Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [76]
Bets are easily placed at one of the numerous computerised betting terminals run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (Click here). There is a worthwhile horseracing tour available for the interested but uninitiated through Splendid Tours & Travel (see Click here).
The MTR Racecourse station, just west of the track, opens on race days only. Other-wise, get off at Fo Tan station and walk north along Lok King St and its extension, Lok Shun Path, for about 1.5km.
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SAI KUNG PENINSULA
Eating Click here; Drinking Click here
The rugged and relatively remote Sai Kung Peninsula ( Map), in the northeastern New Territories, is the outdoor pursuits paradise of the New Territories; 60% of the peninsula is one huge 7500-hectare country park, divided into Sai Kung East and Sai Kung West. Though strictly speaking not on the peninsula, the 28,880-hectare Ma On Shan Country Park is contiguous with it and access is from Sai Kung Town.
The hiking is excellent in Sai Kung – the MacLehose Trail (Click here) runs right across it –there’s sailing galore and some of the best beaches in the territory are here. It is also a popular destination for groups who hire kaido, pack a picnic and drop anchor off one of its remote beaches.
The region is washed by Tolo Harbour to the north, Mirs Bay to the east and Port Shelter to the south. On the southern end of the peninsula is High Island Reservoir, once a sea channel and now Hong Kong’s second-largest source of fresh water.
Two good websites devoted exclusively to the area are local listings site and guide www.exploresaikung.com and the district council’s www.travelinsaikung.org.hk.
Sai Kung Town
Originally a fishing village, Sai Kung Town ( Map) is now more of a leafy suburb for people working in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island, but it still has some of the feeling of a port. Fishing boats put in an occasional appearance, and down on the waterfront there’s a string of seafood restaurants that draw customers from all around the territory.
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TRANSPORT – SAI KUNG PENINSULA
Sai Kung Town
Bus From Sai Kung Town bus 299 heads to Sha Tin MTR East Rail, bus 92 runs to Diamond Hill and Choi Hung, bus 96R (Sunday and public holidays) heads to Wong Shek, Hebe Haven, and Choi Hung and Diamond Hill MTR stations, while bus 792M calls at Tseung Kwan O and Tiu Keng Leng MTR stations. Bus 94 goes to Wong Shek.
Green Minibus From Sai Kung Town, buses 1A, 1M and 1S (12.30am to 6.10am) go to Hebe Haven and Choi Hung MTR station.
Pak Tam Chung
Bus Take bus 94 from Sai Kung Town.
Hoi Ha
Green minibus Minibus 7 makes the run from Sai Kung Town daily, with the first departure at 8.45am and the last at 6.45pm. A taxi from there will cost around $100.
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Sai Kung Town is an excellent base for hikes into the surrounding countryside. A kaido trip to one or more of the little offshore islands and their secluded beaches is also recommended (see the boxed text). Windsurfing equipment can be hired from the Windsurfing Centre ( 2792 5605; from 9.30am-6pm Sat & Sun, call ahead weekdays) at Sha Ha (off Map), just north of Sai Kung Town. Bus 94, heading for the pier at Wong Shek and the springboard for Tap Mun Chau, will drop you off, or you could walk there from town in about 15 minutes.
Hebe Haven
The very small bay of Hebe Haven ( Map), which Cantonese speakers call Pak Sha Wan (White Sand Bay), is home to the Hebe Haven Yacht Club ( 2719 9682; www.hhyc.org.hk), which has a large fleet of yachts and other pleasure craft all but choking Marina Cove.
To swim at Trio beach, opposite the marina, catch a sampan from Hebe Haven to the long, narrow peninsula called Ma Lam Wat; along the way you’ll pass a small Tin Hau temple on a spit of land jutting out to the south. The beach is excellent and the sampan trip should only cost a few dollars. You can also walk to the peninsula from