Hong Kong Escalator Tour

Author: HotelCharlotte
Date of Trip: January 2007

We start our Hong Kong adventure with a walking tour that takes us by most of the Western Central area highlights: Dried Seafood Market, Herbs & Medicine Markets, Antique Market all closed because it is pre-8:00. We are still off on our time clock but getting better.

We are heading for this grand escalator listed at 800 meters long, the longest in the world. When we arrive, we find that in the mornings the escalator runs one way—down. We are at the bottom. We defer this activity for later and go explore one of the outlying islands.

We returned to HK on the noon ferry and decided to give that escalator another try and head up to SoHo. We got as far as the first riser, and the escalator was stopped. We didn’t know if this stopping problem continued all the way up or not, so decided that we should just get off and explore where we were. We explored a Japanese restaurant called Coi. We had sushi, quite lovely this eating in little bits all throughout the day! We enjoyed California Rolls, Tempura Shrimp Rolls, Gyoso, Beef in the sticky rice paper and two beers, $212 HK, $28 US. We saw a treat here that neither of us has had before. Not sure what it is called, will look for as we travel, but it is sushi in the seaweed wrapped like an ice-cream cone. Odd as can be.

Leading the fairly sedimentary lifestyle barely prepares one for all the walking we are doing. So we decide to get massages. Following the directions and good pricing we find on a brochure at the escalator exit, we end of cutting through a dining room to the elevators and up to the 8th floor. This is an elegant environment, not one of the frantic storefront places. The rates do not match the brochure. They explain that is isn’t their brochure and give us a different brochure. I get a foot massage and wonder if I will ever walk again. Victor gets a regular beating massage! I thought the price was $35 USD for the two of us, but turns out it was $60 once I realized that I had my rates reversed. Still a good value compared to traditional US rates.

The escalator is fixed and we head up the hill again to SoHo. Walked a bit of the district and stopped at the Staunton Bar & Cafe, a corner place for some exceptional people watching. We then continued higher and higher to the top of the escalator and then took a cab to Victory Peak. We found several restaurants to try again when it is next time to eat. The Paris Cafe was one that we did go back to and enjoyed very much. They have a great price-fixed lunch that was not only a good value, but really grand food too.

All of the escalator stops have something interesting to explore from great international restaurants to antiques, markets, people watching, massage and oodles more.

Face it, you are going to walk, A LOT! The escalator is a superb transportation tool for getting you up the hill to the many venues along the way and you can mostly walk horizontal instead of up.