HONG KONG TRIP 2009 - DAY 2

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2nd Day. Woke up early. Did not sleep well. Turned on the TV. The news was on. I did not understand half of what the guy was saying (in Cantonese). I finally dragged myself to the toilet to wash up and begin my day. Left the room at 10am and headed to THE PEAK.

The hotel actually had free transport to many tourist places but I decided to do it as the locals would, to get a feel of how they go about their daily lives. So I picked public transport to commute. Also the hotel gave some food discount vouchers. I did not use any because I wanted to eat what the regular Joe on the streets ate as well. I am pretty sure they did not have a western breakfast buffet everyday.
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Along the way to the MTR (Hong Kong's train system), I saw a stark contrast between the rich and the poor. The poor who obviously had to take public transport pays a reasonable price for the service and the rich who can afford cars had to pay astronomical prices for parking. HKD$20 per hour for parking. That's about SGD$4 per hour.

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This was what I ate for breakfast on the 2nd day in Hong Kong. Glutinous Rice with ice milk tea. The rice had stuffing inside which made up of a braised chicken wing, Chinese sausage and chestnuts and mushrooms. I was only when I started eating did I realize how much was inside but I voted to fill my tummy first instead of taking another picture and by the time I was full there was nothing much to take a picture of. I do not think a wrinkled lotus leaf and half a cup of ice would be very appealing. So you'll just have to trust my word on what's within the glutinous rice.
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Along the way to the peak, I saw 2 sky scrappers which were ever so present in Hong Kong TVB drama serials. Before that day, I had only seen them in those serials. Now that I am standing 30 feet from these 2 imposing structures, I feel a sense of awe. The single building is the BANK OF CHINA TOWER, and the twin buildings are called LIPPO TOWER and PEREGRINE TOWER.
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I took a tram up to THE PEAK. It was not hard to find the place. Just follow the throngs of tourist that are headed to the same place. I paid a little bit more to go up to the observation tower.

The journey up to THE PEAK was a very steep one. At some stages, the level of incline was more than 45 degrees. The amazing thing was, there are about 3 stops along the way before the tram reaches THE PEAK, and people who live at residences surrounding THE PEAK were alighting and boarding at these stops as if they were a regular public transport.

The view of HongKong city from the observation deck was breathtaking. No wonder property around that area would cost more than a pretty penny.

I only bought a one way ticket up THE PEAK because I had wanted to try taking a bus through the long and winding path down THE PEAK. The ride - how shall I put it - left me gasping. I did not really know where to alight. I just decided to stop where I saw crowds gathering. And that place turned out to be the west side of the Hong Kong CBD.
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There is a stark contrast in the HKG urban landscape. Imagine, the above pictures were taken just 30 mins (walk) away from the Lippo Tower. These old, untouched buildings add a depth of character to Hong Kong's Jungle of Urban skyscrappers.
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As I carry on walking, I chanced upon yet another famous HKG landmark - LAN KWAI FONG. It is a popular watering hole for HKG's who and who. I did not linger too long there, I was just passing through. But if time permits I would come here again during the night, that's when one can soak up a totally different atmosphere. I just hope that amongst the many many neon signs, there would not be an extra one on my back which screams "tourist alert". I am trying to blend in you see. It works out fine until I speak. My cantonese isn't exactly comprehenable, much less colliqual.
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From the far west of the CBD, I took an old school bus tram to the fas east of the CBD - Causeway Bay. It was one of my journey highlights because once again, I only see these trams on TV and in movies. Now that I am actually in one, I'm happy, it feels that I am part of HKG's rich history, even if it is for a fleeting moment.

I was famished by the time I reached Causeway Bay. I had the noodles above. Throughout my entire holiday, I decided NOT to have any fast food or NON HKG food. i.e. no Mac Dees, No KFC, No italian, No Mexican, No Malaysian (for crying out loud) ... You get the drift. I did not fly to HKG to eat Malaysian food you know what I mean. I am making my meals count. And the noodles above was DA BOMB.
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I walked a few hours in Causeway Bay after Lunch. My legs was about to break. I decided it was time to head on back to the hotel.

I made my way to the MTR. It was quite a walk down to the train. Most of HKG's train system is underground. The trains are fast, clean and the frequency is good. Even though the population density is much higher than Singapore, not once did I feel like I was in a sardine can.

I headed back to the hotel. Collapsed on my extra bed. (I requested for a queen but they only had 2 singles available So I crashed my sweaty self on the unused bed and saved the clean bed for my nightly slumber.) I took a pic of the night scene outside my room window. It was deceptively calm. As soon as I took the shot, I heard horns blaring, vehicles moving... HKG never sleeps.

I decided to rest a while before taking a short walk around the block. I finished off my day with a dessert. Xiu Liu Shan seems to me like a Starbucks of HKG. It is almost on every corner and in every shopping center in Kowloon. It serves desserts. I had a mango something something.

By the way. I had a fever that night. I was so exhasted and I think a little dehydrated. I popped in 2 panadol extras. Downed heaps of water and headed to bed. I was alright by morning.
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