Lots to do today! No breakfast because saving it up for dim sum lunch. We head out and walk to the waterfront; walk past the star walk (only knew Jackie Chan and Lee Wo Fat), and over to buy tickets for the 12 minute ride on the Star Ferry over from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island.
After disembarking, we walk to the sign for the shuttle bus up to the lower tram station. Once there, we wait in line for our turn to board the tram. Conceived in 1881 by the enterprising Scotsman Alexander Findlay Smith, Asia’s first funicular railway enabled more of Victoria Peak to be developed and settled by the area’s wealthy residents. The ride up was incredibly steep and hard to believe we weren’t going to slip back any one of the times the tram made a stop before finally braking at the top. We got out and “entered through the gift shop” and took about 6 escalators to the viewing terrace. If you can believe it (and I can now, after visiting Hong Kong), there’s a shopping mall up here at the top, along with several restaurants. The view is amazing – and I’d love to know how tall a couple of the modern structures are – but still very hazy. A shot through the window on our way down:
and the tracks as we descend:
how fun!
We walk according to our map to an old, traditional tea house that we read about and climb the steps to the crazy interior, and are led to 2 of 8 seats at a crowded table in a very noisy room. We are actually the only westerners in here for a while. It’s crazy busy and whenever a woman rolls out of the kitchen with a full cart, she is surrounded by hungry diners who run up with their cards to be stamped and impatiently wait for their turn to tell her which of the steaming containers they want:
your truly:
Chicken feet, turnip cakes, shrimp dumplings, bean curd wrappers on chopped chicken with cabbage, on and on until we were beyond sated. Oh, and a few other westerners by now. We paid and hit the streets once again. We headed to the IFC mall, and I have to tell you, there are really and truly no bargains anywhere. In fact, I checked a few things for which I knew the US prices, and they were actually MORE expensive than at home. But it is truly mind-boggling the number of huge shopping malls, the full spectrum of designer shops in one place, and the number of people shopping everywhere. The other alternative were street markets – the ladies market, electronics, antiques, etc, etc, ripe for tireless pros who have the patience and eyes for picking through piles and stacks for hidden treasure.
That’s a glimpse for you of what all the streets look like. Crazy busy, steamy hot, hawkers calling and smells wafting from all sides.
Back onto the MTR (subway):
and we track down the Rio Pearl on Mody road, recommended by the hotel as a place to find good pearls. Upstairs and buzzed in, I delight in studying all the displays and pointing to this and that to try on. I settle on a pair of fresh water pearls (it’s all so confusing to me) and we head back to the hotel to rest our aching feet before the evening begins.
Blog, lazy time, and before I know it, it’s shower and ironing time, then we hop on the hotel free shuttle, which stops right in front of the One Peking building, which houses the 1-star Michelin restaurant on it’s 28th floor. The decor is almost as incredible as the full glass view of the Hong Kong skyline: it’s done like an old Hutong house and courtyard. We order the restaurant’s specials, but agree the food is not as good as other we have had; but the view of the 8 pm 13-minute lightshow is so fun.
We head up to the 30th floor to Aqua, a hip bar with a bit higher view, and enjoy some unusual cocktails and DJ music. We get the scoop on where to dance from a waiter, but the rains are coming down, so we decide to find something a bit closer by: Ned elly’s Pub, where there’s a great 6-piece jazz band playing – including Leo, a young man from Singapore who’s playing an orange PLASTIC trombone. Pretty cool. Everyone has a great sense of humor and the band members are cracking jokes with each other. Lance and I try to decide if it’s weirder to see Asians or Norwegians playing jazz.
By the time the set is done, it’s about 1, and wee can’t figure out a way to get over or back from the dance area, since it would be necessary to take a ferry or subway and both are closed for the evening. Oh well, the bit of dancing at the past two clubs will have to do! We walk slowly home and Lance packs up for his early morning departure.