Dear Vicky: The Star Ferry

The Star Ferry of Hong Kong is the best ride in the world. And no one can change my mind about it. This post is about, well, the Star Ferry.

Founded in 1888, the Star Ferry operates across the Vicky Harbour between Hong Kong island and the Kowloon peninsula, with two piers in Central and Wan Chai on the island, and Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. The ticket was 3.4 Hong Kong dollars-the ferries between Central and TST are double decked, with the lower deck costing even lower- when I left, by far the cheapest way to cross the harbour, unless of course you’d like to swim risking getting hit by a number of ferries, cargo ships, and speedboats etc. Did I mention the polluted waterway? The ferry ride comes with a perfect way to appreciate the Hong Kong skyline. Compare that with a bunch of metal tubes, the choice is easy. Most ferries have air-conditioned chambers in the summer, but I prefer the windowless middle section. The Vicky breeze cannot be beat. Every ferry has a name that includes the word star (星 in Chinese) like Morning Star.

Enough of my blabbering. On to the photos.

Pulling into the TST pier.

I’ve got a 20”x16” print of this photo in my kitchen. Every now and then, I’d pick up my son in front of the photo, and tell the little guy: This is our home. He doesn’t really care.

Two Star Ferries in the Harbour.

Even with the gloves?

This is the cheaper lower deck.

Interior, Star Ferry.

The AC’ed section’s on the far end.

Boarding

Disembarking

Blueferry

You can’t beat that blue hour view, right?

Light of the setting sun hits the ferry

There it is! The Star Ferry, my favourite means of transportation. There might be another post about the pier workers for the ferry. I find their job fascinating. That’s hopefully for another time. Thanks for coming along for the ride! See ya!