Ferry boats provide an inexpensive, scenic, and fun way to cross Victoria Harbor between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.  If you ever make it to Hong Kong, skip a ride on the subway and don’t miss this little gem of a journey.

Victoria Peak looms behind the financial center of Hong Kong Island in this view from Victoria Harbor.  The waterfront on this part of the island continues to grow over time, as landfill is dumped into the harbor to provide room for more new buildings.

A view of Hong Kong Island from atop Victoria Peak, north toward Kowloon and the mainland.  Tall apartment buildings, crowded against each other, fill the foreground - and much of Hong Kong as well.  These apartments, often no larger than 600 square feet, are more expensive than those in New York City.

The same view a few hours later.  The observation deck on the peak, with its shops and restaurants and romantic views, remains crowded both day and night.

Colored neon lights flow along this distinctive building, changing from purple and red to orange and yellow to the green and blue you see here.

The view southwest from Victoria Peak, with boats in the harbor and the Chinese mainland in the distance.

One of my favorite structures in the world, the Bank of China building was designed by fellow MIT alumnus I. M. Pei in the late 1980s.  A world-renowned architect, he also designed the west wing of the National Gallery in Washington, the renovation of the Louvre in Paris, and numerous structures in the Boston area - including a number of the buildings on the MIT campus.