I showed up at the bus stop promptly at 8:00 AM to discover that the buses to the tram start running at 10:00. So I walked. I could use my Octopus Card, so I didn’t have to wait in the ticket line.

The tram is similar to the one in Wellington, but longer and steeper. It has a maximum 48% grade, which gives it a Mystery Spot feel. (The Wellington grade is less than 18%.)

The Peak Terminal is a large anvil-shaped building with several floors of shops and restaurants and—at the top—the Sky Terrace, which costs extra. I’m sure the view is very nice, but right next to the Peak Terminal is the Peak Galleria, which also has several floors of shops and restaurants, and their rooftop is free. It’s not as high as the Sky Terrace, but if you’re already on top of a mountain, who cares? It’s not like you can see the difference.

There’s a 3.5km walk that the guide book mentioned. It was a little short on detail, but it sounded worthwhile. It starts down a steep maintenance road with banyan trees.

I walked for about a kilometer to a turnoff to a dirt path that loops back to the peak. The sign said it was 6.75 km, but the map didn’t show any other path, so I took it.

It’s a well-maintained path. There are even brooms in case you need to do some sweeping.

It’s mostly wooded, but there are occasional breaks with views of Pok Fu Lam and the South China Sea.

But it’s not really a level path. There’s a lot up and down, culminating in a long steep climb back to the peak.

Which turned out to be at the middle of the path I was supposed to take in the first place. That path is 3.5 km, paved, and level.

It was there that I encountered a little girl on a scooter, who told me, with tremendous enthusiasm, “I saw the frog! It’s there!”

And indeed it was.