Springing Back Into Action.
Dining out and visiting Kadoorie Farm.
25.01.2023 - 03.02.2023
Beautiful Spring Blossom Against a Bright Blue Sky at Kadoorie Farm.
I admit it, I am now officially a delicate princess. I have been in hibernation for most of the Chinese New Year Holiday, because I am so used to being able to visit places when they are not too busy that I can't bear to share them with crowds again! So for about a week and a half, I did not do much at all. That is, I didn't go and explore anywhere, but I did meet up with several friends.
First, we got together with our friend, Bonnie, and for a variety of reasons, very belatedly celebrated Christmas in a Thai restaurant in Discovery Bay! The food there is always excellent. We had pork with garlic and black pepper, green curry with pork and a rice dish. Then, we met up with our friend Agnes in the Outback in Tung Chung. It was very busy there. The food was good, but the service was quite slow and the beer was definitely off. After that I went to Whampoa, where my friend Janet works, and we had lunch in the Dockside Food Court in the Kerry Hotel. I had Thai green curry with chicken and Janet had a minced pork dish. We also had Thai fish cakes. The food was very good and the beer was, too. The food court did Indian, Thai, Chinese and Western and probably more that I have forgotten.
Janet and I after the meal.
Street art Whampoa.
As I was early for meeting Janet, I had a look around Hutchinson Park again. It wasn't as nice as it was the first time when I came here with my friend, Iris, as the pond was drained for cleaning. I couldn't help wondering what happens to all the fish when they do this. I can only assume they are all in a tiny undrained area for a while. As well as people wandering across the almost empty pond to clean it, there was a hopeful cat prancing around it too, presumably looking for all the marooned fish.
Hutchinson Park through a moon gate.
A drained pond.
After the meal, I decided instead of going straight home, I would walk to Hoi Sham Park. I thought I could do this along the front, as l could see it clearly in the distance, but I had to go inland for most of it, as there was a construction site on the waterfront. I passed some interesting murals about Hong Kong industry on the inland route.
Fashion.
Fashion.
Fashion.
Movies.
I've been to Hoi Sham Park before and just took another quick look at Fish Tail Rock and the pier. This is a pleasant park, well-used by the locals, but quite small
Fish tail Rock, Hoi Sham Park.
The Pier at Hoi Sham Park.
Then on Thursday 2nd February I thought: 'Everyone should be back at work now; it's safe to go out sightseeing.' So, I decided to visit Kadoorie Farm. I've been here before on school trips and, although it is interesting, I didn't expect it to be all that popular.
Kadoorie Farm is located about half way between Yuen Long and Tai Po, not too far from the wishing trees I visited recently. I went there by 64K bus from Kam Sheung Road MTR and got off at the Kadoorie Farm bus stop. I arrived about five minutes after opening time and expected to be practically the first person there. I couldn't believe my eyes, there was a queue stretching for miles, all the way down the road. Hundreds of people were there, so much for avoiding the crowds!! I normally don't queue for things and I was tempted to head off and do something else, but I had come such a long way and Kadoorie Farm is in the middle of nowhere, so I joined the queue and stood in it for around half an hour just to get in!! I asked one of the workers there why it was so busy and was told it was because it was spring blossom season. I vaguely remembered reading that there was spring blossom here, but had no idea it was so popular.
Kadoorie Farm occupies one hundred and forty-eight hectares of land on the northern slopes of Tai Mo Shan, the tallest mountain in Hong Kong. It was created in 1956 by two brothers from the prestigious Kadoorie Family: Sir Horace and Lord Lawrence. The Kadoories are one of Hong Kong's wealthiest families. They own the Peninsula Hotel and the China Light and Power Company, among other things. They are Iraqi Jews, originally from Baghdad, though the family have also lived in Mumbai and Shanghai. A few years after the Second World War the Kadoorie brothers decided to try and help the floods of refugees fleeing the civil war in China, so they started a farm and created the Agricultural Aid Association to teach these refugees about farming. Their idea was that if the refugees had farming skills, they could become self sufficient.
Statue of Sir Horace Kadoorie near the entrance.
The farm has many different parts to it. I couldn't visit them all on one day and may well go back again in a less busy season. The lower farm area has a lot of different animals. Almost all of these animals are rescue animals, though some like the flamingos were given as gifts. The rescue animals may have been injured, or have been freed from illegal animal smugglers, or have been unwanted pets. Among the animals there are: monkeys, pigs, chickens, birds of prey, parrots, owls and reptiles. I was particularly interested in seeing the native Hong Kong mammals. I managed to see barking deer and a leopard cat. I think there may also be a masked civet cat, but I didn't see this.
Barking deer are supposed to be relatively common here, but they are very shy, so they are seldom seen. I have heard them near where I live, but never seen them in the wild.
Barking deer.
Barking deer.
Barking deer.
Leopard cats are native to Hong Kong, too, but are nocturnal and fairly shy so are also rarely seen. There is a story here, possibly an urban myth, about two terrified hikers who encountered one and thought it was a tiger. Fortunately, they are a lot smaller and less dangerous than tigers! Leopard cats are about the same size as a large domestic cat. Their bodies are normally around forty to sixty centimetres long and they weigh around two to three kilos. They live in forests and feed on rodents, birds and frogs.
Leopard cat.
Leopard cat.
I had originally intended to take the shuttle bus all the way up to the top of the farm, but as it seemed to be mainly sold out, I decided just to walk. I kept following signs for the Kadoorie Brothers' Pavilion, which is about ninety minutes walk uphill from the entrance. I passed several colourful examples of animal art decorating the walls of the lower farm as I walked.
Animal Art Monkeys.
Animal Art Deer.
Animal Art Quotations.
Animal Art Oxen.
To begin with I headed up the Butterfly Path. This is a steep set of stairs through the forest. All around me everything was calming and green and I had soon left the crowds behind.
Sign for Butterfly Path.
Butterfly Path.
Stairs on Butterfly Path.
Eventually my path lead me to the Convent Garden, which is a lovely place to sit down and have a picnic, surrounded by peace and quiet. I was curious about why this area was called Convent Garden and later discovered it was because at one time it was covered with nun orchids.
Sign for Convent Garden.
Convent Garden.
Picnic tables in Convent Garden.
Picnic tables in Convent Gardens.
From there I continued onto the Fern Walk, but encountered a school filming a dance routine there, so I had to turn back. However, I walked through here later on.
Sign for Fern Walk.
Plants in Fern Walk.
Plants in Fern Walk.
Fern Walk.
Fern Walk.
Fern Walk.
On the walk up, I got my first sight of spring blossom. There were lots of people around taking photos.
People photographing blossom.
Selfie with blossom.
I continued on to the Orchid Garden. This also had beautiful blossom, but the orchids were not flowering at this time of year.
Orchid Garden Sign.
Orchid Garden.
At one point, I reached sign post corner where a huge sign post points out the distance between Kadoorie Farm and many international cities. Apparently this was inspired by a relic from 1950's Britain.
International Sign Post at Sign Post Corner.
I decided to stop following the signs for the Kadoorie Brothers' Pavilion and head instead towards the Kwun Yum statue, as I wanted to see this, too. Before I reached the statue, I came to the T.S. Woo Memorial Pavilion, located in an area full of blossom laden trees. Most of these are Taiwanese cherry trees. It was this that people had come for and it was very busy. T.S. Woo was the first farm manager at Kadoorie Farm. He helped lay out the farm and worked towards fulfilling its aim of educating refugees about farming. There were two different kinds of blossom here.
The T. S. Woo Memorial Pavilion.
Light pink blossom.
Light Pink Blossom.
Light pink blossom.
Light pink blossom.
Dark pink blossom.
Dark pink blossom.
Dark pink blossom.
Dark pink blossom.
Dark pink blossom.
I was really pleased to see that several people had dressed up in traditional Chinese clothes and were having their photos taken with the trees. I took some pictures of them, too.
Posing in Chinese costume.
Posing in Chinese costumes.
Posing in Chinese costumes.
Posing in Chinese costumes.
I noticed there was a path from here up to the Sky Walk and the pavilion I wanted to see, but I decided to continue onto the Kwun Yum statue first. This is located on top of a mountain. Near the foot of the mountain are the Dragon and Phoenix Pillars. These symbolise prosperity, longevity and harmony.
Kwun Yum is the goddess of mercy. Her statue is at the top of a very steep hill. At the foot of the Kwun Yum Mountain are the Dragon and Phoenix Pillars. These symbolise prosperity, longevity and harmony.
Pillars at the bottom of Kwun Yum Mountain.
Pillars at the foot of The Kwun Yum Mountain.
Chinese character near Kwun Yum statue.
Meaning of the Chinese symbol.
As I puffed and panted my way up the steep hill, I could see the bright colours of the cherry blossoms splashed around the surrounding greenery.
Looking down at the blossom from the Kwun Yum Mountain.
The Kwun Yum statue is located on top of Kwun Yum Mountain about 550m above sea level. People come here to pray for fertility and bountiful harvests. Apparently, there are hot pots next to the statue where hot air escapes from cracks in the mountainside. On cold days this creates a rather atmospheric mist known as dragon's breath.
Kwun Yum statue sign.
Kwun Yum statue.
Kwun Yum statue.
The views from the top of the hill are very expansive and would be wonderful on a clear day when apparently it is possible to see all the way to Shenzhen. Unfortunately, it was quite hazy during my visit. Well, you can't have everything, can you?
The Views from the Kwun Yum Mountain.
The Views from the Kwun Yum Mountain.
After wandering around the top of this mountain, I returned to the area with all the blossom and walked through it again. The dancing school girls I had seen earlier had arrived here and were dancing away again. I continued on up a steep staircase, consisting of a few hundred stairs. At the top, I could go right and walk to the Kadoorie Brothers' Pavilion in one hour via the Sky Walk, or I could turn left and reach the same place in ten minutes. I had already walked a long way, so I had no hesitation in taking the easy option. What a lazy bum I am!
Dancing school girls.
Dancers.
It did not take too long to reach the Kadoorie Brothers' Memorial Pavilion. To get to it I walked through an elegant moon gate. Apparently the Chinese inscription here says: "Clouds and mist float under the pavilion and birds sing to your heart".
Sign for the Kadoorie Brothers' Memorial Pavilion.
Moon Gate at the Kadoorie Brothers' Memorial Pavilion.
Moon Gate.
This pavilion was built in 1997 to commemorate Lord Lawrence Kadoorie who passed away in 1993 and Sir Horace Kadoorie who passed away in 1995. The twin roofs of the pavilion symbolise how close the two brothers were. If you look up into the rafters, there is a carving of a little mouse. This represents Horace's playfulness and love of children. In 2014 a carving of the musical score of Chopin's Nocturne, Opus 9 No. 2 was added to the pavilion, in memory of Lawrence's wife, Lady Muriel Kadoorie.
The Kadoorie Brothers' Pavilion.
Kadoorie Brothers'Memorial Pavilion.
The mouse in the Kadoorie Brothers' Pavilion.
Musical score for Lady Muriel.
There were lots of people inside the pavilion having a picnic. I wandered around on the short circular path and found some other memorials. I believe one was for Sir Michael Kadoorie's wife Betty, who died in 2021. She was originally from Cuba. They had three children together.
Memorial for Michael Kadoorie's wife, Betty.
After looking around this area and having a short rest, I began to walk back down to the lower farm. My route took me past good views of the Kwun Yum Mountain. I could really see how steep it was from here. No wonder I was struggling on the climb up.
The road down.
The Kwun Yum Mountain seen from near the Kadoorie Brothers' Memorial Pavilion.
View of Kwun Yum Mountain from near the Kadoorie Brothers' Memorial Pavilion.
There was lots of lovely yellow and white blossom all around me as I walked down the road back towards the lower farm. The air was fragrant with it.
Beautiful yellow blossom.
Yellow blossom.
Close up of the blossom.
Close up of the blossom.
Gorgeous white blossom.
Gorgeous white blossom.
I loved all the road signs I was passing, telling drivers to go slow due to all the creatures that live in the wilds of this area. Most of them are nocturnal. I didn't see any except some birds and insects. I heard lots of rustling in the bushes though.
Don't disturb the pangolins.
Take care not to knock down the barking deer.
Don't drive into the wild boar.
Be aware of the amphibian and reptile life all around you.
I also saw lots of lovely swaying silver grass. The sun had come out and the skies were blue. It was paradise.
Yellow leaves, blue skies.
Silver grass.
Silver grass.
As the road descended, I passed by an area of terraced farmland. There were many people working in the fields here. I believe all the produce here is organic. I laughed when I saw one of the workers check their mobile phone. It just didn't go with the rural image inside my brain.
Workers in the fields.
Workers in the fields. This one is having rather incongruously is having a quick look at his mobile phone.
Workers in the fields.
Organic farms.
At one point, I passed a wide patch of autumn leaves. It felt strange, because it's winter; I'd just been looking at spring blossom and suddenly I see all these autumn leaves. Three seasons at one time.
Autumn leaves in winter, not far from spring blossoms.
Eventually, I left the road and went back on the forest paths again. Everything around me was green and all I could hear was trickling water, the buzzing of insects and the songs of birds.
Jungle scenery.
Jungle scenery.
Bridge.
After a while I came to a Golden Pavilion. Apparently it is worthwhile coming here in autumn when a nearby Ginko tree turns yellow and sheds its leaves on the roof of the pavilion.
Sign for The Golden Pavilion.
The Golden Pavilion.
Later I passed by Rainbow Walk. I didn't actually follow it, as it was heading back up the way I had just come down, but I will remember it for my next visit. It follows the stream that cascades down the mountainside in a series of mini waterfalls.
Stream.
Stream.
Stream.
Fellow Hikers.
Bridge.
Back in the Lower Farm, I visited the flamingos, raptors, owls and parrots
Flamingos.
Great Grey Owl.
Horned Owl.
Birds of prey. I think this is a hawk.
Birds of prey.
I saw some more lovely camelias. I encountered the school girl dancers yet again. They were still dancing away and still being filmed. They must have been exhausted by the end of the day.
Camelias.
There was plenty more I wanted to see, such as the Post Office Pillars, the monkeys and the reptiles, but by this stage, I had been walking around for five hours and to be honest I was pretty tired. I decided to call it a day and head home. I had had a very pleasant re-entry to the outside world.
Contented Selfie.
Posted by irenevt 05:00 Archived in Hong Kong Comments (5)