Hong Kong, March 8, 2026

This morning, we leisurely made our way into the harbor of Hong Kong. Similar to Singapore, our dock has been transformed into a shopping center. When we go ashore or back onto the ship, we have to walk through the Gucci, Dior, Rolex, etc. stores.

The weather is wonderfully pleasant. Blue skies, not too hot, around 20°C, and not humid.

First, we took the tram to Victoria Peak. To do this, we had to take the ferry first and then a bus to the tram station. The ferry runs every few minutes; unfortunately, the bus to the tram runs only every 30 minutes on Sundays. So, we had to wait quite a long time for the bus. At the tram station, there was an incredibly long queue. This was probably due to it being Sunday and because the tram is scheduled for maintenance starting tomorrow. We endured it and eventually found ourselves in the tram. The so-called tram here is a funicular. It was designed in 1881 and opened in 1888. Many things happened during its construction and operation. During the construction period, and later on, the railway was significantly damaged by cyclones and tropical rainfall. It was initially steam-powered and was electrified in 1926. In total, there have been four major renovations. The railway has very steep inclines and overcomes a height difference of nearly four hundred meters. Each year, over four million people are transported, with an average of 11,000 people per day.

The summit station is a tall building with many shops, plus an observation deck. After taking a few pictures, we walked around the hill on a very beautiful trail. Along this path, there are also a few heavily fenced houses. Some of them are quite elegant, while others are a bit run-down, and construction is often taking place.

Back down, we had a small bite to eat at a kind of bar. After that, we took a city tour on a double-decker bus. Here, there are not only double-decker buses but also double-decker trams. The latter look somewhat strange but also amusing.

In the city, there are many homeless people living in tents on the sidewalk. This is surprising for a socialist state. It seems that trade also takes place on the street. Apparently, truckloads of goods, mainly clothing, are divided, bought, and then resold through small vendors. The vendors have cardboard boxes and the well-known, huge, usually cube-shaped plastic bags with them. It appears that part of the overproduction is being sold this way.

The houses vary greatly, from chic skyscrapers with green spaces to old, rundown tiny houses. There are also quite dilapidated high-rises, and often they are situated close together.

The traffic is dense, but the jams are not severe. It is surprising that the islands and other shores are accessible via tunnels. These tunnels are several kilometers long under the sea.

The people are quite pleasant. There is a bit of jostling, but not more than what we experience. What we noticed less is that someone holds the door open for the next person to pass through quickly.

The prices vary greatly, depending on the (brand) product and type of store. Overall, Hong Kong is certainly not incredibly cheap.