So back on the Big Bus to continue with the red tour through Hong Kong.
The HSBC building.
The Legislative Council Building.
Along Queen’s Road Central
Central Police Station.
Building on the right used to be for food storage but is now a ‘fringe’ club.
Notice the white double decker tram in the middle? Yes, they still have tram here.
After finishing the red tour I decided to take one of the last green or Stanley tours which runs out to Stanley Plaza.
Traffic on Gloucester Road. I’m pretty sure I recognize this road (without the traffic) from my Xbox 360 and Project Gotham Racing.
The Happy Valley Race Course, where Wednesday night racing is conducted. Would have really liked to have gone along to a fell for the atmosphere.
Aberdeen tunnel.
Repulse bay.
Stanley Bay and Blake Pier.
L’Hotel repluse Bay.
After reaching Stanley we turned around and headed back along the same twisting route.
By the time we returned to the city it was getting dark, but in Hong Kong the fun doesn’t stop just because it is getting dark. They simply switch on the lights and keep going!
With all the Big Bus tours now complete on Hong Kong it was time to head back across to Kowloon and stake out a place to watch the Symphony of Lights show.
I jumped aboard the Star Ferry again and headed back to Kowloon.
The Ferry is verey popular, even at this time of night.
The show starts at 8pm so I staked out a good spot just near the Clock Tower and waited.
These pictures probably don’t do the show much justice but I hope this video gives you a better idea:
After the show was over I headed back along the Avenue of Stars.
Where I found Jackie Chan’s star.
My plan was then to walk back up Nathan Road to my hotel, which mean passing the Peninsula Hotel.
If you are ever staying in Hong Kong and money is not a problem (I really mean not a problem) then a stay at the Peninsula Hotel maybe on order. It even has a helipad on the roof so when the traffic gets too bad!
Even at this time of night Nathan Road is pretty busy. The lower end is known as the Golden Mile and is full of flashing neon and people (typically Indian or Sri Lankan I believe) trying to tempt you into buying shirts and watches. As a tourist you do stand out so be prepared to get hassled. The general advice is not to even give these guys the time of day as they can smell weakness. Luckily, after a while living in New York I have the ‘get the f*** away from me man’ look down pat and managed to emerge unscathed.
My Peak Tram ticket.
Finally back at my hotel it was good to take a shower finally and get out of my sweaty clothes. If there one thing I have learnt today is that if you are walking in shoes, jeans and a shirt you are going to sweat from the moment you step outside. The sooner you get used to that the easier it will be.
