To start the day, we strolled through the Kowloon park to see the great flamingo we spotted the day before in the pond. We observed a number of birds living in the park including ducks, swans, parrots and tropical pigeons. The park houses an indoor and outdoor aquatic centre. Something we would try another day.
We kept walking south to the harbour and boarded the famous Star Ferry for only 3.1 HK$ to reach Central. Central, formerly called Victoria, is the commercial heart of the city crammed with skyscrapers and luxury malls.
As we were dying to try great dumplings, we lunched at the small but cosy Ding Dim 1968. The restaurant is well ranked for its dim sum and spring rolls. Cheap and made on demand, their food tasted marvellous.
With a full stomach, we passed by the Central-Mid-Levels escalator which is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world made with twenty escalators and three inclined moving sidewalks. We skip riding the escalators and continued wandering toward the entrance of The Peak Tram.
The Peak Tram, Hong Kong's first mechanised mode of transport, opened in 1888. The steep 1.7km track from Central up to Victoria Peak was worth trying at least once. Unfortunately, the queue was massive going around the corner. We elected to use our feet as we didn't want to wait under the scorching sun.
The most direct route was via the Old Peak Road. A strenuous 2.5-kilometre journey but with an elevation of 600 metres. The first half of the hike quickly became boring between high rises and heavy traffic. We wished we had waited for the tram. The next part was hard but worth exploring through a snaky trail among a park. As we climbed up, we could catch the Hong Kong landscape appearing through the trees.
Drained and dehydrated, we reached the top Victoria peak. Were rewarded with an incredible view of Hong Kong skyline. Sucking on a Coke, we soak in the beautiful vistas and fresh air. By chance, no one was queuing to ride down. Using our Octopus card, we boarded the tram for a short 5-minute ride.
For a late dinner and last drink(s) we went to Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong where people get drunk and silly. After shaking our bodies while listening some decent music, we rushed to catch the last tube heading toward our tiny flat. We did well deserve a good night sleep.