Twenty-two years on

Two points of light at Victoria Park yesterday evening

Two of many of the many thousands
at the candlelight vigil to mark the 22nd anniversary
of events that took place in Beijing on June 4th, 1989

Back in the summer of 1989, I was in London doing an internship at the Museum of Mankind (a museum run by the Ethnography Department of the British Museum between 1970 and 1994). Working in that wonderful museological establishment by day, I developed an after work ritual that involved regularly following the news on TV courtesy of the BBC and ITV.

In my memory, the summer of 1989 was a truly momentous one in terms of global political occurences (along with a great sporting one courtesy of Arsenal winning the league by going to Anfield and beating Liverpool 2-0). Among the many events covered by the BBC and ITV news teams, three that occured within days of each other stick out most in my memory: the death of Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran on June 3rd; Solidarity's being swept into power in Poland by elections taking place on June 4th; and what took place thousands of miles across the globe in Beijing on the same day.

Last night, a large crowd gathered in Victoria Park to once again remember the happenings in Beijing 22 years ago now, peacefully protest and more. In the more than two decades since 1989, so much else has happened in the world and in individual lives, including mine.

But the fact of the matter is that what happened in Beijing that summer remains a landmark event that deeply impacted millions of people, including many of us who were thousand of miles away from China at the time -- and, to judge from the large number of candlelight vigil participants who raised their candles aloft when asked at one point during last night's event who among the crowd were born after June 4th 1989, many individuals who hadn't even been blinks in their parents' eyes 22 years ago. On a personal note, I will never forget the shock, horror and revulsion I felt upon seeing TV footage of the events that took place more than two decades ago now.

On a more positive note: On evenings like yesterday, I find myself so grateful once again to be living in Hong Kong -- the only part of China where the events of June 4th, 1989, are allowed to be publicly commemorated, and many people play their part in doing so. Truly, the annual candlelight vigil in Victoria Park and associated events move me a lot -- and so much so that it is very hard to keep the tears from flowing during those occasions.

Dirty (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

On first glance, the village of Pui O on Lantau Island can appear unremarkable or even on the too dirty side to be a good place to visit. I personally reckon it's quite the charming and interesting place -- and unusual on account of two of it being a place where feral water buffaloes roam in now abandoned paddy fields and whose beach has a striped look on account of its sand being a mix of yellow and black.

Re the water buffaloes: they have both their defenders and detractors within the village and beyond. For my part, I like the novelty of seeing them but also recognize that their color contributes to their coming across as dirty. And then there's the difficult-to-overlook matter of their having to defecate seemingly all over the place. (For those who want proof, click on the photo with the water buffaloes in them in this Photo Hunt entry to get a larger look at what the piles on the ground are -- though it's also true that some of the black blobs also are small birds!)

Re the landscape shots: the top most photo is a shot of the place where the sea merges with a river during high tide but on the afternoon of my most recent visit, fresh and salt water was not meeting up and mixing on account of it being low tide at that point during the day. And on a previous visit, much of the ground in the bottom photo was covered with water.

This last time, however, copious amounts of mud and what looks like a green sludge were on view -- and while it can indeed make for a dirty looking sight, I have to admit to also thinking that the green added some color to my photos -- taken as they were on a gray sky (though not actually generally unpleasant!) day out in a quieter, more nature-filled part of Hong Kong than many other populated places in the territory! ;b

Hong Kong ferry experience

Workaday vessel (a Victoria Harbour ferry) in the foreground,
junk trip junk (specfically, the Aqua Luna) in the background

On board the uncrowded North Point-Kwun Tong ferry
one week day afternoon

I recently returned to Hong Kong from a place where good public transportation is (still) not a given and I had to rely on the kindness and charity of family and friends to get about. While Penang is not without its attractions (including some of the most delicious food in the world), it undisputably loses to Asia's World City in the public transportation department -- and it really is the case that whenever I return to Hong Kong after a visit to my homeland, I always feel that I suddenly have legs and am able to (more) easily move about on my own again.

Of all of Hong Kong's public transportation, I use the MTR and buses the most. But while I value them (and, also, the minibuses and trams that I do take every once in a while), I must admit to feeling that there's something special about the Big Lychee's ferries -- be these the famous Star Ferry or other aquatic vessels plying routes that include those between Hong Kong Island and an Outlying Island, ones that cross Victoria Harbour multiple times each day or something else altogether.

Hence my feeling sad upon learning that in March of this year, the Star Ferry decided to terminate its services between Central and Hung Hom and Wan Chai and Hung Hom in one fell swoop -- and somewhat guilty for never having showed my support for them by taking a ride on one of a ferry plying one of those routes.

Consequently, I have determined to support the remaining ferry services by not only taking the Star Ferry between Wan Chai and Central whenever convenient (which actually is quite often -- not least since I do attend my share of concerts and shows at the nearby Hong Kong Cultural Centre!) but, also, checking out and going on trips on other ferries that cross Victoria Harbour several times each day.

Some time back, my much-travelled friend Daisann McLane divulged in a National Geographic Traveller article that she has a soft spot for the ferry that goes across Victoria Harbour between Sai Wan Ho and Sam Ka Tsuen (near Lei Yue Mun) operated by the Coral Sea Ferry Service. While I have yet to venture on board that particular ferry, I have availed myself of First Ferry's service between North Point and Kowloon City and Fortune Ferry's service between North Point and Kwun Tong.

Perhaps it was on account of my having taken it on a non-rush hour portion of a week day but the Fortune Ferry service between North Point and Kwun Tong was the least crowded vessel I've ever been on board in the Big Lychee. Add in a waiting room on the North Point side that was quite surreal in terms of it feeling like quite the laid back as well as amateur operation and I think the whole journey can be recommended as a novel Hong Kong experience -- one that appears to be off the beaten path for residents and visitors alike!

Upon factoring it being so that both the North Point and Kwun Tong ferry terminal are near bus stops from where one can embark on long rides to other parts of Hong Kong, I reckon that an interesting day of exploration can be had that includes this ferry trip across Victoria Harbour; especially for those who enjoy hopping onto public transport and seeing what sights are to be had along a chosen route. In addition, while the cross harbour ride is itself on the short side, the feeling one gets when floating on that scenic body of water often can be an evocative highlight by itself even for someone who has been a resident for more than four years now of the territory whose name translates into English as "Fragrant Harbour". :)

From misty Ngong Ping to sunny Cheung Sha Beach (Photo-essay)

Hi once more -- and much thanks who registered their concern, etc. elsewhere on this blog. The news from my computer doctor is that my computer has been subjected to a virus attack -- albeit a low level virus. So touch wood that things are relatively okay now -- and in any case, I feel able to get blog again and continue where I left off with last Tuesday's photo-essay account of a Ngong Ping Plateau hike:-

So thick was the fog that came over the Ngong Ping Plateau
that the view from the view compass was of nothing more
than fog and one often had to trust more than one's eyes
that there was indeed a trail to go on ahead!

At the same time, there was ample physical evidence
still of the landslides that had caused
the Nei Lak Shan Country Trail to be closed for a time

Further along the trail, a rustling in the nearby foliage
gave away the nearby presence of this reptilian creature

Wild flowers in bloom add color to
the general natural greenery

Near hike's end, my regular hiking companion and I
found ourselves walking directly under the path
of the Ngong Ping 360 cable cars above!

Back to "civilization" at mist-enveloped Ngong Ping village

A bus trip away -- sunny Cheung Sha Beach the same day!

Same day, same island (Lantau) --
what can seem a world away (but actually is not! :b)

Quick note

Sorry, no Photo Hunting for me. Among other things, my notebook -- along with the thousands of photos in its memory -- has gone to see the computer doctor! Fingers crossed, its health will be restored soon...

At ART HK 11

Liu Wei's oxhide, wood and metal
Don't Touch at ART HK 11

Art works, the absurd and crowds come together
at Hong Kong's premier visual arts event

At opening night, some eye-catchingly attired
members of the audience compete with the art
for attention and to be in the frame!

As many a local culture vulture knows, the Big Lychee has a distinct cultural year whose highlights include the Hong Kong Arts Festival taking place in February and March, the Hong Kong International Film Festival taking place around March and April of each year and Le French May increasingly extending into April and June as well as having plenty of events scheduled for the fifth month of the calendar year. And although it's only four years old this year, the Hong Kong International Art Fair (AKA ART HK) definitely also has become a "must attend" event for those with a love of visual arts.

Last night, I went to the vernissage (AKA opening night) of ART HK 11. Because of work commitments, I only got to its Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre venue in Wan Chai around 7.30pm -- so only had an hour and a half or so to say hi to friends who were already there as well as check out the rich assemblage of works on display there courtesy of more than 260 art galleries from 38 countries.

Almost one of the first things I was told upon getting there was that "Gigi Leung's here!" Although I didn't catch sight of the singer-actress, I did witness one of my friends cum colleagues gawping -- and threatening to swoon -- at the sight of a handsome young artist that she confessed to having a crush on.

In all honesty, however, I tended to fixate more on the art on view -- and this year, there really were much more recognizable works by famous artists (including dead white men like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Camille Pissarro as well as living individuals like Takashi Murakami (whose smiling flowers invariably bring a smile to my face), Ai Weiwei, Damien Hirst, Julian Opie and Bridget Riley) than previously.

At the same time, it also is true enough that works by less well known artists are quite capable of catching one's attention and eye. And for those who wonder: while it is undoubtedly the case that the galleries taking part in ART HK are there with the intention of selling the works they have on display, I really do think that it is very possible for one to have an enjoyable -- and educational plus aesthetically pleasing -- time at this event (which goes on through to this Sunday) even if one is there just to look (as opposed to be looking to buy). :)

Ngong Ping Plateau hike (Photo-essay)

Back on July 4th (American Independence Day!), 2010, my regular hiking companion and I headed up to the Ngong Ping Plateau to temporarily escape the summer heat and hike along Section 4 of the Lantau Trail. Upon getting to the starting point of that stage 4, we found that it had been re-routed due to landslides two Novembers earlier. On top of it all, weather conditions at the plateau were far mistier than we had expected than it would be.

As luck would have it though, we ended up having a hiking experience that proved pretty memorable as well as enjoyable -- not least because the mist transformed the landscape into one that actually was on the mysterious side. In addition, along the way, we "discovered" a hiking trail -- the Nei Lak Shan Country Trail -- that had hitherto had been unknown to us that we not only proceeded to partially hike that day but found so interesting that we resolved to return to check out the entire circuit the following weekend! And while that later hike did turn out to be a truly superb one, this one wasn't too bad either as far as views and experiences go -- and here are some photos to prove it... :b

Misty clouds at Ngong Ping Plateau

A moss-covered tree provides testimony
of the humidity of Ngong Ping Plateau

Just one example of the many types of exotic flowers
that can be found on Hong Kong's largest island

The Wisdom Path that looks to only impart wisdom
to those who are able to read Chinese script :S

A colorful phoenix sculpture and wooden archway
signal the start of Lantau Trail Stage 4

View of the Shek Pik Reservoir and neighboring portions
of Lantau Island from a portion of Lantau Trail Stage 3

Scenic junction where the Lantau Trail meets the
Nei Lak Shan Country Trail

The point in the hike when the mist started to
come over and obscure much of the landscape

To be continued...! ;b