One word to perfectly describe Hong Kong - hilly !! So hilly that it actually is quite a shock when you leave the main shopping area and start moving across the island as to how steep these hills are.
Therefore, I suppose I should start with a short geography lesson on Hong Kong, of those who haven't been here.
There are 3 main territories, see below, however, there are 263 islands making up Hong Kong:
- Hong Kong Island
- Kowloon Peninsula
- New Territories
Victoria Harbour which separates Hong Kong Island from Kowloon is one of the deepest ports in the world and is very busy to watch on a daily basis with ships and cruisers coming and going. The land around Central and the north of the main island is mostly reclaimed land, and the reclamation process continues every day. So Hong Kong is constantly growing.
Hong Kong island has the most skyscrapers of any city in the world, with over 8000, even more than New York !! and when you walk around the city, you really feel like you're being overshadowed by the buildings. I read today in the paper, that if they don't stop building high rises soon, then the air quality in the streets below would be so bad, that the pollutants and heat will not be able be dispersed, effecting the air quality for breathing.... scary stuff !
Ok, back to the Hong Kong and those hills. Where our serviced apartment is, there is a large mountain behind us, and Jack and I decided to walk the steps across the street and see how many times we could go up and down. We ended up doing a few side trips, but managed 4.5 km of hills and stairs this morning. Oh my legs will hurt tomorrow !
One brilliant aspect of Hong Kong, is their walkways. Most people walk 'everywhere' and there are stairs and travelators all over the city to allow this. The escalators in the Mid-Levels (above Central) is the longest outside, undercover escalator in the world. It is over 800 meters long and ascends over 135 metres up the hill. It's not a continuous escalator but 23 separate escalators weaving there way up the hill. It is brilliant !!
Our aim is to walk as many places as we can, while the weather is good and we can see more of the city that way. The MTR (metro or train) is fabulous but you don't get the 'lay of the land'.
Below are a few photos of our morning run. Tomorrrow - more hills :)
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| a map of the islands within Hong Kong |
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| the bottom level of the stairs opposite our apartment |
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| recycling at it's best |
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| the local basketball court the boys are enjoying |
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| after our run - why is he not sweaty....... so unfit Susie !!! |
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| love bamboo scaffolding..... |
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| love the ducks !! |
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| we then went down town to the Admiralty |
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| Tamar Park at Admiralty |
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| The Government Buildings |
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| Another all weather football pitch for the boys to 'take over' |
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| and some funky shoes to finish the day :) |
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