Enjoyed Western/Asian style breakfast at Marco Polo Gateway. Anna started off her breakfast with pot stickers in broth with some noodles.
Off on brief walk to Star Ferry and over to Hong Kong to catch #15 bus on top deck on ride up to Victoria's Peak: Spectacular views of the harbor, the mountainous terrain, the lush, sub-tropical vegetation, the dramatically tall, narrow skyscrapers that appear to contest the steep climb we're making to the peak of the mountain.
At the top, Richard and I are surprised to find a whole new complement of large buildings that house stores, a "Peak Observatory", fast food places, the like. The small Peak Restaurant looks the same, but is totally crowded out. We find the beginning of the 3.5 km trail and embark on our walk around the summit. The paved trail, edged by iron gate fencing, was built between 1913 and 1914 at a cost of $50,000, I believe the placard said. We joined mostly passing joggers with their dogs, but there were few other tourists. It was a quiet, hot, very humid stroll with plenty of shade and some refreshing breezes to make it very bearable. The vegetation was of a rainforest with thick, lush greenery. Saw some butterflies, a bird - ? type - feeding on the seed pod of a tree, banyan trees, including one that arched over the path, a waterfall, and incredible views of the skylines of Hong Kong and Kowloon divided by the harbor dotted with cargo ships and the Star Ferries going back and forth between the ports. Met a local woman along the way who was walking her border collie "JD" for "Just Dog". She's from Malaysia but has lived in Hong Kong for 7 years. She described how smart border collies are and that the ones here understand Cantonese. JD was certainly able to climb up some steep areas of the cemented, inland part of the trail. We surmised that it was cemented in order to prevent landslides with the heavy rains, moisture. The cement walls are pocketed with holes for drainage. When we arrive back at the tourist area, after enjoying a brief refreshment of water and ice cream, Richard heads off one way on a bus while the rest of us head down from the Peak via the Peak Tram - sitting backward! - until the terrain levels out where the ride ends. Pretty much of a vertical ride! We then catch the local #15C bus back to the Central Ferry Terminal and catch a Star Ferry over to Kowloon.
After a brief stop at the hotel, we walk over to Johnny Jeweler's in the Far East Arcade on Middle Road. Johnny is away in Guam, but his daughter Jennifer is there. She is patient and helpful as choices are deliberated about and finally made. This is a very reputable outfit that has done business with US military for years. Along with many other friends, we have been patrons in the past. By this time, it is after 4pm and Anne is anxious to try to get to the Hong Kong Museum of History. Gail decides to go with Anne while the Vertizes offer to have Anna accompany them back to the hotel. Turns out that it is impossible to catch a cab so Gail and Anne end up walking the whole way to the museum but it is too late by that point to do anything but give Anne a chance to look in the gift shop there for any book that contains info about ancestors named Helen and John Chalmers, but no luck on that score. We walk back to the hotel via streets that are very crowded with people, spilling into the street in some areas. Gail notes that this walk - with the area congested with stores that open to the street with their overflowing wares and large neon signs - is what she thought Hong Kong would be like vs. the new malls under and around the string of hotels of which ours is one.
Richard is back in the room after a very exciting and successful adventure that found him plowing through thick grasses, etc. to find the Chalmers' gravestones. He also happened upon a Chinese wedding and visited with folks at the cemetery who were very helpful in terms of information - even copying info for him! He also went to St. John's Cathedral on his expedition.
We all get ready for high tea at "The Peninsula". Becky is wearing her new hairpiece while Anna is wearing her new silk Chinese style dress and a new pair of earrings from Johnny's. We wait in a bit of a line for a table for the seven of us. Scrumptious goodies accompanied by elegant ambiance including musicians playing in a balcony area. First, a flutist and several others, then a bassist and several others. (Would be nice to know a bit about the decor in the Peninsula, including the carved faces at the tops of the pillars through the large area of the lobby.) It's dark by the time we're ready to leave to go watch "The Symphony of Lights" which turns out to pack a crowd along the waterfront and is choreographed: Neon light displays on the skyscrapers on Hong Kong side make up the show. We head back to our hotel through the Hong Kong Cultural Arts Center which looks like an all encompassing center for the arts. We wish we had more time here!
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