Sightseeing at the Peak!

Hi Y'all,

Hope everyone is well and enjoying their weekend. I have been doing the 'tourist' thing lately and trying to see as much of what Hong Kong has to offer! This weekend, Basil (an Australian guy from the Blue Sky studio guy who is freelancing here) and I went out to see Victoria Peak. The Peak is actually the highest point in Hong Kong and has traditionally been used as a signaling landmark for the shipping industry. Now, there's a shopping mall up there, and a Burger King, but no Starbuck's............yet!

It used to be a place where, back in the 50's or so, rich people would go to live and get away from the scorching heat of downtown city life. It was only accessible by car (or chair, carried by your staff!) at that point which made it an option only for a select few members of upper society. Today, things are slightly different.

In 1888, a new tram system was opened to allow more people to visit the top of the Peak and enjoy the spectacular views. It was first used as public transport and made stops at various points along the mountain side. These days it is more of a tourist attraction but still uses the same original equipment. Although the cars have been updated, the cables, tracks and station houses are all still being used. See, that's research people! This isn't just any old blog you know!

You buy tickets on your 'Octopus' card, (similar to the 'Oyster' card in London, or the 'Breeze' card in Atlanta, see, I like to translate for you) but if you buy a ticket that includes entry to the Madame Tussaud's museum that is also at the top of the Peak, you get to jump the quit lengthy ques of tourists. We didn't go to MT.

So, once at the top of the Peak and through the shopping mall, you go out onto the rooftop where you will find one of the most amazing views in the world. You are right above Hong Kong Island and can see pretty much everything. HK has a very unique architecture that isn't like anything I have seen before. There are a lot of 'cookie cutter' style apartment buildings that are all identical, that are built on varying levels of the mountain. The effect is an amazing undulating sea of concrete that from a distance is actually quite organic. The surrounding mountains that encircle the city make you feel as though the city was plucked from somewhere else and just dropped right into the center of nature. The mountains are covered with really thick green trees that look like there should be a secret underground layer connected with monorails containing an eccentric villain that wants to take over the world! Or at least that's what they look like to me..........er, anyway.

Coming down from the Peak on the tram was a very different experience than going up. We sat down on the way up and didn't really appreciate the incline. On the way down we were standing. At times, the tram was at 45deg meaning that in order stand up straight you had to tilt all the way back and hold on tight. The floor of the tram is actually a series of bowl like surfaces to allow you to stand up at extreme angles. What a ride!

Once down from the Peak, we decided to go and visit Man Mo Temple. A small Buddhist temple built in the 1880's. The temple is dedicated to two deities, Man, the God of literature, and Mo, the God of war (or Martial Arts as it said in the sightseeing guide, that built my hopes up as I thought we were going to see some serious Kung Fu action!). The temple is located right in the downtown area and is a real contrast to the surrounding attractions. It is a very spiritual place where people come to pray and pay respects to the Gods and also to lost loved ones. There is a room where the walls are covered in tiny ornate boxes where relatives ashes and photos can be kept. It is basically like a grave yard, where people go to pray and remember their ancestors. Looking up you will find a sea of round incense coils that cover the ceiling. Each one is lit and smoldering, and gives of a very intense scent. The smoke that fills the rooms, makes for a very dense and poignant atmosphere. This was an amazing place to visit and get a sense of the faith here in Hong Kong. The people who visit the temple are of all ages, all walks of life, but all there for the same reason. Buddhism is one of the widest religions here in HK.

Sadly though, there was no Kung Fu action............:(



On the way back into town, we walked through an old antiques market that was filled with various ancient heirlooms and trinkets. You get a better sense of a cultures history by visiting a place like this. It's like going to a car boot sale (yard sale) and seeing all the things that people want to get rid of. They all represent something of that persons past, and the things they have done, or seen. It was like a window into the past few hundred years of Hong Kong history. Every stall had a Bruce Lee shrine where you can buy photo's, posters, painted ceramic figurines, and all kinds of things dedicated to the late Kung Fu hero of Hong Kong. There was lot's of war memorabilia too, flight suits, helmets, communist uniforms and thousands of badges from the different regiments. Chinese sculptures and statues, Buddhas, religious iconography all mixed in with plastic toys from the 40's and old exercise equipment.


Walking back to the station we went down some back alleys and saw some really interesting eating houses and small street vendors selling all kinds of foods. Typically I like to think of myself as quite adventurous when it comes to sampling different foods from other countries. Well, it turns out.........i'm not. Some of the things I saw being prepared and cooked literally made me think I was going o t be sick. They seem to eat every part of an animal here, for example, Basil, who was born in Hong Kong and speaks Chinese, told me that what we were looking at was actually goose necks, pigs ears, pig hoofs, kidneys and various other body parts. Needless to say, I lost my appetite after this. :)

Once I got back to the area where I am staying, I walked around the shops for a while. Well, 'walked' is probably an exaggeration, more like slowly shifted, bumped, squeezed and jostled my way through the streets as I was in one of the busiest shopping districts. It was insane, after a while it is simply exhausting as you just can't move anywhere. There was one street that was dedicated to sports shoes, and every shop was selling the same thing, shoes. For about half a mile that's all there was. Each store had a person standing up on a pedestal shouting out all kinds of bargains. Each store had the exact same layout. Each store was packed full of local shoppers all frantically looking for the best deal. After going into a few of them (I was looking for some new trainers, or tennis shoes for those in the US) I really couldn't tell the difference between them, talk about deja vu! I finally made it back to the hotel, exhausted, but it was a great day. Today, Sunday, I am going out go to a small fishing village on the outskirts of Hong Kong and see what I find there. I'll add more stuff soon, so keep checking.



Oh, work is going well by the way, i'll add more about that later. :) Bye for now!