After our day in Macau we decided to chill out in Hong Kong and see some of the sights, take our time and do something a little more relaxing. Even though we have both been to HK before, and know that it is not a particularly relaxing city, we managed to kid ourselves...
We purchased our Octopus cards at the MTR station and off we went. The Octopus card is brilliant, the size of a credit card and fully rechargeable through the many credit machines within the MTR stations, it is a definite must have when travelling in Hong Kong. The Octopus can be used on the MTR trains, buses and most ferries and it saves you having to stump up cash for transportation. You don't even have to take it out of your bag, just hold up your handbag or wallet to the card reader and it will read it and deduct your fare.
We took the MTR across to HK Island and up the Peak Tram to get some views from the top. I won't go into the marvel that is the Peak Tram, as I have already described it in the 'Come on Lettie' thread, but needless to say, the views are just as fantastic now as they were then. We ambled through the Peak Galleria with its' quirky little shops and restaurants. We took in some views of the city and then moronically decided to walk back down into the city via a rather green and pleasant looking path.
All I can say is OUCH!!!!! It was so steep that by the time we got to the bottom my knees were giving way and we were both walking in that awkward way in which you walk out of the bathroom after just shedding your load, when you realise....there's no loo roll....
Our legs quickly recovered when we reached level ground but I was desperate for a sit down. In the spirit of exploration we hopped on a bus and took the roller coaster ride over the Peak to Stanley. At least it was a sit down for 20 minutes or so.
Stanley is a small town in the south of the island with a brilliant little market, plenty of restaurants, a small beach and a new little shopping plaza. It is named after Lord Stanley who had the formidable title of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. It's a rather pleasant little town and bears no resemblance to the sprawling metropolis over the hill. We were starting to notice the Chinese New Year decorations which were springing up all over HK, little shrines in red and gold with pigs in them.
From Stanley, we took another bus to Aberdeen. This is a working port with a slighly downtrodden feel to it but it is a fascinating place. Many people here still live on Sampans (boats), there are multitudes of government housing flats which remind me of the old deck access flats in Blackburn, but the waterfront has been renovated and is a pleasant walk. Aberdeen is also home to the Jumbo Floating Restaurant which sits majestically in the harbour and is based on an old Imperial palace. We pottered round for a bit before getting the bus back to the city.
Not content with our knackering foray around the island and seeing as there is only one place to be in HK on a Wednesday night, we headed over to Happy Valley Racecourse. Well, there must have been a special offer on that night because we got in for HK$1 each (13p for both of us)
Horseracing is big in HK, it is the only legal form of gambling here and the revenue earned from this is immense. Racing season runs from September to June and nets a grand total of HK$91 billion!!!!!
This place was heaving, there were multiple food and drink stalls and a big screen in order to get a good view of the race. We couldn't make head nor tail of the betting slips though.....It was all Chinese to us..
Here are some pics, the view from the Peak, The Peak Tram making its' way up, little temple at Stanley, Happy New Year and the Jumbo Floating Restaurant.