Saturday, November 13, 2010

Itchy (This week's Photo Hunt theme)



Near the entrance to Chung Hom Kok Beach (which, like 40 other public beaches in Hong Kong, is managed by the territory's Leisure and Cultural Services Department), there is a sign which lists a large number of what's not allowed on it (including dogs, motorcycles and ball games). Since all I wanted to do there was wander about the beach, admire the scenery, take photos and just generally hang out and chill, that actually was okay by me. So in I strolled and after looking around a bit, I thought I had found a nice shady place where I would be able to lie down undisturbed for a time to enjoy the sun, breeze, sand and overall scene.

For about 10 minutes there, I felt a sense of sheer bliss and got to thinking "This is the life". But then I started getting an itchy feeling around my ankles and calves and got to noticing little dots appearing on my skin. In other words, I belatedly discovered that I had unwittingly sent out an open invitation to some sandflies to come and feast on my blood. :(

So if there's a lesson to learn from this Photo Hunt entry, it's that pretty pictures may not tell the whole story. Put another way: Chung Hom Kok Beach may have a visually pleasing location but my experience that afternoon there means that it's not one that I've got completely great memories of and, in fact, is really low on my list of Hong Kong beaches to return to -- this especially when my other options include such as the sandfly-less (in my experience at least!) and frankly way more beautiful beaches at Cheung Sha and Sai Kung's Tai Long Wan!

30 comments:

jams o donnell said...

Ach they can be little devils! A salutory leson for us all

Maya said...

There is nothing like the itchy sandfly bite to ruin a day at the beach!

Susan Demeter said...

Ouch! That would be itchy, and your right the photos alone certainly are not telling the whole itchy story!

Happy photo hunting and weekend!

Randi said...

Ach...I know the feeling. The photos are so beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Ouchies - I HATE sandflies! their bites seem to remain for days, no matter what you do.

jmb said...

Uhoh. That's not nice. Pesky little things.

Happy weekend to you YTSL.

Liz said...

That'll spoil the beach fun.

Have a great weekend!

Liz @ MLC

YTSL said...

Hi jams --

Indeed re their being little devils -- whose bites cause itches that last longer than those from mozzie bites! ;(

Hi Maya --

And worse, I didn't get one bite that day but about seven or eight... :(

Hi Sue --

Ah well, at least I have a few nice photos from that day, right? ;b

Hi Randi --

So... are there sandflies in Sweden too??

Hi archiearchive --

Too right about their bites remaining for days -- and itching despite my putting copious amounts of anti-itch cream on them. :(

Hi jmb --

Happy weekend to you too -- and glad to see you Photo Hunting this week. :)

Hi Liz --

I think the experience convinced me that it's much nicer to walk along the beach than to stay an immobile target for sandflies! ;S

Unknown said...

ewww! little party poopers!

Gattina said...

The beaches are beautiful ! I never met a sandfly, fortunately !

Sparkle said...

Just thinking of sandflies makes me itch!

Unknown said...

thanks for the visit.:p
i added a link to my itchy post--here's the pan de sal link.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/12577/pan-de-sal-quotbread-saltquot-philippine-breakfast-rolls

Unknown said...

oppps, here it is...

pan de sal

MaR said...

Ouch!! you are right about pretty pictures. It's the lesson my son learned about the Caribbean...and the unbearable humidity!! Great take on this hard theme.
And next time pls don't miss the Grand Bazaar, it's a great place to look around and to drink apple tea :)
itchy

YTSL said...

Hi Luna Miranda --

Spoiler bugs indeed -- and thank you for the response to my query over on your blog entry about pan de sal! :)

Hi Gattina --

Count yourself very lucky for not ever having encountered a sandfly! :)

Hi Sparkle --

Yikes! ;O

Hi Mar --

Your sons encountered sandflies in the Caribbean? Oh dear if so. And re Istanbul: I may have missed going to the Grand Bazaar but believe me when I say that I drank my share of apple tea while in the city! :)

Elaine Yim said...

O, such a teeny weeny thing but it can spoil the fun.

sarah bailey knight said...

Hi ytsl,

Great picture of empty sandals. Many of my sandfly encounters have been at lovely looking beaches like the one in your photos....I'm itching as I write this....

eastcoastlife said...

Besides sandflies, the mosquitoes are just as irritating!

Annie said...

Great take on the theme. Love the sandals shot! Happy weekend.

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

I'm itchin' just thinking about it
:-0

Cats~Goats~Quotes said...

Ouch! Our Mom knows what that feels like.
Happy Weekend..
~ Napoleon

Carver said...

Great post for the theme. Beautiful shots of the scenery and it is so true that a beautiful picture rarely tells the whole story. Happy weekend.

Anonymous said...

eek! Sandflies are horrid! So true that if you just showed the gorgeous shots taken on that beach we'd all have assumed you were incredibly lucky to sprawl out in paradise ;)

Have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

OUCH - sand flies are very annoying. Your shots are wonderful - too bad there was something annoying underneath the beauty (although that can seem the norm at times . . . )

Have a good weekend.

YTSL said...

Hi Autumn Belle --

Who says tiny is puny? Alas, in the case of the sandfly, that is far from the case! ;(

Hi sbk --

Glad you like that empty sandals photo. What you see in it was my view as I lay down a while on that beautiful but unfortunately sand flies-infested beach! ;S

Hi EastCoastLife --

Mosquitoes are bad but sand fly bites are actually worse! :(

Hi Annie --

Thanks and happy weekend to you too. :)

Hi Sandi --

Thanks for the empathy! :D

Hi Napoleon (Cats~Goats~Quotes) --

Your poor mom!

Hi Carver --

Thanks as ever for visiting, reading, looking and appreciating. :)

Hi chaotically me --

Small consolation I know but I sprawled on a beach a few days ago and there were NO sand flies there to bother me!

Hi JDeQ --

As the proverbial "they" say, you have to take the rough with the smooth. But I wish the itchiness caused by sand fly bites wouldn't last so long, you know? ;S

magiceye said...

that was a lovely take on the theme!

Trekcapri said...

Hi from Amsterdam YSTL, great photo and take on the theme. I'm feeling itchy just thinking about those sand flies. Love the message :)

YTSL said...

Hi magiceye --

Thanks for the comments and for visiting -- especially since you don't seem to be Photo Hunting this week (though hopefully not any more).

Hi trekcapri --

Hope you're having a good time in Amsterdam -- and thanks for visiting even when you're on vacation. :)

Marta said...

How true. You get to a wonderful beach only to be tormented by sandfleas. Those are the worst. But still a small price to pay for beauty.

YTSL said...

Hi Marta --

The sandflies problem is why I guess it's better to move around (e.g., stroll around) than to just laze about in one fixed spot on the beach... ;S