Travel Photography Blog by Nisa Maier and Ulli Maier. » The Peak

A Must-Visit In Hong Kong: The Peak.

Nisa — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 19:31:24 +0000

If single photo can encapsulate Hong Kong, it must be one taken up from Victoria Peak. From up here, you will not only see all of Hong Kong’s amazing skyline, as well as all the way to the New Territories but also one of the most beautiful natural harbours worldwide. The view is pretty much impeccable and you can never get tired of it. Even locals come up here frequently to enjoy the dramatic scenery.

The trip up to Victoria Peak includes a 48 degree steep ride with the 120-year-old Peak Tram, first operated n 1888. For those of who who prefer to walk a little you can do that as well. The way down to Central will take about 30-45 minutes, yet I’d really recommend to go at least one with with the tram just to have experienced it!

The boost to accessibility caused by the opening of the Peak Tram created demand for residences on the Peak.

View from Victoria Peak looking north towards Victoria Harbour and Kowloon during the day.

View from Victoria Peak looking north towards Victoria Harbour and Kowloon at night.

The current Peak Tower is the second on the site. Construction of the first one started in 1960, and it was opened in 1969. The current Peak Tower was the work of the British architect Terry Farrell, and was completed in 1997 and it’s located at an elevation of 396 metres.

All In One Day: Hong Kong And Guangzhou.

Nisa — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 12:29:03 +0000

Stepping out of Hong Kong’s Central Station felt like being on a trip through time. It’s been four years since I last visited this amazing city but it was almost as if I’ve never been gone. Not that much has changed. Sure, there are more skyscrapers and people but other than that, Hong Kong stayed as it was. I was actually just in transit for a couple of hours since Ulli and I would meet in Guangzhou China. Still, killing a few hours isn’t that hard, if you know your way around.

The view from the Peak in Hong Kong.

I started off with the Peak. I walked all the way to the station while pulling my huge bag behind me. I started to realize again, that 35° in Asia is a different kind of heat that 35° in Europe. I was sweating like a pig, and the trip hasn’t even started yet … further I walked to the Central Pier station and took the Star Ferry to the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. Then I explored the area around Nathan Road, like the Goldfish Market and walked all the way up to Prince Edward Street where my bus to Guangzhou was awaiting me.

The sky has no limit.

CTS buses are a great and cheap way to get to China. Four hours and one stiff neck later, the bus turned into the street of the China Hotel, where Ulli welcomed me. By this time, I was up almost 48 hours but I didn’t seem exhausted yet. So we were off to a little shopping trip, with a stop at our favourite noodle soup shop. We found this place during our first visit to Guangzhou back in 2007 and have been coming back ever since then. Definitely the best place in town! The “Grand Finale” of the day was a wonderful head massage at a local hair dresser. What more can you want?

The Breathtaking Skyline & Buildings Of Hong Kong.

Nisa — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:46:07 +0000

Three words with which I would describe Hong Kong: Wicked, rad & breathtaking! I really think it’s one of the coolest (if not the coolest) cities in the world. I love everything about Hong Kong because it combines it all: Flair, life, fashion, culture, business, multicultural and one hell of a skyline. There are about 7.650 skyscrapers in Hong Kong. This puts the city at the top of world rankings. It has more buildings higher than 35m than any other city. So why are there so many skyscrapers? Well, because there’s simply not enough space for so many people. Plus the steep hills on Hong Kong Island make it impossible to build there. Therefore the motto is “the higher, the better.”

Hong Kong is a big must for every traveller & explorer. We always tend to save it for last because it’s a good way of getting “back to reality” when travelling through the bush before.

A ride on the famous Starferry is not only an absolute must when visiting Hong Kong, but it will give you an amazing view of its amazing skyline.

Crossing the walkway from central pier is also a good spot for great Hong Kong skyline photos.

Central Hong Kong will leave you speechless.

Hong Kong skyline with the ship PlanetSolar in Victoria Harbour. PlanetSolar is the largest solar powered ship in the world & also the first one which is on its way around the world (with only solar power). It recently arrived in Hong Kong and we were lucky to be right there.

One of the most intriguing landmarks in Hong Kong is up at the Peak built by architect Terry Farrell.

The Kowloon Tower is the highest building in Hong Kong. 486 meters high with 100 storeys. It took about 8 years to build due to the very difficult ground situation. The basement is 26 meters deep and 6 meter thick to withstand the heavy storms that sometimes rock Hong Kong.

The view from the Peak in Hong Kong.