The Peak Tram in Hong Kong has celebrated its 125th anniversary.
"To mark the Peak Tram's 125th year of service in 2013, Peak Tramways and The Peak Tower have launched a publicity campaign in conjunction with Visa," reported CNNgo.com.
For the anniversary limited edition tickets have been issued with a Peak Tram themed board game as well as a new bear mascot called Bobo and a paper conductor doll-all designed by Douglas Young, a Hong Kong based designer.
"The venerable Peak Tram is, as most passengers agree, the only way to truly experience the beauty of Hong Kong's natural wonders. Tens of millions of people from every corner of the globe have taken the ride, which affords a uniquely spectacular perspective of the city," says the trams website.
During its beginnings the tram was designed as timber carts powered by steam and now its computerized and aluminum.
Today a round trip journey costs HK$40 or U.S. $5. In its beginnings a single ride on the tranged ranged from 5 to 30 cents.
"It gets so steep during certain parts of the journey that you're practically lying against the back of your seat," says Fan Kwok Chu, senior conductor of the Peak Tram to CNNgo.com. "That's not something you can experience on your average tram.
Most of the trams you seen nowadays just travel on ground level, and even for the ones that do go up mountains, they are designed in a way that you're traveling level with the ground, not much different from an escalator."
The steep peak tram is an icon in Hong Kong. Fan says,
"The Peak Tram is one of the most symbolic attractions of Hong Kong," You can't say you've visited Hong Kong if you haven't been up the Peak, and a journey up Victoria Peak without the Peak Tram is simply incomplete."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
