On the many corridors under the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defense, formerly the Lei Yue Fort. The British built the fort in the late 19th century to protect the eastern approach, the Lei Yue Mun Pass to Victoria Harbour, from the French and Russian navies. (Ironically, the fortification look incredibly similar the Chinese Shajiao Fort in Humen China – that the British stormed during the first Opium War.)

The centerpiece of the fort is the redoubt that was dug deep into a hillside. The corridors and storerooms, containing ammunition and gunpowder, were covered with earth, making the fort hard to spot. A trench around the area, with stone caponiers, protected the fort if invaders found their way to land.

The fort was never used in the way it was intended. A shot was never fired at Russian or French ships. During the Battle of Hong Kong, Lei Yue Fort was used by British forces in an attempt to unsuccessfully repel the Japanese assault of Hong Kong Island. Evidence of the fighting is still visible.

After the Battle of Hong Kong and the Second World War the British used the fort as a training ground until it was vacated in 1987. Hong Kong government agencies decided to give Lei Yue Fort a second lease on life and created the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence in 1993.

A permanent exhibit covering 600 years of military defence in the Pearl River Delta is on display in the underground rooms that once held thousand of artillery shells and tonnes of gunpowder. A historic trail leads visitors through the batteries, a ruined settlement (destroyed during the Battle of Hong Kong), and the Brennan Torpedo station carved into the rock at the base of the fort.

The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defense is a short walk from the Island Line’s Shau Kei Wan MTR station.

Behind the outer security door of a Mongkok, Hong Kong apartment. Hong Kong and China have a low crime rate for major, violent offenses. Less serious crimes: B&Es, theft, and pick-pocketing, are such a concern that most windows are covered by bars, and most doors have an outer, vault-like shield.

Even in the small village of 200 people, my in-laws lock up everything if they are leaving, no matter the distance.

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How many modes of transportation can you take in one day? I tried many while in Hong Kong last Saturday.

6:45 – I left my apartment for the bus station where I boarded the public conveyance to Kowloon, Hong Kong.

The gothic, horror movie-esque Hong Kong Cemetery.

8:20 – After clearing immigrations and customs at the mainland and Hong Kong SAR border I found myself at the Kowloon MTR station. A subway train to Hong Kong Station, a brief walk to Central Station, and another train to Wan Chai.

9:30 – Hong Kong Cemetery. I like cemeteries. This one dates from the British conquest origins of Hong Kong. It’s gothic, much like an old 1930s horror movie.

11:00 – Back to Wan Chai, by foot, and lunch in a Burger King (a guy has to eat!).

11:45 – Hong Kong Park was once Victoria Barracks, part of the British Military’s Hong Kong garrison. The buildings have been converted to an aviary, a marriage registry office, and a tea museum.

12:45 – Running to Pier 4 and the ferry to Lamma Island.

1:30 – Arrival on Lamma Island, the main point of my super-secret trip.

3:15 – The reverse trip begins. Back to Pier 4 on Hong Kong Island, and the MTR to Tsim Tsa Tsui (I can’t believe I spelled that right the first time. If only I could say it.) A brief stop at a drug store and another at GNC.

5:15 – The bus back to Shenzhen.

6:30 – A taxi from the border to my humble abode.

I don’t want to travel anywhere for at least a week, unless I’m being carried. How did you spend your Saturday?

Caught up in my own little reality, I forgot that November 11 was Remembrance Day in Canada. The day commemorates the end of The Great War, and is used to remember Canada’s men and women that died serving their country in times of war or as part of peacekeeping operations. At 11 am, two minutes of silence are observed to commemorate those that made the ultimate sacrifice.

When I was a reporter I spent time with veterans, at the cenotaphs as they remembered their fallen comrades. Listening to The Last Post played on the bagpipes while standing under overcast skies on a cold November morning has the power to gut you. It’s haunting and visceral: Melodic sorrow that cuts right to the bone.

I was perusing the images of Randall J. van der Woning, who has has photographically documented many of the Hong Kong battlefields of World War II. On seeing his work, I realized I had forgotten Remembrance Day, something I once told myself I would never do.

Two hundred and ninety Canadians, ill-equipped and trained, their ranks marred with illness, died in December 1942, attempting to defend Hong Kong from the Japanese (a further 254 died while PoWs). The Battle of Hong Kong saw the first Canadians to fight and die in World War II. Most are buried the Sai Wan War Cemetery in Chai Wan, on Hong Kong Island.

The quote on the monument is from Ecclesiasticus: Their name liveth for evermore. Their names still live – the Sai Wan War Cemetery isn’t a place many people visit, but the visitors book lists a name or two for each day. Visitors have to be determined, the cemetery is up a twisted mountain road, accessible by minibus or foot (if you are a semi-crazy former journalist.)

As long as there are visitors, as long as someone remembers, Their name liveth for evermore.

Unrefrigerated meat always tastes better, or so I guess. The markets of Central on Hong Kong Island, China, sell a variety of meat and produce. The fish is packed on ice. The same cannot be said for the pork. Captured: September 13, 2008. s

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Across the skyscrapers of Hong Kong’s Central District, to Kowloon and the mountains of the New Territories, and China proper.

The view from Victoria Peak (on a clear day, which is rare) is magnificent. It’s the highest point on Hong Kong Island. The mountain features some of the most expensive real estate in the world.

As per Corina’s request.

Captured: October 18, 2008.