Hong Kong Island – The Peak

We got onto a bus that would take us away from Lantau. This time we had no problems boarding. Before we knew it, the bus dropped us off at the MTR station and we rode the subway all the way to Hong Kong Island. On the way there, I sat next to a guy who slept throughout four stops. I looked at him and wondered: “How is he going to know when to wake up for his stop?” A few moments passed and on the fifth stop he woke up and it was exactly where he wanted to go. At least that’s what it looked like.

After following the Victoria Harbor, we finally made it to Hong Kong Island. Once we walked through halls full of many people, we made it outside to a square surrounded by buildings. When I say many people, it felt like I was in the center of time square in New York during a busy lunch hour. My cousin and I wandered for a couple minutes until we found a sign that pointed in the direction of the tram up to the peak.

Following this sign led us to another sign, which would soon end at an uphill climb for several blocks. On our way up, I was dodging people left and right; the sun kissing my cheeks and sweat running down my neck. Eventually we ended up at the tram station, which brought you to the peak, only to see a huge line. My cousin and I looked at the line dreadfully. We both laughed and decided that  we were not going to wait hours to catch the tram up.

My cousin’s friend, who lives in Hong Kong mentioned to her that if the line is too long we could either take a taxi or make a long hike up. We decided on taking a cab. We got into the taxi line and shortly found ourselves opening the cab door and jumped in. The cab driver immediately knew where we wanted to head and started driving away.

On our way up, the climb got steeper and longer. The roads were windy, but lovely trees surrounded us. I looked at my cousin and said, “you’re friend wasn’t kidding when she told you it was a long hike.” If we would have hiked up it would have literally taken us all day, we might have done the Inca trail all over again. The further up we got, the trees started to thin out enough that we caught glimpses of the city.

After a fifteen minute drive uphill, we finally made it to the peak. We walked into the shopping center and looked around. Somehow after the big buddah, we timed getting to the peak at an appropriate time to catch dinner and then watch the sun set. Starving, we decided to eat at a place that only served dim sums. I grew excited for this experince. We ordered several items such as, curried fish balls, fried pork buns, steamed chicken feet, dumplings, and tofu pudding. It was the right amount of food, where it satisfied our hunger just right.

While eating our meal, we consistently watched the clock because the sun was supposed to set at 1855. After eating our meal, we returned into the shopping center and purchased tickets to the observation deck at the Sky Terrace 428.  Excitement overcame me and I rushed up the three flights of escalators to find ourselves on the roof top. We were surrounded by many people, my cousin and I searched for a good spot. I walked towards a corner where you can see the entire skyline of Hong Kong City. We pushed our way through, but had a difficult time. In our favor, the rain started coming down and the people scattered. Behold, we had a perfect view.

Prepared my cousin and I put on our rain jackets. I gave up and let her have the umbrella. I was content with letting the rain pour on me or at least I wasn’t going to let it hinder my experience. Grey clouds over shadowed the city so we didn’t get to experience much of a sunset. However, as it started to darken, lights on buildings started coming on one by one. In the distance, I could see the light show and a cute Farris wheel that lit up a small pink heart.

With the clouds, the green valleys, Victoria Harbor, lit up buildings, and the rain, it felt like magic. I was on the top of the world and I felt in tune with the earth, with nature, with humanity, uniting several energies into one. The rain was pouring on me and I felt undefeated. I felt unstoppable.

We headed down the escalator and tried to decide what we wanted to do next. Walking through the shopping center, I smelt something sweet. I could tell it was fresh and right out of the oven. My nose led me to a little store that had some baked goods, including egg tarts. I was reading somewhere that these are a must eat while in Hong Kong, so without hesitation I ordered one.

The moment I took a bite, it fell apart. The tart dough was flaky and buttery. The saltiness complimented the semi sweet custard that it encased. What made it hit the spot was that it was still warm. With my happy stomach, I ate the egg tart in two bites and I wished that it didn’t have to end.

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