In the previous blog, we explored Lantau island and got a glimpse of Hong Kong at night. Home to the most skyscrapers in the world and with mountain peaks offering amazing bird’s eye views, Hong Kong is indeed a vertical city. In this blog, we discover the green side of the city – nestled in between the tall towers. These gardens and parks create a perfect blend of nature and concrete jungle to make up Hong Kong’s urban oasis and make it a unique place to live in.

Morning hike to Victoria Peak

We started the day 1.5 hours later than planned. But no regrets – we managed to get a good night of sleep and were well refreshed for the day! 

Naveen suggested that we hike all the way up to the Peak from his home on Robinson Road. It was not too steep but quite long and took us 1.5 hours to get there. This is when I truly got a chance to appreciate the city from the ground. 

The streets are very well planned with enough space between buildings. There were canals made to allow water to flow downhill without damaging buildings and roads – especially during torrential rains and typhoons. 

After 10 mins of walking away from the main road, it felt like we were in a dense forest. There was no clue that a megacity was right below us except the low roaring sound of the city – an amalgamation of cars, buses, planes, chimneys, construction and other sounds. One more thing that amazed me was that there was construction happening all the time but there was no dust anywhere. 

Building spotting

We soon got a clear view of the city – but now I know that those skyscrapers are not as crammed together as they seem! Naveen showed me his older houses and other significant buildings in the city from the top. We spotted the tallest building in the city – the International Commerce Centre and the tallest one on Hong Kong island – the Two International Finance Centre. He also showed me a giant Christmas tree on the Kowloon side!

It was peaceful standing there with sounds of birds all around. There were plenty of people running, jogging and walking on the trail. It was really amazing that the administration had not destroyed this pristine forested area in the name of development.

At the end of it was the Galleria mall where Nam met us. She had taken the tram to come up and bought croissants, egg tarts and salted caramel bao buns from Bakehouse – so good!

Tip: there is an observatory with a viewpoint on top of the tram station. But a better option is to go to the rooftop of the mall to get a view of the city as well as the other side of the island.

Breakfast at Mak’s Noodle

We grabbed breakfast at Mak’s Noodle – an iconic spot for wonton noodles. They had two options for each dish – with and without soup. We went for the one with soup and got pork and shrimp dumplings to go with it. Tea was served alongside. After the cold outside, this was a warm and comforting meal. The noodles were more of the glassy type. Overall it was really good but a bit too shrimpy for my liking. We immediately headed to a 7-Eleven to buy mints and wipe out the after-taste.

Best seats on the Peak Tram

Nam had already taken the peak tram on her way up. So, she knew the best seats for the way down – right in front were the few seats that faced downhill. We managed to get those seats as most people got into the first few doors which were at the back of the tram. The seats really enhanced the experience and we could see how steep the tram actually went. It was more like a funicular!

Tranquility in chaos – the Hong Kong Park

The tram station was next to the huge Hong Kong Park. We decided to walk through it which turned out to be a great decision. Similar to the Peak, as soon as we got off the road, the city vanished and we were surrounded by the sound of birds and flowing water. We saw signboards pointing towards an aviary and that’s where we went. This was a spontaneous plan and we had no idea about this place.

Inside the aviary were dozens of birds of all kinds. Fruits were placed all around and colorful birds were happily chipping away at them. There were fountains and mini waterfalls created which add to the background sound. It was amazing how they had planned this area so well and created this oasis within the megacity.

Ding Ding!

The iconic double-decker trams of Hong Kong are an interesting way to explore the city. They run only on Hong Kong island and are a convenient and cost effective way to travel. Each ride costs 3 HKD. The trams have been operating since 1904. We took a tram going towards North Point. 

It was a really long ride – we got to see most of the island’s northern side from west to east. One of the places we went through where we didn’t get time to explore (and part of the list for next time) was Wan Chai with its bustling markets. Our stop was Hing Fat street – since all the stations have boards in English, travelling in Hong Kong is never a problem.

Clicking and Beeping all around

One of the sounds of Hong Kong that I’ll always carry in some part of my brain is the pedestrian traffic signal. They beep at different frequencies depending on what color the signal is at. If you are walking the streets, these sounds are inescapable. After a point, you start syncing with the sounds and your legs move forward as soon as the frequency switches to high. It is one of the peculiar aspects of the city that adds to its culture and experience.

Lining up for lunch at Sister Wah’s

Our lunch stop was the Michelin star Sister Wah’s beef brisket noodles. We met Nam’s friend there as we stood in line. Apparently this was a common thing in HK – lining up in a queue to enter popular places for meals – any day of the week. We ordered their flagship dish and some chicken wings to go with it. We also got cold soya milk (yup, just plain milk!) and cream soda (vanilla flavoured soft drink that tastes similar to a coke float). The soya milk came in a tall steel glass and didn’t taste as bad as we were anticipating. The cream soda lived up to its promise.

The clear winner was the bowl of noodles. The noodles were totally worth the hype – it reminded me of the pho from Hanoi! Flavourful broth, tender beef and when it was topped with the chilli oil kept on the table, it was out of the world! If you’re feeling adventurous, try out the bowl with the tendons and tripe (stomach of the cow).

More gardens and temples

We continued our exploration by changing 3 metro lines and reached the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin temple (yup, not for the faint hearted). We’ll cover this in the next part of this series where we deep-dive into the culture and contrast the spiritual vs the modern side of Hong Kong!

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Check out all the Hong Kong blogs here:

• The Hong Kong Itinerary (with Macau) – plan your perfect trip to HK!
• Lantau Island Hong Kong – Day 1 of the HK Trip
• Hong Kong’s Urban Oasis – Peaks & Parks
• Incense and Neon – Hong Kong’s culture
• East Meets West – the Macau Mosaic
• Feast for the Senses – the Hong Kong Foodie