Sunday, June 18, 2023

Hong Kong Journal ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Day 6

Sunday 18.6.23 We had breakfast way up the hill in Staunton St at Barista. Big thunderstorm this morning. Marcus, Michael and I took the Mid Levels escalator to the top.
 
(Elf stayed in the aircon at Marcus's). We rubbernecked at the pistachio-coloured mosque. 

Then walked through tall apartment blocks with security and parking at the base. Bamboo scaffolding, incredibly high. Some wonderful 19/ early 20th C buildings on the way down; very expressive shapes.
 

Back to Marcus's, with a plan to walk to the Peak Tram. Torrential rain, I didn't have my umbrella but needed to go down to get my shoes. Had to use my sandals sparingly, tended to blister. I was near saturated when i found the umbrella in my backpack.

The tram goes up at about 25° angle,  v steep. You lean back on the ride up and again on the ride down which goes backwards.  The storm passed and our views were very fine. Remarkably tall buildings are constructed a long way up the slope.


Interesting 20s/30s buildings up at the top of the tram line by the modern lookout. 


The actual peak is some way further up. It's not like the pinnacle of Kunanyi – there are two shopping malls. 
The tram delivers you into a souvenir shop and 80% of people just go straight for the junk. It's hard to find your way out to the outdoors. There are no signs on purpose I guess. The lookout is 3 or 4 levels and we went down and up escalators for some time looking for the exit.



Once out there we walked about 40 mins return on a level path. Lovely waterfall above and below the path, and a view over to the west in the Kennedy Town direction.



We had lunch at Hungry Jacks and I had an ice cold pint. I'm drinking beer at most opportunities because I'm always hot and feeling like I've earned one.

Re-boarding to descend, some people were very pushy. I think there is a good side of the tram to be on, and they were determined to sew it up.


We walked back around to Central past the Ministry of the Interior, the Foreign Correspondents Club and the spooky former hospital. At 4pm we left Marcus to prep for work tomorrow. 

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