☀ In Anywhere Else: star ferry across victoria harbour, hong kong

to reach central pier from the peak, we hopped on a bus down the hill's zig zag road. while the peak tram seemed to be a roller-coaster ride that only offers the very steep ascent part, the bus ride on the other hand, offers the thrilling downhill saga. riding a bus in hong kong is something to watch out for since their drivers seem to acquire the extraordinary skills in driving, like without decelerating even around a sharp bend. our small bus from the peak proved to be no different.

for the peak buses, we went through the peak galleria at the peak and there are signs inside the mall that show where you need to exit. the one that goes to star ferry terminal in central is a small bus and not the double-decker which hong kong is famous for. aside from london, of course.

by the time we reached a bus stop that seemed to be near the harbour already, we verified our hunch with 2 guys in the same bus with us, by simply stating, "star ferry?" to which they instantly understood and one guy then told the driver to stop as the bus was about to go on its journey. whew! right on time!

the bus stop nearest to the central pier is right below this incredibly tall building which caused me a stiff neck for a while.

we only wished we could ride in this open-type tour bus in hong kong. i wonder if this does not cost me a fortune. maybe someday...

for those people who have motion sickness, star ferry can be an uncomfortable ride. cruising across the victoria harbour isn't that smooth-sailing amidst the wonders of the city lights on both sides, hong kong central and kowloon. though, it's still an experience somehow.

for the tickets, there are self-service ticket machines right before the ticket gates and an octopus card can be used as well, although the ticket gates seemed not to be fully functional at that time. the uniformed personnel manning near the ticket gates almost flipped out as i was trying to scan my octopus card numerous times and the gate was still giving me an alarm every time. after several tries, i finally made through with composure and not minding the irate man. hehe

central, hong kong