CutiCuti: Hong Kong Day 1 - 1881 Heritage, Star Ferry, Lower Terminus & Mid-Level Escalator

Assalamualaikum. 你好.

Nearly a week juga aku ambil masa untuk continue update cuti² Hong Kong with Bunda ni. Sempat update few stories in between lagi. Truth is, too many pictures in the Hong Kong folder I had quite hard time to choose. Bunyi macam penting sangat sampai semua gambar mau di-upload. Tripping super star kah?

Ok, skip the sloppy intro. Lets continue with the Hong Kong story. Fuh, Day 1 jak sudah two parts. As I feel this entry is too overloaded with pictures, I decided to scribble our first night activity there in the third part of Day 1. Sungguh kepoyoan.

Settled with check-in, we took a rest for a while. And shower sebab badan sudah melekit; the weather was a bit hot & dry. But thankfully it didn't rain. Sangat nightmare kalau hujan during travelling. 

Me & street signs; macam ada magnet. I simply enjoyed taking pictures of them. Tapi memang penat mendongak! Sudahlah berhambur skyscrapers di sana. It's like every second pun mau tengok atas. Padahal boleh jak kan menikmati ketinggian building bila sudah jauh sikit. 

From the hostel, we walked straight towards the Salisbury Road. Crossed the road in front of the Sheraton Hotel. And continue walking until we reached our first destination; the 1881 Heritage. 

To get to the 1881 site, we had to follow the underground passage next to the YMCA Building. Bila lintasan kuning untuk pedesterian tidak disediakan, that means underground is the only option. Ndak kan pakai bantai lompat pagar tengah jalan raya tu kan, sudahlah di tempat orang. 

Inspired by the Victorian-era, a visit to this place will certainly transport u to that era. From 1880s to 1996, this was the headquarters of the Hong Kong Marine Police. And now a unit withing the Hong Kong Police Force. Several buildings, artifacts of historical interest have been preserved & restored. Nowadays this site features a shopping mall, a heritage hotel & an exhibition hall. 

While preserving its tradition, yet looking firmly to the future...1881 Heritage combines historical attractions with contemporary pursuits. This compound is a declared monument since 1994 as it is one of the four oldest surviving government buildings in Hong Kong. 

The back view of Shanghai Tang; which houses few international fashion brands. 

Staircase leading to the Time Ball; the most interesting Declared Monuments available at this site. From 1882 to 1907, this tower provided an important service to ships in Victoria Harbour. The tower was in full view of the harbour & dropping of the ball at 1p daily allowed ships to recalibrate their chronometres to an accuracy before leaving Hong Kong. 

We followed the crowd in front of the Star House; building next to 1881 Heritage...and crossed the road to Victoria Harbour area. 

The Hong Kong Cultural Centre; situated just opposite the 1881 Heritage.

Another Declared Monument (1990); the Clock Tower. Also said as landmark of Hong Kong. Located near the Kowloon Public Pier. The tower is the only remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon Station. It is usually referred to as the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower. Top of the tower can be reached via a wooden staircase located within. But it is it's not open to public anymore due to maintenance work being carried out for the time being. 

The Kowloon Public Pier at Victoria Harbour.  

View of the Central region from the pier. More tall buildings at the other side. Means, more tilting. Serius sakit leher!

At the Star Ferry Pier. I decided to take the ferry to Central. Ambil feel tengok laut di petang hari. There are twelve ferries currently operating at the pier. They operates two routes that carry passengers across Victoria Harbour; between Hong Kong Island (Central & Wan Chai) & Kowloon. 

Because we have the Octopus Card already, we don't have to buy point-to-point ticket. Exact change is required if u were to buy the ticket; something paling menyusahkan for tourist who have just arrived. Aku lagi jenis malas tukar duit di convenient store, memang berguna sungguh si Octopus ni.

Carrying over 700, 000 passengers a day; the ferry continues providing inexpensive mode of harbour crossing albeit the harbour is also crossed by railway & road tunnels. 

Apart from being the passenger ferry service operator; Star Ferry is also a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is founded in 1888 as Kowloon Ferry Company & changed its name to Star Ferry in 1898.

Just for the record, the Running Man casts once board this ferry in one of their mission in Hong Kong sometime in 2011. Can I say, I was more tempted to board this ferry because of them? Over!

Arriving the Central Star Ferry Pier in Hong Kong Island. That is the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. It is directly connected to Pier 8 where we queue for the bus number 15C; bound for The Peak Tram Station.

Alhamdulillah. All this while tengok gambar orang jak, I now have my own collection of Central Pier's picture already.

Upon arrival, we walked to Pier 8 located at the far left side of the ferry terminal building. The bus stop is just in front of the Maritime Museum. Please note that the service starts at 10am daily. And it is bound for Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus only. Not up to The Peak, ok.

I chose to sit at the upper deck to get more view of Hong Kong while Bunda stay at the lower deck because she can't stand the heat. Drama tau.

Literally looking for penyakit. Terteleng² kepala untuk tengok all the pencakar langit. That unique building is among the most known in Hong Kong; also the landmark for the island. It's the Bank of China Tower. Located in front of the Murray Building & adjacent to the Lower Terminus.

Sea of people in front of the terminus. Queueing for only God knows how many hours already. Some queue to get on board of the train; that's for the people who bought the ticket prior coming. While some queue to buy ticket. 

According to their website, the best way to enjoy The Peak experience is by purchasing the Peak Tram Sky Peak that covers both return tram journey & Sky Terrace. The terrace is the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong. However those who do not wish to climb the Sky Terrace can also purchase the point-to-point single/return tram ticket.

As the queue & crowd was super crazy; it was Sunday what did I expect actually...Bunda & I decided to skip going up to The Peak. Sob. After taking few pictures in front of the terminus, we crossed the street & walked heading to Statue Square. 

We walked on the footbridge of Cheung Kong Centre to get to Des Voeux Central Road. And crossed the street at that zebra lines where it lead us to Chater Garden. 

Chater Garden is super crowded with the Philippines & few Indonesians. They sat on the ground as if they have been living at this area for days. Siap ada luggages, bentang tikar, main daun etc. We were quite shocked to see this kinda scenario! This is totally worst than Kota Kinabalu; I said to Bunda. These people is literally everywhere in the city. Macam medan perang ada, macam medan pelarian pun ada. 

Another same scenario, this is in front of the HSBC headquarters building. For a moment, kami confused where we were at actually. Too many of them I seriously feel like I'm in the Philippines. Paling ndak tahan, ada yang siap baring & tidur! Like, what the hantu? Later I found out, such views are common on weekends. Foreign workers especially the maids have their off day. Having no where to go, diorang akan berkampung di mana jak. Janji boleh tidur, boleh berehat & berlindung dari hujan. They were seen at every garden, in front of the buildings, at the bus stop or even under the bridge...ouh my, 'lucky' yang ada di KK tu tau lagi bangunkan kampung sendiri. Siap ada astro! I can't imagine lah benda macam ni jadi di Sabah. 

This taken from the Bank Street tram stop between the Statue Square & HSBC building. Yeah, tram stop is in the middle of the road. Oh I miss Amsterdam. Poyo! 

We took the tram from here. 

Statue Square. They even have live band performing here. Sangatlah berhujung minggu kan pekerja asing ni semua.

Even inside the tram, still crowded with their people. At this point, Bunda started asking me multimillion dollar question. Where all the Hong Kongers? Do they not get angry? In which I answered with continuous gelengan kepala. I have never been to Hong Kong; just like u lah Bunda. That trip is our first time, remember. Sila jangan bentang soalan cepumas, aku pening. 

We alighted from the tram at Pottinger Street. And walked to our second destination; the Mid Level Escalator. On the way, terjumpa signboard Sabah Malaysian Cuisine. Baru ingat mau tinjau keadaan, sekali tutup lah pula.

We didn't exactly follow the sign to the escalator. Ala jalan straight depan tu, daki few anak tangga pun akan jumpa the famous escalator. By the way, signboard super comel kan. In pink gitu!

Said to be the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The entire system covers over 800 metres in distance & elevates over 135 metres from top to bottom. Constructed in 1993 to provide better commute by linking the Central & Western District in the island. Daily traffic exceeds 55,000 people. Total travel time is twenty minutes.

The escalator system consists of twenty escalators & three inclined moving walkways. It runs downhill from 6a to 10a, and uphill from 1030a to midnight. (source wiki). 

The only reason I wanna go here is because of Running Man! They were here before; with Yong Hwa-ssi & Min Jung-ssi as the guests.

Apart being a method of transportation especially to the local, this escalator is also a tourist attraction. Hence explained the varieties of restaurants, shops & bars lining the route. 

We descended at Gage Street & walked down to Queen Road. Utilizing the superwalkertapaki service excessively since we arrived. I was quite impressed with Bunda's energy to be frank. Never thought she would agree to my so-called travel adventure. Save sikit duit kalau berjalan kaki ni, plus dapat view & menghayati surrounding negara orang. Ndaklah tercongok dalam tram or bus, klik kluk ambil gambar jak kan. Many thanks juga to Mr Orang Kuning in googlemap. Really helped me loads with ur streetview apps la!

Before heading back to our 'mansion', singgah one of the shop there. Tujuan datang Hong Kong semata untuk melihat kawasan hence memang bawa $$ cukup². Like my trips before, aktiviti shopping memang kureng. But that day, Bunda was being super generous. Belanja something for my birthday. It wasn't my birthday when we're there so it was sort of be-early birthday gift gitu. Sungguh aku anak bertuah!

We've experienced the ferry ride early that evening, so balik naiklah subway pula. Super extensive yet efficient system they have here. Aku yang first time datang pun senang jak faham every route. Ala fungsi sama macam any train system, as long as u know ur destination & exact exit...confirm ndak kan sesat. we took the train straight to Tsim Sha Tsui station. Memang underground tu a bit crowded tapi sebab train on time, semua pun macam fast paced gitu. 

Arrived hostel 10 minutes later...performed apa yang patut & off we went to the Victoria Harbour once more. Mau tengok light show alkisahnya. And that I will continue in my next entry. Till then, 再见.

How to go to Garden Road Lower Terminus from Central Pier (by bus):

1. Walk to Pier 8; located at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

2. Board the number 15C bus to the Lower Terminus. Service starts at 10am daily.

How to go to Mid Level Escalator from Lower Terminus (by tram):
1. Walk to Des Voeux Central Road.
2. Take the tram at Bank Street station situated in between Statue Square & HSBC building.
3. Alight at Potingger Street. 
4. Walk to Mid Level Escalator.

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