There was a huge line up for the peak tram yesterday, so we set out early to make sure that we were able to take it today. Along the way, we encountered hundreds of Phillipino women hanging out in downtown Hong Kong, sitting out on blankets eating and socializing. Later we learned that these women are all nannies to wealthy families in Hong Kong, and this is the way that they typically spend their Sundays (their only day off).

Phillipino women underneath the HSBC building downtown.

Here are some of the views from the top of the tram:

Beyond the mall at the top of the tram (there are no shortage of shopping opportunities here), there are a number of hiking paths. We decided to do a quick 4km circuit that would give us 360 degree panoramic views, and then to take the 11km path down to the town of Aberdeen, on the other side of the island. It was a long hike in the sweltering heat, but full of interesting views of the harbour and Hong Kong.

Poutine makes it’s Asian debut!

The hanging vines were amazing

The dogs were hot too!

Nearing the end of the hike, with Aberdeen in the background

The tall skyscrapers of Aberdeen

The floating restaurant of Aberdeen

Our friend Jon gave us a long list of things to do in Hong Kong, and high on that list were the flower and bird market in Kowloon. They are adjacent to one another close to our hotel, and we set off to check them out. Here are some highlights:

En route to the market

The market is lined with dozens of these little flower shops

Checking out the birds for sale

Live crickets to feed the birds

We took the ferry over to the Hong Kong side; more modern, anglicized and built up than Kowloon, and equally fascinating. We took the escalator to the top of the city and explored it’s many streets and neighbourhoods, including the zoo, which was free to the public (we thought that was pretty nice). Here are some pictures from our afternoon:

A little bit of nature in a concrete jungle

Snout and heart … yum yum.

Our $2 noodle dinner in Kowloon.

We arrived in Hong Kong on Friday, and the first thing that struck us was the unbelievable modernity of the city. The free wifi kicked in at the airport, and even worked on the high speed train that carried us quickly and efficiently to Kowloon, where we would be staying for four days. As we walked from the train station to the subway station that would carry us to our hotel, we were surrounded by unbelievably high skyscrapers, an enormous amount of construction, and more people than I have ever seen concentrated in one place.

The goldfish market in Kowloon

Some delicious Dim Sum

A view from the street in Kowloon

Night views in Kowloon

View of Hong Kong harbor from the boardwalk in Kowloon. Every night, the city puts on a lights show for the tourist, where participating skyrises (including the People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Office) light up in sequence to some really bad ’80′s keyboard music.