Asia

[Visited: November 2009]

There are various ways to go up to Victoria Peak, but the most appropriate is probably taking the Peak Tram right from the Central District at sea level. Capacity is limited, which means that we had to queue and see one tram leave before we could board ourselves. We made sure to be at the lower side of the tram, which allowed us good views on the way up. The Peak Tram made several stops before reaching the Peak Tower, the final stop, right inside the Tower itself. From here, we still had to climb a few floors before reaching the observation deck. Even though it was packed, we found various spots to enjoy the views.
The nice thing about Victoria Peak is that you can not only have fabulous views over Hong Kong city itself, but from the other side of the platform, you can also look towards the outlying islands. Which happens to be the direction where the sun sets. This offers you a view of the contrasts of this great city: the seemingly endless line of skyscrapers on one side, one of the most populated areas in the world, full of activity, while on the other side, small, quiet islands with communities all of their own. After the sun disappeared dramatically in the clouds at a distance, the views of the city were getting always more spectacular and we moved back to the city view side.
The view actually got more exciting the darker it got: lights were lit all over the city, and the contours of the skyline we had seen in daylight just before, were now defined by the lights of the buildings. Some skyscrapers really stood out by having different colours of lights, but it was mostly the dazzling amount of light dots in the ocean of electricity below us that made the view unforgettable. It was hard to imagine that Victoria Peak, also simply called the Peak, was an exclusive area of the city, reached by sedan chairs - until the Peak Tram changed things forever, and made the Peak accessible. Furthermore, the skyline of Hong Kong is still being redefined in our times - and looked different from the last time I had been up there. One of the advantages of the Peak was considered to be the more temperate climate - thanks to the altitude of over 500 metres. But this can also be a disadvantage: strong winds made our visit so cold that we eventually had to move inside the futuristic Peak Tower building to warm up again. We had seriously underestimated the difference in temperature between the city and the top.

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Victoria Peak (Hong Kong)

Victoria Peak > Hong Kong > Asia

[Visited: November 2009]

Around the World in 80 Clicks