hk diary five -- no peeking at the peak

i am a bitch, err, i mean a beach person.

but sometimes, i long for the different kind of peace and cold air that the mountains and trees can offer. i remember when i was a little boy, i and my friends used to hike the mountain right next to the military camp where i grew up. there, we would lie on the grass and look at the blue and white sky that seemed so close that we could almost touch it. then dream. it was a lovely place for peeking into the future.

when i was living in hong kong, i and a friend would hike up to the victoria peak, a good one and a half hour (sometimes two when we were both feeling so sluggish) climb from my flat. we would pass hilly roads made of concrete, of course, tall apartment buildings, rows of trees. when tired, we would rest for a few minutes to catch our breath, and then resume our walk. sometimes it was just the two of us under the sheltering trees, sometimes there would be a number of hikers just like us, sweaty, exhausted, but determined to reach the peak.

we would do this every saturday morning. a great way to exercise, work a sweat and get rid of the toxins that have accumulated in our bodies through the years. sometimes i would do it alone, especially in the evening after work just to clear my mind and forget about annoying bosses and colleagues, the pressures of working in a fast-paced news wire agency. or simply to fight the blues.

of course it was not an easy climb, but it was well worth it. once we (or i when alone) reached the top of the mountain, the view from up there is breathtaking. spectacular. on a clear, sunny, blue sky day, you can see hong kong's tall glass and steel skyscrapers that dominate the city scape reduced to insignificance, the victoria harbour that stretches into eternity, and everything else.

there are viewing decks with binoculars that you could use to better enjoy the view. tourists love this area of the peak.

(at the viewing deck, on top of a building in the peak. binoculars are available.)

at night, the view from up there is all lighted buildings that glowed like fireflies, and thick, dark forests.

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the victoria peak or simply the peak is the highest mountain in the island. it has an altitude of one thousand and eight hundred eleven feet. its summit, which is closed to the public, is home to radio telecommunications facilities. some parts of the mountain are open to the public and house a shopping mall, restaurants, coffee shops, souvenir shops, among others.

there is also a residential area within the mountains. because the lots are pricey, among the most expensive in the world, only the island's wealthiest live there such as tycoon li ka-shing. unlike the condominium buildings that dot the city below that are usually stuffy and have limited spaces for its residents, most of the houses in the peak are of the mansion-type variety with high walls and tall gates, ample spaces for gardens, swimming pools, table tennis courts, etc.

the peak is a key tourist attraction in the city. an estimated seven million visitors climb the mountain every year. the most preferred mode of transportation among tourists is the tram, which started operating in the early nineteen hundreds. but other modes of transportation are available. it is accessible by bus (buses ply the route to and from the city regularly) and taxis.

(the tram at night. photo credit: discover hong kong website. no copyright infringement intended.)

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once at the peak, we would usually stroll around and view hong kong from different angles. then when hungry, we would go to any restaurant there and have  our fill. there are a number to choose from -- italian, chinese, thai, japanese, korean, american, fast food (kfc, mcdonald's), coffe shops such as starbucks, pacific coffee.

then we would sit on benches and people watch -- mostly tourists with cameras and maps roaming around, taking photos, eating, chatting noisily, buying souvenirs such as paintings that depict hong kong's sceneries and oddities including, but not limited, to the peak, the tram, the famous junk boats, among others.

on my first few months in the city, i bought a painting here and had it framed. when i left the city, i gave it to my friend who always hiked with me to the peak and who was with me when i had it framed. it now adorns one of his sheung wan flat's walls. i know he would take good care of it.

every time a friend or a family member visits me in hong kong, one of the places where i would take them is the peak. they always like it here. although my niece and nephew, who were more excited to visit the disneyland, were not as impressed. they kept on bugging me and their parents to hurry up so that we could already go disneyland. ah, kids!

(friends resting at the peak after a tiring day touring hong kong.)

that's all! see you soon hong kong.