When I think about places that I have been, or countries that I have visited, I have still images in my mind of certain things (probably which I do have photos of) but these are clearer than anything that the shutters of my camera captured. I'm not sure why these are so vivid above the others, but I hope that they remain sharp and clear long into the future.
Some of the pictures I have in my mind are probably related to photographs I have taken, but I feel like there have been some moments on this journey when only what my eyes have actually seen could do it justice.
It frequently warrants mentioning that I have seen a collection of some of the most spectacular sights in the world on this journey, all of which will remain with me forever. It might take a while before I can appreciate what I have seen, but even when I look back and think about places that I have visited and sights I have been fortunate enough to see, I realise how exceptionally lucky I am.
Everywhere that I have visited has lived up to expectations, and in totality I feel like spending four months on this continent will turn out to be one of the best and most life defining choices I have ever made. There are moments when things have been very difficult, and times when I thought that things seemed almost impossibly overwhelming, but I feel like looking back in a few months it will all seem totally worth it for the incredibly amazing things that I have done.
There is no question that these four months have been totally unique, and even if I were to go away again under the same conditions there'd be no chance that things would play out the same way. Even as time passes and I get closer to the end of my journey I feel like there are chances to enjoy unique experiences and I look forward to each and every one.
A bit like trying to think about the most spectacular or memorable thing I have seen whilst I have been on my journey is impossible, it's also going to be very difficult for me to just pick out one thing that I will miss about being in Asia when I return home.
Seeing incredible things and the potential to have new experiences every day is definitely close towards the top of the list, and I know that I am going to thoroughly enjoy any opportunity I get to relive some of it with other people.
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We started off today by taking advantage of that as last night we'd found the Jade Market but discovered that it was closed when we arrived. I think it's one of the many notable markets in Hong Kong, and because it sells jade, a popular stone synonymous with this part of the world, it's something pretty unique that I probably wouldn't be able to see quite as authentically as in Hong Kong.
It's quite funny the amount of markets and shops and that I've been to during my stay in Asia without actually buying anything. I've never really been a big shopper on my own continent, and it's very rare that I will see something walking through the market that I definitely thing I need to have, but one of the best things about being in Asia is walking through them, no matter what they sell, as I always find it a great experience. When I was in Vietnam I walked back through the market to the hotel pretty much every night and that's something I don't think I would have ever got bored of.
That was going to be where we started today, and on the way we were going to tick off another few boxes for things that we wanted to do whilst we were in the country.
We took the bus towards Yau Ma Tei and carefully navigated our way from there to where we had been last night. It was quite a difficult job as we were coming from the opposite direction, and I think we also got off the bus a stop too late which meant walking further than I'd anticipated.
Eventually though, after some careful navigation, and working out where we were from last night, we came upon the entrance to the Jade Market which was pretty much entirely undercover.
It was totally different to many of the markets I'd been to before in Asia, as it was like a small area of shops in an arcade. It lived up to its name though, as every little shop and stand they were sold jewellery and items which were connected with jade.
Sarah wanted to buy something from there so we did a couple of laps before she eventually found a stall where she brought a green jade ring from. It took some careful negotiations, but Sarah managed to get it for around £12 or so which was actually pretty good value.
From there we were headed back towards Victoria Harbour where we'd spent out second day walking along the pier and watching the Symphony of Lights. Once again, my navigational sense and ability to recall where we'd been before came in to its own as we walked down several of the streets we'd gone down in order to get to the night market from the harbour, and eventually we found ourselves back in the area of the city where we'd spent Thursday night.
It was bustling as busy as ever, and there were plenty of people walking around looking in the shopping centres and designer boutiques which lined the streets - I guess this is why Hong Kong is so popular with people who unlike me, do love shopping.
We carried on until we got to the harbour, and then we had to figured out the way we wanted to get across it.
The other night when we were watching the Symphony of Lights we'd seen plenty of boats crossing the harbour, presumably coming from Hong Kong Island. Boats are a pretty popular way to cross the harbour, but we hadn't taken that opportunity as yet as we'd made every journey in one direction or another using either the bus or the MTR.
To mix it up a little I thought it might be a good experience to use something called the Starferry which is perhaps the most common boat you see shuttling people backwards and forwards.
We found the Starferry terminal which is very close to where we'd walked past the other day. It's actually a bit like a MTR stop as you can use your travel card to board the boat and there are three different stops (including the Kowloon one we were at) which you can get off the boat at.
Heading in the direction of another of Hong Kong's major tourist attractions we were only riding to the first stop on the boat, and it didn't take long before we were heading in that direction as the boat arrived and let us board.
Although not quite as large, or serving the same purpose, it reminded me of when I was in Malaysia and caught the boat to Georgetown from Penang. It wasn't a long journey across the water in Hong Kong and after about five minutes or so we arrived at the harbour where we'd walked on our first day. It was an enjoyable journey across the water though and allowed me to take some pictures as we travelled along:
After getting our feet back on dry land we followed the path which leads from the harbour past the Hong Kong Observation Wheel and through Tamar Park. Although it is quite a small and quiet place just on the water, it was much busier today than when we walked through it the other day. There seemed to be lots of females of Filippino or Thai descent sitting with their friends, eating lunch and taking selfies as we walked through towards Hong Kong Park which is a much larger public park which opened in 1991 and set about giving people an open space to spend their time in a city that was increasingly being dominated by skyscrapers.
It actually took us quite a while to find the park as it has several entrances, and surprisingly there aren't too many signs pointing directly to any of them but eventually we made our way to the main entrance which led us through one of the most unique spaces there is in the city.
When I was in New York I was fascinated by Central Park and how it literlly seemed to spring from nowhere in the middle of the concrete jungle. Although not quite to the same extreme, Hong Kong Park does the same and it's amazing how even though surrounded by plenty of skyscrapers there is room for so much greenery and wild life.
The first thing that amazed us both was a fountain which sat at the entrance to the park, it was basically like a waterfall although there was a gap so that you could get into the middle of it so that the water went all the way around you:
There were another couple of fountains which people were sitting around eating their lunch, but we continued on to a much larger open space where there was a pond which had some benches that we took a perch upon:
It not only allowed us to relax from what had a been a busy day of walking already, but also provided us with some excellent views of the things that were around us:
As much as I have been busy and on the go since arriving in Asia in February, I think one thing I have always done a very good job is making sure that I take time to appreciate my surroundings. I often do this by taking pictures rather than sitting and taking everything in as I've had the opportunity to do in Hong Kong with another person, but I think it would be very easy to rush around and see all these fantastic things without taking them in properly.
If you do that, then for me you are simply ticking boxes on a checklist rather than being capable of enjoying and appreciating the experience for what it is.
As well as the green spaces, there was plenty more to take in as we wandered around. I think I've been here long enough to get used to the many hills which Hong Kong has but in some ways it was odd being in a park which has such extreme gradients to it.
We walked up to the top of the path where there was a couple of waterfalls....
...and then from there we continued on to an exhibition which had lots of plants and flowers inside which are native to Hong Kong. It reminded me of the butterfly gardens that you can walk through, just without the butterflies:
From there we walked up a very steep hill which took is towards a Tai Chi Garden before we eventually arrived at an open air aviary. It was very similar to the one I'd walked through in Kuala Lumpur although there weren't quite as many birds in this one:
Still, it was impressive, especially considering it was free to walk through and I guess just being that close to nature in itself is a unique opportunity.
Now it was time to move on the major thing that we had planned today which, like yesterday, involved us using a unique method of transport in order to get up to a great height and look down upon everything below.
Another of Hong Kong's major tourist attractions is simply known as "The Peak". It is set upon Victoria Peak which is a on the western section of Hong Kong Island and is actually known as Mount Austin. With elevation about 500m it provides spectacular views down upon the rest of the city, and is a must for anyone visiting.
In order to get up to the top of "The Peak" you have to board the Peak Tram....
...... which has been in operation since 1888. It runs just over a kilometre in length and takes you to the top of the hill in style. A bit like how you could get to the top of the peak in Lantau on foot, you can walk up to the top of The Peak, but really this was part of what the tram is designed to do so we waited in line until it was our turn to board.
The tram may be running on more advanced technology than it was at the end of the nineteenth century, but it probably has the same capacity as it did then, and this authentic feel made for a unique ride to the summit:
On the way up there are gaps in the trees where you can see out, but the most spectacular view comes when you get to the top and you have the opportunity to see just how far you've come up the diagonal route:
It's not just views at the top of The Peak which are to be had as very quickly I realised that this was yet another shopping opportunity for people as you essentially end up on a miniature shopping mall filled with cafes and restaurants. We walked through some of the shops before heading to a similar complex opposite (which also had some great views......)
.... but eventually settled on getting a drink and a cake somewhere in the original place where we had arrived:
As part of our ticket we'd paid to go up to the top of the observation tower which sits at the top of The Peak....
....but if you hadn't wanted to do that then there were other opportunities where you could look out upon the city for free. We found a spot which was near a small pagoda where there were definitely plenty of good views:
As the sun started to set (and unfortunately the weather made a turn for the worse) we headed up to the observation tower where we handed over our ticket and made our way to the top where it seemed as though we were completely up on the clouds again:
Although I admit that these sights would certainly have been better on a sunny clear night, I feel like the fact that it looks as though there is a huge cloud hanging over us is also an interesting addition to the pictures:
Whilst we were up there, there were a couple of moments when it look as if we might have to scarper for cover, but eventually the rain decided to stop threatening us and the light eventually disappeared giving way to the now familiar LEDs of Victoria Harbour:
We were eventually shuffling our way closer and closer to the corner of the observation deck as people gradually moved out of the way and night completely fell:
You can see from the photos that the clouds had lowered so much that they were now actually obscuring the view and making things blurry. It was quite cool when at one point a tram came up to The Peak and then departed again, and it seemed strange to thing that we'd made the same journey so far below where we were currently standing:
After about an hour or so of standing and looking out over at the exceptional view, we decided to head back to the bottom of the observation tower and then take the tram down to street level. On the way down I experienced what is known as 'The Peak Tram Illusion' where by it seems as though you are travelling in a straight line and all the buildings are diagonal when in fact the opposite is true. It's hard to describe unless you witness it for yourself, but it's a bit like one of those magic eye pictures where if you blink or move too much then you lose that feel.
Once at the bottom we decided to add another method of transport to our travels during our stay as we decided to swap The Peak Tram for a Ding Ding Tram which flows through the streets of Hong Kong alongside buses, cars and taxis:
We caught a Ding Ding from close to where we'd in Hong Kong Park and sitting on the top of there we were treated to a delightful journey home through the well lit, still bustling streets of the city.
Once we arrived back at our hotel we had a bit of a rest before deciding to go out and get some dinner. We decided to go somewhere differently from the usual street where we ate, but this almost ended in disasterous results when we ended up trapped in an elevator with a woman who had someone managed to convince us to eat at a restaurant she was promoting.
We decided to look at the menu, but then on the way back down and out had to carefully avoid her gaze as we snuck onto another street and ate somewhere else!
With the views of The Peak in our head as we went to sleep we began to contemplate just what the last day of our stay might hold in store for us....
Beautiful Day
U2 (1993)
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