Getting Ready: Morning on Victoria Harbor

I haven’t gone to Hong Kong very much since last July. Five trips in seven months: That won’t do. My Chinese resident permit will be ready tomorrow, I will be a resident of the Middle Kingdom (again) and be able to leave and return without worrying about visas and other government mumbo-jumbo.

Once upon a time I loathed Hong Kong. I would have proclaimed “I hate Hong Kong,” from the top of Victoria peak if I’d had the chance. But, we all mellow. I still believe Hong Kong is the place useless and bitter expats go to die, but I’ve managed to see past that.

I usually stay at  a rather small guesthouse. (If you haven’t heard of Chungking Mansions you can count yourself as lucky. ) Being an early riser I’m out on the streets while everyone else is still asleep, except for the Chungking Mansions drug dealers: They never sleep. Seeing things that few people get to see is pretty amazing. The sun rising over Victoria Harbour, birds in dawn flight, joggers, fishermen, and boat captains.

Craig Ferguson, a master photographer, recommends getting up early, one of the tips in his new photography ebook, Tips, Tricks and Pics. At $5, it’s a steal. I had the pleasure of checking out an almost complete version of the book and highly recommend it. What in the photography world can you buy for $5? This book is a must-have.

The captain above had his boat anchored beside the Kowloon Star Ferry Terminal. At 7:38 am he was polishing the glass of his rustic conveyance. I grabbed a couple of shots before he noticed me.

Sleep is over-rated.

I’m back in China. Okay, Hong Kong is China so I never really left. If that’s the case why is there that pesky border?

Three days in the city I love to hate. Some times I think that Hong Kong is the city where bitter expats go to die, like an elephant graveyard. It used to be the city that Brits who completely f*cked up fled to the start over. Now? Not so much.

The “visa run” is a trip many expats are well acquainted with. Luckily, Shenzhen, China (my home base) is right beside Hong Kong. It’s a very quick trip to one of the world’s financial centers (and nearest locale to have a Chinese visa issued).

My brief observations on Hong Kong:

1. It is beautiful.
2. It is crowded.
3. It is expensive.

I spent two nights in the Mirador Mansions, an ancient building full of guest houses, tailor shops, and laundry establishments. The bed stretched from wall to wall, with one square meter at the end of the room by the door for my bags. Think of a roomy casket and you’ll get the idea.

A snippet of conversation before I rented to room:

Guest House Manager: Are you sure you want this room? It is very small.

Stevo: How much is it.

Guest House Manager: 110 Hong Kong dollars a night (about $14 USD).

Stevo: Yes, I want.

The room had wireless and AC. I don’t need much more than that.  Note: For $110 HKD I could get a nearly palatial hotel room in China’s less traveled areas.

Three days: I shot photos. I bought a snazzy Benro tripod and ball head, and five pounds of protein powder. I visited my Hong Kong office.

Paddy in the BA/HK

And I met Paddy.

You’ve seen him around, the large green-headed expat Irishman. Paddy in the BA is no longer in the Buenos Aires. The infamous Irish rover and blogger now calls Hong Kong home. He and I sat at McLovin’s Irish Pub and had a pint of Guinness before he jetted off to a Pacific  island.  He’s a peach and I hope he eventually crosses the border to visit.

Three days away.Three days to chill and wander. It was pleasant. Except for:

1. Hong Kong is crowded.
2. Hong Kong is expensive.

Now it’s “go time.” A lot  to do in the space of three weeks. With a camera in my hand and a song in my heart it will all come out alright.

Offerings at Po Fook Memorial Hall ©Asian Ramblings

I wanted to see the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery. Inadequate signage left me exploring the Po Fook Memorial Hall thinking it was the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery. Cool place, I’m certain this happens all the time.

This terraced cemetery is actually a number of memorial halls. It’s quiet in Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong. The New Territories are a whole different world from Nathan Road or LKF. With a pagoda, incense, and much Buddhist iconography I think I wouldn’t mind having my ashes rest here: It’s serene.

I did eventually find the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery. Photos to follow.

Po Fook Memorial Hall and 10000 Buddhas Monastery on Google Earth

Casual on the Star Ferry, Hong Kong

A Star Ferry employee takes a short break before the run between Wan Chai and Kowloon. The 12 Star Ferries carry 70,ooo people per day, more than 26 million a year, across Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour.

The service stared in 1888 and is still a popular and affordable way to cross Victoria Harbour. If you visit Hong Kong a ride on the Star Ferry is a must.

I spent part of the weekend inside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai, on Hong Kong Island. Getting from Shenzhen to Hong Kong is easy: Train, ferry, or bus will take you to the once-British colony.

When you miss your bus, and the one you board breaks down, you can be somewhat late.  On the way home, running between Hong Kong and China immigration checkpoints at 10:50 at night so you don’t miss the last subway train, is also not recommended.

I did get a new toy. A first attempt at time-lapse photography. Pretty bad, but it show promise.

Thank you, the veterans and their families were told more than 60 years after the Battle of Hong Kong. The dedication of a new monument to in Ottawa, Canada, August 15, recognized a much-overlooked chapter in Canadian history

The Hong Kong Veterans Memorial Wall, on the Rideau River near Canada’s Parliament Buildings, lists the names of the 1,975 men and women that helped defend Hong Kong. The 17 day battle was Canada’s first military engagement of the Second World War.

Canadian Maple Trees in Sham Shui Po Park, in Kowloon, Hong Kong, a former POW camp.

The Japanese army invaded the then British Colony from Mainland China in December 1941. The Canadian defenders, fresh off the boat, and lacking equipment and proper training, fought heroically until the colony surrendered to Japanese forces on Christmas Day 1941.

More than 800 Canadians were wounded or killed in the battle. The survivors spent the remainder of the war in POW camps, facing unimaginable conditions, disease, and torture. A further 267 Canadians died during captivity.

The new monument is a permanent reminder of the sacrifices made by Canadians during and after the Battle of Hong Kong, acts some veterans felt were marginalized or forgotten.

Not so now.

Government ministers thanked the 22 Hong Kong veterans that attended the ceremony.

“Even in the difficult times you faced when you returned home, you promised never to forget those who were left behind,” said Canada’s Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson

“I truly believe that when this day is over, when you have the chance tonight to explore the silence and solitude of your own thoughts . . . you will hear the distant voices of your fallen comrades — and they will be saying: ‘Thank you. Thank you for today. Thank you for your gift of remembrance.’ “

There are smaller memorials in Hong Kong to the Canadian veterans. A memorial wall at the Sai Wan War Cemetery on Hong Kong Island lists the names of the soldiers that died during the Battle of Hong Kong. A plaque at the Wong Nai Chung Gap trail (a former defensive line) documents Canada’s involvement in the short defense of the colony. Canadian maple trees, planted by the Hong Kong Veterans Association, can be seen at the Sham Shui Po Park in Kowloon, the former site of a POW Camp.

John Robert Osborn, VC, awarded the Victoria Cross for his act of valor during the Battle of Hong Kong, is honored with a statue in Hong Kong Park, and a marker where he fell during the battle.

With files from the National Post