Victoria Peak

On our first Saturday in Hong Kong, we decided to go to Victoria Peak. To get there you take the Peak Tram which is a funicular railroad that goes pretty much straight up the mountain. The ride is about 8 minutes long and quite steep.

When you look out the window, the buildings going by are on quite an odd angle. This photo was taken with the camera held level. The views on the way up are quite spectacular. The higher you get, the more of the city you see below. When you are in the middle of it, you really have no idea how close and massive the city really is.

Once at the top there is an observation deck that gives views of both sides of the island. One side is so full of life and the other is so peaceful. The haze made it difficult to see many of the outer islands.


Once at the Peak there is lots to do. The area by the tram station houses a mall and about 15 restaurants. There are walking and jogging paths and just like Central Park in NYC, lots of street vendors. We actually bought a painting from one.

There is a beautiful archway which leads to a scenic lookout. We enjoyed the views and the architecture of the area itself.

One old man brought up his rickshaw for photos and a short spin in a circle. I was so worried about him lifting and running, but he survived just fine. He was quite delightful with the nicest smile. 

Along the path there is beautiful vegetation and more stunning views. We wandered for a while then went to have some lunch. Ken is turning into quite the culinary adventurer. I am very impressed with what he has been willing to try. At the peak we went to Bubba Gump and even there he tried things he never has before. The other day he even ate a bowl of mushroom soup. For those who know him well, this could become a national holiday.

From the observation deck you feel you are on top of Hong Kong. We were even able to find our apartment building from up there. I knew there was this beautiful blue glass building somewhere near us, but it wasn't until getting this view that I realized it is the building I see out the window each day. In my defense, the lower portion is covered with bamboo scaffolding and netting so it looks quite different from our view. 


What was quite a surprise was finding the number of residences at the Peak. Many people live there and commute down each day. The air is a bit cooler and clearer and I can see why it would be a great area to live. The remainder of the day we walked around back down in Central with a much better perspective of our adopted home.