Weather wise, today started out pretty much like yesterday in that a grey misty cloud seems to be hanging over us reducing visibility and making everything look grey & drab. However, Full English buffet in the hotel perked us up a little and by the time we got outside the sun was trying hard to break through the early morning mist. Yesterday we purchased open top bus tickets to go round the main areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon and they were valid for two days, so today we decided to take a bus trip over to the South of Hong Kong Island. Leaving from the Central Ferry Terminal we passed through the financial area and headed out towards the famous Happy Valley racetrack, where millions of HK$ pass hands every Wednesday evening and some weekends when the horseracing is on. From Happy Valley we dived into the relatively new tunnel that cuts off about 20 minutes travelling time to Aberdeen on the South of HK Island. We had the option of taking a Sampan ride through Aberdeen harbour, but didn’t take up the offer as we wanted to return to the bus terminal in order to catch a bus to the Peak Tram. The bus tour passed the fish market in Aberdeen then on to Deep Water Bay then round to Repulse bay, which is a complete misnomer as it is anything but Repulsive.
It is one of THE places to live in HK and property prices are sky high even in the huge tower blocks that dwarf the beach front properties. Onwards to Stanley and the famous market, where we decided to get off the bus and have a look round. Like most markets in HK it sells almost everything, but in this one there were some stunning art shops with a number of very different works of art in both water colour and acrylics.
Unfortunately, the bus driver on the way into Stanley told us that the next bus to Central HK would be 1.00pm, so after visiting the market and getting a drink, we were heading back to the bus stop at 12.45 when the bus rounded the corner and headed off to Central HK without us!! There was also a group of Germans who had just missed the bus and they also thought it was going at 1.00pm. The next bus did not arrive until almost 2.00pm, by which time Fritz and co. had got fed up with waiting and opted for a taxi back to Central HK.
We got off the bus when it stopped at the Lower Peak Tram Terminus and picked up our complementary tickets for the tram ride up to the Peak. The queue for tickets was fairly long, but as we had been given ours we did not have to join it. Once on the cable car we were soon being dragged up the hill. Under any other circumstances, this would have been quite exciting but for the fact that we went up in a cable car at the Blue Mountains which makes this ride about as steep as a sloping roof on a Swiss chalet. Once we arrived at the top there were various restaurants, the obligatory souvenir shop and many other establishments as well as a 360 degree deck from which you can take photos. Unfortunately, you had to pay for the privilege! It wasn’t that expensive but the views from the top of the Peak are fantastic even though the mist was still lingering despite the sun making a valiant effort to burn it off. Having completed the Kodak moments we descended in the next available cable car and went out to the bus stop to catch a bus back to the ferry terminal.
Over to Kowloon on the Star Ferry to catch the night tour, but not before indulging in a cup of Starbucks, which whiled away the 45 minutes that we needed to kill. It was fun sitting on the harbour front drinking coffee and people watching. Some of the poses that the young oriental boys and girls do when they are having their pictures taken are quite amazing. At 8.00pm every evening there is a laser light show across the harbour and the tour bus is schedule to arrive back in order to see the show. We departed bang on time, then after a few minutes driving we were stuck in gridlocked traffic and crawled most of the way round the circuit. By 8.00 we were miles from base and missed the show, which means we will have to get out tomorrow evening to see it.
Driving through Kowloon with all the street signs blazing is quite an experience and one that I’m glad we did not miss.
After returning to the Avenue of stars on the waterfront we decided to go back to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon and dine at one of the many eateries overlooking Victoria Harbour. Then it was back over on the Star ferry to HK Island and back to the hotel via the underground train. What was really surprising was that the train was packed and it was after 11.00pm. When do these people sleep?
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