Tuesday, Oct 9th: Diamond Hill. (The number 11 has reminded me of a Chinese saying. Whenever they say, take the No. 11 bus, it means that you have to walk.)
I have just read my sketchy notes that I made that Tuesday and it had reminded me of some HK things that I forgot to tell you. My note reads: B’fast at McD’s. They permit Octopus. Ever since the handover it has been possible to purchase prepaid cash cards for use on the subways only. These cards permitted a Senior discount, but they also discounted the fares for everyone by a few percentage points. I have kept several of these cards as souvenirs including the one that was given me as a free-ride souvenir on July 1, 1997.
But technology refuses to stand still. Over the decade, the authorities and private companies have played with this idea of prepaid debit cards until recently when the latest version from Private Enterprise has become known as an Octopus Card. These cards are sold at a special booth in every MRT Station. I think the name Octopus implies that the debit card can be used in numerous locations. It can be used in the subways, on surface routes for buses and trams, and now in many stores and eateries. Hence, it includes McDonald’s. I think that some Taxis also have the card readers. For most purchases and buses with set fares, the card is scanned once; the card reader displays the fare being deducted and also the balance remaining in the card. However, on subways where the fare varies according to zones, the card must be scanned when entering a station turnstile, and scanned again at the destination turnstile, when exiting. There is an automatic calculation of the fare from start station to exit station and the deduction made and displayed instantaneously without any delay to passenger flow.
Incidentally, the McDonald’s at the Star Tower in Kowloon was the very first site to introduce the McCafe lounge more than two years ago. It was supposed to appeal to the middle management crowd with upscale décor; food display, and service. But it never seemed to catch on at that location. Now other competitors such as Coco’s have moved in at the same location.
One change that has happened all over HK is in the atmosphere. For much of the daytime a mist hangs over the buildings especially along the harbour. I would not describe it as pollution because, to me, that conveys something unbearable and yellowish. It is not unlike any sea mist, but it is not wet either. I suppose its worst effect affects photographers. As I walked from Breakfast over to the Star Tower, I could see the huge Cruise Ship at the ‘Marco Polo’ Pier quite clearly. My notes read: The air is clear; the sun is bright in a blue sky; and everything is sharp on the skyline along the Central shore. Took photos. Pray for this weather for next Sunday. Walked up Nathan Road to Jordan; then took subway (via Mong Kok) to Diamond Hill. When I enquired about the possible source of that pollution, there seemed to be agreement that it originated in Guangdong Province especially from the power plants and factories all along the Zhu Jiang delta and estuary.
I have walked Nathan Road very many times over the last 20 years but, importantly, I have been so privileged to watch and discover how many times and how many ways it has changed. In a way, I could liken the evolution to Broadway in New York. For me, I think it is absolutely unique. Yes, it now includes stores of all of the World’s major fashion names. At night, this area is dazzling with bright neon signs, and trendy restaurants. (But it is not a one-off location for shopping or eating area: Other similar attractions can be found on the Island particularly at Causeway Bay.)
But there is much more. Starting from the TST Station, there is a large and very modern Mosque: (Therefore I was quite surprised to see that it was covered in scaffolding for renovations.) Then there is the huge Kowloon Park extending North from the Mosque to Jordan; with its variety of plant life; bird life and fountains. It also had an exhibition of tea. At the end, there is the vast outdoor swimming pool with viewing bridges and spectator enclosures. For an entire block, all along the west side, is a row of similar single storey stores for all fashions. But for me the most interesting feature is the fact that the park extends to cover the roof tops with a metre of top soil, trees and plants. This was the only place that I have seen copies of my soil covered communities thereby producing climate control efficiently within each store.
Centered in front of the strip of stores is a wonderful and meaningful statue of two giant arms placed vertically with the hands clasped in friendship. I have photographed it many times. On the opposite side of Nathan is St Andrew’s Church: One of the oldest in the territory; and still very vibrant. I’ll refer to it again later.
I had never heard of Diamond Hill before; and apparently very few locals there have either. I was told about it by my friend Oona Wang who came to Toronto from HK years ago. It is a favorite place that she loves to visit each time she returns. The Diamond Hill subway station is located in a large multi-storey shopping mall called Plaza Hollywood. But when you exit under an elevated highway, you see the Nam Lian Gardens immediately with its entrance in the North West corner. I think that these ornamental botanical gardens are superb because they are tended and pampered immaculately. What also adds to the attraction is the scenery: This district is surrounded by a range of grassy hills one of which is Diamond Hill; another is Peak Hill, the highest point in HK. Also in each direction, there are numerous groups of ultramodern high rise apartments.
I understand that Plaza Hollywood was so named to associate it with a former movie studio nearby, where many films were produced after after WWII. The Nam Lian Gardens are separated from its associated Buddhist Chi Lin Nunnery by a wide connecting bridge near the entrance that spans a main east-west highway. It seems that the Gardens were designed on the style of the ancient Tang Dynasty.
The highlight is a pair of ponds with a golden temple centerpiece where the ponds join. Continuing along the path to the east, there is a lake with small waterfalls and many gold fish. Along the North side is an open structure teahouse. Then at the very eastern end of the Garden is a quaint building with a huge waterwheel surrounded by more water. This building turned out to be a vegetarian restaurant called Longmen (meaning Dragon Gate). And this has become the main attraction for tourists where as many as 100 come merely for the lunch. And it was delicious: I chose four courses for the very low price of HK$75 (or Cd$10). The staff was all young and efficient men and women.
After lunch, I completed my exploration of the Garden and Nunnery before heading back to the Plaza. I had the idea that instead of returning to my Hotel by subway, I would find any bus bearing the name of my destination. The first to arrive had the destination or enroute sign of Jordan. (And wouldn’t you know that the bus was genuinely a No. 11!) I don’t really know what route the bus took: I had a map, but the turns were too quick for me to locate the route by reading road signs. Now and then place names were familiar; but when the bus crossed Nathan at Jordan, I bailed out and walked south on the famous night market street of Temple, and all the way back to the YMCA. What a great day! Thank you Oona!
Later in the evening, I went to meet Wendy outside her famous and historic office building, the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank (HKSB) that you saw in a photo in the last Diary. There are two large statues of lions so it is easy to find. The building was designed in a very unique way using a tubular structure similar to a bridge frame but placed vertically. These giant tubes are visible from the exterior.
Easy to find the Building? I had plenty of time so I headed out on the Star Ferry for Wan Chai. This gave me a chance to walk around the outside of the Convention Centre, by the harbour, to see what had changed. I was able to see the end of the flag lowering ceremony and the Golden Bauhinia Square. It should have been easy to find my way back through Admiralty to Central; or so I thought. What I did not realize was the extensive construction going on plus the fact that there were no direct streets any more and no cross walks. I got lost in spirals, small parks and elevated platforms. I cheated frequently by running across main thoroughfares; and I followed fast walking pedestrians who seemed to know where they were heading, and hopefully in my direction. Just before my deadline, I had to ask a woman how I could get to the building that I could see. Her fiancée appeared and he explained that I needed a guide to get through the underground route below City Hall. Thanks to him, I was there on time. Wendy was late, thank goodness, because her ‘display’ meeting lasted until 8 pm. This gave me a chance to explore some more and even to sit and watch the thousands exiting from five elevators (according to rank) and the dash to an ABM facility. But why do so many people hold a hand to their ear and then chat loudly to themselves? (Must be a cultural or religious thing; I guess! Some even hold a little black box high and cause a light to flash. It makes a group of people laugh and hurry off together. I just don’t get these strange customs. What is a camera cell phone anyway?)
When Wendy arrived she looked very exhausted. I felt badly that she would not be hurrying straight home: It had been a tough day for her. Instead, we took a taxi all the way to Causeway Bay for a hot spicy Sichuan supper in a restaurant that she knew. And we talked and talked and talked some more. It was so great to catch up on both our lives. Like the others, she is an incredibly great lady: Another precious Gem and loyal friend.
(Hopefully the following link will provide access to three Photo Albums: 11.1 Diamond Hill; 11.2 Lantau, the Giant Buddha; and Wisdom Walk; 11.3 Stanley Market; The Fowers, Fish, and Bird Markets
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=150c1up1.9hmvch4d&Uy=-ylmyfx&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1
Wednesday, October 10th: This was to be another day of exploration on my own and a return to a place I had visited some years ago. I planned to head to Lantau Island and the Giant Seated Buddha on the Mountain top. I could not recall the previous visit in any detail, but with a tongue in my head, what had I to lose? Again, I took the Star ferry to Central. (It must be mentioned that the ferry system in HK involves many routes; and each route seems to have its own jetty. So there are many of them. Furthermore the tendency is to label the jetty with the ferry’s destination: But as smart as that system is, it means that I have to know where I am heading. By deduction and finger crossing, I later discovered that I was heading for a little place called Mui Wo on Silver Mine Bay on Lantau Island and I was taking a ferry operated by ‘First Ferry’. The advantage is that I am going somewhere and it doesn’t really matter where! It was on the sea and it was exciting. The ferry headed west towards Macau again but only about a 20 minute ride. At Silver Mine, there is an open-air bus terminal where I was directed to take the No. 2 bus all the way to the Ngong Ping area. I was hoping to visit the Giant Buddha, and the Po Lin Monastery. In the Ngong Ping Village they had constructed the highest and longest cable car: However, quite recently an aerial car had failed and crashed down: Therefore the ride had been closed down indefinitely for an investigation. It was quite a long journey from the ferry to the monument; at times within sight of the Sea, and at other times into the mountains. (It is possible that Lantau is even larger in area than HK Island itself.) I was surprised when I arrived to discover that my memory of the area and the Buddha were totally gone. This serene giant of a statue sits on a pedestal (or lotus blossom) with his right hand raised and the elbow on the knee; high up on this mountain top. The legs are crossed in a typical Yoga form with the left hand resting on the left knee, palm upwards. Last time I had ridden an outdoor escalator to the top. This time there were several hundred concrete stairs to climb; no escalator. I purchased a ticket which gave me access to the art gallery under the statue; but it turned out that it also gave me the best vegetarian luncheon at the Po Lin Monastery in the better of two restaurants. The guide book states that the statue is the world’s tallest outdoor seated Buddha and it sits atop the Ngong Ping plateau amid spectacular scenery. I am not quite sure what all those qualifiers mean but I know that there is more to see. For one thing, the view from the back of the Buddha is vast and all the way across the Shek Pico reservoir in the valley and out to the Ocean. The climb is not too serious with lots of platforms from which to take photos. Once at the top, the platform also contains about ten more statues in various poses and hand and finger positions. On this particular day there was a large group of teenage students in uniform, sitting and sprawling in groups around the base making drawings as a class project. My guess is that they might have been the children of International and government residents. Another flight of stairs took me up to a higher viewing platform circling the Buddha below the Lotus blossom. From here the view is well worth the climb. And there is ample time to have conversations with other tourists from all over.
It was a great walk through a wooded garden to the Po Lin Monastery for lunch. Although these have been my first and second times to sample the vegetarian cuisine, I was impressed just how tasty these multi-course meals were; and how creative they were in their designs. When I descended from the Buddha before lunch, I noticed a sign pointing to a pathway called the Walk of Wisdom. It was not supposed to be very far but it was! There were others making the trek, so I headed out. Other signs indicated other sights as well but apparently the Wisdom path was the attraction. It was through an interesting wooded area, but every now and then we realized we were under the Buddha’s watchful eye. At one point, I came to a dilapidated house and rundown farm. It was supposed to be a tea plantation, but my sense was that it was now deserted even though it still shows up on various maps. The tea bushes looked pretty neglected too. Tea leaves are very sensitive and the season when they are plucked changes the taste and the purchase price.
Finally the path opened out into a steep hilly area where several hills and steep slopes seemed to meet. There was a simple monument structure that told the story. Ahead of me there were some 38 wooden pillars cut to a square cross section standing erect to a height of about four metres. The columns were placed in a figure 8 pattern, which we are told, is the horizontal 8 or math infinity symbol. Written vertically are Chinese characters on each of the four pillar faces. These give the centuries-old Heart Sutra, one of the world’s best-known prayers revered by Confucians, Buddhists and Taoists alike. The figure oo symbolizes the idea of immeasurable splendor and infinity. What I found equally interesting was that a Professor had been at Tai Shan (Mountain) in Shandong Province. At the top he had seen the Sutra chiseled into rocks. So he decided to copy it and then had it repeated in this great location. After walking to see each pillar, I took more time to walk and climb further to see the scenic views from platforms and to climb part way up the next mountain. But it became very steep and perhaps dangerous to descend again.
The full true story of the Heart Sutra can be found at website:
http://www.tourism.gov.hk/english/current/current_heart.html
Note also that more photos and info can be found by clicking on more info under the bottom photo of the website.
After more exploration and photographs, I headed back in the afternoon to the bus and then to the ferries to TST. By this time it was nearing late afternoon and I was supposed to meet Michele again. It was then that I heard the tough news from her: Michele was going to be working all evening because of the unfortunate stabbing of an outpatient by another foreign outpatient that took place in the emergency room. It made the front page of the morning paper. Since I was to be on my own, I had a quick snack for supper and then visited the Space Museum. (Surprisingly, it had been in this Museum years ago with Wendy that I had learned all about Stonehenge, in England. The ‘surprise’ was that I had been born just 30 miles from Stonehenge but nowhere had I learned the secrets. She had also taught me the three motion laws pertaining to planets, gravity and space.)
There was still much of the evening untouched but I found that I was just in time to take an after dark evening cruise around the harbour on a special Star Ferry. It was quite crowded and rather difficult to hear the commentary: However, this gave me a chance to have conversations with other tourists. One retired couple was in HK from Perth, Australia. So we shared stories about Perth, Fremantle, Rottnest Island, and even Wave Rock. (It turned out that they had a very close, long-time friend who was a Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, the next major City west of Toronto. And so, when I got back to Toronto I was able to contact him by email and he was able to get in touch again and reunite with his old friend in Perth.) Another great day!
Thursday, October 11th: This time I was heading back to familiar territory and to follow up on some WWII Canadian history that I had researched ahead of time. After breakfast I caught the ferry back to Central, and then I walked to Exchange Square. This is an interesting area unique to HK because the pedestrian walkways are above street level and typically at the first floor of all the buildings. These overhead walkways are attached to buildings with bridges to cross each intersection. They are also covered by a continuous roof; only the sides are open. The Financial district of Central is almost totally serviced by this kind of walkway. At Exchange Square is the major bus station for nearly all the bus routes in that district. From there I caught the 260 express double-decker bus to Stanley. Of interest on the way, we passed through the very long Aberdeen Tunnel, and then by way of Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay on the South side of the Island, we arrived at the famous ‘outdoor’ Stanley market. This is a market in which the narrow street and all the stores are, in effect, covered by a white tent that runs for several blocks. First, I walked all along the beach road (which is under construction to widen it) to visit the Maritime Museum in Murray House. Even though I had visited the market many times in the past, this area of Stanley was very different. For one thing, this Murray House was formerly located in Central on the other side of the island. (I would estimate that the building would be longer than a football field and about three stories high.) This entire estate was dismantled, transported, and reassembled adjacent to the beach at Stanley to preserve the history. Then adjacent to the building and jutting out into the sea is a quaint covered pier, also removed from Central and completely reassembled on this other end of the Island: A considerably large project which should be admired.
The maritime museum was very interesting, and for me, revealing. There were two parts to the display: First was the ancient conversion from a land to sea economy. Then there was the modern transition to containers. All this was revealed in large scale models and ocean displays. (Michele’s condo overlooks the new container port on the west side of Kowloon and near the two suspension bridges leading to the airport and Disneyland.) This is unbelievable in both area and the quantity of ships.)
After studying the displays in the Museum, I set out to walk to the cemetery. Signs estimated a walking journey of 20 minutes. Yes, I have been there twice before. But I never tire of visiting it again. The first time I was taken there by Michele and Fiona. Not far from the Cemetery is also the location of the Internment Camp where so many died under the Japanese occupation during WWII. The tragedy is revealed in the cement caskets: So many, especially Canadians, are buried in nameless graves. The major slaughter took place on Christmas day, Dec 25th 1941. I would rather not describe this futility of War and the arrogance and indifference of political leaders. Here are some websites:
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/pacificwar/timeline.htm
Refer to Dec 21, 1941
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Japanese_occupation_of_Hong_Kong
Refer to: Battle of Hong Kong; Stanley Internment Camp
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/singingman7/Soldier.htm
A Soldier Died Today
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/newspapers/operations/hongkong_e.html
The Tragedy for Canadian Soldiers sent unprepared to defend Hong Kong
When will we ever learn?
(It is good to note that HK has several museums related to aspects of its history. I will be describing yet another one later. However, in my previous visit in 2005, Wendy took me to a district called Shau Kei Wan. This is located on the Eastern Corridor where Victoria harbour opens to the sea at the eastern end. There is a small bay, called Aldrich Bay, and a small peninsula or headland protecting the gap. In Aldrich Bay, a group of man-made dykes or breakwaters form a typhoon shelter. Up on the headland there is a very interesting building that houses the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. From the roof of this vantage point it is possible to see a row of houses on stilts in the water along the North shore. The Museum overlooks an historical trail area and a Redoubt Area. This was once a defensive position with gun batteries.) (Incidentally, this is the only location in HK where I have seen houses standing on stilts located in the salt water; adjacent to a protective cliff.)
Finally, after returning through the Stanley market, I caught the No.6 bus back to Central via yet another route.
I still had time to spare that day and I had seen a listing of three unique Markets in the Boundary Street area. (This is the actual demarcation between the Kowloon Peninsula (ceded in perpetuity in 1860) that separated Kowloon from the New Territories (leased for 99 years, 1898 until 1997.) So I took the MRT to the Prince Edward Station. My road map was very difficult to follow because several intersections had additional diagonal roads passing through them. This was not easy to identify at the actual site. (And that reminds me of yet another feature of the Subway system. Most of the stations are very large and cover a significant area. Therefore it is easy to find an enlarged wall map of the station which also identifies significant buildings and tourist features in the area. From these it is possible to identify the closest exit to reach your desired destination. Usually the exits are identified alphabetically, A, B, C etc. Sometimes a single exit can subdivide into two or three parallel exits, identified as B1, B2, etc. From these, a passenger can usually get one’s bearings: That is, assuming that everything is identified in English. I have never seen pinyin used.)
I was looking for Tung Choi Street: It was the Gold Fish market covering two blocks at the North end of the street. It seemed that every other store on both sides sold aquariums, coral, and exotic fish. The stores were narrow and deep with wall to wall tanks. The light was dim but the water was back lit with amazing colour on the coral. Yes, it was very interesting and exciting and unusual: I would certainly like to return and take more time to discover. The selection of gold fish is certainly huge and multi-coloured.
Just a short block north, the road was identified as Flower Market Road. This also sounded interesting, so I headed towards it. The road seemed to be identified as Playing Field Road and ran along the edge of a sports stadium. But things must have changed; the flower shops were side by side along several streets and several blocks. It was like a manicured botanical garden. The cut flowers, plants, shrubs and bushes were displayed not only in the stores but right out to the middle of the roadway. Traffic was kept to one side only. How any business could make a living with so much competition and such risky products, is hard to comprehend. (The flag of Hong Kong displays a flower, named the Bauhinia. I seem to recall researching this in1997 and discovered that it was named after the creators; two brothers from Switzerland. But I do not recall ever seeing the flower; even though I have searched. Near the end of the market I was searching every store to see if I would be lucky. Finally I came to a store where there was a young woman serving and I guessed that she was from University and might speak English. So I asked her and I was right. But I was not lucky about the flower. When I asked if the store had any, she told me that it was the wrong time of the year. They only bloom in the Spring. Then she surprised me: You see that tree across the road? (It must have been 15 metres high!) That is the Bauhinia tree. Come back in the Spring!
Opposite this store was the end of the street and a high embankment. There were also steps leading up to an elevated rampart. Perhaps it had been a railway station once; but the map showed that Mong Kok Station on the KCR train line to Shenzhen was further south. So I was rather delighted to discover that I had stumbled on the third market, the Bird Market. At this elevated area it was truly picturesque. The brochure states that this charming Chinese style garden on Yuen Po Street includes some 70 song bird stalls as well as courtyards and moon gates. It was an amazing collection of anything that flies. But also of interest was something that you can witness almost anywhere in China: Elderly men often keep birds as pets: Every morning, they will carry the cage covered with a cloth, to a nearby park. There they will hang the cage on a low tree branch, uncover the cage and let their pet bird sing its heart out! I have seen as many as 50 men in groups each showing off their pet warbler to other owners. And the colours are incredible too. Here at the embankment a group of men were doing exactly the same thing. There were even tropical birds from many countries. Another thing I noticed was that some caged birds are very messy eaters. When seed is placed in the clip-on holders they seem to scatter it with flapping wings. This is the chance for the wild uncaged birds to fly in and clean up! (Apparently, there had been lots of devastation last year with the spread of the Bird Flu.)
It was now the rush hour: Back at Prince Edward Street, I watched several buses rush by, but then a 1A bus came with the sign reading Star ferry. How could I miss? So that took me home.
In the evening, I was met at the hotel by Michele and Jenny. I had told them about my experiences with vegetarian meals. So they took me to a large fancy vegetarian (secular) restaurant. How could I miss? It was absolutely delicious and interesting. But, please understand that the walking journey to reach these restaurant places is also extremely fascinating as we wind through shopping malls and underground cities.
Tomorrow would leave only three days to complete my journey. And still lots to accomplish: And still lots of catching up to do! But then, as I visited new places and checked them off my to-do list, I would discover new and fascinating places that I had never encountered before. One such location is the Kowloon walled city. (See you on the ferry again in the morning in Diary Part 12.)
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