Hong Kong Private Tours - The Man Mo Temple, Mid Levels Escalator & Statue Square — J3 Private Tours Hong Kong

Hello, I'm Jamie. 45 years living in Hong Kong - How local do you want to get?

Private Tours in amazing Hong Kong, former British Colony from 1841 - 1997

J3 Tours Hong Kong Bulletin

The famous Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road, riding the Mid Level Escalator, chilling in Statue Square, the Bus Drivers Lockers, the Bentley with the very lucky number plate, a snap shot of upper middle class living in Happy Valley and the iconic Ford Thunderbird trawling the streets of Hong Kong.

Go here for my tour pricing - kids 16 and under at the time of booking are free of charge

Long Term Hong Kong Resident with specialist local knowledge

Hong Kong Private Tours - The Famous Man Mo Temple, the Mid Levels Escalator & Statue Square

Go here for my Blog Post - My 50 Favourite Personalised Car Number Plates in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Walking Tours

The Famous Man Mo Temple

It is hard for me to get excited about the Man Mo Temple despite it's almost iconic status... I find it too small, too crowded and frankly not a patch on my favourite Temple, the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon.

That's not to say it is not without charm and I love taking images inside (the one above is one of my favourites) and lets not forget it was built in 1847...

I also have to say that it is in an interesting neighbourhood with the nearby Cat Street Galleries / Upper Lascar Row allowing for a spot of "antique" shopping and Hollywood Road itself is quite interesting.

Go here for all of my images of the Man Mo Temple that I have taken

Hong Kong Private Walking Tours

The Mid Levels Escalator Hong Kong

It starts on Queens Road Central and meanders up through the Mid Levels and ends at Conduit Road roughly half way up to the Peak (ish) - technically it is 800m long and this is where logic goes out of the window as a lot of people actually think it is an escalator 800m (2,600ft) long which is clearly impossible... oh and it does not run in a straight line!

Essentially it is in 20+ sections which allows you to get on and off.

This is the first stop you can get on / off and here we are looking down on Wellington Street .. the escalator is free and I actually like riding it, plenty to see as you ride up and at SOHO you can get off for a drink and a meal if you find standing still exhausting.

Go here for all of my images that I have taken on and around the Mid Levels Escalator

Private Hong Kong Tours

Statue Square, Central

I love Statue Square, I am pretty much in / or around there every day mainly because you can actually feel the colonial history of Hong Kong and being a Brit I love history.

Never really crowded (except on a Sunday or Public Holiday) it is a great place to sit and have a drink and a snack and just watch the world go by and for the photographers there are so many great opportunities for lovely images.... The Court of Final Appeal, HSBC Headquarters, the statue of Sir Thomas Jackson etc and Statue Square itself.

Go here for all of my images that I have taken in and around Statue Square, Central

Hong Kong Guided Tours

The Bentley - with a very lucky number plate

There are car owners out there who will pay millions of dollars for a lucky number plate and this is one such chap. It does not come any luckier than 7 (ok, so 8 is better) and this is a very rare sight on the streets of Hong Kong.

LOVELY car, nice plate

Go here for all of my images of Bentley Cars I have taken in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Private Tours

Meet the Cocks

From left to right - Kay & Tim, Mum and Son

What a great day we had, it was hot and sunny and thanks guys for booking one of my private walking tours of Hong Kong even though you were only here on a layover.... here we are at the Peak on Lugard Road enjoying the fabulous city views from my spot at the Peak.

Thanks again Kay it was lovely to see you again.

Go here for all of my images of clients I have taken out on a tour of Hong Kong

Cultural Tourism at it's best!

Walking Tours Hong Kong

The Bus Drivers Lockers

There are certain images which annoy me and this is one such image

These are lockers provided to the Bus Drivers to store there personal stuff whilst on a shift and I am incredulous that these rusting old lockers have never been replaced - our bus companies spend US$275,000 on a new bus but always seem to treat the drivers shabbily and where would the bus companies be without drivers?

Go here for all of my favourite images of Hong Kong I have taken over the years

Tours in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Kids

Sometimes I see images of kids and I get quite angry... this is one such image.

This is a wet market in Central and this little girl is sat there doing homework in 33oC heat and 90% humidity and Mum or Dad were nowhere to be seen so the kid was looking after the stall as well.

Hong Kong is a glitzy and glamorous city but scratch under the surface and there is a real poverty... I expect to see this in Vietnam or Cambodia but for heavens sake Hong Kong is the richest city in the world.

Go here to see all of my images of Hong Kong people going about their business.

Hong Kong Private Guided Tours

Ford Thunderbird - an American Classic

I love this car, like most males I have always had a soft spot for Ford cars, they make awesome muscle cars and then they also make classics such as this and you can tell that the owner really loves this car, it is in immaculate condition.

Truly magnificent.

Go here for all of my images of Ford Cars in Hong Kong that I have taken

Hong Kong Private Walking Tours

Happy Valley.

The fact is, when people hear the words Happy Valley they always think of Horse Racing and it is true, Happy Valley Race Track dominates the neighbourhood.

As you can see from the image Happy Valley is a very upper middle class neighbourhood but not the sort of place I could live as the MTR (subway system) does not have a station there so a car is a good option and there are lots of fancy cars in Happy Valley! but the real reason is that rentals are just crazy, you have to be very wealthy to live in Happy Valley.

In addition the place is full of cemeteries which if you are in any way superstitious you are going to have a problem and there is a lovely hospital there right next to the cemeteries, a bit odd is that.

Go here for all of my images that I have taken in Happy Valley District on Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Private Tours

Central District on Hong Kong Island

Here are a few of the magnificent skyscrapers in the Central Business District.

The main building in the image is the I.M Pei designed Bank of China and another one of my personal favourites along with Cheung Kong Centre on the right.

If you book a private walking tour with me I will give you chapter and verse on the Feng Shui story regarding these two buildings.

Amazing.

Go here for all of my images that I have taken in Central District on Hong Kong Island

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J3 Tours Booking Form

I do private walking tours around Hong Kong, I am on the streets every day and I have a somewhat interesting perspective of this wonderful city I have called my home for 45 years. My private walking tours are perfect for visitors who want a detailed overview of Hong Kong prior to exploring on their own and for people who are only here for a day or two who want to make the most of their limited time here.

Many clients book me for their first full day in Hong Kong, they get to see the best that Hong Kong has to offer + a crash course on our wonderful public transport system and then they go exploring for the rest of their stay armed with step by step instructions and recommendations from me....

I am available at very short notice, I get many last minute bookings and may well be available even if you arrive in Hong Kong without making plans! so please check my calendar, simply send me a message for a prompt reply.

I also offer a candid and very personal view of what it is like to live in Hong Kong for over 4 decades.

...oh, and if you book a tour then you are booking a tour with me, I do not employ other guides, so explore this great city with one of the best tour guides in Hong Kong.

All images taken with a Sony RX 1r mark 2 camera - it produces amazing images!