Our third day of our city trip in Hong Kong with kids does not start off very well. The day before we left for our trip I visited the general practitioner because I was recovering from a massive flu with a high fever. Luckily this went well: lungs, throat, ears, all was good. I did still have a cold, a bad cough and I felt short breathed. Unfortunately those last two symptoms grew worse after the flight.
When I woke up during the night squeaking I thought to myself it might be a good idea to visit a doctor the next day. It seemed Kev shared my thoughts for the whole family when we woke up the next morning. For some reason we just have a bad track record when it comes to the spring holiday and being ill and this city trip in Hong Kong with kids is no exception.
Day 3
So the third day of our city trip in Hong Kong with kids could have started better. After breakfast we take a 15 minute walk to the nearest international hospital. It’s always interesting to see how foreign procedures work. In Hong Kong it goes something like this:
- Take a number
- Get listed and grab a mouth cap (for the whole family, they even have child mouth caps)
- Pay a deposit at the register
- Go to the doctor
- Go to the register again and wait until they call out your name (turns out “Aafje” is rather difficult to pronounce for the average Hongkonger).
- Wait longer
- Pay for your consult and medicine
- Wait even longer
- Pick up your medicine at the pharmacy
Step 1-4 took us about 15 minutes, step 5-9 an hour and a half. So what did the doctor say? Lotte is close to pneumonia and will take the anti-biotics we took from back home as a preventive medicine. Turns out I already have pneumonia so I get my own anti-biotics and an inhaler. After this interesting morning we decide to have a quiet lunch in a playground near the hospital with a baguette and some humus. After that we decide to take the tram to The Peak.
The Peak
The tram that takes us through the city is an attraction on its own! We are seated up top and have a perfect view while we’re flung in every direction. During the route the tram gets more crowded and when we need to get off after 20 minutes we’re amazed we even make it to the exit with two small kids and a buggy. From the tram stop it’s just a 10 minute walk to the entrance of the Peak tram. This tram is one of the oldest and well-known cable cars in the world. The tram covers an altitude difference from 28 to 396 meters in 1.365 meters length. The route is rather steep for that reason too (max. 27 degrees).
The kids love it! They have their backs pressed to their seats and their noses pressed to the window. The view gets better by the minute. Once we’re on top we get off at some kind of mall with different floors that have all kinds of shops and restaurants and they even have a Madam Tussauds.
All the way on the roof you’ll find Sky Terrace 428. When you walk outside the view is breathtaking (even without pneumonia ;). It starts off a bit cloudy but after 10 minutes the clouds clear away and it’s even more stunning. You’re looking out over the city and the sea and the Hong Kong skyline is truly amazing! After taking loads of pictures and video’s we go down one floor.
Because we want to enjoy the view some more we decide to have some sushi with a view of the skyline, spectacular! After a delicious meal we take The Peak tram back down. This is rather exciting because the seats face forward but the tram is moving backwards. You’re pressed down in your seat and Kev almost falls over when he tries standing up during the steep descend. The Peak certainly is a must do during a city trip in Hong Kong with kids.
Ice cream and dinner
The kids deserve some ice cream after this busy day so we walk into good old McDonalds for some soft ice. In there we call the home front through Whatsapp. The Mac has free Wi-Fi which comes in handy. On our way back to our hotel on the subway we buy some bread and croissants so we can have a bite to eat later on in the evening because of our early dinner.
When we arrive in our room the kids are very pleased to have a peanut butter sandwich in bed. They fall asleep at 19.00 o’clock but are awake again at 22.30, still suffering a bit from jetlag.
Day 4
Day 4 of our city trip in Hong Kong with kids starts slightly better than the day before. We wake at 09.00 o’clock by the alarm, nice!! We need to hurry and make it just in time for breakfast which stops serving at 10.30. I’m still feeling under the weather unfortunately so I’ll give it my best and let’s see how the day unfolds.
Ngong Ping, say what?!
We decide to take the subway. “Door to door” it’s about an hour to Ngong Ping. This is the cable car taking you to Tian Tan Buddha. The subway stations aren’t exactly buggy friendly. There aren’t many elevators and lots of stairs. On our first day we walked everywhere with the buggy in search of an elevator, the second day I lifted Lotte and Kev lifted the buggy and on day 3 Lotte just sits in the buggy as we go down the escalator.
When we arrive at our destination “Tung Chung” it’s just a 5 minute walk to Ngong Ping and it takes about 30 minutes for the gondola to go up the mountain. Under slight protest of Kev who’s afraid of heights we choose a gondola with a glass floor, so cool!! The view during the 30 minute ride is absolutely amazing!! The first part takes us over the blue sea and then we go over the mountains and trees. Kev needs a little adjusting but soon he too can enjoy the amazing view. From our gondola we have a breathtaking view of Hong Kong. When we reach the end of the line we even see the Tian Tan Buddha “sitting” on the mountain in the distance.
Tian Tan Buddha
When we arrive at the top we enjoy a nice lunch in the sun before we walk towards the Buddha. Ngong Ping City is a small village with all kinds of restaurants, terraces, shops and other entertainment. When we walk on after our lunch Lotte gets startled by a huge cow’s head that appears right in front of her while she’s sitting in the buggy. As it turns out a large herd of cows is walking around near the Buddha. Lotte is so scared she wants to be picked up every time a cow comes within a 10 meter range.
There’s a looooong flight of stairs leading up to the Tian Tan Buddha. We leave the buggy downstairs and walk up (me with a pace of an 80 year old, meaning no disrespect to 80 year olds of course). When we reach the top we walk around the Buddha. There’s a certain peace and serenity hanging about which feels phenomenal. It feels sacred in a way, seeing the surrounding landscape and islands in a shroud of mist, creates an almost magical feeling.
When we’re back down we visit the monastery opposite the Buddha where we buy and light some incense.
At the end of the day we take the cable car back down. Ngong Ping should definitely be on your to do list when planning a city trip in Hong Kong with kids. Right next to the subway there’s an outlet mall. We have a look but the prices are fairly steep, not comparable with American outlet store prices.
Symphony of Lights
Seeing as it’s our last night “downtown”, because we’ll be moving to the Hyatt Regency Sha Tin in New Territories, we decide to take the subway to Wanchai Station and walk to the Golden Bauhinia Square to witness “The Symphony of Lights”. This is a light and music show at the buildings near the water. We arrive at 19:30 and the show starts at 20:00 but the view is spectacular here already. You look out across the water at the illuminated skyline of Hong Kong, very impressive!!
At 19:55 there suddenly is a lot of noise as a helicopter lands right in front of us. At 20:00 o’clock the show starts but because of the sound of the helicopters propellers we can’t hear the music. The lightshow wasn’t what we expected either, there’s so much surrounding light I have to try my best to see the laser beams…. bummer!!
Taxi?! No taxi
After a long day we decide to treat ourselves to a cab ride to our hotel. Unfortunately none of the cab drivers we stop speak any English… so we find ourselves walking for half an hour back home. Lotte falls asleep in the buggy and Flo? Floris is one tough cookie, walking 10 to 12 kilometers in a day without complaining, what a hero!
Once we arrive at the hotel we’re exhausted… But a surprise is waiting for us. The hotel personnel has laid out a bag with goodies for the kids; 2 cuddly toys, 2 keychains and lots of treats, such fun! After no less than 15 minutes we’re all fast asleep, the kids holding on to their new cuddly toys.
Hong Kong is a very cool city!! A city trip in Hong Kong with kids is certainly recommended!! Tomorrow we’ll go on to our next hotel a little outside of the city. There we’ll have a pool which the kids are looking forward to already!
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This article “City trip in Hong Kong with kids: day 3 and 4, The Peak, a visit to the hospital and lots more…” is sponsored by Cathay Pacific and Dorsett Wanchai Hotel.
