Sunday 5th December

We've had a fab day today!

We decided to have a day out using the Hong Kong tram system. The trams are the oldest form of public transport in HK, and they have the World's largest operating fleet of double decker tramcars. And it's incredibly cheap - each trip only costs $2 per adult - about 16p!




But first a geography lesson. For those not familiar with Hong Kong geography (that was me until I first visited), HK is made up of 3 main areas; The New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. To get between Kowloon and HK Island, you can either drive through one of 3 motor vehicle tunnels, take the Star Ferry or use the MTR (the cheap and extremely efficient, mainly underground, railway).



The Victoria Harbour between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island used to be 2 miles across, but after all the reclamation works which have been taking place in recent years, it is now only 800 metres at its narrowest point. When we were on the Star Ferry last week we had to wait ages to dock, as the ferries get across so much quicker now the distance has been so foreshortened, there's always a queue to "park".

To get across to HK Island to begin our mammoth journey we took the MTR, to pick up the tram at Kennedy Town. They were holding a craft market in Kennedy Town when we arrived, and we bought some great gifts for ourselves and friends.


And there began the start of our 18 mile journey, which took 1 hour 45 minutes and cost the princely sum of 16p each!!

This is a map of the island, tracing our route through.

The view as we left Kennedy Town on the best seats on the tram









A typical shop selling everything as we passed through Sheung Wan









And a little dim sum shop in the street









Here is the Western Market building, which is one of the oldest structures on HK Island and used to be a wet market. It now houses shops and a restaurant.







Now, here is something that absolutely
fascinates me here - the scaffolding on all the buildings. It's all made of bamboo which has been lashed together, there's not a metal pole in sight! And they use bamboo for everything, including the buildings under construction, some 80 or more floors high! I hate heights anyway, but to trust your life to some bamboo poles and string? Brrrrr, no thanks!


The next stops on the journey are in Central District, and this is where the scenery changes. Everywhere is full of people and bustle, and you reach all the huge office buildings and designer shops. There is Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Gucci, Prada and many more, in complete contrast to the majority of the country.



Sunday is the Philipino Maids day off here, so the whole place is full of women sitting out on their flattened cardboard boxes,
chatting; doing their nails; playing bingo; eating; in fact anything they can do all together in massive groups. The noise is unbelievable!

We also saw a Hong Kong Salvation Army band playing Christmas Carols here!

This is a cool photo from Admiralty, the next stage on the journey, of a new building containing the reflection of the old housing on the other side of the road








And this is the view through the front of the tram as it continued its journey through Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and Tin Hau.


This is a very familiar sight everywhere. Ladies go round all the shops and market stalls (and bins in some places) collecting up the cardboard and tin cans. They squash it all down flat, load it onto their trolly and take it to the recycling departments, where they are paid a small amount for all they have brought.

Sometimes the ladies are very old and quite tiny, but their trollies are huge, piled high and very heavy. It's a tough way of life :(


And now we have arrived at our destination - Shau Kei Wan. we've travelled 18 miles, in 1 hour 45 and paid just 16p each.

This whole country is fabulous, but a place of such immense contrasts. The rich are very rich and the poor very poor. We regularly see very disabled beggars outside the Louis Vuitton shop, oh the irony.

And to end our day, we went back to Mongkok where we saw the strange performers the other evening. Mr Bodypop was having a night off, but Sharon Osborne eat your heart out......