HK Day 3: View from the Very Top

HK Day 3: View from the Very Top (January 1, 2010)

We greeted the first sun rays of 2010 after a long, restful sleep. At around 1:30 in the afternoon, we were finally ready to embark on a new adventure as we took a cab to our lunch venue, the East Ocean Seafood Restaurant. 

Greeting the New Year with dim sum

The restaurant was located at the ground floor of the East Ocean Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Because it was a late lunch, and some of us sort of skipped breakfast, we were quite ready to open the New Year with a gastronomic feast of authentic Chinese cooking. Tito Arthur, the only one of us who can actually speak the language, did the ordering. Soon enough, the waiters came with all sorts of food in tiny steamer baskets, like the ones in dim sum restaurants back home. I actually lost count, but all I remember was that it was a FEAST indeed.

Dumplings

We ate a lot of seafood dumplings, from shrimp to fish to a mixture of stuff I didn't even want to decipher. All I know is that it tasted really good. The best part was that I ate all of it using chopsticks. I usually refuse to use chopsticks (even if the rest of my family does), because I find them too much of a hassle. But mommy was saying something about “When in Rome, eat as the Romans do,” so I took on the challenge and used them, no matter how messy. It was actually quite fun, and it added to the whole “authentic Chinese food” experience.

A V E N U E  O F  T H E  S T A R S 

Avenue of the Stars by Victoria Harbour

Hong Kong is a walking city, so no matter how much you eat, as long as you keep walking it off, you won’t gain that much weight (and IF you’re lucky, none at all). And so we walked – passing many buildings, crossing many streets, using an overpass to cross Nathan Road, and soon we were by the bay.

The Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower

From here we walked all the way to Avenue of the Stars, Hong Kong’s version of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. A lot of tourists were there, and you’d get an idea of where the stars of the big celebrities are just by looking at the crowd surrounding it, each person patiently waiting for his/her turn. We walked through the promenade, which is about 440-m long, passing through landmarks like The Hong Kong Cultural Center and the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower. We then arrived at the Star Ferry terminal, excited to board the ferry to get to the other side.

S T A R  F E R R Y

View from the ferry on a foggy day

Years ago, before road tunnels and the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), the Star Ferry was a very important means of transportation to and from Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon) and Central (Hong Kong Island). To some degree, it’s still popular, especially because it’s inexpensive, but people are using it less because of other options.

9-minute ferry ride

We could’ve just gotten on the train, but then we would’ve missed the experience of crossing Victoria Harbour through the Star Ferry. The ride lasted for about 9 minutes, and soon we were at the Central Pier, on the other side of Victoria Harbour. From that vantage point we could see The Harbourside (Tita Dig-Dig’s place). We were now at the part of Hong Kong where the fireworks came from last night.

T H E  L O N G  W A Y  T O  T H E  T O P

OFWs on a Sunday afternoon

From the Central Pier we walked some more, through overpasses, walkways, and buildings. Hong Kong was made very conducive to walking, and this is why it's considered a walking city. As a pedestrian, I actually felt safe, not as if some car or some bus was about to hit me out of nowhere. On the way to the Peak Tram we passed by IFC, The Prince’s Building, The Statue Square, The Legislative Council, The HSBC Headquarters, and so on. We also saw double-decker trams, all running along an electric cable. I wanted to ride in one, but maybe next time. It was a Saturday afternoon, and we saw many OFWs gathering in the sidewalks and particularly in Statue Square, having picnics and exchanging stories of their latest ventures and updates of home. We really do live in a borderless world.

The long line for the Peak Tram

When we reached The Peak Tram the line was horrendously long. And I mean LONG. Being a proud “iskolar ng bayan” from UP, I’m actually quite used to long lines. But this was just crazy. After an hour and a half, we finally boarded the Peak Tram. The Peak Tramway, powered by electricity, is a funicular railway that brings the passengers a distance of 1.4 kilometers from the Central district to Victoria Peak, via the Mid-levels. It began its operation as early as 1888, a good century ago. 

The Peak tram finally arriving

I didn’t know what to expect of the ride, and because of the quantity of people I didn’t get to sit down. Instead I had to stand at the aisle with a few unlucky ones, but I didn’t mind it that much. Then the tram started tilting, tilting, and tilting some more, as it chugged its way to the top. Soon we were about 25 degrees tilted, (it felt more like 45 degrees) and because I was standing I had to perform a semi-acrobatic balancing act, tilting my body sharply to the front, just so I wouldn’t fall. We saw glimpses of the view through the trees, and I took a picture or two, but I was too busy making sure I wouldn’t fall. The tram stopped tilting, and we were finally at the Peak.

Tilted view of the city as the peak tram was rising

V I C T O R I A  P E A K

Once we reached Victoria Peak (Mount Austin), we went inside The Peak Tower and climbed a couple of floors until we reached The Sky Terrace, offering a 360 degree view of Hong Kong, from the cityscape to the lush greenery (which wasn’t visible because we went during nighttime). While we were still at home, Tita Dig-Dig already warned us that it was very cold at the Peak. Hong Kong in itself is already cold, the season being winter. Increase your elevation to 1,810 feet and that just spells spine-tingling, feet-freezing, absolutely-mind-blowing COLD. There was a light breeze too, so that just made it even worse. But it was refreshing. Being from a tropical country, the cold was a welcome change.

View from the very top

As soon as we got over the shock of the chill and as our body temperatures slowly adapted, that’s when we got to concentrate on the view. There were so many people on top that it was hard to get pictures, but even then you would understand why people can stand in line for hours. The view was fantastic. You can’t go to Hong Kong and NOT go to the Peak. It’s one of the most fantastic views you’ll ever get of the modern world. If I were to make my own list of “Things to See Before You Die,” I would definitely put Victoria Peak in it. 

Other attractions at The Peak

We managed to take a few pictures amidst the throng of people, until we found the perfect spot with no people in it, which was the left side of the terrace. I think people have the tendency to go right, which is why no one was there. There we were able to use some of the telescopes, where we saw the buildings, the cars, and even the people up close. It was amazing. It somehow felt warmer there too. The view was perfect, so our pictures were perfect as well.

M I N I  B U S  R I D E  H O M E

IFC

We ate dinner at Burger King, and boarded the Green Minibus back to IFC. The green minibus, also called the public light bus, has a 16-person capacity (no standing passengers allowed) and is one of Hong Kong’s many modes of mass transportation. The line to the double-deckers was too long and the one to the tram was even longer, so we settled for the minibus even though we still had to line up. As we were cruising our way down, the traffic going to the top was really jammed. Apparently a lot of people still wanted to see The Peak. I couldn’t blame them.

The buildings up close

We got off at IFC, after which we walked to the MTR station. Along the way we got to see some of the buildings we saw at The Peak up close. We got on the MTR and got off at Kowloon. Once in the Kowloon station, which as I already mentioned is smack in the middle of the mall Elements, we felt like drinking coffee so we went to Starbucks. 

Prettiest car ever

Outside the coffee shop, just beside the Christmas trees, a Mercedes was displayed, and it was literally covered in white Swarovski crystals. A sparkling, glittering, pretty Mercedes. I haven’t seen anything like it. We brought our coffee up to the flat, because the younger ones were waiting. The boys got ready for their flight back home, and after seeing them off we went to sleep, our energies thoroughly drained but with huge smiles on our faces.