Day 30 - Lonely at the top

Our last full day of the trip and thanks to Carolines illness, I had ot spend a large part of it on my own. She was too tired, too ill to even attempt to go out so I was sent to explore HK with a small shopping list, the posh camera and orders to photograph something interesting. With the temperatures hitting 30oC, there was no way she would make it through the day.

First stop of the day, a short nip across the Harbour to Kowloon and the Hard Rock Cafe. We have an evergrowing collection of Hard Rock city t-shirts and make a point of getting each one that we can. The Kowloon ones were pretty awesome and at just £11 a heck of a bargain compared to some.

Speaking of clothing, one thing that did bug me was being approached by various people hawking a new suit. Now admittedly I'm going to look like a tourist, but if I wanted a suit, I'd bloomin' well go and get one. Thankfully the hawkers were just the right side of persistently annoying.

From the Hard Rock, a wander to find the Avenue of Stars - the Hong Kong equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. HK film is about much more than Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and I have long been a fan of the high octane stuff produced by John Woo, Tsui Hark, Samo Hung and the coolest guy ever to walk a cinema screen, Chow Yun Fat. The Avenue of Stars leads down the waterfront and even contains some spectacular cartoon vehicles. I'm not entirely sure what their purpose is - they quite clearly move around. Movable drinks selling?

Back to the Star Ferry and off to Central Pier. The one thing that all tourists do in Hong Kong is head for the Peak and the Peak Tram in particular. A short hop into the MTR network, then out again through Chater Square and a walk uphill. In the heat, the slope of the road made it tough going and I was slightly thankful that I didn't have to nurse Caroline through it.

It is easy to see why the Peak and the Peak Tram is so high on the list of Tourist Things to Do in Hong Kong. The Tram itself is a marvellous piece of engineering, hauling you almost 400m up the peak in a little less than 1.4km, an average gradient of 1 in 3.7. A return ticket, including a pass to the viewing levels of the Peak Tower is an astonishing HK$48 - about £3.50.

At the top, you exit the Tram into the Peak Tower, an iconic building shaped like an upturned wok. It is packed with shops as well as a Post Office and Madame Tussauds. If you make your way to the top (and buy the SkyPass) you can go outside onto the roof and see the most spectacular view of the Hong Kong skyline.

It really does look like the postcards, the photos. Just to see the sheer scale of the skyscrapers and towers below you (and given their size, not all that far below...) makes you marvel at the sheer industry of the place.

It is fair to say that I loved Hong Kong and the only downside of the magnificent view was the fact that my wife was somewhere down there, too ill to share the spectacle.

A long wander amid the magnificence of the Peak and I stumbled across... another Hard Rock. Not a cafe this time, just a shop, but joy of joys, it sold its own city t-shirt, distinct from the Kowloon one. Another £11 down.

Walking back through the skyscrapers, I stumbled across a small park. In the middle of such skyscrapers as the Bank of China, Citibank Plaza and the HSBC building, was a small piece of greenery. A plaque within the park said that the ground had been dedicated as a small piece of respite within the pressure coooker of high finance. There was certainly places to hide and get away from things, including a stone seat worn smooth by countless workers. It seemed odd, yet welcome to have such an oasis of calm and I snapped a couple of photos of a bird, wheeling its way skywards against the towers.

I eventually made it back to the hotel. Caroline was feeling up to a short journey out and I thought it would be worthwhile watching the Symphony of Lights skyscraper light show from one of the Star Ferry tour boats. As it was, the boat was full, so we had to dig deep for another 30p to head over to Kowloon and the viewing area near the Avenue of Stars.

Which, as it turned out, is the place to watch the light and music show. There are speakers embedded in the platform plus long benches to sit and watch. This gives you the best experience you can of the show, although inevitably you can't see everything. I stood, keeping a watchful eye on Caroline, just taking the sight in. Well, filming it really.

A final wander, a final ferry ride and it really was time to get ready to go home.