Hong Kong  -  September, 2009

Being a teacher at an international school has some obvious perks.  One of them is more international travel for education conferences.  I traveled to Hong Kong for three days in September for a "21st Century Learning" Conference.  The first day, the conference didn't start until the afternoon so I took the opportunity to check out Hong Kong.  Getting advice from some friends, I decided I wanted to go to the Peak Tram.  So I asked the concierge at my hotel about how to get there.  He told me the best way to get there was by taxi.  It'd only be $20 (Hong Kong Dollars...so about $3 U.S.)  I figured that wasn't bad.  But Devin and I enjoy using local mass transit when we travel, so I asked about taking the tram (basically a double-decker bus on train tracks).  I saw them on the taxi ride from the airport, and saw the line went near the Peak Tram station.  With map and camera in-hand, I set off.

I hopped the tram and watched the bends and curves along the map until I got close to the Peak Tram station and hopped off after paying my $2 fare.  (Yep, about 30 cents U.S.)  Cheapest mass transit in Hong Kong, according to the concierge.  I started walking to the station and got on the tram.  Quite a ride to the top.  The literature says it hits a 45 degree slope at its steepest.  Regardless of the actual figure, it is definitely steep.  And the views at the top are gorgeous.  I'd like to come back on a clear night.  (Translation:  I just thought of an excuse to come back to Hong Kong with the family some day.)  After taking the requisite photos of the view, and avoiding the photos of me blocking the view, I headed back to go down.  I stopped to check out a vendor selling oil paintings.  They looked cool, so I bought one to surprise Devin.  (If I post this before I get home, I guess it won't be a surprise...) 

On the tram ride to the Peak Tram station, I spotted some alleys that looked intriguing. So on the way back to the hotel, I picked an interesting spot and disembarked the tram.  (I've always wanted to use that word.)  I meandered into and out of alleys, finding little markets here and there.  I bought some grapes (a luxury food for me, as they are hard to find at home) and sat in a local park watching some soccer while munching on them.  Then I walked around some more and found some rolls to buy for lunch.  It was curious to see these markets in the middle of high rise offices and apartments, but they had decent prices on fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken and lots of other stuff.  And of course I towered over everybody there, eliciting quite a few stares.  At this point, I'm used to it. 

Then I went back to my room to cool off and eat lunch and get ready for the conference.  A few pictures of the day are below.  Clock on each image to enlarge.