Travelog 5: Vertigo

Yesterday was tourist day. The day I became a traditional tourist, rather than my normal hippy, dippy wandering traveler mode that I do so well. Yesterday was the day where I dutifully queued, waited, gawped and paid money to do it all.

After a few days of rain, finally, the weather Gods gave me a break and finally there were views of the Peak.

I'm not normally one of those tourists who has the need to see and do everything. I'd rather experience things on my own terms, however, everybody who's been here has said that a visit to Victoria Peak is a must. One mad friend suggested walking up the hill. Instead, I queued for an hour, paid my $20 and took the vertiginous Peak Tram to the top of the hill to have a look at the views.

It was worth every penny, even if I ended up with a bit of vertigo from the heights. It's worth the ticket price for the views and the tram ride up and down a near vertical hill. I loved it, despite the queues. It also gets you a great perspective of what this city is all about, which is height. Coming from a low, flat city, the number of tall buildings is mind blowing.

The other thing that grated on me about the Peak was the mass commercialism of the place. Inside the new complex are plethora of international shops, bars and restaurants. Part of me knows this is the way of tourism. A lot of me doesn't like it, but having paid my money, I took the escalators to the top, looked around (feeling a little queasy) and found some lunch, at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co like the good little tourist I paid to be. I can see why they do all this. It just doesn't sit well.



On the good side of things with Bubba Gumps, I found the two items on the menu that weren't fried, battered or crumbed and contained vegetables, all washed down with a beer.

Coming down the hill, it was time to find out about another part of town. Rather than take the MTR, I walked. And walked. And walked. As the crow flies, Central to Wan Chai is about three kilometres. It was a lovely day. Why not walk and discover the place?

The first stop was the Admiralty Shangri-La Hotel. A friend asked me to pick up a scented candle for her. It is a beautiful hotel. The money that was dripping out of the place was close to offensive. The concierge was lovely in the way she didn't make me feel judged for my scruffy appearance. There was something lovely about walking up to the business centre to purchase the said candle. There's a part of me that would love to stay here. Then again, I really like my four-star digs in the thick of Yau Ma Tei. It feels a bit more real. And half the price.



I kept walking. Through the Hong Kong Gardens and down to Wan Chai, an area at the back of the waterfront, down to the Hong Kong Cemetery.



I'm one of those strange people who enjoy cemeteries. They're good for a bit of peace and quiet in the middle of the day. This is a large cemetery. I only spent 15 minutes there, but I could spend hours here. I found this angel too. I really like her.

Walking back to Central took me through downtown Wan Chai, a colourful, eclectic area. You can see the British influence here, and some older influences. Behind the skyscrapers there are some houses with history. According to the guide book, Wan Chai was where the Japanese army located it's comfort women during the occupation.



I've fallen in love with the juxtapositions of this city. The concrete and steel of the towers located next to the tenement blocks. The wealth next to the workaday. The opulence next to the ordinary. The Colonial sitting next to the traditional, sitting next to the new ways of being. And it all appears to work.

After a necessary stop for a coffee and a leg break in Wan Chai, I walked back to the Star Ferry pier. Back through the back packer dives of Admiral and the office towers, the colonial gardens, some of the last vestiges of Colonial rule.

I made it to the Star Ferry at dusk, taking the ferry over to Kowloon with the office workers and the tourists.


Then a walk a long the Tsim Sha Tsui board walk to look at the lights.



A final dinner at this dumpling place which I found had the best prawn dumplings I've ever had the pleasure of eating, then it was a quick ride on the subway back to the hotel.

My fitbit tells a sorry tale of tired, slightly sore, but happy legs. Four hours of walking will do that to you.


So I have a few more hours left here. I've checked into my seven p.m. flight. There is a pass to the Qantas lounge waiting for me. I'll have a mooch around Mong Kok for a few hours before taking the train out to the airport.

I'm sorry to be going. I really like it here.

So what are my discoveries after five days in this marvelous city?

The things that come to mind:

• It's safe.
• Surprisingly, when you find them, the public toilets are okay
• It's a city of contradictions
• The public transport is amazing
• The food is out of this world
• Wilkinson's Grapefruit water - grapefruit infused mineral water - no sugar, no calories, stunning stuff.
• You can find a friendly guy at the 7/11 in most places. I have my 7/11 guy who has a chat. 
• Why can't we have Octopus cards in Australia. Great idea. Pay for your lunch and your public transport with one tap.
• Strangely, though a gringo, I didn't feel judged for it. I love that. 
• There is far more to be found out about this rather mystical, rather batty, rather contradictory place.

I've loved it here. 

I will be back.