Fuzzy (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

Happy 2011 to my fellow Photo Hunters and other regular visitors to this blog! Can you believe it's another new year already? How quickly time can fly... especially, as the proverbial "they" say, when you're having fun...

On the subject of fun: two of my favorite things get highlighted in this Photo Hunt entry. That is, I have hiking to thank for having the above photo of what appear to be fuzzy pods (or pre-flower casings -- new year resolution #1: learn more about what I see while out hiking in Hong Kong by doing such as buying and perusing a book on Hong Kong butterflies...) while the second photo tells of how I really do get a warm and fuzzy feeling when I catch sight of Hello Kitty plushies!!

Almost needless to say, I think that second photo helps provide positive proof that Hong Kong definitely has its share of fans of the furry feline that has the same initials as it. At the same time, however, it admittedly is not completely commonplace to encounter such a Hello Kitty plushie-laden vehicle as that which caught my eye late one evening in Yau Ma Tei. So imagine my surprise when after doing so, I proceeded to catch sight of a second one when I rounded another corner on my way to catch my own transportation of choice (i.e., a bus!) to take me home that night!

Alas, I didn't dare take a photo of that vehicle -- and the Hello Kittys in it -- as, unlike the one I photographed, it had occupants in it. So you're just going to have to take my word for it that it was even more cute cat-filled than the one in the above picture!!! :D

Final post of the year

With just one sunset to go before the end of the year, I figured: why not largely let my photos do the talking (a la the likes of mister bijou and Horsoon) for a change? So here goes... :b

Early sunset scene at Stanley
one evening this past November

Close to the same place and view
only a few minutes later

Okay, okay, sorry but I can't resist adding: Thanks for visiting in 2010 and hope you'll check out the blog some more in 2011! :)

Shing Mun Valley Hike (Photo-essay)

There's a school of thought whereby hikes along circular routes are viewed as hikes to nowhere. But even while I have to admit to often having a sense of accomplishment from going on hikes that take one some distance from one place to another, I have come to be able to enjoy certain hikes along circular routes in terms of the journey itself yielding so many enjoyable sights and experiences.

Among these is the 9.5 kilometer hike around the Shing Mun Reservoir that I went on with my regular hiking companion earlier this year. Taken on a misty as well as cool day, this excursion which began and ended at the Pineapple Dam (named after the pineapples that were cultivated in the area in past times by Hakka farmers) still yielded some surprisingly good views of the Shing Mun Valley and reservoir; some of which I managed to capture with my trusty camera:-

Photo taken on a day given a particularly
atmospheric air by the mist

Shing Mun is one of the parts of Hong Kong where
wild monkeys (in)famously are to be found --
but wild birds make appearances in the area too

A warning sign with an image of a "man"
who looks like he's having fun!

The paved western portion of the trail
takes one through rows of towering trees

A little further along, one can detour
to a scenic edge of Shing Mun Reservoir

The kind of visual some people might not believe
can be had in Hong Kong :)

Paperbark trees introduced from Australia
help make the Shing Mun Reservoir area photogenic

A shot that's similar to one that can be found in
Revenge: A Love Story (one of many bits of evidence
that got me thinking that the film's location scouts
have done some hiking in Hong Kong's country parks!)

And yes, of course there's another photo-essay of this hike to come! :)

Sai Kung after dark

One of Sai Kung's piers brightly lit at night

One of the boats anchored near the pier and promenade
from which a variety of sea creatures are offered up for sale

Back when I was still living in Philadelphia, I viewed a modest Hong Kong movie that helped me to realize that the Big Lychee is not all concrete jungle. Sai Kung Story may not be a cinematic gem but the 2003 drama still contained enough visuals and other elements that made me want to visit the Sai Kung District -- and this even before learning, like I got to doing after moving to Hong Kong, that Hong Kong's second largest district possesses not one but three beautiful country parks in Sai Kung East Country Park, Sai Kung West Country Park (which includes a Wan Tsai Extension) and, also, Clear Water Bay Country Park.

Sure enough, I have indeed checked out quite a few sections of Sai Kung district, starting with Sai Kung town and then spreading out to various parts within the country parks (see examples here, here and here) since then. But for the most part, I've tended to visit during the day and been intent on getting out of the area as quickly as I can post hike to avoid getting caught in the traffic jams (and attendant long wait for mini buses) that regularly afflict Sai Kung town on weekends.

However, when my mother and I were in Sai Kung late in the afternoon yesterday, we discovered that the town was actually quieter and less crowded than on a regular weekend -- the opposite of what I'd have expected of the place on Christmas Day. Consequently, we decided to stay until later than originally planned and ended up leisurely strolling along the waterfront, stopping for a time to buy and consume a packet of freshly roasted chestnuts as well as admire the views, and also doing such as having dessert at the original branch of Honeymoon Dessert in town.

While not quite the night-time adventure that a night in Cheung Chau was for Urban Photo's Christopher deWolf, it still was a pleasant enough excursion. And, if truth be told, for its rarity alone, this low-key Christmas evening will be remembered -- and fondly too -- for quite some time to come. :)

Circle (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

Seasons greetings -- and thanks especially to those Photo Hunters and other visitors of Christian faith who are taking some time out of their festive program to check out this Photo Hunt entry! (Though, of course, I'm happy to get visitors of any faith -- especially those who *hint* *double hint* leave nice comments on this blog -- any day of the year... :b)

And now to this week's theme -- for which I found a plentiful number photos in my archive that would fit but ended up settling on the two above of large outdoor stoves built in anticipation of such facilities being needed for people fleeing from the invading Japanese military forces who already had been waging a war in China since 1937. (The Sino-Japanese War of 1937 to 1945 was the largest Asian war of the 20th century and, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and launched near simultaneous invasions of Malaya (now West Malaysia) and elsewhere on December 7/8th, 1941).

Accessible via the Quarry Bay Tree Walk, these emergency kitchen facilities are now located within Tai Tam Country Park (Quarry Bay Extension), a place of natural beauty and general quiet these days that actually was a bloody battleground for a time in late 1941. As it turned out however, fires were never lit in earnest inside of these circles because the Battle of Hong Kong lasted for less than a month -- beginning on the morning of December 8th, 1941 (less than 8 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor) and ending with a formal surrender on Christmas Day that year.

Close to six decades on, these outdoor stoves remain to serve as silent reminders of a time of turbulence that there hopefully will not be a repeat of any time soon -- but, also, if one were to take a closer look, a more innocent function. That is, someone has (or some people have) decided to turn a number of these idle stoves into flower pots out of which a variety of plants grow!

On a day when the general sentiment is to wish peace and goodwill to all men (and women), I'd like to leave you with the image of colorful life growing out of something built in an atmosphere of fear and foreboding. In addition, here's also pointing out that on Christmas Day 1941, within hours of Hong Kong's surrender to the Japanese invaders, a group of British and Chinese military men managed to make a daring escape with the help of Chinese guerillas and local villagers -- and this daring feat is currently being commemorated in an exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence that runs through to December 2011.

At the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo

At this year's Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo

Cooked food for sale at the outdoor expo includes
these chunks of formidably spicy-looking fried tofu

Personalities on view and at work in the radio booth
include the easily recognizable Jerry Lamb :)

As regular visitors to this blog know, my general preference on days off is to head to parts of Hong Kong where I can be far from the madding crowd. However, there are occasions and events where I actually am happy to brave and mingle with the crowds -- or at least am reconciled to having to do so -- because I feel that what's on view in the area is worth the noise and jostling that goes with being around and among hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

One of them is a commemorative event that has taken place in Victoria Park every June 4th since 1989. A happier event that also takes place annually in the Causeway Bay park -- only in the winter -- is the shopaholic delight that is the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo.

This year, I decided to go and check out the scene there on the first day of the 24-day, 900-booth consumer fair since, as I passed by the area on the way to lunch, I noticed that the crowds hadn't really thickened. Maybe it was because the sky was cloudy and grey and people feared that some rain would fall but I easily got an admission ticket before making my way into the outdoor expo's 28,000 square meters of exhibition space.

Although I'm hardly known for my shopping tendencies and didn't have anything specific in mind to purchase that day, I still came away with some items -- some of which I know were being sold at a bargain price compared to what you'd pay at regular stores. And I also have to admit to enjoying gawking at the stall displays (many of which prominently featured images of celebrity spokesmen and -women (e.g., veteran thespians Kenneth Tsang, Cheng Pei Pei and Nancy Sit) or cutesy anthropomorphic mascots) and the occasional living, breathing local personality who was part of the expo scene.

Still, what really caught my fancy were the cooked foods on sale at the eastern end of the exhibition area. Some items (notably the red chilli pepper topped chunks of fried tofu pictured above) I was content to just look at. But there were others that I couldn't resist sampling -- including pieces of the very local delicacy that is fried tofu topped with salty fish paste. (And yes, I really do love tofu -- that is, except when it's super stinky, appropriately named chao tofu!) ;b

Along Hong Kong Trail Stage 8 (Photo-essay)

The first time I hiked the Dragon's Back, my friends and I began our hike from near the Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution, then ventured southwards down the D'Aguilar Peninsula to To Tei Wan. But when my regular hiking companion and I went along the Dragon's Back earlier this year, we elected to follow the Hong Kong Trail Stage 8 the right way (i.e., from south to north) as well as all the way from To Tei Wan to Hong Kong Island's Tai Long Wan (Big Wave Bay) some 8.5 kilometers away.

After having done the hike both ways, I can see the attraction of the alternative route as this way, the hike climaxes rather than more or less begins with the best views from the trail. On the other hand, the official route starts with scenic vistas but then has the added bonus of ending at a beautiful beach where one can enjoy the sight of surfer dudes trying to get the most out of waves that may be big by Hong Kong standards but, except when a typhoon nears or strikes, are puny by the standards of, say, Hawaii! ;D

View of Big Wave Bay -- i.e., the hike's end --
from 284 meter high Shek O Peak

Daredevils preparing to paraglide down the hill

Call me a wimp but hiking a trail like this one
is sufficient adventurous excitement for me!

Midway through the hike, the trail goes down
and becomes a forest path that meanders
along the midslopes of Wan Cham Shan

Near the northern-most section of the trail,
urban Hong Kong is visible through the trees and shrubs

The Big Wave Bay end of the 50 kilometer long
Hong Kong Trail begins in less than glamorous surroundings!

A prettier side of Big Wave Bay -- one where
hiking trail, beach, sea, hikers and surfers meet!

Thus it was that a hike that began with a climb up a hill
ended at a beach where my regular hiking companion
and I spent some time watching the waves and surfers :)