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Walking by part of "little Manila": thousands of Filipino house workers gather in downtown Hong Kong to celebrate birthdays, do karaoke, and catch up on their one day a week off.
A view down to Hong Kong from Peak 428!
Breakfast at the Mandarin Oriental (not where we are staying, to be clear) is an extravagant event. A variety of English breakfast options (I think enough to qualify as a "full" English breakfast), multiple kinds of noodles, many kinds of dumplings, and an unbelievable selection of fruit, fruit juices, and baked goods guarantees being able to skip lunch.
After our indulgence, we made our way to the Hong Kong peak tram. In operation since 1888, and now in its 6th generation, this historic public transport no longer stops at interim stops, and just ferries tourists to the sight-seeing top. There are many amazing viewpoints to see the city sprawl out under you from, but the tallest is Peak 428. A tourist trap of a mall with a viewing deck at the top, it offers a unique view of the water on both sides of Hong Kong Island.
After taking many pictures and walking around Victoria peak, we returned to sea level via the peak tram and meandered through Hong Kong park before our high tea reservation. After dillying through the Hong Kong Seal Stone Museum, dallying in the Tai Chi gardens, and meandering through the Hong Kong conservatory, we returned to the Mandarin Oriental for high tea.
Not pictured: our straining calves as the tram took an almost impossibly vertical turn.
An artificial waterfall is still a waterfall! (Hong Kong Park outside the conservatory)
Tai Chi garden by the fighting SARS memorial architectural scene. A lovely place to sit.
Apparently it's called high tea because it is the latest time to have tea, not because they bring the food in a little plate high-rise.
A wonderful late afternoon meal with tea and alcohol, I couldn't recommend high tea enough. Savory and sweet bites of interesting and varied flavor and textures are surprisingly filling given their size, and we were ready to return to our exploring.
Having yesterday seen that Maria Hassabi's I'll Be Your Mirror was closing the following evening, we followed up and attended the final showing/performance. Dancers clad in monochrome sweat suits and bright shoes (even more noticeable due to guests being required to go unshod) moved almost imperceptibly slowly along seemingly improvised routes. Being viewed in the round and the floor to ceiling mirrors in the second room made it tantalizing inviting to join in to the glacial pace of the performers, accentuating and carefully selecting each footstep around the edge of the crowded room. I found the work surprisingly engaging.
We ended our day at veggie4love, a bizarre Americana "San Francisco Inspired" restaurant. On the tenth floor of a narrow highrise, the elevator doors open directly into a room with no more wall space for another antique license plate, out-dated advertisement, or image of Elvis from the 50's. Despite the odd decor, the food was delicious. We took a cab back to our hotel instead of braving the hike up the hill.
Maria Hassabi: I'll Be Your Mirror (room 1)
Maria Hassabi: I'll Be Your Mirror (room 2)
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