The New Territories are an area of
Hong Kong that is not physically on the island of
Hong Kong. They are the western part of the
penninsula that
Kowloon is on, and also contains some of the islands off the coast of southern
China. The New Territories were acquired by the
British in 1898 on a
99 year lease and were included in the colony of
Hong Kong.
The New Terriories have developed a lot in the recent years. It is still probably the most rural area of
Hong Kong, but now a lot of the New Territories is covered with the majestic
skyscraper like housing complexes that make up the traditional Hong Kong skyline.
The two major cities in New Territories are
Tuen Mun and
Yuen Long. They are connected by a
Light Rail Transit. The
Light Rail Transit vehicles are very comfortable in the summer, the air-conditioning is turned on pretty high and usually you can find a seat if you're not going during rush hour.
Tuen Mun has one of the larger shopping centers in Hong Kong, with lots of local name brands. It's a good place to find good deals because it's not flooded with
Western brands. Not that there's anything wrong with Western brands, of course, it's just that they're pretty much the same price over there as they are in the States. The
Light Rail Transit has two stops that will take you directly there,
Pui To and
Tuen Mun Town Centre on the 610 line.
Yuen Long on the other hand, doesn't really have much of anything that I would recommend to people who don't have relatives living there. Not that it's not a cool place, just that you can find the same stuff in other parts of Hong Kong and it's not as damned far.
The
Light Rail Transit goes from
Tuen Mun Ferry Pier to somewhere on the western outskirts of
Yuen Long. The ticket is a little under 6
Hong Kong dollars but the fares increase every year or so. The ride from one end of the
Light Rail Transit to the other takes a little over forty minutes.