After spending an interesting time at the temple, we left for the next item on our itinerary - Victoria Peak (also known as The Peak) in Hong Kong Island. To reach this famous tourist destination, we decided to take the MTR from Wong Tai Sin Station to Central Station.
Once we alighted from the Central MTR Station, we walked all the way to The Peak Tram Terminus. Yes, we could not wait to sit the tram up to The Peak! I expected it to be something like going up Penang Hill, only much better.
You can also reach The Peak Tram Terminus by sitting the special open-top sightseeing shuttle bus from the Central Station (near Star Ferry Pier 8). But since the weather was so pleasant that morning, we decided to just walk. I will try the bus next round!
As we walked, we passed by some famous skyscrapers. That's the famous Bank Of China Tower on the left and the Cheung Kong Center on the right.
Can you see that the exterior of the Bank Of China Tower resembles bamboo shoot? Perhaps it is a feature to enhance the feng shui of this building, which is currently the fourth tallest in Hong Kong.
The Cheung Kong Center was interestingly, designed by Cesar Pelli, the same person who designed Malaysia's iconic Petronas Twin Towers. If you are lucky, you might just catch billionaire Li Ka-shing here as his office is located on the top floor of this building!
As we were about to cross the road, a double decker bus passed by so I quickly snapped a picture.
We were right in front of the Cheung Kong Center building. A little further up is the famous HSBC Tower which is one of the most expensive buildings in the world built at the cost of US$668 million.
We walked up the walkway to cross to the other side of the road, known as the Garden Road. The Peak Tram Terminus is located somewhere further up this road.
A snapshot of Citibank Tower (left) and Murray Building (right) from the walkway.
The Garden Road separates Cheung Kong Center (left) and Bank Of China Tower (right).
Passed by St. John's Cathedral on the right. Would be nice to visit this Cathedral.
The sign showed clearly that we were heading at the right direction.
Could not resist taking a shot of the unique-looking HSBC Tower from here.
As we walked further up Garden Road, I saw a nice looking building ahead. It's known as the St. John's Building.
If not mistaken, the Peak Tram Terminus is located in the St John's Building, although I was not aware of it at that time. I hope to see this building up close from the front if I ever visit this place next time!
Soon, we were at The Peak Tram Terminus.
We had already bought the tickets to The Peak from our hotel agent on the first day in Hong Kong. These tickets were inclusive of the tram tickets, which was really great because we did not have to queue to buy the tickets at the Terminus.
I took a snapshot of the railway track.
We did not have to wait long before the tram arrived.
Amazingly, this Peak Tram which runs on a double reversible funicular system, has more than 120 years of history. Started way back in 1888, the tram underwent 5 generations of modernization to reach the present time. There was a Historical Gallery at the Terminus but we did not have the time to visit it.
Sitting inside the Tram was an experience not to be missed! As the ride was very steep, the buildings outside looked almost as if they were slanting. At one point, I swear the buildings were slanting at 45 degrees angle at least! It was kind of weird feeling, but fun!
Once we were higher up, we could see all those buildings below like tiny little toys! That view alone is worth the ride. But I made a mistake - I should have sat on the right side of the tram to catch the panoramic view of the city! Lesson learned.
The ride took about 5 minutes, covering a distance of about 1.4 kilometers.
After alighting from the Tram, we were eager to discover what The Peak has in store for us!
Don't miss my next post to find out what we did at The Peak. Just a little hint though : I met up with superstar Michelle Yeoh! : )
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