Northeast Hong Kong hike, Part II (Photo-essay)

There have been times when I worried that my blog was getting too Hong Kong-centric. However, what with posting quite a few entries over the past weeks that related to my visit to Japan and return to Penang in recent months, I'm now thinking that Hong Kong latterly has been somewhat neglected. So, have decided that it's high time to resume putting up photos from the Wu Kau Tang to Sam A hike in Plover Cove Country Park that I went on with a couple of friends back on the third day of Chinese New Year 2008 (and had my first photo-essay on back on May 7)!

As my hiking companions and I went further east
along the trail, past Wu Kau Tang's abandoned villages
and deeper into the countryside, the ex-geology student in me
started seeing rocks whose shapes fascinated me!

A little further along the trail from Wu Kau Tang
towards Sam A Chung, the rocks and sand
actually turned purple-ish in color!

It was dry season when we did our hiking...

Otherwise, this river would not have been
as narrow and shallow as in these photos

Looking back now while we're currently
right in the middle of an unusually wet summer,
it's almost weird to recall that it was so dry then!

Also, on the same hike, we were soon within sight
of the sea -- specifically at Sam A Wan (whose 'Sam'
is 'three' is Cantonese and 'Wan' is 'bay'...
now if only someone would tell me what 'A'
stands for in the same language!)

Geological features were to this middle leg of the hike
what abandoned villages were earlier on
-- majorly fascinating features of the landscape!

Sam A Tsuen -- a place with
beautiful vistas to appreciate when alive
and good feng shui that can be utilized by the dead
(for yes, that indeed is a grave out there in the distance!)

Hello Kitty in official mode

Hello Kitty -- symbol of Japan
(along with the Tokyo Tower and Mount Fuji)!!!

As regular visitors to this blog know full well, I have a distinct fondness for that cute cat called Hello Kitty along with Japan and Hong Kong's trams. So you can understand how happy the following sight made me when I came out of the MTR on a rainy workday this past week and was greeted by it! :)))))

And for those who don't yet know: It's official. Hello Kitty has been appointed Japan's goodwill tourism ambassador to Hong Kong and Mainland China by the Japanese government! :)

Arguably Penang's greatest cultural heritage

Halal - Malay style Penang assam laksa
from my favourite purveyors of this dish
(a grandmother and her grandchildren
who operate their seaside stall only during weekends)

Not halal - lok lok (AKA dip dip --
so called because you take the sticks and dip, dip,
their contents into boiling water to cook them!)
from my mother's and my favorite stall in Gurney Drive

Reading the description of George Town (and Melaka/Malacca) on the UNESCO web site, it seems like the main reason for their recent inscription on the World Heritage List is that they are full of architectural treasures. Ask most Penangites (or Malaysians, or our Singaporean neighbors for that matter) what's the best as well as most Penang thing about Penang, however, and the answer will very probably be: Its food. And that for sure will be the immediate answer -- yes, often times even ahead of "family"... ;b -- when you ask Penangites abroad what they miss most about their home state.

Given this state of affairs, you would most definitely be right were you to surmise that I spent quite a bit of time during my most recent trip back to Penang checking out my favorite eating spots and eats. Among these were the Perak Lane beehoon that's famed for its fish beehoon and porridge (but whose beehoon with pork and kidneys is my dish of choice there!), Gurney Drive rojak, the Tari (Dancing) Cafe in Tanjung Tokong that grew out of a small Tari Burger stall (whose hot dogs -- sorry, New York, Chicago, etc. -- truly are the world's best!), Penang Hokkien Mee from a stall near the Pulau Tikus market, and the delicious fare in the two photographs at the top of this entry.

Sounds and looks good? All I can say to those who've yet to sample them, they probably actually taste far better than you can ever imagine! As for the cost: Believe it or not, each bowl of that heavenly assam laksa costs quite a bit less than US$1 while each stick/skewer of the lok lok goes for 70 Malaysian sen (i.e., less than 25 US cents). :b

George Town, Penang - UNESCO World Heritage Site! (photo-essay)

At long last: George Town, the capital of Penang, together with Malacca, has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List! And the following is some of what UNESCO has to say about these newly inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Sites:-

Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible... Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

Something that I hope one can get a sense of upon viewing the photos below along with some other Penang photo-essays on this blog...

As the statue of Queen Victoria (which now stands
in the grounds of the Chinese Recreation Club)
provides mute testimony to, it used to be that Penang
was part of the British Empire over which,
it was proudly proclaimed, the sun never set

Even more strange as it may now seem,
it used to be that Penang was a part of British India
before being part of the British Straits Settlements,
then British Malaya, etc. -- and, latterly, Malaysia

This is not to say, of course, that there isn't
a discernible Indian (and Hindu) presence in Penang --
but, as the skull-capped gentleman in the picture is proof of,
these days, the Muslim and Malay presence is also strong

The Acheen Street Mosque -- a photo of which
was taken around Chinese New Year 2006
(hence the Chinese lanterns that also are in the picture!)

Chinese lanterns also figure in this photo
of a house up on Penang Hill that otherwise
might pass for an eminently English abode

In contrast, this Chinese temple that lies
near the foot of Penang Hill looks more like
a structure that is more likely to be found in China

At the same time, this building on the corner of George Town's
Pitt Street (and yes, it's George after one of Britain's King Georges
and Pitt for one of its Prime Minister William Pitts!)
and Buckingham Street strikes me as one that would be hard to find
elsewhere besides an East-meets-West kind of place like Penang

Lastly but hopefully not least -- on Penang Road
are establishments with names and signboards
that give a good hint of Penang's multi-cultural nature
(and long may it stay that way!)

Clear Water Bay on a clear day

Clear Water Bay's Beach Number Two
is popular with swimmers and sunbathers

Clear Water Bay's Beach Number One,
(or, rather, the waters close to it) OTOH,
is favored more by people with boats

It's official: The Hong Kong Observatory declared last month to be Hong Kong's wettest month ever on record (i.e., since 1884). And looking out the window and seeing that it's raining once more, and upon further checking out the 7-Day Weather Forecast and beholding a week's worth of predicted rain at least, I'm thinking that this July's going to be prety wet too.

In contrast, the past few days have been more or less rain-less, even if humid and hot. So much so that yesterday afternoon, I was inspired to head to Clear Water Bay to check out its two public beaches along with grand views -- the latter of which was made all the more better due to the rains having helped to at least temporarily clear away a lot of the air pollution that, sadly, often bedevils the Fragrant Harbour.

And for skeptics: Yes, Asia's World City really does have beaches, some of which are more highly rated and popular than others. (And yeah, I thought it might be good to give attention to one before I go back to putting up another Penang photo-essay.)

Of course, for Hong Kong movie fans, mention Clear Water Bay and the first thing that comes to mind is the Shaw Brothers (in particular Run Run and Runme -- and for the uninitiated: no, this is not a joke; that really is their names -- the English versions anyways!) and their movies. But, really, as I hope you will get an idea from the pair of photos posted in this entry, Clear Water Bay is quite the cool place even without that connection! ;b

Pointed (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

While searching through my photo archive for something appropriate for this week's Photo Hunt theme, I got to realizing that I actually have a proclivity for taking photos of curved rather than pointed objects. So much so that for a while there, I thought I'd just go with a photo with an optical illusion that makes it look like the buildings in it are narrower at the top than base and pointed towards the sky.

But, then, I realized that there are these interesting pointed structures called pagodas in Asia, and even while the example in my photo -- which actually is a part of the local Thai temple's columbarium -- may not be the most impressive in Penang, never mind the continent as a whole, I think it's worth making a point (pun intended!) to point (and again!) out... ditto with the pointed-topped pagoda-shaped urn spotted in a temple courtyard in similarly multi-cultural Macau . ;b

Permatang Damar Laut (photo-essay)

It's been almost a week since I put up my previous blog entry -- in part because I've been travelling and then because, upon returning to Hong Kong, I had problems with my internet service (long story; short story: the problem has now been resolved). And although I'm more aware of photo theft risks and possibilities than before, here's deciding to go ahead and post some pictures taken during my visit back to Penang -- in particular, ones taken during a short hike that I trust will help to show off the beauty of Permatang Damar Laut, an area near the Penang International Airport that still is largely rural and unspoilt:-

A beauty spot presented itself
even before the start of the hike proper

As we walked along the path that was paved
but still far from busy and in a built up area...

...the distinct impression was that
the landscape was dominated by coconut trees...

...and interesting shaped rocks

To repeat (because it feels worth doing so):
the landscape's dominated by coconut trees...

...and interesting rocks (some of which
people are inclined to sit atop of
while fishing or just plain at leisure)

Also spied along the hike:
Some interesting vines and trees...

...and what amounts to a natural still life study
consisting of dried and fallen sections from a coconut tree
lying on top of green grass and associated ground cover