4th January 2023
Last 25th of December was my 6th time spending Christmas abroad. I was alone, yet not lonely as I've been enjoying my own company for the past 5 years. You might wonder why it is the 6th Christmas since this is only my 5th year abroad, turning 6 this year actually. Well, I stepped foot into this foreign land almost in autumn in September of 2017, so mathematically, it was my 6th Christmas celebration here.
In today's travel blog, I'll share my kind of Christmas at Victoria Peak.
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You can check out this video if you want to.
I started my day by thanking the God above for all the blessings I received in the past year. A small feast was held in an Italian restaurant. It was a solo journey, so I dined alone, yet happy and satisfied with my own company.
The weather was fine so I opted to pursue my plan. I even thought I wouldn't need a thicker jacket, but later after eating my lunch, I felt the cold breeze so I went back home to change my jacket. I headed to Central after to visit St. Joseph cathedral to offer some prayers.
The mass was already starting when I got there and the church was already occupied, so I stayed outside and just fervently prayed and thanked God for everything I received last year, for the never-ending blessings, and guidance during the dark and stormy days of my life.
I headed to the next destination which was The Peak Tram station. In my entire life in HK, it was my first time riding the Peak Tram going to the Peak. It is not the same as an ordinary tram roaming around the city, and the fare is quite pricey as well.
The tram system is displayed at the station and an audio-visual display shows the evolution of the peak tram from the old system to the electronic system. I paid HK$65 or US$8.33 for the one-way fare, and that is certainly expensive. But I didn't bother as I truly wanted to experience riding the electronic tram to the peak.
This was the hallway going to the Peak Tram. It's an digital wallpaper with the theme, Go Wild At The Peak.
The Electronic Peak Tram is the sixth generation peak tram, and one of the longest standing icons of Hong Kong. It says that the fund spent renovating the tram was $799 million including the refurbishment of the Central and the Peak terminus.Source
The renovated tram station offers a wider waiting passengers platform with engaging zones along the waiting area.
Meanwhile, the brand new tram cars offer the biggest capacity of up to 210 passengers, with wider windows, and a better system. Thus, giving a better experience to passengers.
It was such a nice experience riding in the electronic tram and the scenic view of the Hong Kong Islands can be seen from the wide windows of the tram, as well as the cafes, residential houses (old and new), and trees along the uphill tramway.
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It took 5 minutes to reach the peak which is way faster with 6 meters per second maximum speed. I remember the last time I visited the peak, we took the bus and our trip took an hour or probably an hour and a half more. That saves 55 minutes or more of our time when taking the electronic tram. The last stop is at the peak termini which is located within the Peak Tower premise.
The first thing that I came across as I stepped out of the tram was this souvenir shop selling several kinds of Hong Kong souvenirs, toys, merchandise, and memorabilia.
I head out and saw another souvenir shop which is also selling other Chinese products and fashioned items. If my memory serves me right, I was on the 2nd floor of the peak tower.
The popular Madame Tussauds Museum is also located on the same floor with a few displays of wax statues of a few famous icons. To see more wax statues of famous people, the ticket available at the counter is worth $559 for adults. This museum also offers free entrance to birthday celebrants.
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Filipina Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach also has a wax statue in this museum.
There are a few shops and restaurants on this floor too. Meanwhile, this Post Love To The Future introduces the popular party venue in the city for those who love parties and surprises.
It was my second time visiting the peak tower and on the higher floor is a 3D studio with several 3D adventures displays with themes about different popular attractions and Chinese festivals in Hong Kong. However, the queue was quite long that day so I opted not to go inside. I've been there during my first visit in 2017.
On top of the Peak Tower is the city's highest viewing deck which offers 360° stunning views of Hong Kong. However, one has to pay the entrance fee to get to the top of the tower which is HK$65.
I opted not to visit the top and just enjoyed taking photos of the city from the glass wall on the higher floor.
I stepped out of the building to take a better shot of the peak tower and visit other attractions as well. The building below is the Peak Tower.
This is one of the outstanding iconic buildings in Hong Kong showing the epitome of modern architecture.
One of the attractions at Victoria Peak is this tram car from 1956 and its headboard displays the line's centenary in 1988.
Across the pedestrian is a heritage house with a pitched roof and stone walls that resembles a country cottage housing The Peak Lookout restaurant which is the most visited dine-in place at the peak. This was the Old Peak Cafe and from the look of it, you can tell that this is an expensive restaurant.
This restaurant serves International cuisine with cozy architecture and ambiance. I saw an alfresco dining area and a terrace at the back overlooking some cities of HK. It's not shown in the photo though as I forgot to take photos of the outside part of the restaurant.
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On the left side of this restaurant is the way to Pok Fu Lam Country Park but I didn't visit this place and just took a photo of the scenic view from the viewing deck.
My first plan was actually to visit the trail to the mountain peak. But since it was already a little bit late to hike, I opted to walk around.
Look at that peak of the mountain. That's what I was supposed to visit, but I lack time and I didn't know the right way to the trail.
I decided to have an afternoon walk along the Morning Trail since I have nothing to do that day.
The photos should have been better with a better camera. The scenery was truly relaxing from atop.
I saw this man playing Bohemian music using a hand pan. He also promotes the public to join the hand pan class.
If you are curious about how a hand pan sounds, and if you want to listen to his performance, you can check out this short video I uploaded on YT.
When I thought I walked too far but still couldn't see anything interesting, I opted to go back to the main part of the peak. I was expecting something like a viewing deck or whatever where I could see the mountain or city view at the end of the trail, but it seems like a never-ending trail.
I decided to visit the Peak Galleria located opposite the Peak Tower. This is the shopping and leisure complex of the peak. There are restaurants, cafes, an arcade, branded shops, and different leisure spots to enjoy with.
From the distance, I was seeing people on top of the galleria so I decided to go up. The first part I spotted on the higher floor is the playground area for kids.
I went up to the highest floor and the beautiful sunset creating colors in the sky appeared at sight. Many visitors up there seemed to have waited for the golden hours to come. It also has a wide platform where visitors could sit and relax.
The beautiful sun was slowly settling down and the place was turning dark. An indication that I soon need to leave, or else I won't catch the early bus.
I went to the further side and spotted yet another viewing deck that offers stunning views of cityscapes and Hong Kong skyscrapers.
I don't need to go to the top of the Peak Tower and pay for the entrance fee to the highest viewing deck, the top of the Peak Galleria offers a free viewing deck for it, and although not 360° but the view was also great. The peak is the best spot to play with drones in taking the best photographs of HK cities.
Here are some of the photos I took from the top of the Peak Galleria.
The Peak Tower
People were swarming on the ground as it was getting late. A lot were queueing for the peak tram to go back to the city.
Meanwhile, this restaurant offers a great alfresco dining area overlooking the beautiful city.
I was able to take a closer shot of this alfresco dining area when I went down. The same customers I saw from atop the galleria were still there.
I decided to leave the peak as the wind was getting colder and I felt like freezing in an avalanche. However, the tram terminus has a freaking long queue so I looked for the bus terminus. Unfortunately, the queue there was long as well, lol. It left me no choice but to queue rather than stay longer at the cold peak.
I went back to my city and ate dinner before going back home. That's how I spent my Christmas. Simple, yet happy.
That concludes my not-so-late Christmas travel blog today. I bet @patsitivity has been to this place already, and probably @ifarmgirl too 😊.
Thanks for stopping by.
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