The Height of Hong Kong

Saturday, September 3rd

We started the day with a visit to Two IFC, the tallest building on Hong Kong island at 1,364 feet. The Monetary Authority on the 55th floor offers great views of the skyscraper wall lining the slopes of Victoria's Peak.  Did you know that Hong Kong has over 7,829 high-rise buildings with the total combined height of these skyscrapers measuring 207 miles, making Hong Kong the world's tallest urban development?  Back at ground level, we strolled through the IFC mall, window shopping the high end designers and wishing we had extra time to shop.  The one thing we did end up buying was gelato... sounds about right for the Mayer's, lol.

Then it was off to the Mid-Levels District, the obvious named neighborhood mid way up Victoria's Peak.  The Mid-Levels Escalator is the world's largest covered outdoor escalator stretching a half mile in length as it moves people up or down from this residential area into the heart of Hong Kong. The escalators only run one direction at a time; down during the morning rush hour carrying an endless stream of workers with their cups of coffee and up for our Saturday afternoon adventure as we climbed 443 feet while enjoying a taste of Hong Kong living.

We walked back down (I know, sort of defeating the purpose) to the Peak Tram Terminus and felt like typical tourists as we joined the hordes of people waiting in a ridiculously long line to be transported to the top of Victoria's Peak, Hong Kong's one unmissable sight.  The funicular railway that whisks you 1,312 feet to the top in just 7 minutes, is the world's steepest and you feel the magnitude of the vertical as it climbs.

The view from the top was breathtaking, but because we had the exact opposite of clear skies, the city sat below us covered in a hazy mist.  This added a cool element to our visual and we watched a gray cloud come over the peak as it spread out to blanket the skyscrapers below. On the other side of the peak, all we saw was a sea of white as the clouds rushed up toward us and over the mountain.

Back at sea level, we waited in a long line for a table at Tim Ho Wan, but it was worth the wait to have our necessary Hong Kong dim sum experience and a Michelin star one, no less.  Like stereotypical Americans, we WAY over ordered and had to leave a lot behind.

For our Saturday night out, we headed to Soho, the epicenter of Hong Kong's latest gastro revolution, packed with more sophisticated and chiller alternatives to the craziness of LKF.  We took it all in and then headed back to our hotel for a late night swim.  The humidity this weekend has been extremely thick and hard to handle, so we both just wanted to jump in and cool down. Plus the views from our pool deck are nothing to complain about.