Birds and the Peak!
Squawking and Walking
Hong Kong has a nifty weather phone--187 8200--in English that will give the current temperature, humidity and weather conditions, PLUS the five-day forecast.  As we had free local calls from our hotel room, we called the number every morning to check the weather before we went out.
Sunday, March 23, 2008:
Happy Easter!!--Jesus is risen!!



One of our first things on Easter Sunday was to ride the Central-Mid-Levels escalator (longest in the world!) all the way to the top.
Here we both are at the very bottom of the escalator.
aviary
flamingos
Our maps made it seem straight-forward to walk from the top of the escalator to the Peak Tram--it definitely wasn't.  We walked and walked, trying to guess if we were going the right way, and eventually stumbled on Hong Kong Park's Aviary, one of the highlights of our trip.
Such neat birds, and admission was free!
scarlet ibises
azaleas
The scarlet ibises were my favorite of the many exotic bird species.  EHG was partial to the beautiful, multi-colored azaleas, too.
Aviary sign





Since we stumbled upon the aviary, we found the sign for the park (the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens) as we left.
Peak Tram
Hello Kitty!
After the aviary, we made our way to the Victoria Peak tram.  The line was very long (25 minutes) but moved fairly swiftly.  While we were waiting in line, a wedding car with a wedding Helly Kitty on the front came by!  So cute!
Peak tram
on peak tram
The waiting area for the peak tram was very packed!
We got seats next to each other.  The incline was incredibly steep (actually too steep for me).
Peak tram at top
I was very glad to get off at the top!
Peak Galleria
Peak buildings
There were touristy buildings at the top, housing souvenir shops, fast-food restaurants, bathrooms, and such.  We ate at the crowded McDonald's inside for lunch (48.50 HKD or $6.25), but we got a table, and it was fun to people-watch while eating.
Peak Trail map
Peak trail markers
Here is the map of the Peak Trail we walked.  The full trail took about 1 and a half hours.  This is the kind of thing we love to do (nature walking), so it was a highlight of the trip.
There were signposts pointing to the various directions of the trail.
Peak trail
Peak trail wooded views
The trail was paved and quite busy!
The views were spectacular!
Peak trail vegetation
Many of the plants around were exotic or unfamiliar.  Here is a pretty orchid that was along the trail.
Peak trail views
Peak trail views
Part of the trail overlooks Victoria Harbour.
Victoria Harbour panorama
Here is the spectacular panorama view my mother took of Victoria Harbour from the Peak trail.  Wow!
Our hotel was across the water on the other side of the harbor.
Close-up from Peak
The blue lighted sign is the area where we watched the harbor light show.  It was Easter, so it had Easter eggs on the sign and said Happy Easter!  The ferries and the railway clock tower can also be seen in this picture.
We took the #15 bus along a very twisty, turny, sharp drop-off road back to the Star Ferry pier.  We then walked to the Macau ferry pier to check prices/times.  After that, we walked to the Hong Kong tourist board to get a Macau map.  We waited for the 8 pm harbor light show again, but I kept falling asleep during the show.  We walked to our hotel, getting some McDonald's along the way.
On to the next pictures!