Hong Kong, 09/05/08 - Day 3

Alright, this pictorial journey will begin with my visit to The Peak in the late evening of Friday, 9th May 2008. What happened to my afternoon then, you ask? Well, it is a shame, but I deleted all the pictures that I have taken up to that point by accident and hence cannot be included in this pictorial journey. I do not have the perfect recollection of that event anymore but it goes somewhat like this.

"I was finally reaching the Lower Peak Tram Terminus when I noticed to my shock that the ticket queue actually snaked its way out to the entrance! Gosh! I should have expected this; I was not the only tourist, plus it was a evening at the beginning of a long weekend. (12 May 2008 was a public holiday in conjunction with Buddha's Birthday: Our version of Wesak Day? Though Wesak Day was celebrated on 19 May2008) Anyway, I fell in line with the queue since I was already there. There were all sorts of people all about, ang mohs here and there, quite a number of PRCs as well and oh, a cute Jap girl!!! With her boyfriend. :(



So, I was waiting like forever to reach the ticketing booth when a thought dawned upon me. That Jap girl, wasn't she on the same MTR as i was just now? Wait, no. I was thinking if I should check to see if I had enough memory on my SD card for all the shots later. Soon, I was jamming away at the buttons trying to locate the summary screen where it displays the utilization of memory of the card. That magazine she's reading, that's a Jap pop culture mag isn't it? No, no, back to my camera. Ah, here I am! The screen said, Low Level Format: CANCEL/YES.

YES.

Wait. Low Level Format? Yes?! CRAP!! Stop it!! What are you doing to my pictures, you stupid camera!!"

That, more or less sums up how my camera devoured my pictures from the earlier part of my trip. The cause of that accident cannot be immediately determined, I suppose. Whether it is due to the fatigue from lack of sleep and all the walking about or due to er...umm... the noises and distractions, remains a mystery up to this day. :P


Night was just about to set in when I finally stepped out into the open air Sky Terrace on The Peak. The change in the temperature of the atmosphere was such a welcomed respite after I spent the whole afternoon getting roasted under the sun by walking around the Avenue of Stars. The Sky Terrace offered two contrasting panoramic views: a bird eye's view of the densely packed skyscrapers which is so iconic of Hong Kong while on the other side, one could look across a vast stretch of lush green forests and beyond that, a bay, lying peacefully under the fading sunlight beckoned.


Soon, I was busy taking shots of the amazing views while waiting for darkness to come. All around me, visitors were occupied with taking pictures as well; most of them equipped with DSLR and were busy moving from one spot to the other to locate the best angle for the much anticipated night shot. The Sky Terrace seemed to be a popular haunt for families and lovebirds as well. I would soon come to learn later that night how popular it was when I had to wait in queue for almost an hour for the tram to take me back down to the foothill.

As the world around me dimmed, the temperature dropped as well. It was not long before I felt the cold biting into my skin with each puff of the wind. Slowly, the city of Hong Kong began to light up in a marvelous, rich tapestry of colors. Sadly, among the skyscrapers with the more strutting display of lights, I only knew the name of one: the Bank of China Tower.

Anyway, night was finally here. Before us, Hong Kong basked proudly in the lights of the city. Tall buildings, one after the other showered by the warm luminous glow, stood majestically amidst the enshrouding darkness. The whole metropolis looked vibrant and seemed to burst with life as the decorative lightings of the buildings changed from time to time in their own rhythm.

This, clearly was the product of capitalism I thought. Those staying in the apartments and condominiums below probably bought decorative lamps from IKEA to liven up their living room. Further away from here, the less fortunate ones were probably forced to 'decorate' their living quarters with the lights from the commercial signboards on the streets since the buildings were all so close to each other. On the other hand, the unimaginably rich, who lived in the mansions even higher up from where I was, had those skyscrapers lit up at night to serve as decorations in their living room. When the curtains in their living rooms were parted, they had the whole city of Hong Kong beneath their feet. Capitalism, good or bad? You decide.

An Early Start

The air was cool. As I carried my baggage down the four flights of stairs, a gentle breeze stirred and sent a chill through my body. It was 5 am; I was still early, I thought to myself for the umpteenth time. I had been keeping watch of the time ever since I woke up in that wee hour of the morning. One could never be too cautious when he had a schedule to follow.

After a bit of heaving and a stop in between, I was finally at ground level with the baggage at my side. I made my way towards the entrance of hall of residence, pulling the wheeled baggage along behind me. Rrraatttaaaa....Rrrraatttaaaaa..... The sound echoed across the quiet open space between block 45 and block 46 as the wheels rolled against the brick pavement.

I came to a stop at the junction leading into the Hall 9 residential area and looked left and right for a cab. Towards my left, the road ran along in a straight line until it reached a crossroad just after the Hall 11 residential area. Beyond the crossroad, it was darkness. Towards my right, the road sloped upwards, veering in the right direction all the way until it disappeared from sight behind block 41. In both directions, the road was empty. 5.05 am; I was still early.

Lady Luck was with me that morning. It was not long before a taxi zoomed past and dropped its passengers at the apartment block opposite where I waited. I seized the opportunity and hailed the cab as soon as it was turning out from the apartment block and soon I was speeding along the empty streets.

"Uncle, do you know what time the first train is?" I asked the cab driver after I had directed him to the Jurong East MRT Station.

"Oh, I'm not sure about that. Five forty five or six. Six fifteen even! Maybe. Why? Where do you want to go?" came the reply.

"I need to catch a plane at the Changi airport at eight thirty," I told him.

"Ah, I see! Well, how about this then? I'm on my way back to my house in Yishun as well. I can just take you all the way there. Five dollars discount. How about it?"

"Err, no. It's alright. I'll be too early if I head directly towards Changi airport now." I insisted.

It turned out that the first train departed from Jurong East towards Boon Lay at 5.15 a.m. It would take another half an hour before the train turned back to Jurong East to pick passengers for the trip in the other direction. So, finally, off I went on my mini trip away from Jurong at exactly 5.45 a.m.