Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

With the weather improving, today was our day to visit Victoria Peak, one of the more popular tourist attractions in Hong Kong.

We took an oh so cheap taxi to the Star Ferry terminal where we boarded the ferry to cross over from Kowloon to Hong Kong island.  We’d heard from a number of people that the escalators up to mid-level were a lot of fun and we’d been left with a strong impression that the escalators met the peak tram somewhere along the way.

We found our way to the escalators and made our way up.  They were indeed an experience.  Only in Hong Kong.  We passed on exploring each level or any level for that matter.  We just kept on going on and on to the top.

At the top there was no sign of the peak tram, just a sign showing how far away it was.  We decided to walk.  It was quite an eye opener as our path threaded it’s way through a concrete spaghetti of roadways splashed all over the hillside.

When we made it to the lower tram terminal we had to wait some time to get our ticket and then for one of the two trams (imagine two trams, a big pulley at the top and a lot of steel cable).  The tram ride to the top revealed more great views of the area’s architecture.  This is not Fiji.

We’d bought tickets to the very, very top viewing platform so we made our way up a few more escalators (we’re getting very used to these). The view down to Hong Kong and Kowloon from the top platform was awesome and worth the extra fee to visit.

We then decided to hike to the Victoria Peak Garden.  It was a bit of a climb but we got to peek into some very, very nice properties whose values/rents must be as high as the peak.  The gardens were very peaceful and had hardly anyone there.  There was one ubiquitous Chinese bride/groom photography session going on and some folks having a picnic.  Not a lot else.  The view down to the South side of the island where we’d been the previous day was all misted up so no pics of that.

On the way back to the peak tram we noticed that our path had taken us well above the highest viewpoint we’d visited earlier in the day.  The advantage of the latter was the clear view down to Hong Kong and Kowloon.  Higher up all the excellent viewpoints had properties built on and walls to protect the wealthy occupants.

Back at the bottom we struggled a bit to find our desired train station.  More escalators, concrete and malls to navigate.  We made it and took the train back to Kowloon for a short rest.

Back out we visited a local Indian Restaurant Helen had found prior to heading to the water to watch the Festival of Lights.  I forgot my camera so pressured for time we had to return to the hotel to pick it up before going to see the lights.  We caught a taxi and were half way south before I ‘realized’ I didn’t have my wallet.  We frantically asked the taxi driver to turn back before Helen found my wallet on the floor of the taxi.

By now we were stuck in horrible traffic going the wrong way.  The driver eventually got us to a place where we could walk the remainder of the distance.  This remained stressful as the first bridge over the road we needed to cross was under repair and finding the second blocked our view for a while.

In the end we just made it.  The Festival of Light show is just a bunch of search lights and lasers on a few of the HK buildings and the lights on those buildings dancing to music.  In of itself, not so spectacular, but pretty cool when the whole scene is absorbed.

We headed back via Temple Street night market as we both had a couple of things we wanted to pick up.  Back at the hotel we were pretty exhausted and didn’t take long to fall asleep.

For those of you expressing concern about Dignity in the aftermath of the terrible weather Queensland has recently experienced I can happily tell you she’s perfectly fine.  She hung onto her lines well and where other boats didn’t, marina liveaboards did an excellent job shifting chaffed lines for absent owners.  As far as I know, no boats were harmed.

With a mix of weather being forecast we decided to stay on the Kowloon side and focus on things there.

First, we walked up the Nathan Road to Mongkok where, at 10am, things were just opening for the day. Even then, the hustle and bustle was developing but it wasn’t our intention to stay. We must go back one evening when the place is supposed to be really alive.

We took a train to Diamond Hill where we visited the Nan Lian Garden, a little gem of a place. It’s a little bit of old China nestled amongst the new. I found the contrasting images of the ancient chinese architecture and gardens with modern skyscrapers behind quite photogenic.

Off to the side of the gardens is the Chi Lin Nunnery. Of the Nun’s there were none to be found. But this was a place of reverence for many Bhuddists and there were many areas where photos were not allowed. The place comprised three courtyards representing three layers of enlightenment and each courtyard was beautifully laid out. It definitely felt serene.

Back at the train station we detoured via the Plaza Hollywood Mall where we ate lunch and I bought my first gadget of the day – a portable power pack for our phones.

After lunch we took a couple of trains over to the Golden Computer Shopping Arcade at Sham Shui Po. This place was really packed full of small outfits selling a lot of the same stuff. We picked up a few dirt cheap items but not any of the things I was really looking for. Nevertheless, it was an experience and again, maybe worth a repeat visit.

After nearly six hours on the move we were both feeling quite tired so it was back to the hotel for a rest.

In the evening we headed out again to experience Kowloon at night. Our first stop was a ride to the top of our hotel for a view from the roof. While not one of the tallest buildings the view was still impressive. And without the normal western suicide protection looking over the edge was distinctly wobbly.

This time we walked down to where I’d read there was a Samsung store in a mall. We walked through the Kowloon Park which was dimly lit and quite tranquil and eventually made our way to the mall area to the north of the Star Ferry Pier. This place was modern and immense with all the designer stores you could imagine. And then some. It was packed with what were presumably Chinese commuters and tourists. We found the Samsung store which was disappointingly small and definitely did not have the laptop I was looking for. Looks like amazon.com will get my order but we kind of knew this all along.

We continued down to the Star Ferry Pier to take a look at the view over to Hong Kong Island. In the slight drizzle the sight was still breathtaking but I imagine it would be better on a clear night.

We walked part of the promenade before fatigue tapped us both on the shoulder so we made our way up the Nathan Road to our hotel. On the way we picked up groceries and food from a side street a little reminiscent of the Blade Runner street scenes.

We were both exhausted and I didn’t even make it through an episode of Coupling before falling asleep.

More mixed weather today so we’re going to have to adapt our plans. No idea what we’ll do yet. One thing we learned from yesterday was a lot happens in the evening so a lie in is in order.