Still in Hong Kong

22^nd March 2012 

Today looks like it may be a bit clearer, though it is still quite misty. After breakfast we decide that it will probably be clear enough to get a view from Victoria Peak, so plan to head up there.

Activity around the ship is still busy, we notice when looking over our balcony, that we now have two water tankers tied up alongside, replenishing our water supply.

                                                Water Tankers along side (one empty)

At around 10am we set out for the Star Ferry terminal to catch a ferry over to the Island and get a bus up to the peak. After a brief stop to purchase some postcards, fill them in and post home, we caught the ferry to Central Pier. The Star Ferrys’ aren’t getting any younger (the one we were on was built in 1965), but they never miss a beat and do an amazing number of crossings in a day.

The bus trip up to Victoria Peak, from the ferry terminal, went all over the place, making it an interesting trip from right up the front at the top of a double decker bus.

                                    One of the Star Ferries has had a Makeover !

                                
                                         Chinese Temple on our bus route

There has been a lot of development at the Peak since we were last there ( a very long time ago), with a major shopping centre, restaurants everywhere, and several viewing areas, including the Peak Tower. It was a little hazy, probably pollution, but excellent views in all directions. We could see the Sea Princess on her berth at Victoria Harbour , partly obstructed by the increasing number of tall buildings near the harbor.

                         View from the Peak (Sea Princess in centre of photo)

We had a very good lunch at a Vietnamese Restaurant before having a last walk around the Peak, before catching the funicular rail tram back down to the base station. From there it was an open topped double decker bus back to the Star Ferry at Central Pier, and a ferry back to Kowloon. It was low tide and there was a fair bit of wash, so getting back on the ferry required a bit of caution.

Back in Kowloon, we got a few last supplies, made a final attempt to use wifi at Starbucks to update the blog, changed our remaining HKD to Chinese Yuan, and went back on board to await departure to Shanghai.

Viewing Tower at Victoria Peak

Lookout sponsored by Lions Club

We finally cast off at around 5.30pm, about 30 minutes late, and saw the pilot come on board just below our cabin. As the pilot vessel turned away, Carole spotted one of the crew cleaning fish in the cockpit, so they appeared to have dinner worked out.

The course back out was the same as our arrival, so we had the opportunity to see the Island side from our balcony instead of the Kowloon side coming in. The scenery was fantastic and we were on our balcony until we finally cleared the outer reaches of HK Island at 7 pm. It was beginning to get dark, but we did get some great photos.