A Tai Mo Shan hike with rocky highlights (Photo-essay)

As can be expected of a part of the world that's home to a UNESCO global geopark, Hong Kong has some remarkable geological features and landscapes.  Among the sections of the geopark I've been to -- and been amazed by -- are Ma Shi Chau, Tung Ping Chau, High Island, Lai Chi Chong, and a number of places (including Port Island) in the northeast New Territories that I finally got to on a boat tour last year.  

While out hiking in the Big Lychee, I've also come across a number of geologically interesting areas that lie outside of the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark.  Among the more well known of these are Po Toi (with such as its "Turtle Rock" and "Buddha's Palm Cliff") and Chi Ma Wan's "Rock Wonder".  

In addition, there was the rocky area that three friends and I passed through while going down Tai Mo Shan to Lead Mine Pass and then to Tai Po (after having gone up Hong Kong's highest mountain from Route Twisk) one afternoon.  If it were in a more accessible locale, this visually attractive space surely would attract more visitors.  As it was, however, we had the place to ourselves pretty much the whole time we were there -- which, of course, made our being there feel all the more special and wonderful! :)

The easiest route up (and down) Tai Mo Shan is via 

the paved road that connects to Route Twisk

This other route down (or up) Tai Mo Shan also isn't all that 

difficult; it's just that there are miles to go before you

get to the nearest bus or minibus stop, forget MTR station!

It feels more like a real hike when the trail's not paved 

and the terrain becomes more rugged :)

 

See what I mean about this being a rocky part of Hong Kong? :)

The kind of scenic view I enjoy gazing out at 

while out hiking in the Big Lychee :)

See the trail we came down on? :b

 Upon passing through this archway, you'll find 

yourself in Lead Mine Pass

Whichever route one takes out of there, it involves traipsing 

for a few more kilometers, so I wasn't surprised to see my 

pedometer register 25,565 steps at the end of this long hiking day ;b

Peking Opera Blues, and its (continued) relevance for post-Umbrella Movement Hong Kong

 Peking Opera Blues had a full house screening

at the Hong Kong Film Archive yesterday afternoon :)

Ever since I attended a full house screening of my favorite movie of all time at the Hong Kong Film Archive yesterday afternoon, I've felt like I've been floating on air.  I may have viewed Peking Opera Blues more than 50 times already (including twice on a big screen in New York back in 2001, and once at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. before that) but I don't think I'll ever tire of watching it; not least because this is one cinematic offering that's not just super action-packed but also offers up so many really interesting and substantive ideas and messages (along with comedy that will get you laughing and dramatic moments that never fail to tear at my heart).

An amazingly multi-genre -- even genre-transcending -- work, Peking Opera Blues manages to entertain even while addressing a number of serious issues, in ways that remain pertinent three decades after it was first released in its home territory of Hong Kong.  Set in Peking circa 1913, after Yuan Shikai had succeeded Sun Yat Sen as the President of the new Republic of China and was showing signs of monarchism, the movie's early scenes show how political power can change hands quickly, that there are ruthless people willing to do what it takes to advance themselves professionally and politically, but also committed individuals willing to sacrifice much to do what they think is the right thing and folks who will end up getting involved in plots they don't know much about and caught up in circumstances outside of their control.

I've read analyses in which the film's three main characters -- all of them female and strong-willed but possessing very different outlooks and personalities -- have been described as being the three Chinas in human form; with Hong Konger Cherie Cheung's Sheung Hung, a woman intent on getting her hands on enough riches so that she can leave China, representing the then British Crown Colony.  But while watching Peking Opera Blues yesterday in post-Umbrella Movement Hong Kong, I got to latterly thinking that it's Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia's Tsao Wan, the idealistic patriot willing to go against her father to save her country, friends and innocent bystanders, who now better represents Hong Kong.

The beloved only child of General Tsao (Kenneth Tsang), an autocratic warlord ally of Yuan Shi Kai, Tsao Wan is tasked by her republican comrades with procuring a document that she knows if lost by her father, will result in his losing his privileged position and possibly more.  Over the course of the film, she is made to feel more psychological and physical pain than she probably had ever realized would be the case.  Still, come movie's end, this inspiring figure stayed intent on working for the greater good of her country, and hopeful that the day would come when the on-going battle would not only draw to an end but also be won by her side.

Although she may never have represented Hong Kong in the past or present, Sally Yeh's Pat Neil, the aspiring Peking Opera performer whose life is irrevocably changed after she gets to know Tsao Wan and Sheung Hung, also is able to impart valuable lessons to contemporary Hong Kongers.  After befriending complete strangers who she only decided to help in the first place because they shared a common enemy, she proves to be a loyal ally -- and turns out to be the incorruptible moral compass of the overall story.    

Back in 1986, Peking Opera Blues' director-producer Tsui Hark and scriptwriter Raymond To couldn't possibly have foreseen the coming into being of the Umbrella Movement -- and that, during and in the wake of these pro-democracy protests, many young Hong Kongers would find themselves swept up by a series of tumultuous events and having to go against their parents when upholding their political ideals.  What history did teach them though, and they proceeded to effectively communicate in the concluding lines which exist on the film's 35mm prints (but, sadly, don't appear in any of its DVD editions), is that victories for either side often end up being less permanent than may be realized at the time and what ensues further down the line may well be something that is beyond contemporary imagination.

A trip back in time courtesy of the Hong Kong Railway Museum

The only railway station in Hong Kong built in 

a traditional Chinese style

A circa 1964 first class compartment on the old

Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR)

Trains have been one of my favorite modes of transportation ever since I was a kid.  Although I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a trainspotter, I will admit to having gone out of my way at various times in my life to do such as ride the steam train to (and from) the Welsh village of Blaenau Ffestiniog and eschew going on a plane so that I could do such as take the shinkansen from Tokyo all the way to Kokura in Kyushu. 

So I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to go visit the Hong Kong Railway Museum, particularly since I got intriguing glimpses of it whenever I've travelled north beyond Tai Po Market station on what used to be known as the KCR (but has been renamed the MTR's East Rail Line since December 2007).  But now that I've finally checked out this branch museum of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, I am indeed glad that I did; not least because it helped me to better imagine a time when travelling to, and through, this part of Hong Kong felt -- and was -- so much more of a big deal.

Just a few minutes walk from Tai Po Market station, the largely open-air museum includes the visually striking Old Tai Po Market Railway Station building.  Completed in 1913, it is unique among Hong Kong railway stations in being the only one to have been built in the traditional Chinese style: with such as a pitched roof, and a ridge and gables that are adorned with the type of auspicious Chinese motifs (such as red bats, peonies and magpies) characteristically found on old Chinese residences.      

Declared a monument in 1984, the Old Tai Po Market Railway Station building now houses exhibitions and displays, including a re-creation of an old booking office (with not even a typewriter, never mind a computer, in sight!) and a small video kiosk on whose screen I enjoyed watching a selection of evocative scenes from old Hong Kong movies in which old KCR trains and stations feature.  And while I must admit to not being able to get all that excited at the sight of the diesel electrical engine or even the steam locomotive on show in the museum grounds, I did have fun checking out the five historical coaches that one can enter to see and feel for oneself how very differently furnished the first and other class compartments were!

One of Hong Kong's smallest museums, the Hong Kong Railway Museum may not be worth going all the way to Tai Po to see alone.  But when combined with, say, a visit to the nearby Man Mo Temple (which I found more atmospheric than the better known -- and frequently tourist-filled -- Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road), a general exploratory stroll around Tai Po town, and a roast goose and rice meal at Yat Lok, it can make for a pretty cool half day out in a cultural heritage-filled section of the New Territories! :)

Northeastern Hong Kong Island hike sights (photo-essay)

If I had to name just one Hong Kong country park as my favorite, it'd be Tai Tam Country Park (including its Quarry Bay Extension).  This may come as a surprise to some dedicated local hikers who prefer the more rugged environs in the country parks to be found over on the Sai Kung Peninsula and Lantau Island.  But while I do like spending time over in those more remote parks of Hong Kong, Tai Tam Country Park feels most like "home" to me in that it's the one whose trails I've explored and covered the most of percentage wise.

But even while much of its terrain and paths have now become comfortingly familiar to me, I still feel that I pretty much always see something new and different whenever I hike in this country park on Hong Kong Island.  It may be an interesting critter, particularly beautiful flower or even a section of trail that gets one off the beaten track.  In any case, I'm pretty much always reminded on hikes in this part of the Big Lychee -- like the one that took a friend and I to, and then over, the northeastern border of the park -- how nature is full of surprises, and that there are a number of Hong Kong residents who have taken to exercising their creativity in seemingly unlikely places (including quiet corners of Hong Kong country parks)! ;)

A centipede spotting along Mount Parker Road :)

If found in, say, Sham Shui Po, it'd be street art but 

since it's in Tai Tam Country Park, I guess it's park art ;b

 

I believe the 40 kilometer visibility reports for that day after

catching sight of Ma On Shan while hiking up Mount Parker!

 

While the hills called to us that afternoon, there were those

who preferred to go sailing in Victoria Harbour :)

 

A place in the hills which has been fashioned into

a language learning spot?

A balancing rock that also, together with the rock it's balanced on,

resembles the upper half of a human figure to my mind ;)

 

 Believe it or not, it was only after I began hiking in Hong Kong

that I knew of the existence of damselflies (and learnt to 

tell the difference between them and dragonflies)! ;O

 

The kind of scenic view that feels worth the effort and

sweat shed to get to a high enough point to be privy to it :)

A Mexican food post on Cinco de Mayo

The dish that got me going to Chino twice in the past week!

 The first of four (small) tacos I ate at last night :)

Today is Cinco de Mayo, a day that few non-Mexicans living in Hong Kong have any inkling is a Mexican national holiday bar for those of us who have spent significant amounts of time in either Mexico itself or its northern neighbor, the US of A.  And while I may not be celebrating the Mexican army's unlikely victory over the French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862, I feel I finally can celebrate having there now being a number of places where one can get decent, even really good, Mexican (or, at least, Tex-Mex or Mexican fusion) food here in Hong Kong!

As unlikely as it sounds, I was introduced to Mexican food at the age of 9, at the California home of a family whose father's a Hong Kong-born ethnic Shanghainese, mother is a Japan-born ethnic Chinese, and children had been born in the USA.  Right from the start, I decided that Mexican food was really delicious and consequently went on to try -- and eat -- my share of Mexican (and Mexican-influenced) dishes; with particular favorites being the blue corn tortilla dishes that I ate lots of while attending archaeology field school in the American Southwest my sophomore summer.

Just a few years ago, there weren't too many eateries where one could get Mexican (or even Tex-Mex) food in Hong Kong; and indeed, for a time, it was a Wan Chai bar (Agave Tequila y Comida) rather than actual restaurant that was widely held to serve the best Mexican food in town.  But in recent years, many challengers have arrived on the scene -- including a restaurant over in Kennedy Town which I visited for the first time last Saturday and whose food I liked so much that I ended up going and having dinner there again last night!

Purists may sneer but I really do like the food served up Chino (whose name is the Spanish term for "Chinese", and used by Mexicans for all Asians they saw/see, including those from Japan).  A "modern Mexican" restaurant which sources its ingredients from Hong Kong, Japan and Mexico, its Nobu alumnus owner-chef also makes no bones about using Japanese ingredients and cooking techniques -- and providing diners with chopsticks to use (though there are many dishes, such as the many types of tacos on the menu, that I just go ahead and eat with my hands).  

I'm not sure how "authentic" the scallop with citrusy agua chile and pickled jicama is.  All I know is that it's bursting with flavor and is precisely the kind of dish that has the likes of me going back for more.  Oh, and if you order tortilla chips -- or better yet, chicharrónes (i.e.,  pork rinds) -- like my party did on my first visit to Chino, be sure to dip them into the pleasantly spicy "chilly water" to ensure that that tasty liquid does not go to waste!

On my first visit, my party of four had not been able to finish the very generous portion of cochinita pibil (served with tortillas -- with which you can fashion your own braised pork butt tacos -- and rice along with black beans and salsa) that we had ordered along with a few way smaller items.  In contrast, on my second visit, I found my initial order of two tacos along with the scallop starter dish to be insufficient -- and needed two more tacos to feel sufficiently satiated.

Although my wallet was not particularly happy (as Chino charges quite a bit more than most Americans would expect to pay for Mexican food; though, to be fair, one could hardly describe the refined as well as fusion variant of Mexican food it serves up as peasant food), I'm glad in retrospect that I ended up having four tacos in total because I ordered entirely different ones each time and the second batch I got turned out to be tastier than the first batch I had opted for! 

More specifically, of the first pair of tacos I went for, the chicken tinga topped with pickled onions and a slice of rich avacado was tasty enough but I actually couldn't taste the pineapple that came with the marinated pork and tomatillo combination.  As for the second pair of I tacos I got: the crispy battered fish was nice and hot (but not too hot), and was not overwhelmed by its chipotle flavored Kewpie mayonaise and tangy salsa topping while the ox tongue with pickled jalapenos and chile de árbol to give it a little "kick" was my favorite of the night -- with probably my only criticism being that the portion of ox tongue (as with everything else) was just not as large as I would have liked!          

As previously alluded: Chino is not cheap (for the kind of food -- and, particularly, drinks -- on offer and the portions generally served).  It also has the sort of hipster vibe that can turn some people off (including two friends of mine who refused to there with me when I asked them some months back).  In truth, I don't think I'll be going there in the future anywhere as often as I've done so this past week.  But the next time that a craving for Mexican food strikes, that's probably where I'll head once more! ;b

The Kid from the Big Apple actually is far more Malaysian than American! (film review)

Does this look like a Malaysian movie to you?

The Kid from the Big Apple (Malaysia-Hong Kong, 2016)

-  Jess Teong, director-scriptwriter

- Starring: Tommy Tam (aka Ti Lung), Sarah Tan Qin Lin, Jason Tan, Jessica Hester Hsuan

When I was a kid growing up in Malaysia, I never ever imagined that one of my screen heroes, Hong Kong movie superstar Ti Lung, would ever appear in a Malaysian film, much less one that I'd view at a Hong Kong multiplex.  Among other things, Malaysia doesn't possess a particularly renowned -- or, for that matter, prolific -- national cinema, and the majority of films produced by this country have the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, as their main language rather than one which a Hong Konger like Ti Lung would be fluent in.  Also, it's more usually the case that Malaysians (including Michelle Yeoh, Lee Sinje and Angie Cheung) go to Hong Kong to make movies rather than vice versa.

As it turns out though, the Malaysian-Hong Kong co-production in which Ti Lung (credited in the film as Tommy Tam) and another Hong Kong thespian, Jessica Hester Hsuan, appear in principally makes use of Mandarin and also contains far more English than Bahasa Malaysia dialogue; this even though The Kid from the Big Apple is largely set in Kuala Lumpur (rather than New York City or, say, Hong Kong), and I personally have found Malaysia's largest city to be a part of the world where one is far more likely to hear Cantonese as well as Bahasa Malaysia and English being spoken than Mandarin.

 

A cross-cultural family drama which revolves around an Asian American pre-teen who gets parked for a time with her Kuala Lumpur-resident grandfather while her Malaysian-born single mother goes off to do some work in China, The Kid from the Big Apple starts off with Sarah (Sarah Tan Qin Lin) and her mom, Sophia (Jessica Hester Hsuen), arguing in English, then has Sophia speaking with her father (Ti Lung) in Mandarin, and the old man -- somewhat understandably, given the circumstances -- not realizing for a time that his granddaughter is actually bilingual.

Early on in the film, some comedy ensues from such as Sarah's grandfather regularly mispronouncing her name as salah (the Bahasa Malaysia word for "wrong") and a young neighbor enlisted by the old man to be his interpreter when talking to his grandchild turning out to be able to only speak "Manglish" rather than the more conventional form of English that Sarah is used to.  But The Kid from the Big Apple really only becomes fun and enjoyable to watch after its titular character morphs from sulky child to one who shows that she's got a nicer, more caring side.  (Also, I much prefer to hear Sarah Tan speaking Mandarin -- like she does more and more the further along into the film one goes -- as her English is too Malaysian-sounding for her to truly convince as an Asian American.)       

Largely taking place within a low-rise residential complex in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Cheras that appears to be almost entirely populated by ethnic Chinese families, this movie -- which shows culture clashes between the traditional and modern as well as Western and Asian -- benefits enormously from strong performances by veteran actor Ti Lung and 11-year-old Sarah Tan, and there being a definite chemistry between the two of them.  If truth be told though, I actually think that 14-year-old Jason Tan -- whose first film appearance this is (as also was the case for Sarah Tan) -- pretty much steals the show as Jia Bao, a big-hearted boy who proves to be the bridge between the traditional Chinese grandfather (a  pillar of his community and professional bonesetter who's regularly addressed as sifu (master)) and his thoroughly modern, social media-adapt grandchild.  

A sincere film offering up plenty of heart and soul that manages to overcome its technical flaws, The Kid from the Big Apple is remarkably watchable, especially when one considers that this is the first directorial effort of Jess Teong (who also scripted the work).  And even while I have to admit to feeling somewhat uneasy about how the offering seems angled to be more culturally Chinese than Malaysian (despite the movie largely taking place in Malaysia), I do appreciate its messages about how smartphones can -- and should -- never replace face-to-face interaction, and that certain traditional ways do -- and should -- endure in this (post-)modern age; and really like that Jess Teong was largely able to get her points across in a way that is often entertaining and sometimes even downright moving. 

My rating for the film: 7.5     

Hiking to Stanley along a creepy critter-filled portion of the Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path (Photo-essay)

While hiking with three friends one beautiful afternoon from Wong Nai Chung Gap to Stanley via Violet Hill, the focus during the first part of our outing was on the many scenic views to be had, and which I considered fair compensation for trekking up to two -- rather than one -- of Violet Hill's three peaks.  

Actually, even after we were done with the most difficult part of the hike once we got to Tsin Shui Wai Au and opted to go along the Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path to Stanley (rather than the route that would have taken us up and down the Twins), a fair few view bonanzas still awaited us.  But truly, the most memorable sights while walking along a trail that borders a catchwater for much of the way involved a number of critter spottings, a number of which were considerably creepier than others... ;b

Arachnophobes, look away ASAP!

 

Those with a fear of snakes also may want to give this

photo-essay a wide berth... ;S

 

The creepiest sight of all in my eyes: a spider that considers 

other members of its own species to (also) be fair game! :O

 

The nest of insects that instinct told me that I absolutely 

shouldn't be near and/or disturb... :S 

 

What can happen when one walks too close

to a spider's super sticky web!

 

A scenic view, with a spider and parts of a web in the picture

No creepy creatures in the photo for a change ;)

 

Will the creepiness never end?  A long dead snake

whose decaying sight still can make one shiver...

 

A panoramic view bonus (do click on the image to enlarge it)

for those of you who've made it thus far down the page! :)