Category Archives: COUNTRIES

Peak Tram (Hong Kong)

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Upon arrival at the Lower Peak Tram Terminus, we bought our tickets for the Peak Tram, a 1.352 km. funicular ride through upper Hong Kong that will take us  up to around 396 m. up the 522-m. high Victoria Peak, the highest peak in Hong Kong.

Lower Peak Tram Terminus

Opened in May 1888  for the exclusive use of the British Governor and Victoria Peak residents (the first mechanical public transport in Hong Kong), this historic service remains, to this day, the steepest funicular railway in the world.  The trams were originally steam-driven.  In 1926, an electric cable haulage system was introduced and the current modernized enclosed, 2-car trams were introduced in 1989, using a 1520 mm. rail gauge.  Until the 1960s, there were 2 classes of tickets, one for the rich and the other for servants.

On Board the Peak Tram

The Peak Tram operates from 7 AM to midnight, departing within 10 to 15-min. intervals. The journey, from lower terminus to upper terminus, up the peak took us only 7 to 8 mins. but, during that short time, we were offered, as the tram ascended, an unfolding canvas of stunning views over Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and Victoria Harbor.

Cityscape View From the Peak Tram

Each red tram has a capacity of 120 people (95 seated and 25 standing). There were immediate stations at Cotton Tree Drive Terminal, Kennedy Rd., MacDonnell Rd., May Rd. and Barker Rd. though, at busy times, it may not be possible to board as the trams may be full.

Peak Tower Terminus

We arrived at the upper terminus at the distinctive, ultra-modern, 7-storey Peak Tower by 12:30 PM.  The tower’s wok-shaped upper storey looks not unlike a Japanese Shinto Gate.  The tower was designed by architect Zaha Hadid and was completed on August 29, 1972. The current tower, designed by renowned British architect Terry Farrell, was officially reopened to the public on May 1997.

Peak Tower

Upon arrival, we first had our lunch at the tower’s Burger King outlet. After lunch, we proceeded to its view platform where we had a stunning cityscape view of Hong Kong’s skyline.  With over 7000 skyscrapers built in past 2 decades, it is the world biggest, larger than New York City and, many say, the most beautiful in the world.  Also best appreciated at night, when the neon lights of Hong Kong’s giant skyscrapers are most majestic, it remains one of the greatest man-made views on Earth.

Hong Kong’s Magnificent Skyline

The tower’s retail and entertainment complex features a number of top attractions, including Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium (2nd and 3rd floor), the Peak Explorer Motion Simulator (4th floor) and Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks Museum. Though we didn’t enter the wax museum, we still had a blast posing beside the available wax images of late martial arts start Bruce Lee and actress Cecilia Cheung.

Bruce Lee in Wax at Madame Tussaud’s

The tower also boasts of shopping arcades, 6 snack bars and cafes and 4 fine-dining restaurants including Hong Kong’s highest restaurant, Mövenpick Marche. After 1.5 hrs. on the tower, we decided it was time to leave for our next destination – Ocean Park, this time taking the taxi.

Peak Tram Lower Terminus: 33 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2522 0922. Fax: (852) 2849 6237. Website: www.thepeak.com.hk. Email : info@thepeak.com.hk. Fares: Adults (HK$28 single, HK$40 return), Child (HK$11 single, HK$18 return), Senior (65 and over, HK$11 single, HK$18 return).

Enroute to the Peak Tram (Hong Kong)

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After our breakfast at a MacDonald’s outlet along Nathan Rd., we all returned to our hotel and prepared for our day’s main activities – the Peak Tram in the morning and Ocean Park in the afternoon. We planned to all go the former via the very efficient Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system.  From the hotel, we all walked all the way, from Kimberley Rd. to Nathan Rd. and, from there, to the nearby Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station.  Here, we took the MTR to Central MTR Station.

Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station

Upon our arrival at Central, we made our way to the J2 Exit and walked up to the ground level. It was a pleasant walk from Central to the Peak Tram Lower Terminus. Turning right, through Chater Garden (a gathering place for many of our Filipino kababayans), we crossed Queen’s Road Central and made our way up Garden Road. Along the way, we passed a few famous Hong Kong landmarks such as the Bank of China Tower and Citibank Plaza on our left and St John’s Cathedral on our right.

Central MTR Station

The cross-shaped, Early English and Decorated-Gothic styled St. John’s Cathedral (or the Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist), a declared monument since January 5, 1996.  Located along Garden Road, it is the oldest surviving Western ecclesiastical building in Hong Kong and is believed to be the oldest Anglican church in the Far East.  It was built in 1849 and houses 3 beautiful stained glass windows, as well as a collection of British military colors, standards and guidons. An eastern extension was added in 1873.  During the Japanese occupation, the cathedral was used as a social club for the Japanese community.  It suffered heavy damage during the war and most of the present interior and furnishings are post-war.

St. John's Cathedral

Next to the cathedral, along Battery Path, is the Former French Mission Building, built by Sir Henry Pottinger, the first governor of Hong Kong. This granite and red brick structure, completed between 1842 and 1843, is one of Hong Kong’s oldest surviving colonial buildings. Acquired by the French Mission in 1915, it was extensively rebuilt in 1917 and was finally sold back to the Hong Kong Government in 1953. Reputedly the location of the colony’s first government house, it has green shutters, black wrought-iron details and a chapel on the northwest corner, topped by a cupola, added by French Catholic missionaries. Today, this Neo-Classical styled building is used as the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal and was declared as a declared monument on September 14, 1989.

Former French Mission Building

Built in 1950, the 17-storey Old Bank of China Building, Hong Kong Building was, for some time, one of the masterpieces of Hong Kong architecture. Contemporary in style, it was completed only a year after the Communist Party came to power in China. The new party endeavored to make it one of the grandest buildings in Hong Kong and, at one point, it towered more than 20 feet over the neighboring Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building (HSBC), which was their goal.

Old Bank of China Building (left) beside the newer HSBC Building

No longer home to the Bank of China, the attractive building is – ironically – now one of the shortest in Hong Kong’s Central District, was replaced in the 1990s by I.M Pei’s stunning Bank of China Tower. However, during its heyday, the old building served not only as bank headquarters but also as a way to encourage Hong Kong citizens to disregard their colonial rulers and pledge allegiance to China. It is said that during the 1960s, loud speakers were placed on the exterior of the building to broadcast “patriotic” messages to locals.

Bank of China Building

The Old Bank of China was designed by P & T Architects and Engineers Ltd., established in 1868. Also known as Palmer and Turner, the group has, throughout the decades, designed a number of other well-known Hong Kong landmarks, including the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (Bank of China’s rival) and a number of other office buildings, hotels, and condominiums worldwide.

Avenue of the Stars (Hong Kong)

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After our museums and Clock Tower visit, Jandy, Cheska and I moved on to the Victoria Harbor waterfront for the Avenue of the Stars, one of Hong Kong’s newest attractions.  Opened on April 27, 2004, this HK$40 million avenue, built along an existing promenade, was designed by local architects AGC Design, financed by New World Group and supported by government bodies including the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Hong Kong Tourism Commission and the Hong Kong Film Awards Association. Upon completion, it was donated to the Hong Kong SAR Government by New World Group.

Avenue of the Stars

Modeled after the popular Hollywood Walk of Fame in the U.S., it honors glamorous celebrities of the Hong Kong (touted as the “Hollywood of the Orient”) film industry. Upon entering Salibury Garden (the western entrance), from the Hong Kong Museum of Art, we were greeted by a 4.5 m. high replica of the statuette given to winners at the annual Hong Kong Film Awards.

Welcome to the Avenue of the Stars

Along its 440 m. long promenade, which commands a stunning panoramic view across Victoria Harbor, the story of Hong Kong’s 100 years of cinematic history is told through inscriptions printed on 9 red pillars. Also set into the promenade’s colored paving blocks are 101  (up from the initial 73) plaques honoring the celebrities, some emblazoned with hand prints and autographs of the stars set in cement, but most only contain the celebrities’ names as they are now deceased (such as Bruce Lee).

Plaque of Bruce Lee

Among the few plaques with hand prints that we recognized were those of Chow Yun Fat and martial arts superstars Michelle Yeoh, Jackie Chan and Jet Li.  We all can’t help but crouch or sit down and take photos of our hands in the molds of their hand prints.  The others are recognizable only to the Hong Kong community or aficionados of Hong Kong films.

Measuring Up to Jet Li

One of the most recent additions to the Avenue of Stars is the 2.5 m. bronze statue of the late Bruce Lee (1940-1973), erected here in 2005 to commemorate his 65th birth anniversary.  Another popular attraction along the avenue for photo opportunities is a statue of  a film director and cameraman “on set.” There are also 3 souvenir kiosks along the Avenue of Stars, including one dedicated to Jackie Chan merchandise and memorabilia.

Emulating Bruce Lee

Nightly, at 8 PM, the promenade is a popular viewing place for the free 14-min. light and sound show called the “Symphony of Lights.” Here, 44 prominent buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbor, part of Hong Kong Island’s famous skyline, becomes spectacularly illuminated.

Statues of Director and Cameramen on Set

Avenue of the Stars: Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

How to Get There: by MTR, take the East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station, exit J, near InterContinental Hotel.  It is a 3-min. walk from the avenue. Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station, which is linked by pedestrian subway to East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station and has common exits is also within walking distance. The Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier is also a 10-min. walk from the avenue. Follow the promenade past the clock tower and along the harbor side, in front of Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Museum of Art.  The Star Ferry Bus Terminus, located at Star Ferry Pier, is the terminus for KMB services 1, 1A, 2, 5, 5A, 5C, 6, 6A, 7, 8 and 9. Routes A21, 8A, 13X, 26, 28, 35A, 41A, 81C, 87D, 98D, 110, 203, 208, 215X, 219X and 224X all stop on Salisbury Road, outside New World Centre, a 5-min. walk from the avenue.

Clock Tower, Hong Kong Cultural Center, Hong Kong Museum of Art and Hong Kong Space Museum (Hong Kong)

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From Kowloon Park, Jandy, Cheska and I walked along Canton Road until we reached the red brick and granite, 45-m. high Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower, located near Victoria Harbor at the foot of Salisbury Road.  Topped by a 7-m. high lightning rod, it is the only remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Built in 1915, it marks the start of the scenic Waterfront Promenade and remains as a photogenic monument to Tsim Sha Tsui’s rail heritage. The tower can be reached by a wooden staircase located within. Another landmark, the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, is located nearby.

Clock Tower

The Clock Tower reused the clock from the now demolished Pedder Street Clock Tower. However, only one side had a clock, and it was not until 1920 that the remaining three sides of the Clock Tower were installed. They began operation in the afternoon of March 22, 1921, and have run ever since except during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II.  In 1975, the Kowloon Station was moved to the present-day Hung Hom Station, on the newly reclaimed Hung Hom Bay. The old building of the station was demolished in 1977 but the Clock Tower was preserved. Since July 13, 1990, the tower has been listed as a declared monument in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Cultural Center

Today, the site of the historic railway station is now occupied by the multipurpose Hong Kong Cultural Center, its curving roof and futuristic features creating an unusual background to the Clock Tower. Home to the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the center has an oval, 2-tiered 2,019-seat Concert Hall with adjustable acoustic canopy and curtains and finished with high-quality oak.  It also houses an 8,000-pipe pipe organ (Asia’s largest, built by the Austrian firm Rieger Orgelbau), a 1,734-seat, 3-tiered Grand Theater for large scale opera, ballet and musicals,  a 300-496-seat Studio Theater for smaller-scale theater and performance works, an  Exhibition Gallery, 4 foyer exhibition areas and 11 rehearsal and practice rooms.

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Flanking the Hong Kong Cultural Center are the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong Museum of Art.  The Hong Kong Museum of Art, a museum for Chinese cultural heritage, and local and international art in Hong Kong, houses 14,000 art objects, mainly Chinese paintings of historical significance, sculpture and calligraphy works and antique Chinese treasures.  The museum also presents a great variety of thematic exhibitions drawn from local and overseas sources. It was first established in the City Hall in 1962 and moved to the present premises in 1991.

Hong Kong Space Museum

The 80,000-sq. m., dome-shaped Hong Kong Space Museum, built in 1980, has 3 sections: the Hall of Space Science, the Hall of Astronomy, and one of the world’s largest and most technical planetariums, the Space Theater, where thrilling wide-screen Omnimax and Skyshows are presented.

How to Get There: From MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit E, walk towards Salisbury Road, turn right, take pedestrian next to YMCA to Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Then turn right and walk straight ahead towards the waterfront.  Take Star Ferry from Central or Wan Chai and follow the signs. The Clock Tower is located next to the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier.

Kowloon Park (Hong Kong)

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After checking in at Kimberley Hotel, all of us decided to have our lunch at a restaurant along Kimberley Road.  After lunch, we all returned to the hotel where Grace, Dad and Mom decided to catch up with lost sleep.  Not so with me, Jandy and Cheska, deciding, instead, to do some sightseeing of our own.

Kowloon Park Entrance

From the hotel, we all walked to the nearby 13.47-hectare (33-acre) Kowloon Park. The park was formerly a site of the Whitfield Camp Barracks for the British force with a battery (Kowloon West Battery II) on its west side. In 1970, the Urban Council redeveloped the site into the Kowloon Park and it was officially opened on June 24, 1970. From 1975- 1978, part of the site was occupied in the construction of the MTR.  In 1989, the park was redeveloped at a cost of $300 million, which was funded by the then Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Due to topographical and other site constraints, the northern part of Kowloon Park is selected for active recreational area (Aquatics Center with 4 swimming pools, tennis courts, etc.) whereas the passive amenities area (children’s playground, aviary, Chinese Garden, Bird Lake and exhibition center) is mainly in the south. We were more interested in the latter.

Tai Chi Enthusiast at Chinese Garden

Behind the Kowloon Mosque and next to the Health Education, Exhibition and Information Centre, we came upon a bronze sculpture of 2 ribbons that intertwine to form a heart, inaugurated on December 1, 1997, World AIDS Day, crafted by Van Lau, an influential Hong Kong artist responsible for many of the city’s other sculptures.  It commemorates the victims and the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Ribbon Symbol of AIDS

At the Pond Garden is the “Pool Pavilion” done by British sculptor David Watkins in 1989.  This is a fabulous piece of artwork, which gives a delightful touch to the park, consists of bent parallel steel tubes joined together, taking the shape of trees. The sculpture is placed at the center of a pond and people can get through it and become part of the work themselves. The witty shapes of the tubes radiate a festive mood and it takes you right in the middle of a carnival.

David Watkin’s “Pool Pavilion”

The park has lots trees, beautiful gardens, plenty of paved sidewalks for walking or jogging, and a large area for concerts and special events.  At the Chinese Garden, we watched various groups practicing martial arts and taichi.

The Park’s Aviary

It is also a haven for birdlife.  The park has a nice aviary composed of 7 planted enclosures accommodating over 140 birds of 38 species (parrots, pigeons, pheasants, etc.) plus plenty of shaded areas where visitors can sit and watch the antics of the birds. There’s also a rockery, a man-made waterfall and a decorative trellis. The park also has a Bird Lake with 200 finches of 20 species.

Greater Flamingos at Bird Lake

The park also has a pair of identical, 2-storey, colonial military barrack blocks, constructed in circa 1910. Linked by an extension block constructed in the 1980s to provide more space for the former Hong Kong Museum of History from 1983 to 1998, it now houses the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre.

Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center

Kowloon Park: 22 Austin Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Admission is free except for Swimming Center and Sports Center.  Tel: 2724 3344. Fax: 2724 4197.  E-mail: kpqr@lcsd.gov.hk.

How to Get There:  By subway, take Subway Tsuen Wan Line and get off at Jordan or Tism Sha Tsui station and walk to the park.  By bus, take Bus No. 1, 1A, 2, 2C, 6, 6A, 7, 9, 13X, 26, 35A, 41A, 63X, 81C, 87D, 98D, 203, 208, 219X, 234X, 271, 281A, 296D or A2 and get off at Kowloon Park.

Chep Lap Kok International Airport to Kimberley Hotel (Hong Kong)

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Summer was nearing its end and classes about to begin and we didn’t want to end it without a family vacation.  We decided on Hong Kong, a first for my children Jandy and Cheska. My in-laws, who just celebrated their golden wedding anniversary last May 25, was also joining us. So too with my brother-in-law Mark, his wife Nenette and their children Miguel and Matthew, 10 in all.

Arrival at Chek Lap KoK International Airport

We all departed Manila’s old NAIA I Terminal on the 6:30 AM (CX-905) Cathay Pacific flight, arriving at Chek Lap Kok International Airport by 8:30 AM.  After transferring to the Terminal 2 Building via MTR Airport Express, we were met by our guide Anthony from Ann Travel Agency. The 37-km. shuttle trip from the airport to the city took all of 45 mins.. We arrived at Kimberley Hotel by 10 AM.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Kimberley Hotel“

Transfer via MTR Airport Express

Stopovers at Sariaya (Quezon) and San Pablo City (Laguna)

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After 4 days in Marinduque where we attended the Moriones Festival and did a lot of sightseeing, it was now time to return to Manila.  It being Easter Sunday, we wanted to avoid   the huge afternoon rush for tickets going home so we went to Balanacan Pier very early in the morning.  I was able to secure tickets for the 8:30 AM trip back to Dalahican Pier in Lucena City (Quezon) on board the Roll-On Roll-Off (RORO) ship MV Maria Rebecca of Montenegro Shipping Lines.

Disembarking the MV Maria Rebecca

The 2.5-hr. boat trip was uneventful and we arrived at Dalahican Port by 11:15 AM.  We promptly boarded my parked Toyota Revo and left the harbor for the return trip to Manila.  Upon reaching Sariaya, we stopped over at a local eatery for a much needed lunch.  As the others were still eating, I decided to burn some calories by making a quick tour of the town, especially the Rodriguez Ancestral House where Jandy and I once stayed in 8 years ago.

The Rodriguez Ancestral House

Together with the others, we dropped by the town’s Church of St. Francis of Assisi. At the back of the church, we visited the devotional park where life-size statues  re-enacting the Last Supper were set up.

We just had lunch but now we’re joining the Last Supper

We again boarded the Revo and continued on our way, exiting Quezon Province and entering Laguna Province at San Pablo City where we made a short stopover at the stone balustrade across the street where we had a panoramic view of the 105-hectare Sampaloc Lake, the largest, nearest and most accessible of the city’s 7 iconic lakes and, from afar, the hazy silhouette of Mt. Cristobal.

Lake Sampaloc

 

The Pugutan (Gasan, Marinduque)

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After our Nagtangco Island hopping tour, we returned to our resort, had dinner and then left again for the next town of Gasan to watch the Pugutan, the re-enactment of the beheading of the Roman centurion Longinus, which was held at an open-air stage.


The past days, the physically draining habulan (chase) was re-enacted wherein Longinus merrily races through rice fields and the streets, pursued by moriones, to the delight of onlookers.  Part of the play is a simulated fight between the escaping Longinus and the moriones.  He is captured three times, escapes each time and is eventually captured on the fourth try and brought before Pilate.  


The Pugutan we were watching is the continuation of this play.  Longinus is escorted up the open-air stage by a brass band  where he is presented to the people and subsequently tried.  The dialogue is in Tagalog.  As Longinus refuses to renounce his faith, he is ordered executed.  He is given the opportunity to say some last words and a prayer before his beheading (pugutan).  At his funeral, Longinus’ body is borne on a bamboo stretcher by moriones devotees.  

Nagtangco Island (Mompog, Marinduque)

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Our trip to Marinduque wasn’t complete without a visit to one of its outlying islands.  I opted to visit the 8-hectare Nagtangco Island.  The next day we took a jeepney to Balanacan Pier, one of two ports of entry into Marinduque.  Offshore from this fine natural harbor is an imposing statue of Ina ng Biglang Awa (the patron saint of the province).  The statue is located atop a concrete view deck which is connected to the mainland by a concrete causeway.  Curious, we all made the crossing to the view deck.  

Balanacan View Deck
At the fisherman’s wharf, we approached a fisherman and negotiated for the use of his motorized outrigger boat.  We finally settled on the amount of PhP1,000. The boat trip to Nagtangco Island was smooth and uneventful and took all of 30 mins.
 
On our way
Nagtangco Island
Nagtangco Island, together with nearby San Andres Island, have spectacular white sand beaches and we still haven’t had our fill of these beaches.  However, unlike our Poctoy White Beach visit the day before, the beach where our boat landed was packed with picnickers.   Fronting the beach was a concrete resthouse, currently unoccupied, and I approached its caretaker.  Along the way, I noticed that the beach on the other side was deserted.
 
The beach open to the public
The private beach

The caretaker told me that the beach I noticed was private and off limits to outsiders.  However, with a touch of diplomacy, I was able to get access to this beach.  While my companions were enjoying a private, uncrowded swim, I climbed its nearby craggy viewpoint where I had a panoramic view of San Andres Island.   This island visit truly capped our stay in this lovely province.

San Andres Island

The Good Friday Parade of Carrozas (Torrijos and Boac, Marinduque)

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From Poctoy White Sand Beach, we again boarded our Tamaraw FX for our return trip back to Boac.  At Sta. Cruz town, our progress back to Boac was substantially delayed by a parade of carrozas (carriages) of saints, another Good Friday staple, gathering at the town’s Church of the Holy Cross (built in 1714, has 1.5 to 2-m. thick walls and was renovated except for its original tower) and was just getting underway.  

A Good Friday parade of carrozas at Sta. Cruz

Approaching Boac, we again encountered another parade of carrozas.  In both cases, instead of fretting, we just got down the Tamaraw FX and patiently watch the parade’s progress.  The parade at Boac was somewhat different than the other parades I’ve attended in the past as, aside from carrozas carrying statues of saints and the Sto. Entierro (bier of the dead Jesus Christ), it included a contingent of moriones (some riding Roman chariots).

Carroza bearing the Sto. Entierro
Chariot bearing 2 moriones

It was just about evening when the parade finally passed us by and we were able to proceed to our resort.