Coming to a close. : Feb 21

A Room with a View.

A Night in the Regal Hong Kong Hotel.

20.02.2021 - 21.02.2021

Unfortunately, it is nearing the end of my holiday. Work is once again raising its ugly head. We decided for our final weekend of freedom, we would go on a one night staycation, so we booked a room in the Regal Hong Kong Hotel in Causeway Bay. Social distancing has been slightly eased here so restaurants are now allowed to open until 10pm, because of that, we decided to book an executive room with access to the club class lounge. The room plus lounge, plus breakfast cost HK$740 which is amazingly cheap. The only downside was that although this hotel has a rooftop pool, swimming pools are still all closed here, so we could not use it, could not even get to see it in fact.

Just outside the hotel is the Olympic Stairway which displays the dates and locations of Olympic games and some murals of Olympic scenes.

Olympic Stairway.

Our room was on the thirty-fourth floor of the hotel and had huge windows on two sides, so the views from it were amazing, even the bathroom had a spectacular view. In one direction we could gaze out over Causeway Bay and Victoria Harbour and in the other we could see right across Victoria Park and Tin Hau.

Hotel Lobby.

Our Room.

Our Bathroom.

Beautiful View.

We made ourselves comfortable in the room, which sadly meant drawing all the curtains as they let in so much light and heat it was dazzling. Then we went for a coffee in the club lounge on the thirty-first floor. This faced the other way from our room. It looked out over mountains, a quarry and St Paul's Convent School. I was interested to see its chapel from above. I don't think members of the public can go there.

In the Lounge.

View from the Lounge.

I wasn't feeling too full of energy as I had spent the morning cleaning my house before going to the hotel, so I decided to have a lazy day relaxing and enjoying our room. I just went out for a short walk around Victoria Park. I mainly wanted to take some photos of the plants, trees and the little statues that are dotted around the gardens. I was also pleased to see many things that have been closed for such a long time were beginning to reopen such as the model boat pond, which finally had water and people sailing their boats, the basketball courts and the football pitch, both of which were filled with people playing games or exercising.

Bauhinia Tree.

Beautiful Trees.

Bouganvillia.

Hibiscus.

Beautiful Flowers.

Flame Tree .

Beautiful Flowers.

Azalea.

Affectionate Frogs.

Bird Statue.

Horse Statues.

Model Boat Pond.

After looking at the park I went back in time to watch the sunset from our room. It was very pretty as it slowly painted the skies above Causeway Bay red.

Beautiful Sunset.

Then we returned to the club lounge for snacks and drinks. They were serving salmon sandwiches, chicken wings and strawberry cheesecake. We also had beer and white wine.

The Club Lounge.

After visiting the lounge, we returned to our room and had a look at the nighttime view when the world around us was all lit up with colourful neon lights. We left the curtains open all night to fully enjoy it.

Night Time View.

In the room at night.

Next day we had breakfast in the hotel. It should have been good, but the food on the buffet was all freezing cold. In our scientifically advanced world you would think someone could design a buffet system that actually kept food warm, but they don't seem to have. The dining room itself was very fancy and the most fun part was trying to take a selfie of both of us using the reflection from all the glass and mirrors around us.

Dining-Room.

Decorations.

Me at breakfast.

Peter at breakfast.

Selfie Time.

After breakfast I decided to take the MTR to Admiralty and take the South Island Line to Lei Tung Station. Lei Tung is on the Island of Ap Lei Chau, which is on the other side of the channel from Aberdeen which I visited when I climbed Brick Hill.

Ap Lei Chau is the third most densely populated island in the world. Its name, when translated literally, means Duck Tongue Island, due to its shape. Ap Lei Chau started out as home to small fishing villages. Later in 1968 Hongkong Electric opened a power station here, but this was relocated to Lamma Island in 1989 and the site of the power station was redeveloped into a residential area known as South Horizons. In 1983, a bridge was constructed to join Ap Lei Chau to Hong Kong Island. This paved the way for more housing to be located here.

I exited Lei Tung station and headed towards the waterfront. There is a walkway along the front with beautiful views across the boat filled waters of Aberdeen Harbour. Just like on the Aberdeen mainland side, there are lots of gardens here and statues related to the Tanka Boat People, who were the island's original inhabitants. There are also two beautiful temples, a wind tower and great views over the floating restaurants.

Beautiful Trees.

Hibiscus.

Gardens.

Decorations.

Fisherman Statue.

Fish Sellers Statues.

Boat Sculpture.

Dragon Boat Sculpture.

Dragon Boaters.

Lighthouse.

Waterfront.

Floating Restaurants at the Waterfront.

Waterfront.

Waterfront..

Waterfront.

Flying Kites.

Wind Tower Park.

Wind Tower.

Good Luck Symbol in the Park.

There is a busy temple near the sea front called Hung Shing Temple. It dates back to 1773, making it the oldest temple in the Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau.

Hung Shing Temple.

Another temple a bit further along is called the Shui Yuet Temple, which dates from the end of the nineteenth century. It has an interesting tree in front of it. It is dedicated to Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy. There was a Taoist priest performing rituals during my visit.

Shui Yuet Temple.

Before leaving Ap Lei Chau, I had a look at Ap Lei Chau main street which had some interesting looking old shops and restaurants. I also liked its murals in the MTR which were all related to fishing and the sea. Then I headed back to the hotel for final club class drinks, a last look at the view and check out.

Shops.

In the MTR station.

Final Drink Before Check-out.

Posted by irenevt 00:27 Archived in Hong Kong Comments (11)

Riding the Trails.

Following Sir Cecil's Ride from Quarry Bay to Braemar Hill.

19.02.2021 - 19.02.2021

I walked the Quarry Bay Tree Walk the other day and on route I noticed sign posts for Sir Cecil's Ride. This interested me as I recognized the name as a walk that passes near my school. While I have heard people at work mention it, I have never actually walked it, until today. In fact it is a very long walk and I only walked part of it, which I think is fair enough, as I can always do the other part later and as, unlike Sir Cecil, I wasn't on a horse!

Sir Cecil's Ride is named after Sir Cecil Clemanti, the seventeenth governor of Hong Kong. He was born in Kanpur, India on 1st September 1875 and died in High Wycombe, United Kingdom, on 5th April 1947. Sir Cecil served as Governor of Hong Kong from 1925 to 1930. He was fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin. Among other achievements here, Sir Cecil established Kai Tak Airport, which was in use until 1998. He was also one of the people who helped found the University of Hong Kong. He even wrote the words of the University Anthem which was performed at the university's opening ceremony on 11th March 1912. He was married to Marie Penelope Rose Eyres - Lady Clemanti. Together they had three daughters and one son. Both Sir Cecil and Lady Clemanti were keen horse riders and both have trails that they once loved to ride here named after them.

To get to Sir Cecil's Ride in Quarry Bay exit the MTR at exit A and turn right. Walk along King's Road until Mount Parker Road, proceed up the hill, you'll see signs for Sir Cecil's Ride on the right hand side, shortly after the Woodside Centre for Biodiversity. I took another photo of Woodside as it had been too sunny to take a good picture on my last visit. I also noticed a beautiful cotton tree just outside Woodside's grounds. I love cotton trees. I would have to say they are my favourite tree here as their flowers are just beautiful. Once their flowers fall off, they produce thousands of white seeds which cover the ground in a blanket that resembles snow or cotton wool, hence the name.

Cotton tree the flowers were way too high up to see properly.

Woodside.

The beginning of the Sir Cecil's Ride is clearly signposted but there are not too many sign posts later on. I've read so many varying accounts of this walk, I suspect everyone was doing a slightly different one. The route I chose started with rather a lot of stairs, not in one enormous staircase, but spread over several with the odd flat bit in between. Every so often there was a sitting area with a shelter and a little shrine. One shrine even had a little pool filled with golden carp. I found all these distractions helped take my mind off the steps. Eventually I reached a bridge over a stream. The water level was very low. I did not cross the stream as that way seemed to be a different trail. Next to the bridge there was a huge statue of Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy.

Sir Cecil's Ride.

Steps Up.

Kuan Yin.

Little Shrines.

Stream.

Bamboo.

Colourful Plants.

Mountain View.

Once I had dealt with all the stairs the path levelled out. Occasionally there was a glimpse of a view through the trees. Turning back there were often views of the mountains. I found many beautiful Chinese New Year flowers. These were quite hard to photograph as they always seemed to be just slightly too far over a steep edge.

Mountain Scenery.

Chinese New Year Flowers.

After a while when I was getting frustrated with just glimpses of views, I suddenly saw a sign for a view compass, so I climbed the stairs up to it and wow! It was amazing because I could see so many directions at the same time. I don't think photos do it justice. It was the best view point in Hong Kong I have ever seen.

Views from the View Compass.

After a long time spent gazing in awe at the view, I eventually tore myself away and continued on route towards Braemar Hill. I loved the rock formations I encountered on the path and I found more Chinese New Year flowers.

Rocky Paths.

Chinese New Year Flowers.

Eventually I reached a sort of cave like rock formation. This was just before I reached the stream and waterfall section of my walk, which is just above my school.

Cave like Rock Formation.

The stream area was very pretty though, as we have had little rain recently, the water levels were very low.

Bridge over the stream.

At the Stream.

There is a well known view point in this area, but I had forgotten the instructions for how to get to it. It didn't matter anyway, as it's only about twenty minutes from where I work. I did however find a different view point on a somewhat precarious ledge which also had some more beautiful Chinese New Year flowers.

View from a Ledge.

Chinese New Year Flowers.

View from a Ledge with Chinese New Year Flowers.

In fact this area was filled with beautiful plants. I even found some lovely pitcher plants. To my delight I also thought I saw another lovely cotton tree but on closer examination it was an equally lovely flame tree..

Colourful Plants.

Beautiful Wild Flowers.

Pitcher Plant.

Flame Tree.

I then wandered down from Sir Cecil's Ride and returned to civilization. Within a few minutes, I was in front of my school building. Argh!!! I hurried past. It's too early to be back there. I considered taking transport down the hill, but didn't. After all, I walk down here to the MTR every day. On the walk down I passed another cotton tree with high up flowers, but one had fallen, or been placed, conveniently on a wall, the perfect ending photo to a lovely walk.

Flower from a Cotton Tree.

Posted by irenevt 14:57 Archived in Hong Kong Comments (7)

Can't See the Wood for the Trees.

Quarry Bay Tree Walk.

17.02.2021 - 17.02.2021

Yesterday I tried to do the Tsz Lo Lan Shan Trail again. I got a bit closer. The queue for the number 6 bus was moderate when I arrived. I couldn't get on the first bus. I would have got on the second. I waited and waited for a driver and the queue behind me grew and grew. I must admit I had woken up in a grumpy impatient mood and standing there breathing in the exhaust fumes from the other buses and thinking about travelling on a bus that was sure to be packed solid in the midst of a pandemic just did not appeal to me, so I ducked under the fence and quit the line-up and headed off to do the Quarry Bay Tree Walk instead.

Getting to this walk is extremely easy. I just got on the MTR and got off at Quarry Bay, took exit A and turned right along King's Road. Within a couple of minutes there was a sign pointing up Mount Parker Road. This is the starting point for several different walks. The Quarry Bay Tree Walk is probably the easiest one, but it's still beautiful and historically very interesting, too.

Inside Quarry Bay MTR Station.

The first sight on this road is a colourful, little shrine on Mount Parker Road itself.

Mount Parker Road Shrine.

I continued up the road and after five or ten minutes arrived at Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre. This beautiful old building was originally built as a residence for senior staff of the Taikoo Sugar Refinery in the 1920's. Taikoo is the Chinese name for Swire, a huge conglomerate, that owns the land around here. Historically this area was the site of the Taikoo Dockyards, Taikoo Sugar Refinery and Swire Coca-Cola plant. When the sugar refinery ceased operations, Woodside House firstly became a space for exhibitions and concerts, then in 2012 it became the Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre, which teaches about wildlife in Hong Kong. I'd have loved to go in, mainly to see the inside of the building, but unfortunately it is shut due to covid, well isn't everything? There were some beautiful orange trees in the gardens here.

Woodside Biodiversity Centre.

Orange Trees.

A little past Woodside, on the left, I saw the entrance to the Quarry Bay Tree Walk, so I left everyone else to continue their long struggles on the uphill walks and entered a level, shaded paradise. At once my bleak spirits were lifted and I felt happy once more.

Quarry Bay Tree Walk.

The Quarry Bay Tree Walk obviously has lots of trees, but it also has much more. It has little streams, small waterfalls, flowers, interesting rock formations and lots of historical remains from World War II.

A couple of minutes into the trail I saw a ruined building covered with tree roots. There was no information about it, but due to its location it is bound to be something to do with the war.

Ruined Building.

Just past that, on the right hand side, I saw the mouth of a cave. This was probably one of the caves used as a storage area for food supplies during the war.

Cave.

Then, a little further along I came to the first of four areas here which are lined with rows of wartime stoves.

When Japan captured Guangzhou on Mainland China in 1938, Hong Kong began to prepare for a possible invasion of its territory. One of the many preparations was to create lines of stone stoves, stockpiles of provisions and air-raid shelters in the hills above Quarry Bay, as the area around Quarry Bay and Shau Kei Wan was at that time one of the most densely populated in Hong Kong. The Japanese eventually attacked Hong Kong in December 1941 and captured the city after an extremely bloody eighteen day battle. Hong Kong surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army on Christmas Day 1941. The stoves dotted around my walk were never used in the end and now they lie forgotten, neglected and filled with weeds.

Wartime Stoves.

After looking at the first set of stoves, I walked on through shady tree lined paths, stopping to admire the occasional flower or plant and the odd view of the mountains through a gap in the trees and then I came to a second area, similar to the first, and covered in wartime stoves.

Wandering the path.

Mountain View.

Beautiful Flowers. These are called Chinese New Year Flowers.

Beautiful Flowers.

The Second Set of Stoves.

Close up look inside a Stove.

After viewing these stoves, I kept on following signs for Quarry Bay Tree Route and came to a little bridge across a stream. I noticed another sign leading off to a morning walkers' trail. Sensing I was nearing the end of my walk and unwilling to finish so soon, I decided to head on up there and, guess what? I came to a third set of wartime stoves! After looking at these, I walked down to the stream. It was lined with concrete walkways. I strolled along these till I came to an amazingly peaceful area littered with rocks and huge boulders and filled with little trickling waterfalls. There were several people lazing around chilling here and some children splashing around in the water.

Sign posts.

Continuing on the Trail.

It's a Jungle Out There.

Berries.

Colourful Plants.

Flowers.

Moss Covered Rock.

Bridge Over Stream.

Top of the Bridge.

Morning Walkers' Trail.

Looking inside at third set of stoves.

Third Set of Ovens.

Rocky Stream.

Walking along the Sides of the Stream.

The Stream.

Huge Boulders in the Stream.

Boulder Strewn Stream.

Stream.

Boulder Strewn Stream.

After wandering along the stream, I returned to the bridge and headed across it. On the other side there was a barbecue site, naturally it was closed at the moment. At this site there were additional ovens, though only two survived at this spot. The best thing about the barbecue site though was there was a massive sleeping wild boar here and not far from it roamed its more active companion who was scavenging for food. People were nervously photographing it and it was blissfully ignoring all of us. Every now and then it would step a little closer to us in its search for food and we would all gasp and take a step backwards.

Barbecue Site.

Only two stoves remain here.

Wild Boar.

After watching the boars for some time, I wandered on. I was nearing the end of the walk now, but saw a couple more overgrown remains which again I'm assuming date from war time, though I really don't know. I also saw a cute little bird and lots of beautiful, colourful flowers. Some of the flowers were wild flowers on the walk and some were in the residential areas around Kornhill where the walk ends

More root covered remains.

Bird, possibly an oriental magpie robin.

Hibiscus.

Flowers.

Bauhinia.

Flowers.

More Remains.

Back in civilisation I was greeted with the sight of graffiti, shiny glass buildings, residential blocks and a colourful school.

Colourful School.

Walk Finished OK.

Shiny Buildings.

I got on the MTR and headed towards Tung Chung to do some shopping before going home. At Tung Chung I noted a couple of stained glass decorations that I liked the look of.

Tung Chung.

Posted by irenevt 12:40 Archived in Hong Kong Comments (6)

Bricks and Water.

Climbing Brick Hill and Wandering around Aberdeen.

15.02.2021 - 15.02.2021

Yesterday I set out to walk the Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path from Wong Nai Cheung Reservoir to Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir, but it was not to be. When I arrived at Exchange Square Bus Station to board the number 6 bus to the start of the walk, I was greeted by chaos. The queue for the bus snaked round and round. Every now and then as a bus prepared to leave, the people at the front stopped boarding, preferring to wait for the next bus where they'd definitely get a seat. This in turn caused those at the back of the queue, who knew they'd be standing in line for hours, to surge forward and fight to get on. People were pushing, screaming, jumping barriers. It all looked rather insane. I could think of nothing worse than joining this melee, so I had to replan my day. I decided to go and climb Nam Long Shan.

Nam Long Shan is known in English as Brick Hill and to get to the start of this walk I only had to get to Wong Chuk Hang MTR Station on the South Island Line. Getting anywhere in Hong Kong by MTR is easy and fast, so it was obviously the sensible thing to do.

Wong Chuk Hang literally means Yellow Bamboo Grove. Hong Kong is mainly mountainous, but there was some flat land in this area, so as far back as the 1860's Wong Chuk Hang became home to a small farming community who grew crops and raised livestock. Later, after the Second World War, Mainland Chinese refugees flooded into Hong Kong and many new textiles, electronics and plastics factories were set up here. By the late 1980's there were almost two thousand factories in Wong Chuk Hang. Gradually, over the course of the next decade or so, these factories began to relocate to Guangdong where labour costs were cheaper and Wong Chuk Hang went into a state of decline. However, its fortunes changed again when the MTR decided to build the South Island Line and open a station here. The area's new accessibility made it a much more desirable place to live and a process of gentrification began. Wong Chuk Hang nowadays has lots of cutting-edge art galleries, showrooms, and creative studios.

I exited the station through exit B and found myself in front of the Tai Wong Ye Temple. I am not knowledgeable about Taoism but have been visiting a lot of Chinese temples recently. It seems to me, and apologies if I'm wrong, that most Chinese gods and goddesses were actually real people who did something good or kind or brave in their lifetime then were deified after their death. There seem to be several stories about Tai Wong Ye. One story describes him as the god of plague, who once saved people from a fatal epidemic, quite fitting nowadays. Another story regards him as the patron saint of fishermen. Either way his temple was well worth a visit. The temple is located at the junction of Heung Yip and Nam Long Shan Roads at a place where a statue of Tai Wong Ye was discovered in the early 1900's.

Tai Wong Ye Temple.

To start my hike I walked past the Nam Long Shan Cooked Food Market onto Nam Long Shan Road and turned right. The road sloped gradually uphill and I soon reached a bus station and the Singapore International School. I passed the front of this building and soon reached the Canadian International School followed by the Leo Lee Art Centre. Soon I was at a viewpoint with spectacular views over Aberdeen Marina.

Aberdeen Marina.

A short distance after the viewpoint there is a stairway with a sign-post marked Nam Long Shan Rest Garden 50 metres. This is the beginning of the Nam Long Shan Hike. Nam Long Shan is called Brick Hill in English, perhaps because of its brick-coloured, reddish soil. The southern slope of this hill is occupied by Ocean Park. Every post I read about this hike mentions hearing the excited screams from the people enjoying the rides in Ocean Park, but, of course due to covid, Ocean Park is currently shut. Just as I was about to start walking on the trail, I saw a wild boar on the other side of the road, but it had gone before I could photograph it. Later I saw a mummy boar snuggled up in the shade with her two babies, so I got my photo after all. At the rest garden there is a pagoda with some seats. Behind it there is a long staircase and I began my upwards climb. This long first set of steps are regular and very easy to walk on.

Everything I have read describes this as an easy trail, but yesterday was extremely hot and one disadvantage of this walk was it has very little shade. Any time there was shade, three thousand Hong Kongers were already occupying it. Needless to say I ended up rather sun struck. It was still a fantastic walk though as the stunning views made up for any discomforts.

Sign Post.

Nam Long Shan Rest Garden.

Wild Boars.

Views.

One of the things I liked most about this walk was that there were little paths where you could step off the stairway and look over the views. Dotted around these paths were large numbers of little shrines, filled with images of gods and goddesses, Buddhas, incense and offerings.

Shrines.

The regular stairs lead up to a crowded pavilion with wonderful views in all directions. There were some beautiful flowering trees here, too.

The Pavilion on the way up wasn't too bad.

But on the way down. Hey you, get out of my shade.

Beautiful Views from the Pavilion.

The next stretch of the walk was harder to walk on as the stairs were more basic and were broken in parts. There were several beautiful flowers here and lots of butterflies. Again there were many shrines and interesting rock formations which I think will end up as shrines. There were also lines of prayer flags blowing in the wind, making me feel like I was in Nepal or Tibet and, of course, there were more stunning views. Whenever there was a flat area at the side of the steps, everyone was taking photos.

These stairs are harder to walk on.

Rough Stairs.

Flowers.

Berries.

Flowers and Butterflies. Apparently the flower is known as a fried egg flower and the butterfly is a Jezebel butterfly.

Beautiful Flowers.

Whenever there is a flat area everyone is taking photos.

At times the path gets crowded.

Prayer Flags.

A Shrine in the making.

This is where I am heading.

Views.

Looking down on Ocean Park.

The rough stairs continued for a while, then became a rough reddish path which finally reached a helipad. From the helipad there were sensational views including some looking out over Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay and some looking over Lamma Island.

On the Helipad.

View over Deep Water Bay.

View over Lamma Island.

View Over Lamma Island.

Then there was a final set of regular stairs to the very top of the hill. Brick Hill is 284 metres high. Its summit is covered with cell towers, antennas and control stations, but you can slip past these to see more views. There is a trignometrical station right at the back of the summit.

The final set of stairs to the top.

View over Helipad and Ocean Park.

View over Ocean Park and the Helipad.

The Trigonometrical Station.

Coming Back down.

I really had way too much sun on this walk. The only sensible thing I could do was get into the shade and cool down, but, although I knew this, I foolishly continued on towards Aberdeen to take a look around there, too.

Aberdeen is named in memory of George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen in Scotland. It is famous for its floating villages and floating seafood restaurants and was historically home to the boat dwelling Tanka people. Prior to being called Aberdeen, this area was known as Hong Kong Tsuen, which means Fragrant Harbour Village as it traded in incense trees. In the early nineteenth century foreign sailors who landed near this village mistakenly thought this name referred to the whole island and that's how Hong Kong got its name.

I began by looking at Aberdeen Marina. On the way there I passed a school that was beautifully decorated for Chinese New Year plus had a fantastic display of artwork.

Artistic School.

Right in the middle of Aberdeen Harbour, just behind the marina, is the Jumbo Kingdom. This consists of two floating restaurants: the Tai Pak Restaurant which dates back to 1957 and the Jumbo Restaurant which was built in 1976. In 1971 shortly after construction of the Jumbo Restaurant began, a huge fire broke out killing 34 people and leaving 42 badly injured. This deterred the owner from completing the project. He sold the restaurants to Macau businessman Stanley Ho. The restaurants are designed to look like Ancient Chinese imperial palaces. They are built on huge rafts and attached by a walkway. The Jumbo alone cost HK$30 million to build and can house two thousand diners at one time. You can get to the restaurant by a free boat from Shum Wan Pier. Famous people who have dined here include Queen Elizabeth II, Tom Cruise, David Bowie, Gong Li and Bruce Lee.

Jumbo Restaurant from The Marina.

The Marina.

I had hoped to be able to walk along the marina all the way to the promenade, and maybe you can, but part of the way along, I reached a part that looked blocked off and had ferocious barking dogs. I'm not sure if they could have got out and I wasn't prepared to find out so I beat a hasty retreat and headed back to the MTR and approached the promenade down a waterway from there. On the way I passed a stall selling paper offerings. Chinese people buy paper models of things: houses, mobile phones, cars, then burn them in the belief that they will go to their ancestors, ensuring they have all the mod cons in the afterlife. I also saw a very fancy looking church on the hill and a beautiful flowering bauhinia tree.

From the MTR.

Walkway to Aberdeen from Wong Chuk hang MTR.

Paper Offerings.

Holy Spirit Seminary.

Beautiful Bauhinia Tree.

One of the best things to do in Aberdeen is to stroll along its promenade which is lined with boats, including many house boats and fish stalls. It is possible to catch a sampan to Ap Lei Chau from here or a ferry to Lamma Island. On the inner land side of the promenade there are gardens, seating areas, statues, a dragon boat and displays about life in old Aberdeen.

House Boats.

On the Promenade.

Old Pictures of Aberdeen.

Old Pictures of Aberdeen

Old Pictures of Aberdeen.

Fish Market.

Fisherman Statue on the Promenade.

Fishermen Statue on the Promenade.

Anchor on the Promenade.

Dragon Boat.

Colourful Trees on the Promenade.

When I had finished walking the promenade, I crossed the road using an elevated walkway and looked at Aberdeen Town. It had many shops and restaurants a square known as Aberdeen Square and a beautiful Tin Hau Temple.

Shops in the centre.

Aberdeen Square.

Aberdeen's Tin Hau Temple was built using funds pooled by the Aberdeen fishermen in 1851. It is dedicated to Tin Hau, goddess of the sea and is very popular with the Tanka people who are traditionally fishermen.

Tin Hau Temple.

Tiger, Tin Hau Temple.

Dragon, Tin Hau Temple.

Tin Hau Temple.

Although it was not far back to Wong Chuk Hang MTR station, I was really tired and sun struck by this stage, so I jumped on a minibus to Kennedy Town to save me having to walk. I was glad I did as the minibus went round the western coast of Hong Kong Island through Pokfulam and Cyberport and had great views towards Lamma Island.

Posted by irenevt 14:00 Archived in Hong Kong Comments (4)

A Night in the Harbour Grand.

Fortress Hill and North Point.

12.02.2021 - 13.02.2021

For the first day of the Year of the Ox we decided to stay in the Harbour Grand Hotel in Fortress Hill. This is a lovely hotel located very conveniently between Fortress Hill MTR exit A and Victoria Harbour.

Fortress Hill nowadays is largely residential. This area takes its name from an artillery battery which was built here in 1880 by the British. The battery was located at a point now known as Fort Street, but it has long since been demolished.

The Harbour Grand Hotel is located on Oil Street. Fortress Hill has an Oil Street and a Shell Street because it was once the site of an oil depot that was established here by the Royal Dutch Oil Company in 1897.

A little worryingly to get into the hotel, we had to stand in front of a machine and turn around while it sprayed us all over with disinfectant - such is life during covid. The receptionist at the hotel was very welcoming and friendly, we were instantly given a late check-out to 2pm without even having to ask. We were also given a free upgrade to a deluxe room. Our room was very quiet and comfortable with good views over the harbour.

Exterior View of Our Hotel.

Our Room.

Some old pictures of the area in our room.

View from our window.

Beautiful spring flowers in the lobby.

Hotel decorations.

After check-in I had a rushed look around as we had to go out and eat by 4.30pm at the latest since all restaurants currently close at 6pm. We decided to eat in a Belgian restaurant called Frites which was quite close to our hotel. This restaurant has a wide selection of Belgian beers and is modelled on a traditional 1920's Belgian beer hall. We both drank leffe blonde. Peter ate Pizza Margherita and I had a vegetarian spaghetti Bolognese. We also had a portion of frites with mayonnaise. The service was pleasant and friendly. The food tasted nice. I don't know whether it was just eating too much, too early or what, but after the meal, I had a really upset tummy which was so painful it kept me awake most of the night.

Enjoying a leffe blonde.

Frites with mayonnaise.

Pizza and Frites.

Restaurant decor.

Opposite this restaurant there is an old building dating from 1908, which was the Headquarters and Clubhouse of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club for thirty years. The headquarters were moved to Kellet Island when land reclamation caused this site to be rather too far inland for a yacht club. It is now a visual arts venue called Oi! because it is on Oil Street. I liked the look of the building but could not visit as places like this are shut due to covid.

Oi!

And at night.

After dinner we returned to the hotel and, to be honest, my stomach was so sore I did not want to do anything but I forced myself to go out.

First I went up to the 41st floor of our hotel to a restaurant and lounge called le188°. This was closed but no-one minded if I took photos of the views which were beautiful, but there was a terrible reflection so it was a bit hard to take decent photos there.

View from le 188°.

I then looked at some sights that I also revisited next day and photographed some Chinese New Year decorations.

Chinese New Year Flowers.

Lai See Packets and Spring Blossom.

Lanterns.

Kumquat Tree.

Lanterns.

Decorations.

Lanterns.

Dragons and Oxen.

Next day I set out to look at Fortress Hill and neighbouring North Point. I work in North Point, well at least in Braemar Hill, which is on the hill behind North Point. When I finish work, I walk down to North Point MTR station every day.

North Point was home to the Hong Kong Electric Company which started operation in 1919. As a result there are still streets here named Electric Road and Power Street. In 1938 a Refugee Camp was built in North Point to cope with the influx of refugees from Mainland China. Later, during the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong in World War II, this camp was used as a prisoner of war camp for captured Canadian soldiers. During the Chinese Civil War so many wealthy people from Shanghai fled to North Point to start their new lives that this area became known as Little Shanghai. The school I work in, Kiangsu and Chekiang Primary School, was founded in North Point in 1953 by these Shanghainese immigrants. This was the first school in Hong Kong to use Mandarin as the major medium of instruction. Following the Shanghainese influx, Fujian emigrants also flooded into this area, this is why North Point has a very Chinese flavour.

My first sight was in Fortress Hill. It is a stairway decorated with chequered patterns of blues and greens that has become very popular on Instagram. Personally I walk down it if I go home from work via the supermarket that sells Tesco products.

Staircase by Day.

And by Night.

The staircase is located on King's Road which is the main road passing through Fortress Hill and North Point. It begins in Tin Hau and stretches all the way to Sai Wan Ho. This road was called King's Road in 1935 in honour of the Silver Jubilee of King George V.

When the Chinese flooded into North Point from Shanghai and Fujian, they brought with them lots of culture and traditions. North Point became famous as an entertainment area and was home to two theatres. The first of these I saw was the State Theatre. This opened in 1952 as the Empire Theatre, then following renovation, re-opened as the State Theatre in 1959. The State Theatre was a cinema and an arts and cultural venue. British composer Benjamin Britten once performed here. Above the front doors of the theatre there is a mural depicting Diaochan, one of Ancient China’s Four Beauties, created by artist Mei Yutian. The theatre has a special parabolic rooftop that is considered unique. However, nowadays the building is quite run down and at one point it was even threatened with demolition. A campaign was launched to save it and it has now become a listed building. The State Theatre was featured in the 1978 film 'Game of Death' starring Bruce Lee.

The State Theatre.

Next I followed the tram tracks as they left King's Road and headed round the corner, then turned right into Chun Yeung Street. This was my favourite part of North Point. Chun Yeung Street has a colourful, crowded wet market and the tram goes right through the centre of it. Every time a tram comes, shoppers need to get out of its way. It's great fun to watch, though not as dangerous as it sounds, as the tram comes through slowly and may even have to stop due to delivery loads of produce being brought to the market. Still I think it takes a great photo. This area is nicknamed Little Fujian as it has many inhabitants who originally came from this area and sells food stuffs from there, too.

Here it comes.

Watch out for that tram.

Colourful Wet Market.

I was there the night before too.

I followed the tramline back to King's Road to take a look at the Chinese Goods Centre, which is known locally as Wah Fung. When it opened in 1963, this was Hong Kong's largest department store. It stocks weird and wonderful Chinese things such as calligraphy brushes and acupuncture models, but it is most famous for being part of Kiu Kwan Mansion. This building was once a hideout for underground communists during the 1967 anti-British riots.

Chinese Goods Store.

I then went to Marble Street Market, which is just across the road from Chun Yeung Market. This market mainly has clothes, bags, accessories. I sometimes buy things from here for my sewing eca or for arts and crafts at school.

Marble Street Market.

Then I returned to King's Road again to photograph the second of North Point's theatres - the Sunbeam Theatre. This was founded by a group of Shanghai emigrants in 1972. It is designed specifically for Cantonese Opera performances and has a grand auditorium with 1044 seats.

The Sunbeam Theatre.

Next I passed Java Road Market and Cooked Food Centre. Inside here you will find Tung Po Cantonese Kitchen. Its owner and chef, Robbie Cheung, is famous for dancing while serving customers and opening beer bottles with chopsticks, oh and cooking delicious food, too. Anthony Bourdain visited this restaurant on an episode of his 'No Reservations' show.

Java Road Market and Cooked Food Centre.

I next took a look around Harbour North. This was hosting or rather had just hosted an exhibition on Cat Art by a Japanese artist called Shu Yamamoto who redraws famous paintings with cats instead of people. There were huge pink cat displays outside, too. These were lit up at night. There were still many Christmas trees around, as lots of Chinese people put up decorations before Christmas and leave them up till after Chinese New Year since these festivals are fairly close together.

Cat Art Display at night.

Christmas trees at night.

Advertising Cat Art.

And God created cats.

Mona Lisa Cat.

Cat Art.

Cat Art by day.

Bored with all the attention.

After that I went to look at North Point Ferry Pier and the waterfront. Unfortunately, for North Point while lots of Hong Kong now has a waterfront promenade, a major road is built above the water here which makes the view a little strange.

Waterfront by day.

Ferries.

Waterfront at night.

Sea Eagle.

From North Point Ferry Pier there are ferries to Kwun Tong, Kowloon City and Hung Hom. There are also fancy ferries which do harbour cruises. Another thing that makes the pier well worth a visit is that it is lined with stalls selling fresh seafood.

Seafood Stall.

Fresh seafood.

Fresh Seafood.

Fresh seafood.

The one that got away.

The waterfront promenade was a popular place even though it faced onto a major road. Many people were sitting relaxing here. There was an area specially for walking your dog. There were many flowers and there were a huge number of butterflies. I've noticed this everywhere in Hong Kong this year.

Take your dog for a walk.

Beautiful Flowers.

Butterfly and Flowers.

Take your Butterfly for a walk.

Beautiful Flowers.

I wanted to walk along the waterfront to Quarry Bay from here, but I had to come inland for a while as the waterfront promenade gets taken over by roads and buildings. I passed a very colourful school and lots of ultra-modern shiny buildings before reaching Quarry Bay Promenade. Here I could enjoy harbour views without any roads blocking the way. I then walked along the promenade to Quarry Bay Park which has a retired fire boat called the Alexander Grantham. This is used to house exhibitions, but is currently closed due to covid. The Alexander Grantham was built by Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Co Ltd and went into service in 1953. It later became the flagship of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department fighting fires and conducting rescue operations before being decommissioned in 2002. After looking at this, I then walked along a very elaborate walkway inland to Taikoo Shing. Taikoo is the Chinese name for a huge company known as Swire. Shing means city, so Taikoo Shing is the city belonging to Swires. At one time there was a huge dockyard here and a sugar refinery and a coco-cola plant. Taikoo Shing is mainly residential and has a huge shopping mall called City Plaza which has an ice-skating rink.

Colourful School.