HK Part I - Victoria Peak / SoHo / Mid-Levels
The first morning in Hong Kong we woke up late and headed out to go to Victoria Peak. The peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island, and sitting on the high shoulder of it is a complex known as "The Peak Galleria & Observation Platform". What it amounts to is the upper station for the Victoria Peak funicular, a big viewing platform, and two shopping malls.
"Hong Kong is so crazy, you go up the mountain in the train, and on top, what do you find? More shopping." We wandered out of the hotel and took a taxi over to the train station, which was located not far from the hotel. The first taxi ride of the day set the standard for the rest of the trip: the first taxi had no interest in taking such a short fare so he said no and drove away. This would prove to be a continuing issue for us on the rest of the trip. |
The view from Victoria Peak is pretty incredible, and it's clear to see why it is one of the most famous viewpoints anywhere in the world. directly below is the very heart of Hong Kong, the forest of towers that make up neighborhoods such Central, Wan Chai, and Happy Valley on the north side of Hong Kong Island. Across Victoria Harbor, Kowloon and Tsim Sha Tsui rose with their towers as well, and in all directions the city stretched, occupying any small bit of developable land. We had picked a super clear day to come to the viewpoint, and we could see all the way across the New Territories to the mountains of China beyond. Everywhere large ships were moving in and around, and long haul jets cruised overhead every 90 seconds. Standing on Victoria Peak will make you show just how insanely connected the city is.
The views to the west (L) and the east (R). In both pictures note two things: 1, the huge vertical distance and tiny horizontal distance between the towers and us; and 2, how thick and untouched that jungle is on the mountains. HK, fascinating!
We hung out for about ten to fifteen minutes on top. Kelsey rented herself a little soundpack with headphones that had a bunch of info about the city on it. I had researched a bit ahead of time so she just filled me in on the bits I hadn't heard yet. We kept bumping into a friendly Indian couple that was from India but had spent a long time in the US and was transiting back to India for a visit, who were checking out HK with their young son. I ended up taking a bunch of pictures for them and chatting for a little while, they were really nice folks. Then we spent some time wandering around the shopping malls located on the top of the peak, and finally went for a nice stroll on one of the many walking paths that crisscross Hong Kong and it's islands.
Once we hit city level again, we hopped in another cab and ended up in an area known as SoHo. The area is also known as the Central Mid Levels, and it's the site of several large public escalators that are part of the public transport system and get people from the offices in Central down up to their homes in the towers above. The narrow streets around these escalators are home to numerous shops and restaurants, especially ones marketed towards foreigners. We ate some good Mexican food and then wandered around. Kelsey found a couple of organic shops pretty quick off and was soon lost, so I went outside and sat on the stoop for a while and just watched the flow of people passing through the neighborhood. Such a mix of people and cultures. Before too long Kelsey was finished and we soon had a nice bag of stuff with us. Then we happened to stumble upon a nice book store and ended up with a couple new books as well!
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Whence our time in SoHo was completed, we set about trying to get back to our hotel. We were kind of in the one of those weird zones, where the nearest MTR stations were equidistant apart, and it's too far to walk but too short for a taxi. What to do? Well, we figured we would just take a taxi and be lazy and be done. However, because we chose to do that, of course, we couldn't find a taxi for the next fifteen minutes, and by the time we had walked several blocks looking for one we just realized we were close enough to the hotel to just walk back. So, we turned it into a nice stroll and ended up going right past the Bank of China Tower, one of Hong Kong's most iconic towers. Designed by world-famous architect I.M. Pei, the tower was finished in 1990, and has become so iconic because it was one of the first of the new supertalls to rise in the city. It sure was a sight to pass beneath.
A far away shot, and then a close up, of the BoC Tower.
All photos copyright Kit Davidson.