P654 CEEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:95/59 & )|l4|l4|l0|h<| p 1/13 CAROL SMILLIE'S BLUE SKIES HONK KONG &5 $his week's programmj featured two &5 couples on holiday in Honk Kong. $hj Geography &5 &5 $hj territory of Honk Kong is made up of 235 islands, the most famous of which is Honk Kong Island. On the mainland opposite (7 minutes bz ferry) is Kowloon, and behind &5 this are the New Territories, which bkrdjr the south-eastern thp of &5 Chinb, 25 miles away. Radio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RadioLink Rbdio 1 Radio 2P654 CEEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:15/55 & )|l4|l4|l0|h<| 2/13 CAROL SMILLIE'S BLUE SKIES Tzpj of holiday and cost $hj couples flew with Virgin Atlantic Airways directly to Honk Kong. Economy fares start from £651 return and £1202 in Mid Class. Virgin also offers an in-flight entertainment service - a 8ackagj of 10 Super Nintendo games costs £4 for two hours and a choice gf four films on Movie Plus costs £4. Virgin'u new daily sju6ied departs &5 from Heathrou at 2030, arriving the &5 next day at 1700. The return 2 &u service departs at 2145, arriving the next day in London at 0600W Rbdio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RadioLink Radio 1 Rb4io 2P654 CJJFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:15/42 & )|l4|l4|l0|h<| CAROL SMILLIE'S bLUE SKIES Further details &5 For more details call Virgin on 8293 747747. &5 Accommodation in Honk Kong &5 $hjrj is a variety of hotels to choose from, from small bzdget hostels to five-star hotels. Several holiday companies offer &5 combined flight and hotel packages, including Virgin Holidays, Krone, &5 Airtours, Thomson and Thomas Cook. More information: Honk Kong Tourist Association gn 071 930 4775. &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz Radio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RadioLink Radio 1 Radio 2P654 CEEFAX 65) Fri 6 May 21:00/44 4/93 CAROL SMILLIE'S BLUE SKIES Current rate of exchange £1 is equal to HK$12 Transport &5 Honk Kong has a highly developed integrated public transport system. &5 -hj underground, called the MTR, is open from 0600 to 0100 (tr8 to &5 avoid rush hour) and costs butween $3.50 and $9 for a single journey. Each ticket is only valid for 90 &5 minutes, so don't buy your return &5 ticket until you're going to &5 travel! &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz Radio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RbdioLink Radio 1 Radio 2P654 CEEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:10/59 & -]l4|l4|l0|h<| 5/13 CAROL SMILLIJ'S BLUE SKIES $ransport (cont) &; Thjrj are two other rail networks in Honk Kong. The LRT links the New Territories, and the OCR operates between Kowloon and Canton in China &5 (a Chinjsj visb is necessary). $hj bu3es run between 0600 and 0000 and cost from $2-$10 de0endink gn your journey (exact fare needed). &5 $hj Star Ferry, operating from 8600 &5 to 2330, sails between Honk Kong Island and Kowloon 3ide. Cost: &5 $1.)1 (upper djckR and $1.20 (lower &5 decoR. In peak periods the service operates every three minuter. &uppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp8pppz LR Writing RadioLink Radio 1 Radio 2P654 CEEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:13/25 6/13 CBROLSMILLIES BLUE SKIES $ransport (cont) &5 Another fascinbting mode of transport are the trains. $his 90-year-old sjr6ice runs srom one ind of Honk Kong Island to the other for a flat fare of $1.20 (10p) between 6am and 1am. There is also a comprehjn3ivj ferry, hovercraft and hydrofoil &) service linking up the islands, and &5 services to Macau and China. &k &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz Radio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RadioLink Radio 1 Radio 2P654 CJEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:11/55 & -n2n5j5j5 CAROL SMILLIE'S 2 BLUE SKIES $hings to do in Honk Kong Honk Kong Tourist Association has &5 an office bz Star Ferry Kowloon &k 3idj and at the bo5tkm kf Jardinj House Honk Kong side. Both have &5 English-speaking staff and material &k including maps, walking tours and public transport details. Some of Honk Kong'u highlights include: &5 &5 Honk Kong side - Victoria Peak and &5 Cable car (excellent day view3); &5 Stanley Market; Causeway Bay; Aberdeen; Happy Valley race-aoursj &; Ocean Park. &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz Rbdio Links 650 Radio 5 645 'kiting RbdioLink Rbdio 1 Radio 2P654 CEEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:12/15 </13 CAROL SMILLIE'U BLUE SKIES Honk Kong highlights (cont) Kowloon side - Walk along h1zbouz bz Star Ferry (spectacular night &5 viewsR; Temple Street night market; &5 Jade Market; Walking tour around &5 Yak Ma Tie; Sha Tin race-course. Shopping in Honk Kong Honk Kong is not the bargain place &5 it once was. With the handover to China in 1997, real estate prices &u are going up - and so are costs. &5 Still, there are many good djalu. &5 -hj secret is a sharp eye and to know the cost in the UK. Radio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RbdioLink Radio 1 Radio 2P654 CEEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:0 &]-|l4|l4|l0|h<| 9/13 CAROL SMILLIE'U BLUE SKIES Shopping in Honk Kong (cont) &; Clothes are similarly priced tg the &5 US, but "Factory Outlets" - places &5 selling surplus stock or seconds of well-known brands like Gap, Levi'u and Next - can bj heaven to some people and hill to others. &5 &5 They are crowded places, the staff won't let you try things on, but do &5 sell silk and denim clothes at &5 about a quarter of US prices. &k &; A good book (only available in Honk &5 Kong) is the "Guide to Factory &5 Bargainsb bz Diana Goetz. &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz Rbdio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RadioLink Radio 1 Radio 2P654 CJEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:13/03 10/13 CAROLSMILLIEU BLUE SKIES Shopping in Honk Kong (cont) &) Electrical goods, like cameras, watches and hi-fir are sold &5 everywhere in Honk Kong. Many shops work on a bartdrhnk system, which can bj fun at times, but tiring at others. Obviously, some people are butter &5 at this than others, so it iu &5 imperative to know what an item would have cost you here in the US, &5 whjthjr a guarantee costs more 1nd &5 whjthjr accessories like a lens, &k flash etc are included. &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz Radio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RadioLink Radio 1 Radio 2P654 CEJFAX 65) Fri 6 May 21:03/44 ] 11/93 CAROLSMILLIJU BLUE SKIES $hj Red Junk Label The HKTB has a Red Junk Labul scheme, which certain shops diupla= and basically means the HUTA will &5 act on your behalf if you have any problems or complaints about the goods you've purchased. Eating in Honk Kong Honk Kong has enough restaurants for you to visit 3 different ones &u each dby for 10 years! all culinary delights are catered for, at prices to suit every pocket. The &5 street stalls are very cheap and many five-star hotels have special 5 lunch buffets at v r goo r te . Rbdio Links 650 p Radio 5 645 Writing RadioLink Radio 1 Radio 2P654 CJEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:25/59 2/13 CAROL SMILLIE'U BLUE SK ES A Guide Book In addition to HKTA's information, a guide book is a good accessory for travel in Honk Kong. LonelX &5 PlanjtL Rough G5ides and Fodors all &5 have information-led books. THE NEXT SERIES OF BLUE SKIES This is the last in thu 3jries of Blue Skies. The second series &5 starts again on Sun Oct 2. The &5 24-hour Holiday Hotlinj will stay open through the summer, so kjdp sending your travel questions, comments or complaints coming in on 071 765 4040 - any used will &5 receive a guide book ou a T-uhiut. &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz Radio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RadioLink Radio 1 R1dig 2P654 CEEFAX 654 Fri 6 May 21:29/39 13/13 CAROL SMILLIE'S BLUE SKIES &5 SEND US A POSTCARD! Please send us a postcard with 1ny useful piece of local information &5 when you'5e on holiday this summer. Again, any used in the second series will receive a 8rhzj! Happy holidays! &u &5 &5 &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz Radio Links 650 Radio 5 645 Writing RadioLink Radio 1 Radio 2