Travel|Photography
Move On Up: Mid-Levels in Hong Kong
Taking a trip on the longest outdoor escalator system in the world
After lunch and some inconsequential wandering, I found myself on the Central — Mid-Levels escalator.
Mid-Levels is home to Hong Kong’s affluent. It’s located roughly between Central and Victoria Peak — hence its name. But I didn’t care about any of that: I was here to ride the escalator.
The Central — Mid-Levels escalator is the longest covered system in the world. System is the keyword because it’s not just one escalator stretching for 800 metres. Instead, it’s 18 escalators and three travelators — like in an airport — that climb 135 metres of elevation.
This meant that it was easy for me to pause between escalators to take photos, and even travel up and down again for different views.
I didn’t travel all the way to the top; I left the system at around the halfway point.
It was here that I saw an old guy sifting through what looked like a deck of smart cards, and then swiping them in turn on a reader*.
Out in the streets the early afternoon heat was punishing. I’d decided on sideways exploration: I didn’t have the energy — and it didn’t make sense — to walk uphill.
I started to follow the signs pointing to Man Mo Temple.
As luck would it Man Mo Temple was undergoing renovation, and all of its front was covered in scaffolding. There were some restrictions as to where you could inside too.
At this point my body had just about given up. Stopping off at a nearby convenience store for water did little for my energy levels either.
However, outside the store was a bus stop; I decided to wait rather than walk. Unless absolutely necessary I don’t take buses on holiday, but in this instance having Octopus made the journey a breeze.
I was delivered back to Statue Square in air-conditioned comfort. From there I headed back to the hotel for a quick, cooling shower.
Then it was back out again.
- This was the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) fare saver that I briefly mentioned in my article on Octopus.
What happened before lunch in case you’ve not read it yet:
