Me, Jamie | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 48 years living in Hong Kong - I know the culture
… and yes, I am a proud Yorkshireman
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Kowloon Peak
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
April 1st 2020 | Isn’t that another one of the most spectacular city views in the world! I think so.
The Kowloon Peak View in Kowloon, Hong Kong
Kowloon Peak, One of the Nine Dragons (Mountains), Kowloon, Hong Kong
Kowloon Peak is 602m or 1,975ft high and is located in Kowloon and Man On Shan Country Park District and overlooks Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
…and there are only 8 dragons or mountains, the 9th dragon was the Emperor who named the mountains!
Going to Kowloon Peak is not user friendly so to speak for the casual visitor, it is not like going to the Peak on Hong Kong Island where you can take a taxi from the Central Business District and be looking at the view 15 minutes later. oh no, for this view you need to be with a Private Tour Guide who can arrange a car.
I went there in the mid 1970’s a few times in my Dad’s old Jaguar, these days I have to rely on my friends to take me in their car… on this particular day I was with my great friends Virginia and Jacky and we made it to the top by something like 5.30am as we wanted to catch the sunrise view, in a nutshell it really did not work out, the forecast was for a clear and sunny morning but it ended up being quite cloudy but I still got some decent shot’s.
They did however treat me to a proper Hong Kong breakfast in a dodgy restaurant in an Industrial Building nearby, The Kowloon Cafe | it was macaroni soup, a slice of ham and some toast… Fruit Loops are not on the menu! anyway I digress………..
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
I am still digressing, on the left is breakfast at the St, Regis Hotel in Hong Kong and I was with my great friend Amy ( who is a fabulous Private Tour Guide by the way and the perfect person to take you to Kowloon Peak as she owns and drives a Japanese 7 Seater car ) and on the right is breakfast at the Kowloon Cafe with Jacky and Virginia, I do have a very interesting life in Hong Kong!! oh…. I am very comfortable with the living it large in the lap of luxury or slumming it in a local greasy spoon.
So back to Kowloon Peak.
The other issue I have is that it is a distant view, from my spot at the Peak along Lugard Road, you are basically looking down on the city and you can wave at people (ish) at Kowloon Peak the city seems rather distant so you really need a camera with a great zoom lens.
This is never somewhere where I would take a guest if they only had one or two days in Hong Kong and you need a car, it is a real shame you that cannot get closer to the view (unless you climb mountains for fun.) it is always interesting to note that Kowloon Peak is roughly 160ft (ish) taller than the Peak on Hong Kong Island.
Finally, it is also apparent from this view just how rocky Hong Kong Island is, it is not just the Peak, there are actually somewhere between 20 to 25 “Peaks” on Hong Kong Island but most of them are only accessible by hiking to the top. Hiking is not my strong point and lets leave it at that.
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
The Model part 2
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
April 1st 2020 | The joys of being a Private Tour Guide part 2
Things happen.
A couple of days ago I posted an image of this young lady from a quick series I did of her so back by popular demand…… below is what I had to say.
“I was with a guest walking along TST Promenade down at the waterfront looking across to Hong Kong Island from Kowloon, I was in the zone, busy waffling away (as I am prone to do) when I actually walked right into this rather lovely young lady!
Apparently she is a Chinese model based in the USA and her and the people she was with (Americans) were scouting for a location for a photo shoot.
I carry my camera with me at all times and she very graciously allowed me to take her picture.
I do lead an interesting life.”
I was going to make a witty comment about the connection between Kowloon Peak and the lovely young lady but I thought better of it!
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
MG’s rock!
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
April 1st 2020 | The joys of being a certain age
Yahoo! and a personalised car licence plate as well…
You have to admire the lovely couple in the old classic MG in the legendary MG red, I mean, a classic British sports car, top down, wind in the hair and a spot of lunch at the Hong Kong Club beckons (I think)
Young people do not like cars like this, older people do and that’s that.
Now I will be perfectly honest, I am not a big fan of the MG brand, if it was me, I would be in an old Porsche or Ferrari but probably a Porsche.
… and this is the perfect car for zipping up or down Magazine Gap Road just up the road from where I took this image and that connects to Peak Road and that leads to the Peak, a couple of classic mountain roads with a fun factor of 10 / 10 if you are in a car like this… brilliant
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
The bird in the bag
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
April 1st 2020 | The bird in the bag
Oh gosh.
….and yes, I do see some weird stuff when I am with guests on one of my private tours of Hong Kong.
This one is right up there on the weirdstuffometer scale, we were at the Yuen Po Bird Market in Mong Kok in Kowloon, enjoying the culture and watching dodgy old geezers with no teeth, stained vests, wearing socks and Crocs sit and watch birds in cages, it is a real Hong Kong thing, it is quite different to the budgie culture in the UK, I imagine no one takes a budgie for a walk in England.
I actually burst out laughing when I saw the bird in the bubble in the backpack, how creative, the perspex bubble has some large air holes at the top (sorry, almost made a freudian slip there). In Hong Kong the MTR Corp (Subway) + other forms of public transport do not allow pets of any kind on the trains, buses etc so I am guessing this is a creative way of getting around that problem although I am not sure that travelling around with a schizophrenic parrot is a smart move.
I have spent enough time at the Bird Market to be very wary of these creatures, there is just something very creepy about a large trilingual bird giving you the evil eye and bobbing it’s head up and down, remember these creatures have razor sharp talons that can rip your head off and yes, it quite often outlives the owner!… uugghh
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Stanley Dragon Boat Racing
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
April 1st 2020 | Dragon Boat Racing in Stanley
I have a feeling this will be cancelled this year because of the Coronavirus | Covid 19 Pandemic, this amazing cultural event takes place in May every year and attracts massive crowds. oh well.
Honestly I am a crusty old bugger, I find Dragon Boat Racing about as exciting as watching paint dry, I love the culture behind it but as a spectacle, I am not a fan. The wife reminds me that I am riveted to the TV watching a 5 day Cricket Test Match which most people find devoid of any excitement and yes, it drags on for 5 days… go figure.
I always suspect that the real importance of Dragon Boat Racing locally is so that people can bet large wads of money on each race, strictly illegal of course, the atmosphere you get on Dragon Boat day reminds me very much of the atmosphere at the Happy Valley Horse Racing Track here on a Sunday where you get 40,000 shirtless blokes screaming obscenities at the owners, stewards, jockeys, cleaners etc before, during and after each race.
Anyway, don’t mind me, if you get the opportunity to watch it you should and kids love it!
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Rolls Royce Classic Car Pictorial
April 1st 2020 | Rolls Royce Classic Car Pictorial
This is images only, the pictures speak for themselves, suffice to say we have so many Rolls Royce Cars in Hong Kong that my guests often comment on it. Enjoy
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
Rolls Royce - 2992
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
Rolls Royce - 136
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
Rolls Royce - 3276
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
Rolls Royce - ER 5929
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
Rolls Royce - 9668
This is NOT how I do tours! There are NO flags, whistles, stickers or large groups!
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