World" - a must-see and entrance is free.

In addition, New Town Plaza has another mini-mall (dubbed HomeSquare), previously Grand Central Plaza, located within a 5 minute's walk. HomeSquare is the home of the Swedish home furnishing chain IKEA and other home-related chainstores. Renovation is currently underway and is expected to be completed in 2009/2010, business is as usual.

Address:
New Town Plaza, 18 Sha Tin Centre St, Sha Tin, New Territories

Peak Tram

The Peak Tram (山頂纜車, shān dǐng lǎn chē) is a 1.4 km (0.87 miles) historical funicular railway connecting the central business district to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels since 1888. It offers excellent views of urban Hong Kong (skyscrapers) and the diverse heritage along the track. The Peak Tram is also a big hit among tourists so you'll have to cope with long queues even on ordinary days (10-30 minutes). Do note that there is a additional seperate queue for purchasing tickets (available at entrance at both termini).

At the tram terminus in Central, while you're in the queue you can also learn about the history of the Peak Tram (gallery). There are numerous antiques stationed there including the tickets, uniforms, way of boarding and the statistics back then. Thus, a complimentary 'museum entry fee' included in the price of the ticket.

Overall, the trip itself takes around 5 minutes up the peak and is the fastest way up and down. Its closest competitor, a minibus route takes around 20 minutes due to the curvy mountain road. The tram's route is operated on a single railway with a passing loops and travels at 22 km/h (14 mph) which is pretty fast for a steep 35-45° climb. Up to 120 people can be on the tram at any time with some standing and serves 12,000 people a day.

In conclusion, though it offers great views, it remains a fairly expensive mode of transport (compared to other Hong Kong transport) going up Victoria Peak with limited frequency at 10-15 minutes per tram.

Fares (Octopus Card accepted, corr. as of writing - check with operator):

Chungking Mansions

The Chungking Mansions (重慶大廈, zhòng qìng dà shà) in Tsim Sha Tsui is a well-known tourist magnet. It is very famous for its South Asian (Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan) community and restaurants. It is also renowned for its low-cost accommodation and best (+ worst) rate money exchangers.

The cuisine there is truely authentic and is rarely found in other parts of Hong Kong. The owners there are really of South Asian descent and offer the food at exceptional prices. A sample shop I went to had an excellent variety of food (and portions) especially pathiri, hummus and curry.

However, the building has come under serious controversy due to public safety inside the mansion. Its age is beginning to show as well as a slack management system (though they have recently installed CCTV cameras) and regular blockage of emergency exits. It is also known to be a centre of drugs, and a hangout for criminals and illegal immigrants. Nonetheless, police have conducted frequent checks and raids to prevent such activity from forming and the situation has improved considerably.

Hopefully, you won't be scared off by the above and relatively dim environment. Just think about all the good stuff you'll be able to try.

Address:
36-44 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (next to Holiday Inn Golden Mile)