Ewens-Downing Adventures in Asia

We had found our way to downtown and were on the way to The Peak. But our stomachs told us it was time to take a break. We started looking for someplace to have lunch. We found the Luk Yu Tea House. It turns out this place has been around a long time. And according to our Hong Kong friend Ernie, the people working there are even more ancient! The wait staff can be a bit surly. But our waiter was quite nice. He even took our picture.

After loading up on dim sum we headed off to the tram for The Peak. Near downtown there is a little station for the tram. After paying the fare everyone loads onto some fire engine red cars for the ride up the mountain side. We can tell from the other people that we’re in the right place. It’s the tourist’s first stop in Hong Kong.

The ride up was at times a very steap incline. We were standing-up in the car so we had to hold-on, all while juggling cameras and photo opportunities. The view at right is from my standing vantage point. The cars were pretty packed with people, all anxious to get to the height of Hong Kong tourist sightseeing.

Once we got to the Peak building the real trek started. We were first herded through a series of gift stores and shops. “Where’s the Peak??” we wondered. Next we found a series of escalators that took us past floor upon floor of gift shops, restaurants and attractions. But once we got to the roof, the view was worth it.

We took our photos from many different vantage points. And one fellow British tourist took a money shot of us for the blog. So we had done the Peak! Now it was time to go back down the escalator labyrinth. Oh boy! A Bubba Gump Shrimp Company! (NOT!)

We got back down the mountain and I shot off some people photos during our walk back through the city to the subway and our hotel in Kowloon.

If Hong Kong has one tourist destination it is “The Peak.” Like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, it is a tourist mecca. So of course on our first day it made for a perfect destination in Hong Kong. As usual, getting there is half the fun. We needed to first get to Hong Kong Central.

A few blocks from our hotel was the ferry terminal from Kowloon going to downtown Hong Kong island. We got on the historic Star Ferry from, what else, the historic Star Ferry Terminal. Once we got to the other side we found our way to “Hong Kong Central”, the main business district of the city. What a bee-hive of activity, people, noise and traffic. It is quite unlike anything either Ron nor I have ever experienced. Remember the street imagery from the movie “Blade Runner”? Well, the future is now and it’s on the streets of Hong Kong.

While it might sounds like a description of any large city, Hong Kong is far more highly concentrated. Add the fact that the streets are smaller, there are overhead signs everywhere and there are people EVERYWHERE. You get the picture. It was quite an amazing experience to be a part of it. At times we felt like rocks in a stream, with people flowing around us as we focussed our cameras.