Day 28 - Hong Kong - Up, Down and Side to Side

We got up a bit later this morning and went back to the same cafe we had for breakfast yesterday. It was nice just having a familiar spot to start the day.  Our big plan for the morning was hitting Victoria Peak. Figuring out the MTR (the main subway train) to get there was a bit of an effort. The stations are massive and we couldn't figure out exactly which station we needed to get to. Finding the right exit from the train station wasn't too easy, but in the end figured it didn't really matter, we could figure out where we were once above ground. We eventually found our way to the queue for the Peak Tram. It’s been running forever and is just ridiculously steep. The ride itself is kind of nuts, you head straight up the hill at such an angle that it looks like the skyscrapers are all leaning over.  Right at the top is a big tourist spot, there were all these Disneyland characters around the tram entrance, which was a strange sight, it just seems so out of place having Disneyland characters ther. Once we were actually outside, the view was incredible overlooking the city, the green hills, all the buildings cramped together, and the harbor splitting it all up. It really is one of the best views you’ll ever get, I can only imagine how it would look at night with all the city lights.

The ride back down wasn't anything too special, by the time we got to the street, everyone was out and about for lunch. We decided to just follow some locals to see where they were all going for lunch.  The local spot was total mayhem, you had to scan the room and jumpnon any table that looked like it was about to clear to claim it before someone else did. It was absolute chaos, but it was fast, and we got our food.

In the afternoon, we decided to chill out and grab one of the double-decker street trams, the ones they call the "ding-dings." We rode one all the way out to the Eastern part of the island, grabbing seats upstairs for a great view of the neighborhoods passing by, although to be honest, there wasn't really much to see, once you saw one block you have pretty well much seen them all. It was a nice slow break from what we've been doing the last few weeks. Once getting to the end of the track we took a quick look around, and then caught another tram back toward the hotel, getting off just a five-minute walk away.

When I finally sat down, I noticed that really weird rocking sensation. Even though I was firmly on land, it's amazing what a couple of hours sitting on a double decker tram can do to your body, Hong Kong, even when you stop, keeps you moving.

After a bit of a break back at the hotel, we headed out to dinner at a place just around the corner from the hotel, a Filipino restaurant, not bad place to eat, although I think we were all pretty full from some snacks we all had earlier in the afternoon. Time to get some sleep now.