Parking & Wildfire....

  I am sorry I have been so quiet lately. As many of you know I have been dealing with a herniated disc in my neck for some time now. I admit it has been very frustrating. Mostly because I can't do many of the things I enjoy,  such as swimming and photography. My camera is just to heavy, even using my rapid strap, which slings it over my shoulders. My life has mostly been revolving around doctors and physiotherapy appointments, but it is helping and ever so slowly it is getting better! Also it has forced me to expand my photographic horizons into the world of iPhone photography.  

A couple of weeks ago Mr. Korat and I took the Kai To ferry over to Mui Wo, which is a small town on Lantau Island just over the mountains from us. I really love this little community. It is small but friendly, with great sprit. Unlike Discovery Bay it is not car free so many people own and drive cars, however it seems the preferred method of transport is the bicycle. Like DB, Mui Wo has a ferry service to Central, where most people work. This is the scene at the ferry terminal on a weekday afternoon...

This was also one of my first iPhone photography experiments, and what I missed shooting was the Gweilo guy, walking from the ferry and unlocking his bicycle in his business suit! 

These bikes are quite common around town. They allow people to ride with their kids and have a basket under the seat for their shopping. I once saw one go by with a kid in a car seat that was strapped to the bike! 

I have been asked about the wildlife that I see here and I can't say that I have ever seen very much. I have grown up with urban wildlife and while it can at times be a nuisance, I do miss it. Sure there are some very beautiful birds and butterflies and of course it is semi tropical so there are a lot of insects. There are also many snakes in Hong Kong, some poisonous, such as cobras, so one needs to be careful when hiking, but generally the wildlife keeps to itself and is rarely seen. There is one animal that is hard to miss and that is the Water buffalo and feral cattle. Water buffalo are indigenous to Lantau and live in small herds throughout the island. It is very common when taking a bus or taxi over the island to see one at the side of the road, however they are threatened by urbanization and the governments attempt to move them from populated areas. I am not sure what the story is on the feral cattle, but they are also seen in herds. Buffalo and cattle are not aggressive but they are large and if they become agitated they can be dangerous. Just this spring a man was gorged by a buffalo (he survived),  and when you see them it is best just to keep your distance and mind your business. Imagine our surprise when Mr. Korat and I turned a corner and came practically face to face with a herd of cattle! Most of them were happily munching away in someones garden, but this little calf was more interested in the tasty grass on the driveway of this little shop.

Here is a CNN article about Lantau's Buffalo and some of the issues surrounding them: What's up with the buffalo's on Lantau Island?

If you wish to learn more you can visit the Lantau Buffalo Association

Risk of Snow

I got a laugh out of the weather display by the bus terminus when I was on my way to the ferry this morning. Apparently at 9am this morning it was 22 degrees celsius and snowing!  I knew I should have worn closed shoes instead of my sandals! What was I thinking.....

Picnic in the Park

Today is Picnic in the Park here in DB. Essentially it is an all day music festival with lots of bands playing, kids activities, food and beer. It turned out to be a good day for it, sunny, warm and clear which is nice since earlier in the week they were calling for rain. I must say I am impressed with the various bands. They all sound amazing! What is especially nice is since I am not really a music festival person, the location is such that I can hear them all really well right from my flat! I did check it for a bit in the late afternoon and everyone looked to be having a really good time. 

Hidden Gems

Mr. Grey Cat and I went for a walk up in the hills above DB the other day. It was a lovely day, sunny and warm and not too humid. We walked around the hamlet of Bijou Village and the golf course. It is very tranquil and peaceful up there. On the way back we passed the reservoir and saw this lovely view of DB with the ferry headed out to Central just perfectly framed. 

Happy Halloween

It has been a long time since my last post so I thought I would do a quick update. I haven't been doing much. We moved into our new flat and I did have a really nice visit back to Ontario for Thanksgiving. It was great seeing family and friends again. I miss all of you so much! 

Today is Halloween! I find it hard to believe that it is the end of October. I think it is partly due to the weather. It is still warm and sunny here, actually it has been really nice lately, not too hot, not too humid. Just nice. While I have experienced warm (and cold!) Halloweens before, I have never worn shorts! Also I don't have large Costco bags of candy in hanging around either (probably a good thing...). Halloween is celebrated here, but not to the same extent as Canada. There are all kinds of Halloween decorations in the stores and kids are wearing costumes, but it doesn't involve the whole community. Schools have events and there are a few streets here, with low-rise/townhouse/detached homes that do hand out candy for trick or treaters, but there is nothing happening in the high-rise blocks, which make up 99% of the housing. While down in the plaza today I saw them setting up what looked like a Haunted House type thing and some tents with tables. I would normally venture down to see what is going on, either to the plaza or the other events happening in the city, but Mr Grey Cat will be home in the early evening and I want to see him. So I will not be handing out candy for the first time that I can recall! Still I want to wish you all a happy and safe Halloween! Boo! 

I didn't have my camera with me but I took a couple of iPhone shots of the set up in the plaza. 

I have no idea what this is supposed to be, but there are a few of them and they look pretty scary to me! 

The tallest skeleton I have ever seen! 

A work in progress..

Deity Hau Wong's Birthday

Believe it or not Hong Kong is a nation of immigrants. Since 1949 there have been over 5 million of them, primarily from the mainland. Prior to that Hong Kong had many small villages with their local customs. Due to the cultural revolution in China many of these local festivals vanished. However, in Hong Kong some remain. I had the opportunity to visit one such festival. It is for Hau Wong's Birthday. It is celebrated in only a few spots in Hong Kong, one of which is in Tung Chung. It was a wonderful day, full of sights, sounds and smells. 

 Golden Pigs are brought to offer the god. I don't know why they are called golden since they are red, but who am I to judge. 

 A local woman enjoying the festival. 

At times the air was so thick with the smoke form incense it looked like something was on fire somewhere.

Lots of flags everywhere. 

There were many dragon dances. 

And lots of music. The whole day was so loud my ears were ringing for hours. 

More pigs. 

This dragon was very long and it would twist and wrap around itself. 

A major component of the festival is the Chinese opera. I was able to go back stage to see the performers getting ready. 

The day was loud and hot. I admit to being very tired by the time I got home, but I feel very fortunate to have experienced this day. There are so few of these local festivals left and it would be a shame to loose them. As for this years festival, I think Hau Wong will be pleased. 

Mid Autumn Festival

The Mid Autumn or Mooncake Festival is a celebration of the lunar harvest in Chinese culture. It is celebrated through out the world but for the first time in my life I got to experience it here in Hong Kong. What a fun night it was! A friend and I had a yummy dinner in Central before heading off to Victoria Park to check it out. 

Our first sight was this large fish made of hundreds of red lanterns. 

This is another view of the fish and it changes colours! 

There are lanterns, strings of lights and lighted displays everywhere. 

We missed the first Fire dragon dance so decided to get out of the park for a bit to cool off and get away from the crowds. We went into a hotel down the street and had a glass of wine as well as some water. 

During the festival people walk around with brightly lit lanterns and glow sticks. Even the dogs get into the spirit! 

We went back to the park for the Fire Dragon dance. Unfortunately we did not know where it was and before we knew it, it was being performed quite far from us. With so many people this was the closest we could get! 

The other part of the Festival is Mooncakes! Traditionally they are made of Lotus Seed paste and salted egg yolk. While I like the yolk ones, they are not my favourite. This box has olive seeds instead! 

Yumm!