Victoria Peak on New Years Eve

Wanting to do something special for New Years Eve we decided it was the day for us to explore Hong Kong Island. In all the books it is said to be almost a 'requirement' to take the Star Ferry from Kowloon Penninsula over to Hong Kong Island for your 1st visit and glimpse of the HK skyline. So that's exactly what we did. Rex was like a kid in a candy store being on the water with all the big and little ships. The port is one of the worlds busiest. I was loving the amazing view of city & skyscrapers surrounding us from every angle. All this for a measley 1.70 HKD (@25cents)!!!

Once on the island we hopped on a double-decker open-top bus, just like those in London, for the trip across town to the base of the mountain and where we would get on the cable tram. Of course we rode up top. We sat behind a family with 2 little girls. The mom was Japanese and the girls spoke Chinese but also were learning Japanese and English. They were surprised we spoke some Japanese. We had a fun visit with them.

The tram ride was a small miracle in defiance of gravitational forces. The tram itself was like those in San Francisco, and was pulled uphill by cables. At some points in the ride looking out the windows the buildings along side the ride were almost at 45 degree angles to the Tram.



Once on top at the Peak we had a 360 degree view of the entire Hong Kong island. We waited out on the deck until dusk in order to see the lights of the buildings begin to light up. Then we went inside and had a fabulous Japanese dinner (it's funny to think that's "food from home" for us now?!?!) overlooking the city and Victoria Harbor. Amazing.