Victoria Peak

Walking past the high-end retail shops in Central, the business district of HK, it felt like I was back in NYC, walking through the luxury retail haven that is Fifth Avenue. On our way to Victoria Peak, we also passed by the skyscrapers of financial behemoths like the Bank of China (designed by I. M. Pei), HSBC, and Citigroup, as well as Jardine House, HK's first office tower. In the midst of the buildings was a nice garden retreat, the Chater Garden, a public park that has been used for Falun Gong demonstrations & political rallies in the past. And traversing Garden Road on our way to the Victoria Peak tram, we passed by St. John's Cathedral, a church that was built in the late 1840's in the shape of a cross.

The five-minute funicular rail ride appears to be the most vertical ascent humanly managed without requiring a seat belt. The ride is so steep that, at times, it seems as if you are riding uphill straight up!

Opened to the public in 1888, the tram once had a front row seat reserved for the Governor of Hong Kong which was not released to other passengers until 2 minutes before departure. From the Garden Road stop, the tram takes visitors to the Victoria Gap terminal, which - like most other public transportation terminals in Hong Kong - houses a shopping center below its sightseeing levels.

Although the Peak is one of Hong Kong's biggest tourist attractions, be warned that visitors don't actually get to visit the top of the Peak. But the view at the Victoria Gap, which is but a dip in the uphill towards the apex, still offers a spectacular view of Victoria Harbour, central Hong Kong, and the islands surrounding Hong Kong island. And witnessing the sunset on Victoria Peak on a clear day? Priceless.

Today, the Peak is comprised of a mixture of public parks and high-value homes. The residential influx that began with the summer home of Governor Sir Richard MacDonnell in 1868, and continued with his wealthy contemporaries, all of whom sought to escape the heat of the island by being carried uphill in sedan chairs by servants. From the early 1900's until 1945, the Peak was designated a residential area exclusively for Europeans and government officials. Today, the Peak - in keeping with elitist tradition - is home to another brand of the privileged: the very wealthy.

Luckily, all tourists can afford to visit the Peak Tower. And for those who wish to dine atop Hong Kong, you'll find ample choices in the Tower, from Pacific Coffee to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and Burger King to Tien Yi (Chinese cuisine). And for those so inclined, the Peak Tower also houses the slightly incongruous Madame Tussaud's.

When visiting the peak, remember to bring a windbreaker - it gets breezy during the day, and downright cold and windy after dark! Photographers might want to bring a tripod on especially windy days...it took several tries for this amateur photographer to get a single non-blurry shot using only the bannister.