Hong Kong : 'Scuse Me While I Kiss the Stars

After delighting my eyes with the sparkling skyline of Hong Kong at night, I headed three floors down from the Sky Terrace to Madame Tussauds (MT). I got the 3-in-1 Combo which included a 2-way Peak Tram ride and entrances to the Sky Terrace and MT for HK$200.

Here’s the adult price if you buy them separately : Return Tram ticket – HK$36; Sky Terrance – HK$25; MT – HK$160. Total price – HK$221. You save about S$4.00, which is not much, but you save on the queue time to get the tickets separately.

Hot Tip :

• Buy the Combo ticket from the MT ticketing booth at the Peak Tram Terminus. This booth is across from the Peak Tram ticketing booth which sells Tram ride tickets or Tram ride with entry to Sky Terrace only. I was queuing at the Peak Tram line for a long time before I realized the 3-in1 MT Combo was not sold there! *gua gua gua…*

If you have not heard of Madame Tussauds, it is an exhibition where you can get really up-close and personal with wax figures of celebrities, sport stars, politicians, and historical personalities.

The stars are made with an almost 100% likeness so it is as good as seeing them for real. Even though there are so many ‘people’ there, I’d never felt more alone. I was there by myself so there’s no one to take photos of me with the stars! Even if I did ask someone to help take a photo for me, I was too embarrassed to do wacky poses. If a friend was taking the photos, they would’ve been very different.

It’s so much fun watching people posing with the famous personalities. Some of the poses were, well, let’s just say I’d seen obasans come out of menopause, young girls misplacing their chastity, and guys exploring every part of the female figures as if they’re curators making sure the wax statues were not damaged.

Out of curiosity, I did a little checking of my own and confirmed that the wax dudes have no ‘wicks’, and except for the raisins on Aaron Kwok’s exposed chest, there’re no chocolate coins on the chests of other male and female figurines. I didn’t check every one but from those that I can see, I generalized.
Lest you think I’m a pervert, I did it to see how far the replicas would go because more than 200 measurements (including the crotch and breasts area) are taken to make each figurine. And it takes more than 800 hours to complete each one. The bulk of the time is spent on inserting hair, strand by strand onto the wax scalps.

So, let’s test your knowledge of the Asian stars… how many can you recognise and name?

What about the following Hollywood movers and shakers?

Or these famous politicians and cultural icons?

For personalities who are still alive, they’ll be invited for a Sitting where their measurements are taken. But for the long-deceased such as William Shakespeare, the figures are constructed based on paintings and photos.

Of all the wax celebrities, I thought the one that looked most ‘fake’ and unlike the star it should resemble was that of Cecilia Cheung (张伯芝). I thought it was a younger Maggie Cheung (张曼玉). Well, maybe I didn’t recognise Cecilia because she wasn’t wearing a policewoman uniform. Oops!

But my main target at Madame Tussauds was to take a photo with Anita Mui (梅艳芳). Among all the Hong Kong celebrities, she’s one of my favourite because she’s a great performer and actress. I grew up listening to her during her 妖女 (vixen) days and loved her comic performance in the movie 钟无艳. So I was pretty saddened when she passed on due to cancer in 2003. But thankfully for Madame Tussauds, the likeness of her is preserved and made immortal…

Here’s my favouritest song from her. It is a duet with Jacky Cheung called 相爱很难 (Love is Difficult). Enjoy… :)

For more photos, please visit my album A Lingering Fragrance.

Hong Kong - Peak Peeks

Upon arriving in Hong Kong, the first thing on my mind was taking a photo of Hong Kong’s aerial skyline from Victoria Peak. It is the view of Hong Kong that must not be missed. No wonder there’re throngs of people going up and down the hilltop at any given time.

Getting There : From Central MTR Station, take Exit J2, and turn right once you come out of the exit. Walk in the direction of the iconic Bank of China building. Along the way, there’re many signposts to point you to the Peak Tram Terminus on Garden Road. It is pretty straightforward.

There’re a few ticketing options available such as a single trip or return trip on the Tram. And you can choose to include the entrance fee to The Peak’s Sky Terrace as a package as well. I bought the 3-in-1 combo from the Madame Tussauds ticketing counter by the side. That includes a 2-way Tram transfer + entrance fee to The Peak Sky Terrace + entrance to Madame Tussauds (HK$200). MT is located inside The Peak Tower.

Hot Tips :

• Sit on the right-hand side when going up and left when coming down. That way, you can see the skyline of HK unfold by the window. The slope is rather steep and at some points, the angle of elevation is about 45 degrees so it’s kinda bizarre to see the surrounding residential blocks slanting at that angle. The effect is more dramatic when coming down as it looks as if the buildings are ‘falling’ towards you.

• When planning a visit, do allocate extra waiting time for the Tram. I waited about 30 mins to board on the way up (about 5 pm), and almost an hour on the way down at 9 pm.

• Frequency and duration of Tram ride : 10 – 15 mins

There’re two shopping complexes at the top – The Peak Tower and The Peak Galleria. Both offer lookout points on their roofs. The Peak Galleria is free but since it’s behind The Peak Tower, the view is slightly blocked. But it offers a great view of the surrounding islands.

The Peak Tower’s Sky Terrace offers an unobstructed view of the skyline for a fee of HK$25 (adult) and HK$12 (child and senior). A short walk in the downhill direction will bring you to a lookout point called the Lions View Point Pavilion which is also free. My photo of the skyline taken during the day was at Lions while the night view was taken at the Sky Terrace.

Hot Tips :

• In summer, the sky starts getting dark around 7 pm. That’s when the lights on the buildings start coming on too. I was there at about 6.30 pm to stake out a front row spot for the view.

• At 7.30 pm, there’s a photo service that charges HK$120 to have your photo taken with the night skyline. Choose a spot just out of the camera range so as not to be chased away.

Apart from taking in the aerial view, you can also shop at the two Peak complexes and visit Madame Tussauds. It was really magical watching the Hong Kong skyline transit from day to night… almost as if it took off its business suit and donned on a Technicolour coat to party!

For more photos, please visit my album A Lingering Fragrance.