Where the View is Always Worth the Journey

My two feet are firmly planted on the floor, and I cling to the rails with white knuckles on both hands as G-force tries to push me backwards. I cannot do anything, although I do briefly remove one hand to attempt a photo or two before firmly clamping my hand back on the rail. There are no seats left on the tram, and we are forced to stand for what seems to be an interminable time, but in reality, is just a few minutes.

Halfway up the hill to Victoria Peak, the tram stops. We are neither up nor down and just when I start to panic, the tram strains against gravity and slowly moves forward. A minute later, I realise, as we meet another tram descending, that some sort of counter-weight is used to pull and push these two-carriage trams that can carry up to (and maybe more than) 220 people. I do wonder whether the standing people like me have been counted in that number.

The pain in my hip and knee are soon forgotten as we reach the viewing platform where we are rewarded with a panoramic view of Hong Kong. Today’s day is clear, if not exactly sunny but it's bright enough to provide a view of an arc of skyscrapers backed by green hills on the horizon. From another direction, we can view the ‘other’ side of the mountain; lush vegetation, a small dam, and oil refineries, and many tiny islands floating in the water, which are cleverly hidden from view from most tourists.

There is no better way to see Hong Kong than from the Peak.

Our journey down the mountain is less physically challenging, but we are treated to an optical illusion that is totally unexpected. About halfway down the mountain, after clearing the thick jungle-like vegetation, I look up to see the skyscrapers bending towards us on an impossible angle. Disconcerting and fascinating at the same time, the sensation of being hemmed in by impossibly high buildings passes in an instant just before we arrive at the tram stop.

Alighting, we look for a Big Bus, which will take us either back to where we started or take us for a wild trip around the island.