Day3 - Hong Kong

Day3 – Today the subway! It is always an adventure going underground and getting on a train that you only have a vague idea of where it goes….assuming of course you are on the right one… So you ask a lot of questions and make sure to read the signs carefully, and voila! there you are on the other side of the bay at the ‘Central’ station on Hong Kong Island – what you don’t know just yet is that Central is oh so much bigger than you would imagine . This is the end of the line for the subway and you need to get to the other side of the island (city) ‘cause you are off to the famed Stanley Market on the south side of Hong Kong…so you ask more questions to find out the bus you need ad where it is…luckily it is also at ‘Central’…only down the tunnel, under the street , follow the next couple of tunnels, up the escalators, through the mall, over the bridge and down. Oops, no buses…maybe around the corner - keep going – yup, there is a really big place for buses…nope, not these ones! Ooooh, look! There goes our bus down the road – lets follow it! Ok, now we’ve gone around the block – ah! there is another really big place for buses –, and there is the one we need-#6. …Central as it turns out, covers about a 3 block radius both above and below ground and serves 3 or 4 separate subway lines, has 9 ferry terminals and this bus station – bloody huge!

Well, now we are on the bus, winding through the streets of old Hong Kong – not so different from Kowloon, but the streets seem less straight and now we are going uphill.. let me rephrase that – up mountain! These hills are so steep that the school parking is on the roof (of a 5 story building –no ramp required) – you can stand at the side of the road and look someone in the apartment building in the eye – on the eighth floor! Anyway, this bus trip is defiantely worth the fare, both for the scenery and as a bonus it doubles as the Harry Potter double-decker Night Bus amusement park ride! Stanley Market itself is nice – defiantely the tourist market – but some very good prices non-the-less, and it is in a small quiet sea side community that is refreshingly nonmetropolitan. An hour – maybe two and we are done and back on the #6 to find the #15 off to Victoria peak (The Peak). Another bus ride defiantly worth the fare! At the peak you look down on the bay with the Hong Kong shore in front of you, the Kowloon shore opposite and the hills of the New Territories rising behind. Can you see anything? …yes …and no… the sheer number of sky scraper buildings is mind boggling… and they tend to get in the way of viewing… but at the same time, the view is amazing. Should you ever find yourself here, try the Peak Lookout restaurant – perhaps not as flash as the others, but defiantely more elegant, and absolutely superb meals and at very reasonable prices.

And now back on the bus – bonus – it’s now dark, and the double-decker ‘Night Bus’ ride couldn’t be better – back to Central, but do pay attention, and remember how big Central really is and don’t just get on the ferry right next to where the bus drops you off thinking it is just a 5 minute ride across to Kowloon. No…., no, in retrospect, time would probably have been better served reading the signs instead of running for the ferry that was leaving in 3 minutes…. …..hmmmm, so where is Cheung Cheu anyway? Ok, so now you are on a ferry, in the dark, going somewhere you have no idea…and Kowloon is slowly disappearing astern.…A ferry is a bad choice to make a mistake with - you can’t just get off at the next station…I wonder how long it takes to get there….do you suppose there is a return ferry?

So, as so often happens, the best things are found by accident. Cheung Cheu is totally off the beaten path, has a lovely little seaside esplanade with shops and eateries, and if you’re wondering, is about a 55 minute ferry ride…and the last ferry is at 11:30….

Pictures - Stanley Market, Repulse Bay, Hong Kong from Victoria Peak, Hong Kong skyline from the ferry