The end is nigh, the peak is high!

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It's the last full day of Chris and Roisin's stopover in Hong Kong. Come to think of it's the last full day of what has been a fantastic experience.

The day started like the previous one - temperature in the 70s. Chris and Roisin have decided to visit Victoria Peak. It's taken Chris many months of persuasion to convince Roisin that she really wants to do this. As the evening will close at 8pm with the world famous laser symphony of lights across Victoria Harbour, it was pointless to go back to the hotel in between times so it was going to be a long day.

One observation that Chris has noticed is that the Chinese like to join things onto other things! Every building seems to be joined to another building by either an underpass or a walkway. Each MTR metro station has at least 2 dozen exits. They are extremely well sign-posted in English and Cantonese but can involve up to a ½ mile walk to reach the exit required. This, in itself, is a good thing as the subway network isn't as crowded as 'up top' on the sunny side of the street so to speak!

‘The Peak' as it is known, is a hill on Hong Kong Island that offers fantastic views of the Island below as well as Kowloon and Victoria Harbour. On a clear day, the views can stretch well in to the New Territories. There is a funicular tram that carries passengers the 1,827 feet to the summit. As Chris and Roisin had invested in an Octopus card, they were able to jump the queue for tickets and straight in to the queue for the tram.

The journey only takes about 7 minutes. The incline is so steep it makes the high-rise apartment blocks appear to be built at an angle! On arriving at the summit, Chris and Roisin were met with a plethora of shops and restaurants. There is even a Madame Tussaud's and Bubba Gump's!!

There is an observation platform accessible for a nominal fee. On riding the short escalator to the viewing platform entrance, Chris turned just to check that Roisin was still behind. She was!!

‘Whoa! Roisin thought as she stepped on to the viewing platform. In reality, it was a huge concrete plateau with a high wall surrounding it. Chris walked around ‘happy snapping' whilst Roisin ‘minded the bags' as far away from the edge as possible!! Nevertheless, she'd made it!! This was her Everest, her moment. Chris was happy to be Sherpa Tenzing to her Edmund Hilary. (Although to be fair, Hilary didn't have the luxury of taking a funicular to the top of Everest or to nip in to a Starbuck's when he got there)!!

‘What do you want to do now?' Roisin asked Chris as they exited from the Peak Tram terminus.

Just then a tram caught the eye of Roisin as it drove passed. ‘Oh Wow!' said Roisin. ‘A ding-ding'.

‘A what-what?' asked Chris. ‘Why do they call it a dig-ding?'

‘Ding-ding' the tram sounded as it slowed to let people off.

‘Oh! I see', said Chris. ‘At least it's a proper sound. Not a made up sound like a "dood”

The ding-ding is the name by which the trams are affectionately known in Hong Kong. The name is from the double bell sound made to let people know of their approach.

‘Getting back to your original question,' said Chris, ‘I wouldn't mind taking a look at the Man Mo temple. It doesn't look too far from here. We can then head toward the Star Ferry'

The temple was about a 25 minute walk. One thing Chris and Roisin had noticed as they passed their way through another crowed shopping street was that all the stores are designer outlets such as Gucci, Armani, Swatch, Dian van Faustenberg (Chris and Roisin saw her husband's yacht, with him on it – see previous chapter), Prada and Louis Vuiton to name but few. Tiffany's and Chanel were also well represented. Not much call for Matalan or George at Asda here although Chris and Roisin did spy an M & S clothing store. Hong Kong, now being an administrative region of China is rife for counterfeit goods. These are, however, high street shops. Surely, these are all kosher, aren't they??!!

When Chris and Roisin arrived at the junction on Queens Street Central they needed to turn left to head toward the temple. The hill that met them rivalled any they had encountered in San Francisco. Luckily there was an escalator to take you up the first bit of the climb. Once at the top of the escalator, a travelator takes you up the second bit of the climb. After the travelator that had taken Chris and Roisin up the 10th bit of the climb Chris said, ‘this must be the longest travelator in the world'

‘It is!' replied Roisin as she lifted her head up from the guidebook.

The Man Mo temple was down a side street sandwiched between a block of flats and a 7/11. Its architecture was in keeping with ancient Chinese traditions of the pagoda style roof and façade decorated with ornate carvings and statues. Inside was a single room adorned by various deities. It was dark inside. The place was illuminated by only a few candles. Some locals were giving thanks to the Devine Omnipotent Being.

‘It stinks in here', said Chris.

‘It's incense', said Roisin.

‘I'm not surprised. I'd be incensed if I had to put up with that smell all day!!'

The number 26 bus took Roisin and Chris back to the Star Ferry Terminal where they caught the Ferry across to Kowloon.

After a bite to eat, Chris and Roisin made their way to a viewing platform where they waited for the light show to begin from across the harbour.

‘Welcome to Hong Kong's symphony of light…' a voice blasted out. It continued, ‘The show will start in 20 minutes. Today's narration will be in English' Roisin and Chris didn't realise that the show would be narrative. If they had have known, they wouldn't have sat so close to the loud speakers. Not that it matters now as Chris felt like his eardrums had exploded!!

The sight across Victoria Harbour to the financial district of Hong Kong Island was a cacophony of colour even before the light show began. No photo can ever do this vista justice.

The show started bang on 8pm and to be honest was a bit of an anti-climax. The narration started as promised but the first few minutes were spent naming all the sponsors and corporate buildings whilst a few lights flickered on and off. Music then took over and a few more lights flickered on and off…in time to the music!! A few green lasers shining from the tops of buildings were added for the grand finale as well as some high powered white beans hurling high in to the night sky in a search light kind of effect. The whole performance lasted barely 15 minutes. Then the lights died down, the music stopped and the crowds dispersed leaving Chris and Roisin on the viewing platform alone in their thoughts of (despite the ‘symphony of lights – it wasn't THAT bad!!) what had been a fantasmic experience.

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