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Woke up early (6am) disappointed that last night was such as bust, but determined to get back on track today and see this city! Get the girls up and pack the backpack for today. We have complimentary buffet breakfast in the hotel today; it's a lovely spot on the 4th floor with full-wrap windows overlooking the main ring road with views across the harbor. The buffet offers an equal split of Western and Asian choices, all of good quality.
After breakfast, it's out the door and into the MRT (subway) to get across Victoria Bay to Central Station, so we can walk up to the The Peak Tram (access to Victoria Peak). I've read that the subway in Hong Kong is one the best in the world, and is easily navigable for Westerners. I agree, but with one caveat...Westerners who live in cities with subways! Only because of our experience on other subway systems were we able to navigate our way around; and it took some studying of the map! Getting on the actual train though...that's an art in and of it's self. These is easily the most congested train system we've ever experienced, significantly more dense than Bangkok, and that was all asses & elbows! We let the first train go without trying to muscle on, no way all 4 of were going to fit. The 2nd train is slightly less crowded, I take the lead with a full on bull-rush; stroller across my chest and backpack on the back...I penetrate deep enough for heather to sneak in around the corner with Maclaren in tow; Milan finds refuge between my legs under the void created by the stroller I'm bear-hugging...the doors take 3 attempts to close, finally needing the helf of the dock attendant...only 3 stations to go of this misery! Luckily about half the train gets off on the first stop, just had to get across the harbor I guess.
Off we get at Main Station and begin the walk up and out of the labyrinth...along the way we found a Starbucks, which of course we had to stop at; it's one of our many traditions; try the pizza, the McDonald's, and the Starbucks (if they have them) in every country we go to.
There are many options for leaving the subway through a network of underground tunnels, you can literally walk 4-5 blocks underground from the actual train platform before exiting to the street; once we found the right exit and popped up on the street, we were greeted by a serene little park tucked in the shadows of some of Hong Kong's tallest buildings. This may be the most metropolitian city in the world, but they have a connection with nature and the street level is stuffed with parks and lush vegetation. After a 10 minute hike up the hill, we arrive at The Peak Tram just as guided tours from the cruise ship start to arrive; following the flag-bearing guide of course...and if you've read my blog before, you know how I feel about them! Luckily, we're able to jump on the tram before the first group and beat the hordes up the mountain!
The tram has been in constant operation since 1888, and is by far the steepest mode of transportation we've ever been on...there are spots that seem to at least be on a 45-60 degree angle! It's a pretty amazing feat of engineering, and a super serene ride up the side of the mountain through a tunnel of vegetation, with a couple sporadiac views across the entire city and harbor. AWESOME!
The Peak is mostly a tourist trap, with a fully functioning shopping mall across 6 levels, gimicky photo-shop spots, and restaurants galore; but the viewing deck on the roof is totally worth the trip! What a view!
We spend about 20 minutes on the top deck taking in the beautiful weather, amazing views, using the coin-operated binoculars, taking selfies, taking pictures of each other and the kids, letting the kids play chase, having our family picture taken by the staff and other tourists, and generally being grateful to experience this place and event...we are blessed.
On the way down, we stop into the Burger King for lunch before jumping back on the tram to decend the mountain; you ride down the same way you came up; that is, you're still facing uphill while travelling downhill...makes sense, otherwise you'd probably have a train full of people plastered to the inside windsheild like reverse bugs!
Back on the street, we catch a short taxi ride to Man Mo Temple; which is one of the few places of culture left in this modern city. Its disappointingly small, but beautiful, intricate, and filled with so much burning incense that your eyes water, your nose itches, and you hair and shoulders quickly look like you have a dandruff problem! Seriously, never seen so much burning incense in one place, and there is a constant stream on locals adding handfuls of incense sticks to the sand trays during their daily prayers.
Across the street and down a hundred steps, we find a surprise warren of antique dealers forming an art market. We browse down and back, finding multiple unique items of interest intermixed among the common fare of junk, while also finding the prices to be mostly reasonable. Not having read anything about this particular market, I vote to hold off purchasing until tonight at the Temple St. Night Market. Another 100 steps downhill later and we're down Hollywood Road to the Central Bus Station to catch a bus to the far other side of Hong Kong Island for an afternoon on the beach at Repulse Bay.
The bus station is a little harder to figure out than the subway, but I manage it and get us on the express bus to Stanley; with only 1 stop along the way at Repulse Bay. All the buses here are double deckers, so we opt for the top deck...3 minutes out of the terminal we're rethinking that decision, as the bus sways an incredible amount up here and we're worried about Milan getting motion sick! Fortunately we make it through the winding mountain roads and down the backside for our first glimpse of the golden sand beaches of Hong Kong! Off the bus and down the hill to the beach, we pass multiple tour buses of elderly people shuffling through the sand, fully clothed with shoes on; luckily it looks like the flag bearer has already headed back to the buses and they will soon be loading up...looks like we timed it right, they're leaving, we're coming! There are great changing/showering facilities there, so we quickly done our suits and head down to the water's edge. The beach is quite expansive, probably 500' from sidewalk to water, across a large, coarse, golden expanse of sand. There are a few nice shade trees scattered throughout, most already claimed, but we post up on the back side of one that only had one other couple of the far side of the shade throw.
Off to the water the girls go! They are total beach bums, they love the sand and surf! Hours go by of us playing in the sand (and a little in the water, it's as cold as the Mediterranean!). After a full afternoon of playing in the sand, it's time to head back to town, but first a quick stop at the sea-side temple at the end of the beach. it's a Buddhist temple filled with every 'god of luck, wisdom, friendship, fertility, etc' that you could ever imagine...literally hundreds of statues. But it's quaint and peacefully alluring as the waves gently lap against the bulkhead. A compolosury trip across the "Bridge of Long Life" is required. There on the other side Maclaren bumps into a group of ex-pat girls her age, all wearing brown vests...wouldn't you know it, we found the Girl Scouts Hong Kong Chapter out on an exploration field trip!
Taxi back to the hotel in time to see the 8pm Hong Kong Nightly light show from the windows of our hotel room; unfortunately the girls passed out for the night, so Heather and I watched it alone. Was cool, but only worth watching once. Heather is exhausted still (that was a tough plane ride yesterday plus a full day today), so she lays down for the night and gives me the nod to go explore the Temple St. Night market.
Off I go, excited to find some good local food and hopefully some art or collectibles to bring home. A firm recommedation for a great local eatery from the conceirge, and I'm off. A few minutes later, I'm enjoying a local San Miguel beer, a steaming bowl of spicy beef noodles, and a roast baby pigeon! Delicious!
The night market follows; it's an utter disappointment, filled with total junk; clothes, plastic toys, tourist crap, and nothing of interest. I'm beyond disappointed, so I walk through it again from the other direction, hoping I missed a side street or something...nope...looks like we should have gone to Stanley or bought this morning near Hollywood. Oh well! You find some treasures on some trips, you miss them on others I guess!
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