An American in Taichung

Hong Kong VIII: Victoria Harbour

The Harbour in the morning.

We were all pretty tired after our busy weekend, but Monday brings no rest to young vacationers, so we were up and about early the next morning. After another delectable bakery run, Kevin and I decided to make the most of our hostel's excellent location in Causeway Bay by exploring the area.


A view of the expressway and skyline from the overpass to the harborfront.

Our hostel was literally a block away from stunning views of Victoria Harbour, as well as a large park (維多利亞公園) also named for the Queen.


Some more of the boats. I took this picture because of the views of the city and mountains in the background... a sort of literal view of the juxtaposition of the sea-faring history, modern urbanization, and tropical landscape that make Hong Kong what it is today.

There's also some pretty interesting local history associated with the harbor, some of which I was able to ascertain by reading the plaques on various historical artifacts on display by the boardwalk path, and some of which I had simply read about before coming to Hong Kong: the firing of the Noon-Day Gun, for instance, which finds its roots in early colonial history, or the establishment of Jardine's Crescent and Jardine's Bazaar.


A well-laden fishing boat.

Still, after a little bit of wandering as the sun rose higher in the sky and our noon-time appointment with friends grew nearer, Kevin and I found our way back to the MRT station and hopped on the subway for our next step of the journey.


One of the particularly cool-looking boats.

(A final note: Excited by these photos? You, too, can have a real-time view of the harbor by visiting the Victoria Harbour Webcam. I'm serious. Click the link.)

posted by Kelly @ 7:09 PM