Hong Kong, Part Two

The Peak Tram: One of oldest funicular railways in the world, it climbs 1300 feet up Victoria Mountain to Victoria Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong. The first tram, in 1888, was powered by coal-fired steam boilers. Beats being carried up in a sedan chair, which was the mode of transport when British settlers first moved up there to escape the summer heat down below. From 1904 until 1947, only expats were allowed to live on the Peak. ​There is a large amusement area at the peak, with lots of shops.

The views from the top are splendid — except for the smog.

Bus ride around and down the mountain took us to Stanley Market, a very fun and extensive collection of dozens of stalls, including a lacquerware shop. I lucked out in the Asian pants and shirt department.

The ride down had revealed a few private homes, but, mostly, Hong Kong residents live in apartments... either this kind:

... or this kind, shot through a filth-y window. The green is the racetrack belonging to the Jockey Club.

Tram, bus… and sampan. Ten or twelve at a time, we embarked on sampans for a short jaunt around the harbor in the area called Aberdeen. I suspect the food at the Jumbo restaurant isn’t Hong Kong’s finest.

Laundry Day on a work boat...

On the ‘sail away’ out of Victoria Harbor that afternoon, passing by even more skyscraping apartment buildings...

... then a water village further out on the peninsula. We were en route to another island, Hainan, and the city of Haikou, 301 nautical miles southeast. #