Saturday, November 15, 2008

Ruin(ed) (This week's Photo Hunt theme)



As regular visitors to this blog know, I fairly regularly feel compelled to venture out into the Hong Kong countryside to be among greenery. And while there are times when it actually is possible to feel like one has gotten away from civilization, there are other occasions when some of the interesting sights spotted along a hike are actually human creations; albeit some that have been abandoned and left to go to ruin over time.

More specifically, more than than once now, I've come across ruined as well as abandoned houses in parts of Hong Kong that people look to have decided are just too remote to dwell any more. In one particular case, way out in Northeast Hong Kong, my hiking companions and I even came across whole abandoned villages!

As I think you'll be able to see from the two photos in this entry, these abandoned houses are in various states of disrepair. Indeed, for every one of them that looks really ruined, there are quite a few more that look like they actually still could be 'saved' if people chose to do so. Except this being in Hong Kong (where the new tends to get valued far more than the old), most people opt not to, preferring to let nature and time take their course and do what they will with them...

31 comments:

Leslie: said...

Great shots. It seems the same here, but if only people would go to the trouble to fix places up then the homeless might have shelter.

Photo Cache said...

It's nice to see photos outside of the "usual" HK photos.

Very nice take on the theme.

Anonymous said...

Great take on this theme. One of my pet peeves about the US is how we tear down and build anew instead of renovating old stuff. Seems such a waste. Those are cool photos of the places you found.

Carver said...

Those are great shots for the theme. The second one looks like it would be very nice with just a little effort. I love old building and ruins too for that matter.

Anonymous said...

Now that's another side of HK that you're showing. Thanks for letting us/me have a glimpse of it... as I might not be able to see it in my trip to HK next week.

Anonymous said...

Nice take of this week. Happy hunting!

Anonymous said...

Good take on the theme. Too bad that places are abandoned in favor of the new. Thanks for visiting us at Snap2.

Leslie said...

A great take on this week's theme. I hope you are having a good weekend. :)

http://lesliesmyers.blogspot.com/2008/11/photohunt-ruins-fiesole-italy.html

jmb said...

Rather sad sights especially the second one which look reasonably easy to make habitable. We always think of Hong Kong as small and filled with people and can't imagine anything too remote.
Have a happy weekend YTSL as you explore more of HK.

RJ Flamingo said...

That's rather sad, actually. But your pix are beautiful. I love the textures of "ruined"! Here's mine:

http://flamingofotos.blogspot.com

Have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

Great photos and perfect for the theme!

Yen's PH. Happy Weekend!!

Anonymous said...

'the new, rather than the old' - that sums it up. At the time they were getting people off the islands around the coast, the young people had left for the bright lights and work in Britain or further afield. The older folk could not continue without them.
This is our own story.
Fifty years ago my life in Wales was vastly different to that of the country people in Ireland.
It is sadder because Inishfree was an exporter of food to the mainland and was a thriving community.
Incidentally, the cottages that survived had slate roofs. Indicative of a well-to-do life of fishing and agriculture.

Anonymous said...

Great shots and definitely ruined!

Happy Weekend.

Anonymous said...

I love the angle you took for the second one! I suppose sometimes the cost of keeping up isn't worth it... homes, cars, all kinds of things fail the test of time.

Anonymous said...

Those are beautiful shots. It's sad to see places ruin. But, sometimes it's just inevitable.

Happy Hunting. My Ruined

Larry D said...

Great shots! We have some here as well.

Anonymous said...

I suppose it depends on the pressure for housing. If there's plenty of space for new, there isn't the same need to fix places up. You rarely see ruined houses in England, but you certainly used to in Ireland when the population was declining through emigration. Whether that has changed now that Ireland is so prosperous, I don't know.

MaR said...

It's amazing people opt for not preserving existing buildings, it's a pity.
Great shots for the theme!

Sreisaat said...

I guess sometimes people look at the practical reasons why a new house is preferred over an old, dilapidated one. I like your take on this week's PH theme. Thanks for visiting me earlier :)

YTSL said...

Hi Leslie --

With Hong Kong, people have the excuse that these abandoned homes are in remote parts of the territory. But, yeah, in other parts of the world, e.g., North Philadelphia, I often think of what a waste of vast expanses of space and structures on them there is... :S

Hi photo cache --

Feel free to check out the rest of this blog for tons of photos outside of the "usual" HK photos! :b

Hi Annie --

I hear you and worse is just leaving places (notably certain inner cities, like North Philly) looking like war zones and unused at all.

Hi Carver --

My sentiments exactly re the structure in the second photo. Though, to be fair, it really is in quite a remote place and, also, pretty small space-wise to boot.

Hi Mama Meji --

I hope that you'll venture beyond the usual tourist "ghetto"s when you come visit Hong Kong. There really *is* more to Hong Kong than hotels and shopping malls in TST, etc. after all.

Hi gen/entry --

Thanks!

Hi Snap2Days --

You're welcome and yeah, I really think that people need to not so readily abandon/throw away/just plain dispense with old things.

Hi Leslie --

Thanks and some parts of the weekend thus far have indeed been wonderful. :)

Hi jmb --

Some parts of Hong Kong are indeed among the most densely populated in the world but others really are not and, also, can feel remote from its centre.

Hi RJ Flamingo --

Know what you mean about 'sad but/yet beautiful'... ;S

Hi Yen --

Thanks and happy weekend to you too! :)

Hi Aileni --

I learn a new thing each day -- in this case, that you're originally from Wales as I had long thought of you as a native of Ireland!

Hi Pat --

Thanks and yes indeed! :)

Hi JC --

Yep re the costs -- often times, in Hong Kong, measured in terms of time as well as money.

Hi "crazy working mom" --

Yeah, know what you mean...

Hi Larry --

Thanks and yep! :b

Hi A. --

The pressure for housing is intense in Hong Kong. It's just that, often times, a lot of structures don't seem built to last all that long. There's a sense of transience here that's been the case for decades...

Hi Mar --

Alas, too often "preservation" and "conservation" are underrated practices... :S

Hi ZJ --

Know what you mean re your first comment and you're welcome re the third!

Rebecca Mecomber said...

Great photos, and very ruinous.

I did Photo Hunt today, too. I hope you get a chance to visit and leave your link!
http://newyorktraveler.net/photo-hunters-ruined/

Have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

I like them, I think these gave the city some history even if no one chose to save them

sammawow said...

What great shots - I particularly like that first one!

Patricia said...

How interesting - and sad that people would just abandon their perfectly good homes that just need a little work.

YTSL said...

Hi Mrs Mecomber --

Thanks and no worries, I did go over and visit your blog! ;)

Hi 2lives/Lissa --

Know what you mean and have to say that these ruins are much more difficult to find closer to the central area proper. There, real estate is just too valuable!

Hi Sammawow --

Thanks! :)

Hi Patricia --

Have read that quite a few people in the New Territories left to migrate to places like England. So when they left, they did leave for a reason. It's just sad that the places weren't deemed acceptable by others to move into...

Dragonstar said...

They make a great photo opportunity, although that second shot looks like somewhere I'd like to stay!

YTSL said...

Hi Dragonstar --

Teehee re your comments about the second ruin! ;b

Gattina said...

Very nice picture and very interesting post !

YTSL said...

Hi Gattina --

Thanks! All in all, think the ruin(ed) Photo Hunt has been one of the better ones in terms of people's different takes on the theme and subject. :)

Anonymous said...

Wow. Very nice pics you've got in here.
Thank you so much for sharing.

YTSL said...

Hi "HK Insider" --

Thanks -- and BTW, found it pretty funny that despite your name, your blog led me to the Philippines! ;)