The Real Victoria Peak and Repulse Bay

Lamma Island from the real Victoria Peak, Hong Kong


After Lamma Island, we took the bus up to Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island. Most people take the tram up, but that’s a long wait and cost more. The bus was pretty exciting if only to see more of the city. At the top of the mountain is a large tourist complex that has a paid viewing platform as well as a few restaurants.



We were more interested in checking out the actual peak and started hiking up the mountain. At the true peak we’d find a nice small park that a few locals drive up. There’s one viewspot looking west that had a great view of the sunset. Another photographer was there and we had a talk with him. He said that tourist don’t really come up here to which we told him we like to see the lesser known places. He also had connections in Toronto and Vancouver.

Victoria Peak Sunset, Hong Kong


While we waited for the sunset, I asked him if he had any suggestions where we might go. He suggested Repulse Bay.



First though, we finished the night by racing down the hill back to the tourist spot. Everyone was crowded around the tram exit trying to get pictures of the city scape but we found that 100m down a path was a pretty empty, and better, lookout. Everyone there seemed to be laughing that we were all at this great viewpoint when everyone back there was holding up their cameras above each other’s heads to get a crappy picture.

Yuki at Victoria peak, Hong Kong
Mary from the Tourism Board had told us that we could see the nightly light and laser show from both Victoria Peak as well as the shores of Victoria Harbour. As with many other people there, we waited to see the show but there wasn’t much. I don’t know whether it didn’t happen or the view just wasn’t right but we didn’t see anything.

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong
On the way back I found one interesting thing. Everyone queued up for the bus down but the bus only takes a specific number of passengers. The top floor of the double decker is seating only and the bottom has a specific limit of standing passengers allowed. Just something different. The clearances of vehicles to signs and overhead structures in Hong Kong is minimal too which is surprising as I thought it would be made to be very safe like in Canada.



The next day we slept in and it felt great. Then we had Yoshinoya again and took the bus out to Repulse Bay to go swimming where we spent the hottest part of the afternoon in the water.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong


We beached ourselves like whales, practice treading water, and when a busload of mainland tourist came running down the beach to the spot right in front of us in their rich clothing and glittery high heels, Yuki photobombed their pictures by doing headstands.