Saturday, July 17, 2010

Hong Kong Series: The Peak Tower, Madame Tussauds and Sky Terrace

Whenever I go on trips abroad, I don't like packing my itinerary full with so many places to visit in one day. Having to rush from one place to another is rather stressful and stressing yourself out while on vacation is just plain sadistic. So for our first day in Hong Kong, we only had The Peak in mind (unless you count in airport transfers, money changers, discount deals and gastronomic delights, of course!).


Noah's Ark on a pedestal. 


The Peak Tower is situated 396 meters above sea level and is one of the architectural icons of Hong Kong. Its avant-garde design is a sight to behold and its wide array of shops and restaurants gives a dose of Hong Kong's fusion culture.


We went to The Peak on a weekend so it was pretty crowded. It's kind of difficult to take pictures when everyone is walking in front of your camera while you smile. Good thing a solo traveler asked us to take a photo of her and volunteered to take ours as well.


Yeey, a couple shot! He does not know how to smile in photos, I know.


We got there pretty early so we had plenty of time to look and play around before we head up to the Sky Terrace come sunset.


100 years!


I have been to two wax museums before. I think wax sculputres made to look like real people are works of genius, but you couldn't take pictures with the figures anyway so we decided to give Madame Tussaud's a pass. We were able to take pictures with Bruce Lee at the entrance, though. He had huge underwear problems, I tell you.


Yellow lighting is the shiznit!

I had to convince the boyfriend to go to the Sky Terrace with me that night because he is afraid of heights. There is no point in visiting The Peak if you won't go to the Sky Terrace, a viewing platform that allows you see a panoramic view of Hong Kong.


The view during the day.


Tip: Do visit the Sky Terrace at night. The view is quite awesome and the ambiance rather romantic as the Hong Kong skyscrapers shine brightly in different hues against the dark night sky.


The awesome view at night.


We waited way too long for the darkness. If my memory serves me right, the sun set at around 7:45pm already, an event which has never happened in the Philippines.


We couldn't set up the tripod because it was too crowded so we couldn't take couple shots.


Aw, oilies! I wish I knew how to mattify my face using photoshop.


Tip: If you can, avoid going to The Peak during the weekends. We went there on a Sunday and there were too many people, locals and tourists alike.


The queue for the tram on the way down was feet-killing long and the stench (oh, the stench!) was el terrible. There was an Indian lady in front of us with body odor issues and I had to stay as far back as possible because I smell hell when she moves. The wind's direction did not help at all! The experience was so bad that I had to have a dose of some comfort food after. I am very oral like that, I know.


Seaweed flavored fries!


Want to go to The Peak?


From CENTRAL, take BUS 15C  from Star Ferry Central to the lower Peak Tram Terminus. Do not take BUS 15B as this will take you directly to The Peak and you will miss experiencing the tram ride. Taking the bus to The Peak is less expensive, but the travel time is longer and less enjoyable.


From ADMIRALTY, take BUS 12A (near Lippo Centre) then get off near HK Squash Centre (HK Park Cotton Tree Drive). Walk towards HK Squash Center then cross the street towards the lower Peak Tram Terminus.


Alternative: Take the MTR to TST. Ride Star Ferry to Central then ride bus 15C to lower Peak Tram Terminus.


Enjoy The Peak!


Hong Kong. Live it. Love it!

4 comments:

  1. meedge, looks like you had so much fun! let's go somewhere too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm thinking sg or bkk. What do you think? Hehe.

    ReplyDelete
  3. wee ,nice couple HK trip. sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  4. chyng, you had an awesome backpacking trip to SEA yourself! do share your IT with me!

    ReplyDelete

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