"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do... Explore. Dream. Discover."~ Mark Twain

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Peak Tram + Madame Tussauds + Sky Terrace

     After our Ocean Park trip, the next stop in our Hong Kong itinerary is the Peak Tram, Madame Tussauds and the Sky Terrace. From MTR Admiralty Station, we went down at Central Station and followed the road signs going to the Peak Tram.

Entrance to the Peak Tram

 Photo op at the entrance:)

     The original price for the Peak Tram (two-way) is 16hkd, Sky Terrace is 25hkd and Madame Tussauds is 160hkd, total of 221hkd. But since Madame Tussauds offers a combo package, we opted to avail it which costs 200hkd. We saved 21hkd, yey! pampasalubong din yun! :)

Our tickets for the Peak Tram and Sky Terrace (one with the arrow)
and Madame Tussauds

     The Peak Tramway  is a funicular railway in Hong Kong which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Central District to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong. (Wikipedia)

 While waiting for the Tram ^_^

The Peak Tram

     Getting there is an unforgettable trip. There's nothing in the world like the Peak Tram. The tram, pulled by steel cables, climbs about 1,200 feet) It's so steep that the buildings we passed look like they're leaning at a 45°angle! We surely loved this trip. ;)

Our first inside the tram

     After around 5 minutes of being on the tram, we finally reached our destination, The Peak Tower. The Peak Tower houses restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and the famous Madame Tussauds located at the second floor. 


Entrance to Madame Tussauds
  
     Madame Tussauds Hong Kong showcases nearly 100 wax figures of internationally-known personalities, mostly Asians. On its entrance, we saw Pierce Brosnan as James Bond and didn't pass the chance to take a photo with him.. Hehe! :D

With James Bond
     
     The wax figures are featured in a range of themed settings such as Hong Kong Glamour, Music Icons, Historical and National Heroes, The Champions and World Premiere.

 Meet Madame Tussauds

Fact: Anna Maria "Marie" Tussaud (1 December 1761 – 16 April 1850) was a Swiss artist known for her wax sculptures and Madame Tussaud', the wax museum she founded in London.

 The making of a wax figure
In over one or more sittings, a highly skilled sculptor from Madame Tussauds Studios who is given direct access to the celebrity will record the colours of the hair and eyes, and over 500 precise body measurements are referenced. Most important is to capture the look of the celebrity in order to reflect the personality of each unique individual. The next task is to make a clay model of the head and body which is used to create a mould. Wax cast of the head and hands are made from the mould, and the eyes are inserted. Each eye is hand-painted to achieve a perfect match of the original. Real human hair is then inserted painstakingly strand by strand. The head and hands are coloured using a blend of oil, water and acrylic colour. From the mould, the body is cast in  fibreglass, and the head and hands are fitted to the fiberglass body and dressed in clothes that are often donated by the celebrity. The pose, clothes and expression on the face all contribute to making the figure as realistic as possible. The whole process usually takes up to six months by a team of 20 people to create and cost about HK$1 million each. - Wikipedia

Here's our share of experience with the wax figures per themed settings:


Hong Kong Glamour

 Jet Li 
 
 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
 
 Eddie Murphy


Historical and National Heroes

Princess Diana

 Mahatma Gandhi

President Barrack Obama

 William Shakespeare

 Pablo Picasso


World Premiere
 
 Astroboy


The Champions

 Tiger Woods


Music Icons

 The Beatles


     After enjoying the photo ops with some famous (wax) figures we went up  7 floors to the Sky Terrace which provided a 360 degree view of the city--awesome scenery indeed! :D

The Sky Terrace

 At the top of the world :)
 
     The view from The Sky Terrace is amazing! Looking down from it we were amazed by the spectacular view of the surrounding city skyline, the world-famous Victoria Harbour and Kowloon, and the towering skyscrapers with such bright lights!
  
 Spectacular view from The Sky Terrace

 One more shot

     We should learn more about taking pictures at night to get better outputs! We'd like to capture and share how nice the view was and how good a time we had up there! :)

The Peak Tram
Operating Hours: 7am to 12 midnight
http://www.thepeak.com.hk/en/5_5_1.asp

The Sky Terrace
Operating Hours: 10 am to 11 pm (Mon - Fri)
8 am to 11 pm (Sat, Sun & Public Holidays)
http://www.thepeak.com.hk/en/5_2_1.asp

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong
Operating Hours: 10 am to 10 pm
www.madametussauds.com/hongkong/

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