Hong Kong Day 4- Walk from Downtown to Central

Waking refreshed and recharged, I was eager to explore another of the islands that encompassed Hong Kong after a quick breakfast of spicy beefy noodles at a small shop around the corner from my hotel. There are several, including Lantau island , Hong Kong island proper, Chek Lap Kok, Tsing Yi, Kau Sai Chau, Po Toi Islands and Cheung Chau, along with my destination for the day: Lamma island! This post will focus on the journey to Central, the pier. For much of my trip, I hadn't really spent a lot of time in downtown Hong Kong as it was quite crowded. This trip was little different, with groups of people congregating on the sidewalks and alcoves. 

Despite my general reluctance to willingly put myself into extremely crowded situations, I knew there would be a peaceful retreat at the end of my journey so I soldiered forward and faced my anxieties. I could have taken a bus, but instead I opted to simply walk the entire way and in the end it was well worth it. The views of the city and gradual dissipation of the crowd as I approached Central set my mind and body at ease. 

Hong Kong: Day 2 Downtown & Star Ferry

One of the most striking things about Hong Kong is the architecture, and Victoria Bay is absolutely stunning at night. The people of Hong Kong are fully aware of this and at night both sides of the bay, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island celebrate by illuminating at night with synchronised choreography. At the magical hour of the night music blares from speakers on either side of the bay and the light show begins! 

I had a few hours yet before that began, so I opted to explore the inner areas of Hong Kong proper. After exiting an incredibly crowded train station I found myself in the heart of the sky scrapers, looking up  to find myself surrounded by the monolithic structures. At the top of it all is the Peak, a landmark of Hong Kong known for unrivalled views of the city and it's nightly light show from high altitude. Initially hoping to find my way to the cable cars that provide a shortcut for tourists, I was unpleasantly surprised to discover that the wait was hours long and I would surely miss the show if I attempted to wait it out. Stubbornly I hoofed it back down the hill and made it to the bay, where I was able to catch the infamous Star Ferry, which has been in operation since 1888. Let that sink in for a minute. 1888!

Downtown Oakland

Downtown Oakland. 

Since we were here on a weekend the city center was eerily quiet as we ambled through.