I will start off today’s post by finishing up last night and early this morning.
After many long hours of travel, we are here in Hong Kong (still on the plane). We landed at 11:00 pm Hong Kong time (11:00 am Texas duh Time).
Headed to the Airport Express.
On the express train to Hong Kong
After getting through customs and gathering our luggage, we headed to the Airport Express to make our way to our lodging, the Garden View Hong Kong. conveniently located just a few minutes walk from Central Station, but half an hour from the airport. It is just steps away from Hong Kong's Central District with stunning views of the city.
View from our room after getting checked in at 1:00 am. We are on the 19th floor to give you some perspective on the height of the buildings.
Since we were so late getting to the hotel the room we had booked was gone so we were upgraded to a two room suite with a kitchenette. Nice.
I’ll be honest. Hong Kong never particularly appealed to me as a place to visit. (Meh! It’s a big city.) But I’ve always found it curious that everybody I have ever heard talk about it, who has been here, absolutely loves it. It was 2 am when we hit the bed and we are up early to begin our day. Juniper has already told me that sleep is something we can do at home, however, she slept well on both planes and also when she lay down on that hard as a rock bed in the wee hours.
If you're like me, you may not know much about the geography of Hong Kong so I'm including a map and a little info. It is a Special Administrative Region (SAR). There are three main parts — Hong Kong Island, Kowloon (on the southern tip of the mainland New Territories peninsula), and the New Territories (a mainland area north of Kowloon extending to the Shenzhen border of mainland China), as well as around 260 islands.
There are plenty of things to like about Hong Kong, like the efficient transportation system, well-priced high-quality food, and rampant shopping opportunities. It's also, surprisingly, very clean.
Looking down from our window this morning.
This is our hotel.
And we’re on the 19th of 20 floors, so waayyy up there at the top.
Our day began with a short walk to the station to catch the No. 15 double-decker bus to Victoria Peak—also known simply as ‘The Peak’.
Getting ready for Christmas.
We stopped at a little kiosk to admire the cakes and bought a bun to share on the bus.
These photos are taken from the bus, so not very good and bad reflections. Huge cemetery in the center of town.
Don’t know how in the world this building, sitting on that hill, can stand.
The Peak bus winds through the lush Mid-Levels, giving us a totally
different perspective of Hong Kong. Think towering skyscrapers, steep streets, and glimpses of jungle-like greenery.
It’s a fantastic ride and much less hassle than waiting in line for the tram. We went in the morning and it was pretty socked in when we got there so the views were limited, but I’ve heard sunset is also absolutely magical. The view from the top—above the skyscrapers, overlooking Victoria Harbor, with Kowloon in the distance—is the most iconic image of Hong Kong. Seeing it in person is pretty special, even with the clouds and mist.
We stopped in a 7-Eleven
And finally found a place for Juniper to get coffee. She’s been up for over three hours and hasn’t had any coffee yet this morning. We also shared an egg tart. Very delicious!
The literal high point of Victoria Peak is the Sky Terrace 428 (named after its height in meters above sea level), located on top of the Peak Tower. From here, we had a 360-degree panoramic view of Hong Kong. There are some nice walking paths and cafés nearby as well. Once we had taken in the view, and checked out all the things to do at The Peak, we took the Historic Peak Tram down into Central. I neglected to get a photo of the Peak Tram.
On the tram
The tree roots here are spectacular!
The first Peak Tram commenced service on 30 May 1888 (first cable funicular of Asia) and has undergone various phases of modernization from coal-fired steam boilers in its earliest days to today’s super-efficient electronic control system. The 6th generation Peak Tram has been painted in a bespoke “Peak Tram Green”, in a nod to its heritage and earlier 3rd and 4th generation tramcars, which were in service from 1948-1959 and 1959-1989 respectively. The ride down is even steeper than you expect, and it was a fun way to cap off our visit and an unforgettable experience. One of the world's oldest and most famous funicular railways, the tram rises to 396 meters (about 1,300 feet) above sea level. It is so steep that the buildings we passed looked like they were leaning, a gradient of between 4 and 25.7 degrees!
Dim sum is a traditional Chinese cuisine featuring a variety of small, shareable dishes, such as dumplings, steamed buns, and pastries, traditionally served with tea in a social setting. The name translates to "touch the heart," reflecting the idea that the small, handcrafted dishes are meant to be a delightful and comforting experience. It reminds me of Fika (fee'-ka) in Sweden.
I do have a love of Asian food in general, and Hong Kong is a foodie heaven. Obviously Chinese dishes like BBQ meats and dim sum are ubiquitous, but so too are other Asian cuisines such as Japanese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Thai.
The produce stands were magnificent.
And, I’m delighted to report that eating out in Hong Kong doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, because housing in Hong Kong is so restrictive (crammed into small spaces), eating out is actually a necessity for many. Which means, if you know where to eat (Juniper researched food stops), you can get a proper meal for $30-50 Hong Kong Dollars ($4-6 USD), quite a change from the $15-$20 per meal I've experienced while hiking in the UK.
Next to a shiny new skyscraper sits an old dilapidated apartment building. Sitting underneath lofty buildings is an ancient looking temple. The contrast of old and new is rampant in Hong Kong; although apparently some places that look old (like the dilapidated buildings) aren’t particularly ancient; apparently Hong Kong’s characteristic humidity does a great job of wearing and tearing.
Feng Shui is a very important concept in Hong Kong (and to a larger extent, China); so important that whenever a building is being designed, a Feng Shui consultant must analyze the architect’s plans.
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Then if you turn your attention to the Bank of China (which houses the stock exchange), you might surmise it is very feng shui’d up, given how pretty and shiny it is. It isn’t. The designer (the same fella who designed the Louvre in Paris) refused to use a feng shui consultant, and as a result all kinds of things are wrong with the place. This is serious stuff; apparently the very same week this building opened, the stock market crashed.
It gets better. The HSBC building is not only next to the Bank of China, but it’s sandwiched between competitors with the Standard Bank on the other side. So HSBC’s final stroke of brilliance, in the face of being surrounded by competitors (with some bad feng shui juju no less)….was to build some maintenance cranes on top of the building. But these maintenance cranes don’t look like any such cranes anywhere else. They look like cannons. Two sets of cannons, pointing directly at the buildings on either side.
I found this story absolutely hilarious. I mean – can you imagine! What a fabulous sense of humour – a big serious bank constructing cannons pointing at neighbouring competitors! What’s even more funny to me, is that it was probably done 100% stoically and seriously, in the name of feng shui.
We rode the longest outdoor covered Central Mid-Level Escalator, which opened in 1993. It runs for over 800m and rises over 135m in elevation, from Queen’s Road Central up to Conduit Road. It was built to ease traffic congestion in the residential Mid-levels district, and comprises 20 escalators and three inclined moving walkways. It is not only residents who utilize it – it has become a popular tourist attraction as it takes visitors through a historical district and up to the Soho dining and nightlife hub. The escalator background is also being used in many Hong Kong movies and promotional clips. Only problem is, no one told us that it only goes up. The only way to get down is stairs. And wow did we do stairs today, both up and down.
The site comprises 16 heritage buildings – all magnificent works of architecture. Today, there are design stores, cozy cafes, art and culture. There is so much history here that it would take pages to share it all. The historical realities of racial discrimination, and corporal and capital punishment in Victoria prison are set against the redemptive theme of reformation. Inmates drawings, together with music, express spiritual freedom during imprisonment.
Most people wouldn’t think of Hong Kong as a hiking destination. I didn’t; instead of hiking boots, I packed city slickers and hit the concrete jungles. What a shame! Of Hong Kong’s 1,100 square kilometres, 75% of it is countryside, much of it completely undeveloped. 40% of Hong Kong is designated park/nature reserve. A 10-minute taxi ride from just about anywhere in the city will take you to some sort of hiking trail. If we had more time, I would love to explore some of those trails. I read that Hong Kong is “a megalopolis dropped incongruously into a spectacular national park”.
When you hear the name Monster Building, you probably don’t imagine a beautiful, photogenic spot. And beautiful is definitely not the word I would use to describe this massive complex of five interconnected apartment blocks. But photogenic? Absolutely.
This iconic residential complex in Quarry Bay symbolizes Hong Kong’s extreme urban density. Look up from the courtyard, and you’ll be surrounded by thousands of apartments. All those windows and air conditioners, it’s never-ending. It’s a place where people live, so there’s not much to do, but it certainly leaves an impression.
An old fire hydrant and
An active fire truck.
Apparently Juniper spent the day taking pictures of my backside.
She said she was well acquainted with it as that was pretty much what she saw all day. I think I wore her out.
I'll close with another page from my "Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus" Advent study. This was very quickly painted from a sunrise photo I took when Jo Anne and I were in Connecticut last month.
Yearning, Yielding, You, Oh God
The first line of the song "Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus" is an invitation to express our longings. As a loving Father, God desires to hear the longings of our hearts. So often, we feel guilty for our desires, and instead of bringing them to the Lord, we hide them. But God wants us to bring our true, unfiltered selves before Him. We don't need to hide our deepest desires; we need to bring them to Jesus. Whether we realize it or not, our deepest longing is for more of Christ.
During this busy season, we can be so distracted by shopping, baking, and endless activities that we push that longing aside. This Advent, let's make space to truly feel the desires in our hearts. Let's bring them to Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to align our hearts with His, stirring up a deeper ache for Christ.
"My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you." Isaiah 26:9
Way too many stairs! I think I would have enjoyed that dim sum. Looked and sounded delish. The market looked fun. Not too crowded 🤪 Love, J
ReplyDeleteWhat a day! Did all that hard surface walking fatigue you? I admit I have never done research on Hong Kong; it’s much more interesting than I would have imagined. I am amazed at all the nature trails so near. I so love the Advent devotional; thank you for including it in your writing❤️.
ReplyDeleteBing Kong is definitely not what I was thinking. . Juniper did good taking photos. Again the Advent devotionals are amazing. Vicki
ReplyDeleteThe tree roots are very interesting. Sooooo many stairs! - CJ
ReplyDelete