Hong Kong Day 2: Octopus Card, Nan Lian Garden, Chi Lin Nunnery, Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Avenue of Stars

It’s a good thing it’s a Sunday today! Now I will be able to continue my long due Hong Kong travel blog series. I really love going to Hong Kong not just for their yummy food but for the “almost free” travel activities. If you have already crossed out Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park from your travel list, I recommend these series of activities for you!

After a hearty breakfast in Cafe Kool in Kowloon Shangrila and great lunch in Yoshinoya in Tsim Sha Tsui, we headed to Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery for the day.

Though I have been to Hong Kong a couple of times before, it is my first time to discover this beautiful garden and temple complex in Kowloon. There are a lot of greeneries here with beautiful skyscrapers and mountains as backdrop. The temple complex also doubles as a museum showcasing rock formations. The best part for me is the large pond with many Koi, but too bad for a fish lover like me since feeding is not allowed.

The street signs outside Diamond Hill Station will ensure you will not get lost.

Huge stone formations welcome visitors to Nan Lian Garden.

I was extremely happy to capture this moment, a pigeon playing with water above a rock formation.

Old times meet modern times – the temples within Nan Lian Garden with skyscrapers in the background. I think the temples are part of Chi Lin Nunnery if I remember it correctly.

A water mill which photographers love to shoot.

Lovely man made waterfall.

This photo shows a small scene in the Koi pond where workers carefully pick up all coins thrown by visitors.

The very picturesque temple in the center of Nan Lian Garden.

Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars
Admission: Free
How to get there: via MTR and get off from Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station / via Star Ferry if you are coming from Hong Kong Island
In less than 30 minutes we are back in Tsim Sha Tsui. Thanks to the very efficient Hong Kong MTR, we got to Tsim Sha Tsui from Nan Lian Garden all in less than 30 minutes! The TST and Avenue of Stars are both a staple in packaged Hong Kong tours but for me the best way to savour it is to explore it yourself. In my 4 days stay in Hong Kong, I have strolled the promenade countless of times, day or night and got never tired of it. The benches along the promenade are perfect for ship spotting, I was amazed on how ship captains can swiftly manoeuvre their boat despite of the very busy Victoria Harbour water traffic.

The famous lady statue along the Avenue of Stars.

This shot could have been more beautiful without the fog. The Starbucks along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade is a good breakfast option. Imagine yourself in the second floor open deck, sipping your favorite Starbucks coffee with an expansive view of the Victoria Harbour.

A bride-to-be carefully arranging her dress for her pre-nup shoot with the colorful junk boat as her backdrop.

The majestic Aqua Luna Junk Boat.