Braving The Beijing Cold

The T98 (Hong Kong - Beijing) 24-hour train arrived at Beijing West Train Station 15 minutes past its ETA. The wall thermometer read 12°C. Tolerable, but it only indicates the temperature inside the cabin. Shervin and I gathered our stuff. I donned four layers of clothing, yet I was still terrified of the cold.

Arrival in Beijing. Just 10 seconds after this shot was taken, my smile faded as my skin got introduced to freezing temperature.

My First Hard Sleeper: Hong Kong-Beijing

It was time to say farewell to our gracious Hong Kong hosts Will and Melody, after staying in their pad for three days. They have been more than kind, and treated us (my husband Sherv and I) like family.

On our departure day, early morning, the four of us took a cab to Burd St. to have breakfast at Sang Kee Congee & Noodle. It's a local favorite, reason why it has been around for about 40 years. Noodles are at HK$19 and Congee at HK$21. Order the regular size and it can be shared by two people, making it super affordable. The dishes were served piping hot, and I couldn't believe how the old lady beside me downed a bowl so quick!

I wasn't even finished with my regular-sized Preserved Egg (a.k.a. Century Egg) Congee when Melody invited us to have drinks at her favorite coffee shop before she runs off to work. I felt bad ditching left-over food, but couldn't take another bite anyway because my tongue got scalded after shoving spoons and spoons of congee in my mouth without letting it cool down.

We walked for about 5 minutes and entered a small corner cafe that only had two other customers. I cannot remember which street it sits on nor did I see a signage outside the establishment, but on the menu I read the name C.C. Espresso. I was craving for a decent cup of coffee (I've never had a freshly brewed one in ages), but since my tongue was still numb I ordered iced tea instead. After half an hour of sleepy conversations (okay, so maybe I was the only groggy person) over coffee and tea, Melody excused herself for it was time for work. We bid her our last goodbye.

When she left, we walked out of the cafe and followed Will's path which led us to Ko Shing St. Nearby was a labyrinth of stores selling Chinese herbal medicines. On display were shaved animal horns, starfishes, mushrooms, shark fins and other dried creatures beyond recognition (ugh, deer fetus!). They sparked our curiosity, but made our stomachs churn. Will admitted he has not tried any of them and does not intend to.

Winding, confusing paths because stores sell almost the same merchandise.

A Hike Up Victoria Peak

We didn't make any plans for our third day in Hong Kong but to buy train tickets to Beijing, so we slept until 10:00 AM. I was awoken by my sister's text message that said she's home safe. Actually earlier that morning, around 5-ish, we got up briefly to hail a cab that will take my sister to Central Station. And from there, she'll transfer to the Airport Express Line. She was in deep melancholy when she left, and she hated me for booking her flight back to the Philippines that early.

Victoria Peak's The Peak
I rose from our sleeping bag-turned-bed and went to the kitchen to prepare coffee. We were staying at my husband's ex-colleague Will's pad. I could feel my joints aching, strained from our hectic tour the day before. I was hoping for a relaxed day, but when Will got out of his room and invited us to visit The Peak, I wasn't able to resist. It was our last day in Hong Kong anyway, so we better make the most of it.

Though my hamstrings were still complaining, I braved our short hike up Victoria Peak. Yes, we did not take public transport. We entered the hilly property of The University of Hong Kong (just across Will's building), exited at a back gate, and followed an ascending narrow road. Just about 20 minutes into the hike, we ended up on the 'Morning Trail'. In that area, traffic noise is already filtered by a heavy population of trees. The only other sound I could hear was Will talking to Shervin about how he mastered Lao dancing in Laos (I was walking way behind them).

The Morning Trail is popular not only to local joggers, but also to Tai Chi practitioners because the trail branches out into uncrowded pocket parks.

Halfway to the peak.
Somewhere along the way we entered Lung Fu Shan Country Park, the smallest country park in Hong Kong. Pinewood Battery (an old defense line completed in 1905) and Pinewood Garden picnic site can be found here.

Bunkers constructed at Pinewood Battery.
Then finally, we trudged on 'The Governor's Walk' which led us to the view point. When we arrived, the air was dense with the fog's penetration, we couldn't see anything beyond a 5-meter radius.

View point, zero visibility. What now?
Where we were ain't The Peak yet. To avoid confusion, Victoria Peak is the highest mountain in Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin or simply The Peak. On top of Victoria Peak are The Peak Tram, The Peak Tower and The Peak Galleria, which at times are also called The Peak. Okay, so it's still kind of confusing.

But anyway, moving forward, we walked (at last after a 2-hour hike) to The Peak Tower where we will be catching The Peak Tram. It's already hazy how we got there, I just kept following Will. For you guys who will be heading to The Peak from the MTR station, here are two easy ways to get there on foot (plus other sites along the way!):

1. From MTR Central Station, exit J2. Turn right through Chater Garden to Garden Road. Keep walking until you see St. John's Cathedral (oldest surviving Western ecclesiastical building in Hong King) on your right, just a few more meters should be The Peak Tram's Lower Terminus to your left.

2. From Admiralty Station, exit C1 and follow signs to 'Hong Kong Park' or 'Island Shangri-La Hotel'. You'll be passing by Flagstaff House (Museum of Tea Ware), the oldest existing Western building in Hong Kong. Follow the signs to Rawlinson House (old residence of the Deputy Commander of the British Forces in the old Victoria Barracks). Walk up along Cotton Tree Drive, then turn right to the Peak Tram's Lower Terminus when you pass by the Hong Kong Squash Center.

For more information about The Peak Tram, check out their website. Its history, hours of operation, promos, and a whole lot more are discussed in detail there.

Recommended: Climb up The Sky Terrace on top of The Peak Tower! A 360° view of Hong Kong Island awaits.

Octopus Cards can be used to pay for the tram's ticket. Mine was already out of credits so I paid in cash, HK$22 one way. This was December 2009. Just last 1 January 2010, price was raised to HK$25.

At the Peak Tram's Lower Terminus.
It took a while before the next tram arrived. The trip itself however, only takes about 5 minutes from end to end. At The Peak's Lower Terminus by the way is where Madame Tussauds is located. Though their exhibit is different from Amsterdam's (which I was able to visit in 2007), I refused to check it out. It would have been nice to have a photo with Jackie Chan, perhaps I'll have that chance next time. The HK$160 ticket was just too much.

For more information on Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, here's their website.

It was already 2:00 PM. We left the terminus and strolled across Hong Kong Park towards Admiralty Station. Will was going to accompany us to Hung Hom Station next so we can buy our tickets to Beijing.

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