Day 3 - Hong Kong - Up to The Peak

W: Another big Y breakfast. Tried Congee - salty, can't say I'm a fan. Took the Star Ferry to Wan Chai then walked a mile on to Causeway Bay, it was long but interesting and through an area selling nothing but bathroom fittings. Noticed lots of stone lions, one with paw on ball, another with stone on... a creature?

Bit of info since found: in Chinese tradition the male stone lion has his paw on a ball and the female has her paw on a lion cub.

From Causeway Bay took the MTR to Quarry Bay to make my work appointment at Turner. Tony had a look around Taikoo Place. Weird being in a ritzy multi-story building overlooking decrepit blocks of flats.

T: Too early again at Taikoo Place, everything shut except Pacific Coffee Co. Had a coffee overlooking a huge but empty ice skating rink then walked back past newish highrise blocks of flats all named after trees, Pine House, Willow House, etc. Seems like a very comfortable middle class area. Waited for Wayne on the huge leather couch in glitzy foyer of the ritzy office block, next to two old grandmas who seem to be killing time before things open. They totter off just before Wayne appears, then we head off back to Causeway Bay.

W: Found our way from the MTR station to Times Square shopping mall. Took a scary glass elevator up to the top floor then worked our way down and found great cheap clothes at Bossini, more DVDs (Pang Bros. and two HK 60s campy ones) a CD by Every Little Thing, and a food court (!) with lots of vegie options (!!). Had Japanese curry from crazy "Oriental" store - we'll look for those in Japan. Smaller Log-on store, found good cards and a desk calendar. MTR to Central then took the tram up to The Peak.

T: The views up to The Peak are amazing back over the harbour towards Kowloon, and past highrise towers, some encased in bamboo scaffolding. Amazing to think most of the highrises are still built by workers stringing together bamboo poles. They look so flimsy but are actually incredibly strong.

At the top we walk along the paths taking in the view, it's a perfect sunny autumn day. We consider an aduki bean ice cream but prices up here are as high as the altitude - and we're cheap - so we pass. The guidebook says there's a one hour walk around the top of the peak which we wander along for a while, but decide to turn back after 20 minutes or so. Will do the full walk next time...

Signs everywhere exhorting you to take care, beware of mudslides... just like on the MTR, with endless announcements (in Cantonese, Mandarin and English) about not sitting on the floor, or looking after the elderly and small children.

Back to the tram station and the amazing views again as we head back down to Central then the Star Ferry back to Kowloon. We head back exhausted to the Y for a rest.

W: In the evening we take the Star Ferry to Wan Chai and walked (more cleverly than the route we walked earlier in the day) to Times Square for dinner. Great and not bewildering like the previous night. Found fantastic cheap jumpers at Giordano (much better than the Australian version), served by Queenie and Mabel, HK gals have such great names. Then walked around taking in the buzz. Saw a Pastel Vespa CD at Log-on.

Found a leaflet which we misinterpreted to mean another Log-on store at the IFC Centre (the huge skyscraper on the foreshore that we see from the Y dining room at breakfast) so headed there on the MTR. Helpful girl points out that it's actually a City Super (funky grocery store chain) instead so we just wander around. The City Super store is amazing and totally worth the visit. We also found a Zara store, excellent clothes and good prices... next time.

Star Ferry back to Kowloon and start packing because tomorrow we leave for Japan. Tony went out to take some photos of the lights.

Next > Day 4 - Leaving Hong Kong