The Peak

I chose to go to The Peak because I think the Peak Tram is worth seeing, plus, I know I'll be able to take photos of the cityscape at night.

So, immediately after our stroll at the Avenue of the Stars, my son and I went back to the MTR to get to the Peak Tram terminal. From the Tsim Sha Tsui Station, we took the same Tsuen Wan Line to get to the Central Station. Since the information I got from PEX were so detailed, we went out of the Central Station through the J2 exit. From there, we turned right and cross through the Chater Garden until we reached the Garden Road. Even the landmarks that we would pass by, the Bank of China Tower and the Citibank Plaza, were all stated in PEX, so it wasn't really hard finding the Peak Tram terminal at all (lakad ka nga lang nang lakad, man!). The signages all over the streets are a lot of help too!

If walking is a bit of a problem for you, I suggest you take a cab from wherever you're coming from. The Garden Road is an uphill so aside from the tired and caloussed feet that you already have from walking all over Hong Kong, sore muscle from walking uphill will further kill you.

My son and I bought the Peak Tram Sky Pass which consists of the fare to take the Peak Tram with a return trip (which is wrong because we could have used our Octopus card for this!) and entrance fee to The Peak Tower Sky Terrace. The Peak Tram Sky Pass costs HKD 48 for adults and HKD 23 for children 3 to 11 years old and senior citizens from 65 years old and above.

Riding The Peak Tram is an experience itself. The tram's design was maintained to look like the one used in the 1800s. Aside from the tram, the ride of going uphill is great as well. Seated on a slanted position, you'll get a chance to see how the view from the window changes from concrete wall, to trees, to buildings, to cityscape. Francis, amazed at the scenery outside his window, kept firing his camera too.

A few minutes later, we reached The Peak Tower. We were ushered into this souvenir store to get into the mall. I was suppose to buy souvenir items during this time, but I thought, it was too early to buy souvenirs yet. And besides, the items might be more expensive here. But, of course, I would regret that decision later on as prices here are relatively cheaper than in other tourist spots area in Hong Kong, plus, I never got to go to any other souvenir shops after this. SIGH.

Anyway, my son and I decided to take a stroll inside the mall. We were taking our time as we were already tired from too much walking. We ate at Burger King because my son's choices of food are quite limited to fastfood stuff. We also went outside the park as Francis was so fascinated with the fountain area. That's when I realized how weird the clouds were. It seemed like they were rain clouds but the heat of the sun was so intense, I'm sure it wouldn't rain. When you look at the horizon, you couldn't see much of the Kowloon side. Is it foggy today? Or is this pure smog? UGH! Whatever it was, raindrops started falling. So, my son and I ran back to the mall.

Saddened by the idea that I might not be able to take photos of the cityscape because of the rain, we strolled more inside the mall, not really knowing where else to go. Tired from walking around, we tried to get to the Sky Terrace and check if there's an area there where we could stay out of the rain.

Syempre, there's none. It was one huge viewing deck and there's no where to run to if the rain pours down. Luckily, the rain stopped. I made a quick "location check" of the entire viewing deck. Ba't ganon? Parang ang kapal ng clouds all over. It really looked like it's gonna rain. And it's really so hard to see the Kowloon side, how the hell I'm gonna take my photos? Finally, I chose a spot in this one corner which I thought would be able to give me a good view of the city. Wanting to reserve the spot, I set up my tripod and waited... And waited... And waited... It was only 5pm then and I thought sunsets will happen around 6pm. Hindi pala. Good thing I brought Mokong's gameboy so he can while away the time as I waited for night fall.

Finally, the sun sets and the influx of tourists came as well. Hayyyy... Buti na lang, I was there early. But really, the clouds are so panget. Di bale, I was here for practice, right? So, practice shooting then! Fire!