 |
| The Blau Kids at the Top of Victoria's Peak |
We had a simple breakfast gathered at a neighborhood market, and I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to organize our hotel room before we set off looking for the Hong Kong subway. Unlike in Beijing, there are long distances between subway stations in Hong Kong. There are considerably more buses that move people around than there are in Beijing. But the subway is supposed to be the fastest way to get around in Hong Kong, so we made the long walk to find the station nearest our hotel. When we arrived at the station we purchased Octopus cards which are reusable cards that can be used to pay for most forms of public transportation as well as admission fees to several sites and even purchases at some restaurants like McDonalds. You just add money to the cards at local stations and use them by scanning them at card readers found in these locations. Those who use the cards receive discounted prices on many fees.
The prices for public transportation in Hong Kong is quite a bit more than in any of the other cities we have visited -- more in line with what we would pay in New York. It is still relatively cheap to get around, just not as cheap as it was in China. The subway was really nice. Our local station was not as crowded as we had been led to believe that the Hong Kong subways were. I think that that is simply because our substation is not located in the heart of the city where all of the financial offices are located. I'll bet that those lines are extremely busy, especially as people are going to or leaving from work each day.
We still weren't exactly sure what we were going to do first, but we finally decided to head to Victoria's Peak since that was one place that was a must see site in Hong Kong. There was a nice young businessman on the subway who helped us choose the best subway stop to disembark since nothing was really that close to the peak. It was shocking to me to hear him speak at first because he was Asian, but he spoke with a perfect British accent. After several weeks of hearing Asians in China speak English with a distinct accent, it was different to hear the British accent. It turns out that this man was schooled in the UK, and now worked in Hong Kong. There are several people like that around here.
After leaving the subway we found that we still had a considerable amount of walking to do in order to reach the Peak Tram, our destination. We decided to take the bus, since there were so many available. I have been nervous to use buses because I just don't understand how the whole system works. I never used the buses the entire time I lived in Springfield, even though it would have made things much simpler at times. But I've started to understand the system a bit better as I've realized that they are kind of similar to the way the subways work, just above ground and slower. I still probably wouldn't have braved it by myself, but Herman had tons of experiences using buses in Brazil, so he knew just what to do. After loading up there were not enough seats, so we needed to stand. Standing on a bus is not quite the simpler affair that standing on the subway is because the buses are constantly starting and stopping without warning, so we were thrust forward and back with force all the time. The rings to hold for stability were too tall for the younger kids to use, and after watching them struggle for a few starts and stops, the other people on the bus gave up their seats
It turns out that we only needed to ride the bus for a couple of stops, so we probably could have walked the distance. Still, it was good to get this first bus experience in Hong Kong under my belt since we may need to use the buses quite a bit while we are here. We arrived at the Peak Tram station to find a line of tourists waiting in line to get on the tram. It was weird to see a long line waiting to enter an attraction. In all of the things we saw in China there were tons of people, but there really were never any long lines to get tickets anywhere. I'm not sure exactly why that was. Maybe it was because so many people in China who were visiting places came as part of a tour group, so their tickets were pre-purchased. Despite the line here, though, it ran pretty smoothly, so we were able to get through the gate quickly.
The Peak Tram has been in service since the 1800s without having a single accident. That inspires a ton of confidence in it. It is basically a train line that runs vertically up the steep Victoria's Peak. There are two cars that run up and down the peak, taking visitors with them. We were quickly able to get onto a car, and that was a good thing because as soon as we paid for our tickets and moved through the barrier, Minsy decided that she had to go potty. There were no bathrooms anywhere. If we were in China we would have probably done what many other mothers had done that we had seen. We'd find a storm drain, pull down her pants, and let her do her business. Seriously, we saw that happen a lot around Beijing. But this was Hong Kong, and I got the feeling that that would be frowned on here. Of course, I had no idea what the Chinese words were to tell Minsy that we only had a few minutes to wait. She didn't understand, so she was pretty unhappy as we ascended the hill. Despite Minsy's unhappiness, the ascent was absolutely gorgeous. The peak is covered in trees and offers a gorgeous view of the Hong Kong skyline. We took pictures, but I don't think that it does the view any justice.
 |
| It doesn't look like much, but this mansion is one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the world! |
We arrived at the top in short order and immediately ran Minsy to the nearest bathroom. Another disaster averted, she arrived on time and was again Happy Minsy. The top of the tram area contains a sort of mall area with several shops. Some of them are the type of shops you would expect to find with souvenirs and things like that, but there were also retail shops as well. I can't imagine why anyone would choose to buy their new shoes or handbags or jewelry at a place like this because the prices are always super inflated, but there were people who were doing this. The "mall" contained several stories. At each story there was an expensive restaurant that offered outdoor seating that showed the view of Hong Kong from the peak. There was also an observation deck at the very top that we avoided because one of my guide books explained that it was too commercialized, and just as wonderful views could be obtained by walking the perameter of the peak.
 |
| Did I mention how windy it is at the top of Victoria's Peak? |
 |
| An example of the commercialization at the top of the Peak. We didn't eat here at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, but we did pose outside the front door with our feet in the giant tennis shoes by the bench. |
 |
| I think that JoJo could take Bruce Lee! |
 |
| Our foggy view of the Hong Kong harbor from the top |
 |
| A nature walk at the top of the peak |
 |
| Very British looking I think |
 |
| Love this picture! |
 |
| Fake rock climbing |
 |
| Also very British looking! |
We decided not to take the tram down. An interesting thing about the tram's descent down the peak is that the people face backwards because the angle of descent is so sharp that there is danger that all of us would fall out of our seats if we were facing forward. Instead of doing this we decided to take a bus to our next destination. Hong Kong is full of the double decker buses that you see in places like the UK, and I was dying to ride in the top level of one. Luckily, Victoria's Peak was the first stop for one of these buses that was headed to the pier, so we hopped aboard and headed to the top. We were basically alone up there for awhile until more people boarded on our way to the pier. The drive down the hill was a bit precarious. It was a winding drive on narrow roads, and we sometimes passed very close to other passing cars and buses. Luckily I was on the far left side of the bus which put me away from these close enounters as we drove on the left side of the road.
 |
| Our double decker bus |
 |
| Plenty of room at the top of the bus |
We decided to take his advice and wait for our ferry experience. The ferry is actually fairly inexpensive as far as public transport in Hong Kong goes, so we decided that we would take it on our way back to the hotel since we needed to get across the harbor to Kowloon anyway. Instead of visiting it now we decided to go and find the mid-level escalators which were located nearby somewhere. This is a series of escalators that is touted as being the longest people mover on the planet. It takes people on covered escalators up a hill to various streets along the way where we could stop off and explore, if we chose to do so. These escalators were a bit hard to find, and we weren't getting a ton of help from the people we passed. Unlike the super friendly and helpful people we found in China who would try their best to help us even though they didn't speak a lick of English, in this area of Hong Kong we were in the heart of the financial district. The people we encountered seemed to constantly be in a hurry to get somewhere, and we seemed to be mere annoyances. The most helpful people tended to be fellow tourists who knew where we were going.
After traipsing through the maze of buildings and streets of the area we finally arrived at the famed mid-level escalators and they were . . . disappointing. They really were just a set of escalators between streets. It felt like I was at the mall. There were interesting shops and bars along the way, but they weren't the type of places that catered to a family of nine. They were better suited for business people and couples wanting unique experiences in Hong Kong. The neatest things were seeing the streets which had very British atmospheres. But we only got off the escalators to explore one time, and after half a block we were fully satisfied that we got the gist of the experience we needed to have here. Once we arrived at the top we were very underwhelmed with the experience, but it was free, so it was no huge waste of time. At least we can say we gave it a go.
At the top of the escalators we hailed two cabs to drive us back to the pier because the escalators only go up, except for the times between 6 and 10 am when they transport workers down them to enter the financial district. As I drove in our cab trying to erase the feelings of unease I was getting from being on the left side of the road we passed by several huge shopping areas. When we asked several native residents what the one thing was that we needed to purchase while we are in Hong Kong, every one of them said that we needed to buy clothes because they were so inexpensive compared to other places, and as an added bonus there is no sales tax here. However, so far all that I have seen is super high end clothing stores that I just don't see myself ever stepping inside. It may be possible to get designer clothes at great discounts, but since I don't tend to buy high end designer clothes anyway, I don't think I'd appreciate the deal. Hong Kong seems to be one giant nightmare for me with my personal aversion to shopping for clothes. But as I could see from the people we passed, that many people don't share that same reluctance to enjoy the shopping here.
It was really difficult for me to see all the financial excess of Hong Kong after our touring through China. Although China definitely has a growing number of new and exciting shopping districts, they don't tend to be so, so, so (golly, I cannot think of the word that I want to use here). It is just that China has a mixture of the old culture and atmosphere of local markets mixed with the growing appearance of modern stores that cater to a wealthier population. It never seemed so over the top as Hong Kong does. Hong Kong just seems so pretentious to me. It is hard to explain. Herman theorizes that I would have looked at Hong Kong differently if we began our trip here instead of in China where they are still in the process of emerging as an economic power and don't have the history of financial success that Hong Kong has. That's probably true. I just find myself annoyed as I saw the shopping and rampant, excessive commercialism along the streets we passed on our way to the pier.
 |
| One segment of the huge escalator |
 |
| We made it to the top of the escalator. Hurray! |
It is nice to finally be able to talk to the cab drivers in English when we ask to be taken somewhere. For the past few weeks we have relied on an iPhone app that writes our destination in Chinese characters so that our drivers can know where to take us. My driver took me through a nightmare of a traffic circle that I'm sure I would never be able to get out of if I were driving, and got us to Pier 7 where the Star Ferry was located.
We ran aboard the ferry, just getting on before we set off across the harbor. The Star Ferry used to be the primary way that people crossed the harbor until an underground tunnel was created a few decades ago. It is still used by many people, so we were not just surrounded by tourists. The entire ride took about ten minutes. There was nothing spectacular about the ride other than a brief glimpse at the Hong Kong skyline that was impressive. It was an old ferry boat that did a wonderful job getting us across the harbor, despite the choppier waters that were present due to the rain.
 |
| The ferry workers made me think of Gilligan |
 |
| Enjoying the view from the ferry |
 |
| The view of Hong Kong from our ferry |
Once we got to the other side of the harbor we found that we were still a good distance away from our hotel, so we hopped onto the double decker bus at the transfer station nearby and headed back. This time we sat on the bottom level because we weren't quite sure when we were supposed to get off the bus, and we didn't want to miss our stop. Luckily after a couple of stops an older lady sat in the seat next to us and talked with us. It turned out that she would be getting off when we were, so she promised to let us know when it was time. The bus ended up dropping us off right outside our hotel, which was nice. I think that I'm figuring this whole bus system out, thank goodness.
We stopped by our room to rest for a few minutes before headed out to the neighborhood for dinner. We decided to stop at a restaurant right next door to our hortel. The people there were super friendly to us -- maybe almost too friendly. As we arrived we told them that there were nine of us. There obviously were no tables available to seat nine, so the lady went over to a table where a man was sitting alone and eating his dinner while doing what looked like homework or business. She spoke to him in Cantonese and told him to move somewhere else since she needed the table for us. I felt super bad as he gathered his belongings to move. She didn't need to do that. We could have separated into two tables. But maybe he was her son or something. I couldn't imagine her doing that to a paying customer. The food here was absolutely delicious. We had lots and lots of yummy Chinese and Cantonese food. We have discovered that Minsy is a veggie lover. She pounds down spinach, green peppers, onions, and anything else like that which is on her plate. She was super cute trying to use her chopsticks. She held them about right in her little hands, but she decided that it was much easier to just grab the food with her hands. So one hand held her utensils while the other held her food.
 |
 |
| I love this picture! |
 |
| What nine people stuffed into a small Hong Kong hotel looks like! |
No comments:
Post a Comment