Hot dog bus and Kowloon Walled City (Park) musings

View from inside a "hot dog" bus

 Part of a gateway into Kowloon Walled City Park

The only building that remains of what was known as 

Kowloon Walled City

Earlier this evening, a friend and I went to Kowloon City to have Thai food for dinner.  Not only was some of the delicious food we ate at Golden Orchid on the hot (as in spicy) side but the outdoor temperature was noticeably high too.  And even though I left Kowloon City this evening on an air-conditioned bus, I found myself thinking back to another hot summer's day a couple years or so ago when I rode on a non air-conditioned bus to that section of Hong Kong.

As I sweated and steamed inside what was colloquially known as the "hot dog" bus, little did I know that that would be my last time riding such a vehicle in Hong Kong -- and that earlier this year, the last of this type of bus would be put out of service and retired. And while this retro type of transportation had its fans (not least because it was cheaper to ride on than air-conditioned equivalents plying the same route), I have to admit that I didn't shed any tears upon hearing of their decommissioning.

On the other hand, I do regret that I never did visit the Kowloon Walled City before it was demolished and the Kowloon Walled City Park established on that very site where thousands of people had lived and worked in super dense conditions.  (And this particularly so after reading Martin Booth's intriguing account in the wonderful Gweilo of his visits there when he was a young boy.)

The first time I visited Kowloon Walled City Park, I felt a sense of anti-climax and wasn't particularly enamored of the place.  However, I've come to appreciate this public space more upon subsequent visits (including one at night to take in the very cool Power Plant show last year).

Although I do appreciate the thought and care taken in the park's overall design and layout, I have to say that it is its oldest sections -- which date back to the Qing Dynasty -- which I find the most interesting. In particular, The Yamen has captured my attention by virtue of its historic architecture but, also, its housing the main portions of the A City of (a) Thousand Faces exhibition that sheds light on life in Kowloon Walled City.

Additionally, if I'm not mistaken, The Yamen -- or, at least, a replica of it -- featured as a location in Teddy Chan's Bodyguards and Assassins (2009).  In real life, this structure had housed the offices of the Commodore of the Dapeng Brigade and Kowloon Assistant Military Inspectorate when Kowloon Walled City was a walled, garrison city for the Qing forces. But the Qing officials departed as early as 1899 -- after which it had served as such as an almshouse (as can be seen by that very word having been carved onto the space atop its main entrance and it still being very visible to this day).

Hike's end at Chek Keng (Photo-essay)

Last week, I wrote about what I saw on a hike one hot summer day.  On that day, the hike destination was Chek Keng -- a Hakka village established some 200 years ago may now be largely -- but not completely -- abandoned but also is home to a youth hostel and a pier that is regularly visited by kaito.  

More than incidentally, the kaito ferry ride from Chek Keng to Wong Shek Pier may well be one of my favorite things ever!  And because of that, I really have been known to plan Sunday excursions in such a way that they end with that very pleasurable kaito ride back to Wong Shek Pier -- where a bus awaits to take us back to "civilisation" (or, at the very least, Sai Kung town where many nice restaurants await... ;b) 

Chek Keng village is home to some picturesque buildings

-- some of which are better maintained than might be 

expected of such an isolated locale

 I find the roofs and angles of these buildings interesting

For the most part, this area is one where 

fauna and water predominate 

Often, it seems like nature wants to reclaim even

those areas that used to be marked out for human habitation

Some people are in such a hurry to leave Chek Keng

that they prefer to hail a passing sampan 

rather than wait for the scheduled kaito

My hiking companion and I, on the other hand,

were perfectly content to leisurely enjoy taking in

beautiful scenery such as this

Admittedly, there wasn't much shade on offer at the pier

...but we really didn't have to wait too long

before a kaito appeared that we could hop aboard 

to take us on my favorite ferry ride in Hong Kong :)

Photos from -- and thoughts on -- today's Lantau Island hike

How things looked up at the Ngong Ping Plateau when 

a friend and I got there to begin hiking this afternoon

Fortunately, the sky and weather soon cleared up so much that

we were treated to clear scenic views like this of Tung Chung, 

the airport and way beyond into the New Territories

How things looked at the beach at Tong Fuk, where we 

ended our hike close to four and a half hours later

For all of the scenic views to be had along the way though,

the hike's highlight for me was my managing to spot a

stick insect -- can you see it too? -- out in the wild :)

Last Sunday, I forewent my usual hiking outing to march along the streets of Hong Kong.  The weather that day was on the hot side but still would have been really fine for hiking, and I spent much of this past week fervently hoping that we would have similar weather today.  

So imagine my horror when it started raining on the bus ride that a friend and I were taking to the starting point of today's planned hike.  And as the photo at the very top of this blog entry, not only did we find that it was raining up on the Ngong Ping Plateau when we got off the bus but it also was on pretty misty to boot!

Rather than abandon our hike however, we decided to press ahead... and were we glad we did because less than half an hour later, the rain stopped and the sky began to clear -- and the air along with it.  And while some sections of the trail were more slippery than I would have liked, other portions were okay enough for me to feel comfortable walking along them without always having to just look at the ground and path immediately ahead of me.

Put another way: I was able to enjoy the views that opened up along the trail -- and also look about for interesting critters as well as flora.  Despite this being what I'd have thought would be a prime time for flowers to bloom, I didn't see many particularly eye-catching colorful flora this afternoon.  However, many cool critters were out and about -- such as a couple of species of dragonflies I don't think that I've previously spotted, a small lizard, an unusually colored grasshopper, and spiders of various sizes (including the first big spiders I've seen this year).

Additionally, at one point in the hike, I noticed a rustling in the grass and the thought did cross my mind that I'd be adding a snake to the list of creatures spotted this afternoon.  Very fortunately, it was a far more benign creature that I had noticed disturbing the underbrush -- one that is often so well camouflaged that I really did feel proud of myself for being able to notice it.  Adding to my happiness is my having managed to snap a couple of photos of it even though it was trying hard to make itself scarce or, at least, hidden.

So... can you see the stick insect in the fourth photo from the top of this blog entry?  If so, my congratulations -- and do tell me which you found it easier to spot in a photo: the stick insect pictured in today's entry or the camouflaged creatures featured in my blog entry of two weeks ago? ;b

Zany and Workplace (This week's Photo Hunt themes)

 

 

 

Imagine working in a place where sacred poles with grinning faces are described (at least in English, if not the native language) as scared poles.  Now picture that same place as being one where people pretend to be punished -- tortured even -- like in olden days for fun!  And if such a workplace weren't already zany enough, consider that some of its employees wear colorful costumes and twirl around with abandon for a living!!   

It may seem "everyday" to those who work there because, well, they see things like this every day at their workplace. But the Korean Folk Village in Yongin City that my mother and I visited on our 2009 trip to South Korea definitely struck me as having its share of zany elements. 

At the same time though, it's also true enough that this place that I've chosen to highlight in this week's entry for Sandi's and Gattina's Photo Hunts actually has a more serious side.  Established in 1973 and attracting approximately 1.8 million visitors each year, it's actually billed as an outdoor folk museum rather than mere amusement park.

Among the things my mother and I really appreciated on our visit to this cultural facility was how big was the space it occupied (660,000 square meters) and, also, that the majority of the more 260 buildings on view in the Korean Folk Village are actual village buildings that were relocated to it (rather than new replicas).  We also very much liked that a number of the buildings were "occupied" by people going about producing traditional handicrafts such as weaving and pottery.  

Still, I think our most fun memories of the Korean Folk Village center around the folk performances of dances and equestrian feats, and also a colorful re-enactment of a traditional Korean wedding -- by seemingly the same team of performers.  So imagine dancing, doing such as shooting arrows while riding on a horse, standing up and bouncing about while the horse gallops around, and "getting married" at work daily... Now that's a pretty zany way to make a living by my book! ;O

Dinner at the newest branch of Tim Ho Wan

Look good?

They taste pretty good too!

The newest branch of Tim Ho Wan is open

from morning into the night :)

How long are you prepared to wait in line to get some dim sum? To judge by more than one report, there really are quite a few people who are willing to wait for up to three hours to dine on the dim sum at Tim Ho Wan -- or, at least, its Michelin starred original Mongkok branch.  I have to admit though that I am not among that group.  Consequently, I've not thought to go to the original branch of the famous dim sum mini-chain -- and, until last weekend, I had not been to its other branches either.   

A couple of weeks or so ago, the fourth and latest branch of Tim Ho Wan opened up mere minutes walk away from where I live.  Almost right from the get go, crowds gathered outside -- and the large numbers of people waiting outside the restaurant twice put me off attempting to go there for brunch.  But last Saturday evening, I first walked by the place and then managed to walk right straight in and get a table!  (And although I initially chalked it down to there being fewer takers for dim sum at dinner time, just about 10 minutes after I had sat down in the restaurant, the place filled up and there soon were people waiting outside for a table inside!)

Since I was eating by myself that evening, I just ordered three dishes -- two of them classic dim sum offerings and the third of which is considered to be Tim Ho Wan's signature dish.  The har gau (shrimp dumplings) arrived first -- and were quickly polished off for, yes, they were really terrific (and I consider the four har gau I got to be a bargain for HK$22 (around US$2.80)).  Next came the pai kuat (steamed pork spareribs with black bean sauce and slivers of green chillies) that may well be the delicious I've ever had -- with the added bonus being that Tim Ho Wan's cost just HK$14 (around US$1.80) per serving!

Perhaps my expectations were unreasonably sky high at this point.  If so, it serves me right that the signature po loh char siew pau (baked barbecue pork buns) -- which cost HK$17 (about US$2.20) for three -- actually didn't seem all that great to me -- and, in fact, I believe I've tasted far better versions of this combination sweet and savory dim sum at the Sun Hung Kai Centre branch of Victoria City Seafood. Also, I could be mistaken but... I may actually have had an MSG reaction from eating at this North Point branch of Tim Ho Wan as within an hour of having had my dinner in that evening, I got to feeling uncommonly thirsty.

In all honesty, I can't recall anyone having complained about excessive MSG in the food at Tim Ho Wan.  But most reviews I've found online have been of the Mongkok branch and there seems to be a qualitative difference between the branches.  A case in point: the Sham Shui Po branch may also have a Michelin star but it does not seem to have as good a name as the Mongkok branch among locals. Also, I've never heard a single person recommend going and eating at the Central branch of Tim Ho Wan.

It's still early days yet for the newest branch of the now four branch chain -- and I'm definitely wiling to go there for another visit.  This next time, however, I think I'll forego ordering the baked barbecue pork buns.  Instead, I've got my eyes set on such as the rice vermicelli roll stuffed with pig's liver (which I've had and loved at a traditional eatery in Tai Po) and a bowl of the steamed rice with chicken feet and spareribs (Cantonese comfort food!).  And in any case, I doubt that there will be much damage to my wallet at all after a meal there! :b

Hot summer's day hiking sights (Photo-essay)

There are many people in Hong Kong who don't hike in the summer.  I understand where they are coming from -- given that summer temperatures in the Big Lychee regularly rise above 32 degrees Celsius and, when coupled with the high humidity that is a regular feature of Hong Kong summers, can really make for days when one is loathe to venture out of the air-conditioned indoors.

At the same time, my experience of Hong Kong summer hiking is that it often takes place on beautiful days that feature bright blue skies (that may or may not feature puffy white clouds) and visibility that extends for whole kilometers.  And such days include the hot (with a recorded high of 34 degrees Celsius!) but nonetheless pleasant June day which saw my hiking companion and I embark on an enjoyable hike that cobbled together the just 1.8 kilometer long Pak Tam Country Trail, the portion of Section 2 of the Maclehose Trail that lies between Pak Tam Au and Chek Keng, and the short section of Pak Tam Road that links together those two hiking trails...

 The hike started off Pak Tam Road where a previous 

Luk Wu Country Trail hike we had gone on had ended!

 Spotted along the way: The kind of exotic looking 

tropical flower I find hard to identify but pleasing to look at

 Among the many bugs spotted over the course 

of the hike was this super hairy caterpillar type critter

Is it possible that the hairy critter in the previous photo

would one day turn into a pretty butterfly like this one?

We also came across this baby bird along the hike

that looks to have fallen from a nest above -- and dearly 

hope(d) that it managed to survive that day and many beyond

Lest it be thought otherwise, this hike also was one

that yielded splendid scenic sights aplenty

A zoomed in view of Wong Shek Pier (on the left)

and the surrounding area from higher ground to its southeast

Looking eastwards towards Sharp Peak

from close to the same spot on Maclehose Trail 

Section 2 as at the previous photo

To be continued for one more photo-essay...!

At the July 1 march -- with a host of others, including Hello Kitty

"Asshole, don't bully Hello Kitty" is how a friend

translated the words on this sign held up by 

a protester at this year's July 1 march!

The march came to a standstill for close to an hour at 

Jardine's Bazaar due to what appeared to be a larger size crowd

than the authorities had estimated (or wanted) that there would be 

 Eventually, the police had to open up more lanes along 

the main roads that were part of the rally route 

to better accommodate the huge crowd of demonstrators

Even so, the march which had officially begun at 3pm

at Victoria Park was far from over when the sun set

over the Hong Kong's Central Government Complex,

Admiralty and the rest of the territory

Today marks the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover by the British back to the People's Republic of China.  It also happens to be the day that Special Administrative Region's second chief executive, Donald Tsang, handed over the reins to Leung Chun Ying (AKA C.Y. Leung -- and, increasingly, The Wolf).  Already a seriously unpopular politician openly distrusted by many Hong Kongers, Hong Kong's third chief executive sent (further) shock waves through the territory this morning by opting to make his inaugural speech as Hong Kong's new leader in Mandarin rather than Cantonese.  

I'm not sure if that unexpected linguistic choice prompted more people to join today's July 1st protest march.  But what I do know is that there were many, many people out marching in the streets of Hong Kong today to register their dissent against the territory's new chief executive along with voicing their discontent about a range of topics together with their wish for the preservation of Hong Kongers' freedom of speech, freedom to protest and many other freedoms that exist in the territory but not Mainland China.

A friend and I got to a part of Tin Hau that's very close to Victoria Park as well as the Tin Hau MTR station a few minutes before 3pm, the official start time of today's protest march/rally.  So large was the crowd already there that it wasn't until 3.20pm or so that we managed to pass through the Victoria Park gate nearest to where we met up -- and join up with another friend who had turned up to march this afternoon.  Also, so considerable was the number of protestors ahead of us that our section of the march didn't exit Victoria Park and onto Causeway Road to officially begin marching until around 4pm.

With the allocated section of the road choc-a-bloc with protestors, our section of the rally had no choice but to take small steps when walking rather than be able to more freely as well as quickly stride.  Even so, there was a sense that we were making some headway until we were directed into Jardine's Bazaar, whereupon the march ground to a halt for close to an hour.

Despite the heat (the temperature at the start of the march was 34 degrees Celsius) and other trying factors, people managed to keep their tempers and not lose their cool.  Granted that there were loud chants to "hoi loh" (Cantonese for "open (up) the road") but they were shouted less in outright anger than in a bid to be listened to by the police -- whom many people were perceiving to be less helpful as well as effective than they could and should have been.

After what seemed an eternity, my section of the crowd made it out of Jardine's Bazaar and onto Hennessy Road -- and at around 6pm, we finally made it past Canal Road.  At this point, the crowd were already spilling onto the tramways as well as filled up the lanes of Hennessy Road the protesters were allowed to march on.  But soon after, a wave of joyful shouting alerted us to the police finally deciding to give up the entire breadth of Hennessy Road for the use of the march.

With the walking space considerably widened, it became easier and faster to move along.  Even so, my friend and I didn't get into the grounds of the Central Government Complex that was the rally's destination until slightly after 7.15pm.  

As we neared the rally's destination, my friend overheard a woman saying that her friend was in a section that still was only around Sogo back in Causeway Bay.  So we were far from being at the tail end of the march as we had initially thought that we were and at the same time, it was pretty clear from what we could see ahead of us that we were by no means near the front marchers.  

From our viewpoint then, we have no doubt that this year's march had attracted a seriously large amount of participants.  So we must but greet with great incredulity -- as well as derision -- the police's estimated attendance number of 63,000 and be of the opinion that the crowd number was way closer to the 400,000 given by the rally organizers.

On a lighter note: I think it can be safely said that this protest march was the one that boasted the highest number of Hello Kitty paraphernalia ever -- the result not just due to Hong Kong being a place where the cute cat has a large number of fans but because of C.Y. Leung having dragged Hello Kitty into the Hong Kong political picture by using her in his defense of his residence on Victoria Peak having illegal structures.  And yes, I did my part to boost the march's Hello Kitty quotient -- with my most visible Hello Kitty item being the SPCA Hello Kitty umbrella I brought along in case it rained (but ended up using to help provide some shade from the blazing sun)!