Day 3.

Another great breakfast at the hotel on the morning of day 3.


We then made the short walk to Des Voeux Road Central to catch a ride on a Hong Kong tram.


Upstairs. Hong Kong has the only fully double-decker trams in the world.


The trams are more commonly referred to by locals as the "Ding Ding" after the double bell ring to warn pedestrians.


It was a great and very cheap ($HK2.3) way to see and experience the city from a different perspective.


Crossing.


Outside the DJI Hong Kong Flagship Store after alighting from the "Ding Ding" in Causeway Bay.


Spread over three floors it is DJI's biggest retail store.


They also had the new X7 Super 35 camera on display with the DJI Inspire 2 drone. At $7-8k it was a little beyond my price range though!


We then headed west along Hennessy Road, named after the Governor of Hong Kong from 1877 to 1882.


At Bowrington Road Market, named after John Bowring, the Governor of Hong Kong from 1854 to 1859.


It is purportedly one of the best wet markets in Hong Kong.


It was great to walk around and take in the interesting sights, bustling sounds and often overwhelming smells!


After a short walk further west along Hennessy we went underground at Wan Chao station and then headed one stop to Admiralty before switching to the South Island Line. The line opened in December 2016 and connects the CBD with the south of Hong Kong Island.


After getting off at Lei Tung station on Ap Lei Chau Island we made the short walk to Aberdeen Harbour.


Aberdeen Harbour is situated between Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau Island and is one of the nine harbours in Hong Kong.


The harbour acts as a typhoon shelter for fishing boats and junks.


Looking west with Magazine and Lamma Island in the distance on the left.


Looking back east to the harbour with Ap Lei Chau Island on the right. The 1.3 km2 island has a population of 87,000.


Aberdeen gasmeter on the far left and South Horizons Apartment Towers on the right.


Scores of fishing boats docked at Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market.


A panorama at the eastern end of the harbour.


While there were mostly commercial boats at the western end of the harbour, the eastern end had mostly leisure boats.


Ap Lei Pai on the far left, an uninhabited island in Aberdeen Channel[/url].


Out to sea.


Yachts parked at Po Chong Wan.


Jumbo and Tai Pak Floating Restaurants on the left.


Since 1976, 30 million visitors have visited the restaurants including Queen Elizabeth II, John Wayne, David Bowie, Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow and Gong Li.


Just after 1pm we headed to Ap Lei Chau Market.


The market was full of locals out getting some fresh food on their weekend.


賣魚佬


Neither Rianda or myself were able to identify the different kinds of fish, so just opted for something that looked reasonable and hoped that it tasted ok!


Our mystery fish being filleted and deboned.


We then headed upstairs to get our fish steamed and to join the rest of the locals enjoying their Saturday lunch.


Cool drink and coffee to start.


And our steamed fish served with rice. It was an amazing meal, and very reasonable too for only $HK140 ($18) all up for the purchase price of the fish, having it steamed, served with rice and the two drinks. Definitely one of our favourite meals of the trip!


We then headed back to Central on the South Line and on to our hotel in Sheung Wan.


After chilling out in our hotel room, we headed out at 4pm to try and get a taxi up to Victoria Peak. However the cabs we managed to flag down were either going only to Kowloon or wanted $HK500 ($64) for the ~8 kilometre trip.


We briefly looked into taking a bus which would have taken over an hour (and in hindsight we should have opted for) so we walked over and joined the very long queue for the Peak Tram on Garden Road.


Our two tickets for $HK90 ($11.50) each two hours later.


About to climb aboard. First operational in 1888, the tram has a ridership of more than 4 million every year.


And on our way for the 1.4 kilometre ride to the top.


Peak Tower where the the upper terminus of the tram is located.


It was almost 8pm and we were getting a little hungry especially after all the queueing, so headed first to a coffee shop for a hot beverage and a matcha tart to share.


We then went upstairs to brave the wind and crowds on the top observation deck. With all the people it wasn't an ideal location to set up a tripod and take a long exposure of the citylights below though.


After a shortwalk we arrived at the start of Lugard Road.


Lugard Road is a pathway built in 1921 to give a panoramic view of the city and harbour below.


Definitely a much better view than at Peak Tower and no crowds to deal with too.


After enjoying the amazing view, we started the walk back.


Heading back down on the tram to Garden Road.


Back in Central and looking up at the Bank Of China Tower.


And the HSBC Building on Queen's Road.


Walking through happening Lan Kwai Fong


There is an annual carnival held every November in the district, and this year's theme was celebrating the culture and traditions of Japanese cuisine, fashion, music and dance.


Lan Kwai Fong is also a popular haunt for expats in Hong Kong for drinking, clubbing, dining and enjoying the night away.


Watching a performance by Japanese Taiko drummers at the Lan Kwai Fong amphitheatre.


And about to enjoy some dinner at TeaWood Taiwanese Café in Soho just after midnight before heading back to the hotel after a long but very enjoyable third day in Hong Kong.

Day 4.

After a lazy sleep in and one last breakfast, we packed and stored our bags and checked out of the hotel.


Out in Sheung Wan where a group of photographers and a pretty model were having a photo shoot.


Hong Kong Taxi's off the mark on the green light.


It was Sunday and domestic workers were setting up for a day of leisure and socialising on the Central Elevated Walkway.


A slightly strange place for it but they seemed to be happy to get out and meet up with their friends and enjoy their day off.


And outside the Star Ferry Pier for a trip across Victoria Harbour.


After three days of relatively good weather the rain caught up with us on our last day in Hong Kong.


A newly wed couple outside the Peninsula along with two of the hotels' 14 long wheelbase Rolls-Royce Phantoms.


After continuing along Salisbury Road we headed up Nathan Road.


Outside the Chungking Mansions. Built in 1961 and originally intended as residential flats, it is now home to a multitude of guesthouses with a total of 1980 rooms offering the cheapest accommodation in Hong Kong.


The main shopping arcade on the ground floor. The Mansions are also known to be a centre for drugs and as a refuge for petty criminals, scammers and undocumented immigrants.


Home to 4,000 residents from 129 countries, it has been compared to the Spaceport Cantina in the original “Star Wars”.


About to cross the street as we continue our walk up Nathan Road.


清真


Kowloon Mosque.


Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard.


Outside Yue Hwa, an seven storey emporium selling luxurious Chinese goods with everything from $5000 jade buddha's to finely detailed and beautiful Cheongsam dresses.


After our stroll through Kowloon, we headed underground to head back under the harbour to Central.


Walking through the public space at the base of the HSBC Building. As at the Central Elevated Walkway as we saw earlier in the day, it was busy with people socialising in their temporary cardboard cubicles.


After walking down Stanley Street we arrived outside Luk Yu Tea House.


Open since 1933, it is known for its old school colonial style with waiters dressed in white coats and eastern art deco decor.


Some Jasmine tea to start. On 30 November 2002, businessman Harry Lam Hon-lit was infamously shot dead at point-blank range by a Triad hitman while drinking tea at the restaurant.


And about to enjoy the (clockwise from top-left) steamed mud carp fish ball stuffed with dark Chinese sausage filling, BBQ pork buns, glutinous rice roll stuffed with chicken and yunan ham and the Chinese pumpkin mochi.


At $HK327.8 ($42) it was three times the price of our meal at Tim Ho Wan but still a reasonable price to experience some decent dim sum in a historic location.


We then headed out into the rain again for our last few hours in the city.

Jamia Mosque. Built in 1890, it is the oldest mosque in Hong Kong.


At PMQ, which Danny had recommended we visit on the Kowloon Food Safari on day one.


PMQ, formerly the Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters, originally provided 140 single and 28 double room units for the officers serving at the nearby Central Police Station.


Since 2014 it has been a venue for the arts and design with numerous studios, shops, offices and exhibition spaces.


Fashion.


Kate Moss.


Cufflinks.


Coffee & cake to share at Café Life.


Braving the rain again as we head west along Bridges Street.


Burning incense and prayer cards at Man Mo Temple.


Built in 1847, the temple pays tribute to the God of Literature (Man) and the God of War (Mo).


The temple was one of our stops during our whirlwind 12 hour stopover back in 2015 and was great to visit again.


And a short walk away, another of the sights we visited on our last trip, Lascar Row / Cat Street.


Mao.


Bruce Lee.


塗鴉


A tram advertising November 11th (11-11, representing four singles) for Singles' Day, a holiday popular among young Chinese people that celebrates their pride in being single.


At 4pm we headed back to the hotel, picked up our bags, then walked to Central Station to catch the Express back to Hong Kong Interntional Airport.


And about to check in for our flight back home.


After passing through immigration we used our last Hong Kong dollars to buy some Korean for dinner.


And about to board the Jet Airways A330 at the end of a great four days in Hong Kong!