Well Rested

After avoiding caffeine for most of yesterday, I had a great night of sleep. I woke up on time, got some more breakfast at the diner, and then headed to the southern island of Hong Kong — aptly named Hong Kong Island.

Hong Kong Island

This day was a bit harder to plan for me. I had a vague list of things I wanted to see and do, but I didn’t really know how everything would fit together.

Police Married Quarters (PMQ)

I started off at the historic site of the old Hong Kong police station. It has since been renovated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club into a more boutique shopping area, but the old cells were still on display. The information they provided was quite hard to wrap my head around, as they were clearly on the opposite side of prison policy from me.

Hollywood Road

I walked around Hollywood Road, gawking at the scenery. The giant skyscrapers, small roads, and hilly terrain make for a fascinating mix. At the end of the road, I found a small temple nestled between all the concrete, offering some serenity.

Chop Shop

I really wanted to have a traditional stone stamp made here. Instead of signatures, people use a stamp with their initials engraved in it. I thought it would make for a great souvenir, and this is the place to do it.

I found “Chop-alley,” where they make these by hand, and browsed the offerings. I didn’t want to get swept up in sales tactics and wanted it to be a memorable artifact, so I took some time to sit down for lunch and think it over.

When I went back to the small alley, I started talking to one of the craftsmen. I told him my ideas, and he quickly explained that most of them weren’t really feasible, so I caved and settled for something simpler.

So instead of a handcrafted stone with four symbols (my initials) and a cool dragon motif, I got one with a rat (my zodiac sign) and my name written phonetically in three symbols on a machine-engraved stone. This version was also a quarter of the price and done within the hour.

Not quite what I wanted, but for something I’ll probably look at only five more times in my life, I’m okay with it.

Mid Level Escalators

I rounded things off with a quick visit to the Maritime Museum (not much to write about) and a stop at the old stock exchange building (no longer in service).

My next stop was Victoria Peak, and for that I had to go uphill. I had already done a lot of walking today and was dreading the trek. Luckily for me, the Hong Kong government foresaw this very situation and kindly built the largest outdoor covered escalator system in the world.

Almost a kilometer of straight escalators going uphill (they go downhill in the morning). They built it while trying to solve the island’s traffic problems, having discovered that most east-to-west traffic was caused by people traveling north-to-south. A consulting group suggested building a giant escalator to move people north-to-south instead.

It’s a wild idea that took a lot of work to execute and ultimately didn’t really solve congestion. But the area around the escalators did see a lot of development, with shops opening up.

Victoria Peak

Once I got to the top, I had to hike a long way down to reach the funicular that would take me up to Victoria Peak. The trek wasn’t too bad though — I walked through greenery, concrete, and even passed a free public zoo!

I had to wait in line to ride the funicular, which they insisted on calling a “Tram,” to the top of Victoria Peak. While waiting in line, I overheard some tips from travel guides talking to their patrons and made some mental notes. The timing was great because the sun was about to set.

When I got out of the vehicle, I was immediately placed inside a big mall filled with tourist shops, restaurants, and Disneyland kiosks. I finally managed to score a keychain with the Hokkien flag (they are suspiciously hard to find here), and then went up to get some views. I debated paying the extra fee for a better view until I found out it was only €7.

I finished the night by getting some Michelin-star congee in the second mall they built on top of this hill. The food was pretty mid, even though I was hungry.

The day was a bit hectic, with no clear structure, but I filled it up pretty nicely. I got to bed in time for my big hike tomorrow.