The only major disappointment about my 2008 trip to Hong Kong was that the day we spent in Central was rainy and miserable. When we got to the top of Victoria’s Peak, it was so foggy that we couldn’t see a thing. One of my goals for this trip was to make it to the top of the Peak on a nice day, so Wednesday morning I caught the bus to Central. Public transportation in Hong Kong is very user-friendly. Robin helped me out in selecting the best bus routes to take and the stops at which to get off, but for the most part, I was on my own. Most of the MTR stations are massive. Many are larger than Penn Station in New York. When you get off the train, there is a map showing you each major tourist attraction near that stop as well as the exit number to use get above ground closest to it. Once you are at street level, there are signs directing you to your destination.
The easiest way to get to the Peak Tram from Stanley is to walk through Hong Kong Park. On my walk through the park, I stopped at some of the sights I had missed on my first trip, namely the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware and the Hong Kong Visual Arts Center.
The tea ware museum is located in the Flagstaff House, which was constructed between 1844 and 1846 and served as the office and residence of the Commander of the British Forces in Hong Kong until 1978. The museum is dedicated to the collection, study, and display of tea ware and contains vessels dating back to the 11th century BC.
The museum had a special exhibition, 2010 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters. I would venture to guess that there were over 100 tea sets selected for inclusion in the exhibit. I found the artists solutions for dealing with the tea pot form to be very inspirational. Some artists took a very traditional approach while others were rather abstract and innovative. However, from what I read in the exhibit notes, it appears that function is more important in eastern tea pot design than creativity. I picked up one brochure that talked in great detail about the proper relationship of the different parts of the tea pot (spout, handle, lid…) to one another. The judge’s comments were quite harsh - “Very few pieces succeeded in making a balance between beauty with the judging principle of ‘functionality and ergonomics’. I hope future participants of this competition would pay more attention to the correlation between tea ware and the user and spare some thoughts to coordinate creativity, design and functional requirements.”
I couldn’t have picked a more perfect day for going to the top of the Peak. Victoria’s Peak is 1811 feet above sea level. Peak tram service to the summit commenced on May 30, 1888. Prior to that, affluent individuals were carried to the top in sedan chairs. This time, when I went up to the sky terrace, I could actually see Victoria Harbor and the sky scrapers of Central rather than just looking at the signs indicating what I should be seeing.
Hong Kong Trail circles around the top of the Peak. I took a leisurely stroll taking time to admire the views of Pok Fu Lam Reservoir and the outlying islands. There are interpretive signs along the trail, providing information about the various flora and fauna to passersby. I found the Indian Rubber Tree fascinating. Its roots actually grow out of its limbs all the way to the ground.
I still had plenty of time before I needed to head to the ferry terminal to meet Robin, so I decided to start on one of the self-guided walking tours of Central put together by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. But before I started the tour, I stopped at one of the infinite number of bakeries to pick up pineapple buns to hold us over until dinner. The bakeries in Hong Kong are out of this world, filled with all sorts of sweet and savory treats. Many of the selections are like a filled roll. Everything is always fresh. Not quite sure how they manage to pull that one off. The bakeries became a staple for my lunch for the remained of the trip.
The walk started at the Western Market, an Edwardian-style building constructed in 1906 which originally housed the waterfront Harbour Office. From there I walked down Wing Lok Street lined with specialty shops selling ginseng and birds’ nests - both of which are believed to be essential for longevity, energy, and fair complexion - to Des Voeux Road West, which was lined with store after store selling various varieties of exotic dried seafood. I didn’t know that many of the species even existed in the ocean, and for those that I did recognize, I had no clue that you could dry them and eat them later.
The tour continued on to Ko Shing Street, the wholesale center of Hong Kong’s thriving herbal medicine trade. The stores on Ko Shing Street were similar to those on Des Voeux Road - endless baskets overflowing with dried goods. This time, I saw baskets of dried bats, turtle shells, mushrooms, and countless things I couldn’t identify. I think I’ll stick to Western medicine.
The mid portion of the walk took me down Hollywood Road and Lascar Road (Cat Street), which make up the heart of Hong Kong’s antiques district. Robin had taken us down these streets on my last visit, and it was getting close to the time I was supposed to meet her, so I made my way over to the ferry terminal.
Robin and I caught the ferry to Lamma Island, the third largest island in Hong Kong. Lamma is quite a contrast to the hectic city pace of Central. There are no vehicles allowed on the island and none of the buildings are taller than three stories. We hiked from the northern village of Yung Shue Wan (Banyan Tree Bay) to the eastern village of Sok Kwu Wan. The villages are small with local shops and restaurants. There are dozens of fishing boats anchored in the waters near each.
The hike between the two villages took us over some low-lying mountains. The ascent was very gradual and made for a nice walk. The views of the shipping lanes of the South China Sea and the neighboring islands of Cheung Chau and Lantau - as well as Lamma’s own beaches - were spectacular. In Sok Kwu Wan, we caught another ferry to Aberdeen back on Hong Kong Island.
Robin suggested that while we were in Aberdeen we should have dinner at Jumbo Floating Restaurant, which is moored in Aberdeen Harbor. Jumbo has a small boat at the ferry pier to shuttle guests to the restaurant, which, of course, specializes in seafood dishes. We were seated at a window from which we could see the many boats docked in the harbor as well as the bright lights of Aberdeen.
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