Anne had some meetings in the Asia Pacific region, so I flew to
Hong Kong to spend about 12 days there.
Anne was in town for both weekends.
We stayed at the HoJo Express in Causeway Bay when she was in town, and I stayed at Tim’s apartment when she was out of town.
Vicky’s Studio. She has been working quite hard to try to get some paintings ready for this gallery in New York that is interested in acquiring some of her work. We visited her studio in Ap Lei Chau and helped her name many of the paintings. We actually flipped one of her paintings and named it after the winged seeds of maple trees: such is contemporary art. I like quite a few of them. She has developed some interesting techniques.
Ngong Ping 360, Tung Chung. Most of Lantau Island used to be quite inaccessible when I was growing up in Hong Kong. The construction of the Chek Lap Kok airport certainly opened up the island quite a bit. Ngong Ping was one of the places you got to after several hours of strenuous hiking. Now it is a 5.7 km, 25-minute aerial tram ride away. This is nothing to sneer at; the massive project is featured in of these shows as a construction marvel (National Geographic or Discovery). When Anne got into Hong Kong, we placed her bags with Airport Left Luggage and hopped on a bus to Tung Chung. The tram station was right next to the bus station. The wait, about 30 minutes, was very reasonable. The round trip cost was HK$88 which I consider a bargain considering the length of the ride. One could see the airport and the planes taking off and landing, and get an appreciation of how massive the airport project is. At the Ngong Ping end of the route we stopped for dessert. We then walked over and hiked up to the giant Buddha statue which generally attracts many tourists and believers. The wait for the return ride was about an hour though. It turns out if you are willing to stand you can cut through the queue. Every now and then we passed people who were hiking back.
Boat Show. We braved 5 foot seas to Sai Kung for the boat show. Quite a few boats were on display. The return trip was slightly more comfortable.
On the way to Sai Kung. The seas were heavier than it appeared in this picture.
Wetland Park, Yuen Long. It took me quite a while to get to the park. Since the Guidebook said it is located in Yuen Long, so I took the bus to Yuen Long, only to realize that I should be at another location two train stops away. A connection via the Light Rail got me there after a total travel time of about 2 hours. This must be a rather newly established facility. There are some rather modern displays, although I am not sure they are all well linked to the theme of the park, which is the importance of wetlands to the ecosystem. The building is spacious, and has a Café de Coral restaurant on-site. There are different paths one could walk on to experience different ecological sub-systems. Unfortunately, the overall park is not large enough for that to really happen. One exception is the mangrove where fiddler crabs are plentiful. It was probably too late in the day: there were not as many as I expected. A couple of years ago there was much excitement about a crocodile that was loose in the marshes around that area, probably released because it grew a bit too big. They build a special area for the captured “Bei-Bei”, but no one could find it that day. Although the Park gives one the impression of a massive project to spend down government monetary reserves, it nonetheless was a pleasant place to visit. I wished it was a bit more informative, though. The price of admission was a modest HK$30. I forgot to bring a cap, so I bought a hat for HK$120. Where the Park is located used to be sleepy little villages, now the Park is surrounded by high-rise buildings. Turns out there is a bus stop to return to town right outside the Park, so I got back in about 45 minutes.
Fiddler Crabs at the Wetland Park.
Migratory Birds at the Wetland Park. Shenzhen, China is on the other side.
Wong Tai Sin Temple. This must be the most famous temple in Hong Kong, and I grew up living quite close to it. Yet I had never visited the place before this trip. One could smell the incense the moment one stepped off the subway, and there were touts trying to sell the visitors the various contraptions for worship. The temple is much smaller than I expected. In the courtyard were laid out all kinds of sacrifices: suckling pigs, roasted pork, chickens, and various pastries. The worshippers were sitting there chatting away. I don’t know exactly how it works, but I think by doing this the gods are fed, the food is blessed, and everyone is happy. Some were talking about winning the lottery, and will burn some more incense if she indeed does. What a bargain. There is a small garden ($2 admission) which must be nice oasis from the bustle of the area. The Hong Kong Guide says this is a pantheistic temple for buddhism, daoism and Confucism.
Meeting with Family and Friends. Ruby and David were visiting from Los Angeles. I went to Tuen Mun, where they were staying, to meet them and also to visit with David’s mother. We had “yum cha” in Tuen Mun. They also introduced me to Chao Inn at 1 Peking Road. The restaurant has morning and afternoon tea specials, and the quality of the food is quite good. We enjoyed our time at Chao Inn so much that we booked a pre-concert dinner which was attended by Ruby, David, Jane, Edwin, Johnny, Anne and me. Ka Shi joined us for a concert with local talent at the Hong Kong Arts Center (see blog for review) that evening; Johnny and Edwin found reasons to excuse themselves, though. We also visited Anne’s mother twice. Elaine and Larry arranged a lunch at the country club with Uncles Richard, Kenny and Willie, and Auntie Fanny. Jill and Anna were there also. I also had lunch with Larry at the Hong Kong Club. The four Cheung siblings in Hong Kong also met for dinner at one of the Lee Garden restaurants. Alfred and I went to Ling’s apartment one time for dinner: she is quite a good cook. In any case, the trouble with all these meals is I must have gained quite a few pounds. I dread to get on the scale when I get home (I am on the HKG-EWR flight right now).
Yuen Long Visits and Food. Alfred is interested in opening up a small restaurant in the area, so he and I visited the area twice. We actually did some research (excuse for eating two dinners one evening). There is some potential for the right kind of restaurant. I usually gorge myself on glutinous rice dumplings when I am in town, and this trip was no exception. I also rediscovered what passes off as French Toast in Hong Kong (basically a peanut butter sandwich battered and deep fried, served with butter and a lot of sugar syrup; can’t possibly be healthy) I am glad to report I got tired of eating them (but did manage to do it at least four times).
Pollution. This is an ever-worsening problem for Hong Kong. I read some where the majority of the pollution is from Mainland China. The regulations are there, compliance is evidently spotty, undoubtedly abetted by corruption. You see this haze all around you. The South side of Hong Kong island used to be a refuge, but it was not to be during this trip. Today with environmental pollution, there have been incidents with food contaminated by pesticides, dyes, and malachite green, a known carcinogen used to keep fish looking healthy. I am not a greenie by any stretch of the imagination, yet I am quite disappointed at the lack of urgency on the governments’ part to try to solve the problem. The Wetland Park, the airport, and Tung Chung, all being close to the border, seem to suffer the most.
Flights. I took the non-stop flights offered by Continental Airlines. The flights are about 15 hours each way. This, not being high season, means I have a vacant seat next to me, which is quite nice. Nowadays I don’t expect, and do not get, much service or good food. As long as the cabin is clean and the plane gets in safely, I am okay. There was a two hour delay for a computer glitch on this HKG-EWR flight though, so I will be getting in a couple of hours late.
Pictures. I didn’t bring a camera with me, and decided not to buy one in Hong Kong. Anne did have a camera which I had for a few days. Thus so few photos in this entry.
