Hongkong - Peak and Protests

So, I visited Hongkong at the end of October.  It was a family visit - my mother and I stayed for a few days with my brother-in-law who is now based in Hongkong.  My sister joined us over the weekend as well.

We spent a few leisurely days wandering around Hongkong.  I've been a few times but can't really call myself a frequent visitor, so it was nice to visit new places and revisit old ones.

Journey on the Peak Tram

We spent our first morning visiting the Peak.  We were warned about the long queues for the peak tram but to our surprise, it was not too bad.  We managed to board the first train which came and chugged up, against what mut have been a 45 degree incline as the photo indicates.  Once on top, a panoramic view greeted us - the splendour of Central Hongkong, with a view of Kowloon on the other side.  

View from the Peak

We walked around for a bit, had lunch at Mak's Noodles and then made our way down via the little mini-bus.  In the past it was only the British colonial rulers who stayed here, up where the temperatures were cooler in the heat of a Hongkong summer, in splendid isolation away from the locals.  Today, it continues to be a very desirable and exclusive place to stay.  With the hill behind and the water in front, it's really good from the feng shui perspective too!  The downside?  From the mini bus, we could see the very steep roads going to some of the houses though - it's a tough climb for those going on foot.  

The Star Ferry

The mini-bus dropped us at Central and we walked over to take the Star Ferry over to Kowloon.  My
mother was pleased to see that actually senior citizens could travel for free!  We had Octopus cards handy though, so we paid the princely sum of HK$3.50 each to take one of the most iconic ferry journeys in the world. 

I had a purchase to make in Tsim Sha Tsui - cookies from "Jenny Bakery", a small Hongkong shop which sold buttery handmade cookies.  My colleagues had been regularly buying these cookies and bringing them to the office so I felt that it was my turn to reciprocate.  The cookies have become so

Read the placards carefully...

popular that apparently the queues extend outside the shopping centre where the shop is.  Competitors have emerged (their signs are pasted on the route to the bakery) as have fake Jenny Bakery shops - I encountered one for myself.  We were walking down Nathan Road on the way to Jenny Bakery when we saw these women with placards parading outside one of the shopping centers.  I did not think anything of them but my mother noticed that the placards were advertising for Jenny Bakery!  Curious, we followed them into the shopping centre but it was all too apparent that this was a fake store so we made our way out again to the real "Jenny".  Surprisingly, there were no queues in sight - just a few people ahead of me.  I bought my cookies and we made our way back.

Later, my brother-in-law said that according to his colleagues, the number of PRC tourists to HK had fallen due to the ongoing protests.  Hence, shorter queues, less crowds etc.  Well, for those of us who didn't stay away, that was certainly a positive!

"Occupy Central" at Admiralty

Of course, we visited the protest site.  It was the 32nd day of the protest, according to the umbrella calendar there.  We turned up at the Admiralty site on a Saturday morning, around 11ish.  The area was quiet, with students sleeping in their tents.  I suppose it had been a hard night's protesting.  It was nice to be able to wander around in peace to look at the colourful and imaginative posters, the "Lennon wall", the study area and so on.  It's been over a month since our visit, and it seems the protests are entering into their final stages with the sites being cleared by the authorities. Still the impression I am left with is the strong sense of idealism and the wish for a better tomorrow for Hongkong which was evident in all I saw.  Certainly it had to be the best organised protest I have ever seen (not that I have seen that many) with students organising their rubbish for recycling, the study area for them to catch up with their work etc etc.  Whatever the outcome, I wish Hongkong well.  

More pictures of my visit to Hongkong are on my Flickr page. 

Sri Lankan Sojourn

In late July, I visited Sri Lanka for the first time.  For many years previously, the civil war had been going on, so I was not keen to visit.  With the end of the war, and under persuasion from a friend of mine, I decided to make the trip.  Together with another mutual friend, who was already in Sri Lanka, we spent a day in Colombo and another three relaxing by a pool in a little resort near Galle.

Colombo is a city where the reminders of the civil war still persist. The Galle Road is the main road running beside the sea front, with hotels and embassies on either side and ending off with the famous Galle Face Green, a big open space right by the beach.  The Presidential Palace is on this road and further down, the former Parliament building.  The Presidential palace and most of the embassies are heavily secured, like mini-fortresses.  My friend was working in Sri Lanka for a number of years during the war.  She pointed out buildings which had been damaged by the bombing raids of the Tamil Tigers, and explained to us that whilst the war was going on, the entire beachfront had been hoarded up, presumably to deter a sea landing by the rebels.  The former Parliament House further down the road was no longer in use for that purpose.  Parliament had shifted to a more secure location.  We passed it the next day - further inland, on an island in the middle of a lake, reached only via a narrow causeway with tight security at the entry point.  It was also surrounded by open spaces and there were watch towers at strategic points on the perimeter.  

Kites above Galle Fort Green

Things have definitely picked up after the war, though.  The hoarding on the Galle Face Green beachfront has come down and when we were there on a Saturday evening, full of people.  Large groups were standing on the beach, wading ankle deep in the waters.  Many small vendors lined the beach, doing a brisk business.  One gentleman was offering donkey rides!  And everywhere in the air above, kites were flying in the brisk wind, long tails trailing behind them.  The nearby hotel (The Raffles of Colombo, says my friend) is also going renovation and a new wing is being built.  Nearby, in the Old Dutch Hospital building, a new Crab restaurant (Sri Lankan crab!) was packed full, not a seat to be had.  

We went to our resort in Galle after one day shopping in Colombo.  A new highway has opened, cutting down the journey time considerably, we were told.  Still, it took us almost two hours with the end part of the journey travelling through small towns on a narrow road.  Here I learnt about Sri Lankan driving etiquette. Honk when you overtake.  Overtake when you can.  Our driver, I have to admit, was quite good but I had a lot of more nervous moments.  

Tsunami Memorial

Our resort itself was charming - small, intimate, with its own beachfront (waves were strong and the red flag
was up the entire visit) a pleasant little pool.  We enjoyed our stay here (a little bout of "Sri Lankan belly" not withstanding).  But on our way back, our driver stopped to show us a monument along the road.  It was a monment to the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day Asian Tsunami.  Near that spot, a train had waited, following warnings that there was danger up ahead.  Unfortunately, the "danger" proved to be the forceful tsunami which swept the entire coast, washing away the train and killing over 1,200 people who were on board.

Our driver told us that his family lived some way inland.  Hence, most of them were safe.  But, his brother had been out that day.  He never returned home.  

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, with a rich history and beautiful scenery, and generous natural resources.  Now recovering from the ravages of civil war, I do hope that they can address some of the schisms of the past to create a society and nation where all in this multi cultural, multi religious, country can live harmoniously together.