Lesley in Hong Kong

Wilson Trail Section 4 Ho Chung Road to Fei Ngo Shan

It has been hot, hot enough for the  HK Observatory to put out a Hot Weather Warning,  which means stay at home, be fanned continuously while sucking on ice cubes.   But after a stormy and thundery night things cooled slightly and the clouds made us believe that it would be alright to go for a hike...

Cooled slightly actually meant it was still bloody hot, mid 30Cs, but overcast so we set off from our front door in Ho Chung and headed up hill through the allotments to get onto the Wilson Trail Section 4. It is very well sign posted and had recently been cleared of over grown bush so we were on our way up up up.

I can't pretend it was easy.  It was an arduous trek and relentlessly steep.  The heat addled my brain so the idea I had, when feeling exhausted in a tempetuous childish way, about just sitting down and waiting for someone to carry me home seemed so sensible at the time.  I set myself up for disappointment as that was never going to happen.  The only way was up, I just had to keep going.

After about an hour of steps and more steps and after lots of rests for water and to get my puff back, oh and of course to appreciate the view of Sai Kung and the South China Sea, it was decided we were about... half way there.  Only half way?  My heart sank and my legs wobbled.

It started to get darker although it was the middle of the afternoon.  An ominous rain cloud positioned itself directly overhead and then dumped its stair rods of cold water.  I've never appreciated rain so much.  I was soaked through to the skin, but it cooled me down and revived me enough to continue up the steep steep slope.  (I only cried a bit)

This was just part of section 4 of the Wilson Trail, we stopped when we got to the viewing point at Fei Ngo Shan where we could see Kowloon and over to the Island.  Even in our wet t-shirt competition state a taxi driver agreed to let us in his cab, I almost tipped him!

The fancy app on the iphone told us that we had walked for a paultry 1 hour 40 minutes and a distance of 4K.

Quite honestly I could have stamped on the iphone for telling me this because it sounds like chicken feed, 4K is not very far, 1 hour 40 minutes is hardly a challenging hike in the scope of hikes I have completed,  but it was up hill the whole way.  Have I stressed just how steep it was?  Do you appreciate that it was up hill ALL the way?  Do you understanding that I hated every step?  

I did it, I achieved it but I am filled with negativity about the experience and doubt I will repeat it.  Just for the record my achilles are still throbbing two days later.

 

Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander

 

 

I saw this and thought "It must mean me?"

Hooked by this title I read on...  to a point it is very true and full of witertaining observations from a white, western point of view although it is based on the assumption that all white people live in America and have an affinity to Canada so that part fell on stony ground for me, and to some extent also assumes a maleness and even possibly an under 40sness.  I'm just saying!

He has a website also full of wise words about 'stuff' Stuff White People Like and if you like that you might also like a quick surf at White Whine.com A Collection of First-World Problems  which puts 'stuff' into perspective for those rich spoilt brats out there.

Here is a snippet from SWPL

Outdoor Performance Clothes

As white people get older, they like to have clear boundaries between their professional and personal lives.   They don't mind talking about their personal life at work, but they hate talking about their work life when they are enjoying a weekend or vacation.  But with BlackBerry's and laptops, white people could be working anywhere, at any time.  So how do you know when they are off the clock?  It's easy;  just check their clothes.

When white people aren't working, they generally like to wear outdoor performance clothes.  The top suppliers of these garments and accessories include North Face, REI, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Columbia Sportswear and Patagonia.  When you see white people wearing these brands, it is important that you do not discuss business matters.  Instead you should say things like 'Where did you get that fleece?" and "What's that thing holding your keys to your shorts?" White people will be more than happy to talk to you about their sustainably produced possessions.

The main reason white people like these clothes is that they allow them to believe that at any moment they could find themselves with a Thule rack on top of their car headed to a national park.  It could be 4:00pm on a Saturday when they might get the call. "Hey, man, you know what we need to do?  Kayak then camping, right now.  I'm on my way to get you.  There is no time to change clothes."

Though this is unlikely that they will ever receive this call, white people hate the idea of missing an opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities just because they weren't wearing the right clothes.

If you plan on spending part of your weekend with a white person, it is strongly recommended that you purchase a jacket or some sort of 'high-performance' T-shirt, which is like a regular shirt, just a lot more expensive.

Mountain Bike Adventure - Lhasa to Kathmandu August 2011

 

 

Lhasa to Kathmandu by Fred Croft

Through Tibet on a bike - a journey not a destination by Fred Croft

 Last August HB embarked upon a most challenging cycle ride starting in Lhasa in Tibet and ending in Kathmandu in Nepal taking in some of the highest mountain passes in the world and also Everest Base Camp.  He covered a distance of 1100km in 18 days and came back 'lighter'.

 

Click on the link which will take you to www.blurb.com a self publishing website where you can preview the book and then place an order.  Its a beautiful coffee table hard back edition containing many breath-taking photographs capturing the experience.

 

Hiking in Sapa, Northern Vietnam Highlands

ET Pumpkin Adventure Travel

                                            Black H'Mong Tribes women and children

Location of Sapa

 The Journey Begins

I arrived at Hanoi Railway Station in the dark in time to get on the night train leaving at 9.10pm and arriving in Lao Cai at 5.30am.  It was quite a chaotic scene, once the ticket collectors let us through the entrance and onto the platforms.  In the dark it was quite difficult to see where any platform was and which train went where, but the night train to Sapa is a well travelled route and it was easy enough to follow the crowd and find the right train, the right carriage (special ET Pumpkin carriage written on the side) and the right berth and soft sleeper. 

I joined a jolly friendly couple from New Zealand (hello Steve and Veronica!) who were originally from England and we immediately exchanged life stories and bonded.  The young lady from New York who entered the berth a few minutes later thought we knew each other already and seemed perturbed at the easy way the conversation flowed.  Perhaps New Yorkers are more reserved?

Soft sleeper

The soft sleeper was soft enough and we were all supplied with water, a pillow and a quilt to keep us warm during the night.  The train is air conditioned.  It pulled away on time and we were on our way. 

Rocking and Rolling

After about half an hour the speed picked up and the rocking started.  And my goodness did it rock!  I can only compare it to a fair ground ride which went on for hours and hours.  None of the rocking or the metal grinding noises seemed to bother my three sleeping buddies who all settled down quickly and went to sleep.  I watched Veronica across the aisle from me and I guess she was being nudged up and down with the motion of the train by about a foot each time.  I could feel the contents of my stomach being shook.

The train arrived on time and all went to plan.  We then took a mini van to the town of Sapa itself and as we pulled up outside the first guest house to let some passengers off what seemed like an invasion of screeching Black H'Mong women dressed in their traditional costumes came rushing across the road to greet the new tourists.  At first I thought it would be a hard selling mission but actually all they wanted to do was accompany the travellers.

Tribeswomen

The same happened when I got off at Pumpkin Guest House.  The H'Mong women gathered outside on the steps all giddy and excited to join the new people.

                                       Waiting in anticipation

 Breakfast was served, scrambled eggs but not the way I have ever had them before, that is not a positive comment and I thought about offering a quick cookery lesson...

By 9.30am our group was gathered and our friendly guide was leading us up the hill and into the vast valley of stepped rice paddies.  Dih, the guide had excellent English and was able to point out all the important landmarks on the way.  Surprisingly the H'Mong women and young girls who walked with our group, and I would say we had about 15 with us, had really good basic English skills.  Enough to ask how old I was! How many children do I have and where I am from.  Then they were able to tell me about themselves.  Dih explained that none of these women or their daughters went to school but learnt English from tourists. 

The weather was cool, drizzly and very slippy underfoot, especially on the downhill sections.  I was well equipped as I had planned this in advance although for some of the group this must have been an afterthought as they had sandals with no grip or borrowed purple wellies also with no grip.  This meant slow progress down hill as well as a few falls and muddy bottoms.  Each time it got a bit tricky or slippy the H'Mong women were really helpful, assisting us and ensuring we didn't fall.  Their footwear was merely plastic sandals and they do that walk every day.

Mavis

New best friend

Sue

Rita

The hike lasted until 5pm with lunch in a H'Mong village on the way which consisted of fried chicken, rice and salad and chocolate bar.  This was eaten in a little hut, which had a tv, while we were viewed by the children of the village through the window.  I felt like a novelty item or feeding time at the zoo but they were actually very polite children who then really nicely shared any food we didn't want between each of them very fairly which was lovely to see.

In the evening I was given a basic three course meal in the guest house and then had an exploratory look around the town which has typical shops selling Vietnamese style silk clothes and H'Mong items all embroidered in the traditional style.  There are a variety of places to eat from Vietnamese to Thai, Indian and a few western choices too.  Because of the French influence there are a few lovely patisseries.

The next day was a similar hike although it was shorter and was over by 12 o clock.  Frankly the first one was the best and all the things we saw and were explained to us by Sue

We'd already heard the day before, plus the route was very touristy following concrete steps to a waterfall.  The route was lined with market stalls for most of the way although they were not overly pushy.  Of course if you go down hill you must go up again and that was a bit of a slog but we had a break and a cold drink and a lolly looking over the valley at the beautiful rice paddies.

ET Pumpkin, Ma May Street, Hanoi

I used this company for a two day hiking trip to Sapa in the North Highlands of Vietnam.  Their website was clear and easy to use and the trip turned out to be exactly as it said in their information.  It short it was a really interesting and very different holiday experience.  I would have every confidence in recommending this company and would definitely use them again.

I paid for the trip in advance, before I got to Vietnam, by transferring money via Western Union, that was really easy and straightforward.  Pumpkin acknowledged receipt of the money by the next day. 

The price of the trip included an overnight train ride from Hanoi to Lao Cai Railway Station and then a half hour bus ride to Sapa itself.  One night in a basic guest house, all meals and then an overnight train ride back to Hanoi.  All in all I had three nights away.

Sea Foot Reflexology, Sai Kung

Pedicure, Shanghai Style

A few months ago I blogged about a wonderful experience I had in Shanghai involving a man with a head torch and a sharp blade.  He used this to rid my heels of hard skin and he was so incredibly skilled at this and I was so incredibly impressed I wanted to tell the world. 

You can get Everything in Sai Kung

I have now found that in Sai Kung there is an option of a Shanghai style pedicure at Sea Foot Reflexology House, 1/F, 60 Po Tung Road, 2791 0328. 

Sure enough I was attended to by a lady with a chisel/blade and a very bright light who attended to my feet while I relaxed and flicked through recent copies of Hello magazine.  Afterwards I was offered a foot massage and went away feeling truly attended to.  $260 thank you very much.

10th July, 2010

NB

For accuracy I have to now add that this morning I am in pain!  My left heel is so sore that I can't walk properly and have had to put a band aid over the sore patch so I can wear shoes.  This is bad news and I withdraw my recommendation of the Shanghai Style pedicure...

 

The Flower of Sai Kung

 FAMOUS TOURIST DESTINATIONS

Strategic tourist destinations across the world have had the sense to restrict the building style and advertising to preserve the natural beauty, charm, tranquility and originality of the area.  McDonald’s are only allowed to sell their tasty burgers on the Champs Elysees on condition they tone down their garish golden arches and red logo.  They conformed so on that avenue the M is white.  Sainsbury’s on Mayfair is situated in a stone built Victorian building and is restricted to keeping the original stone façade and window size to blend in with the elegant style of the area.   On the island of  Lanzarote the building of high rises and billboards competing for the attention of tourists was outlawed in the 1970s.   Local artist, Cesar Manrique, saw the way other Spanish holiday resorts had been encased in a ‘concrete coffin’ and his influence means that today the island remains tranquil which is the reason tourists want to go there.

Unspoilt Lanzarote

SHOPS FOR DOGS AND ESTATE AGENTS

Sai Kung Town

Some might say that Sai Kung, the back garden of Hong Kong is also a strategic tourist destination.  So far no one has come up with the amazing new and revolutionary concept of opening a place that has rooms with beds in.  People who don’t live in Sai Kung i.e. tourists, could, wait for it, sleep in the rooms overnight and then in the morning they could be given a breakfast.  There is a charge for this service. Yes, that’s right it’s called - Bed and Breakfast – but it seems so far removed from the consciousness of any business person in Sai Kung who instead are stuck in the rut of opening up shops exclusively for dogs or the buying and selling of property.  We do have to thank our lucky stars that the District Council allows alfresco dining these days although that seems to depend on the mood of the Fun Police who are in the habit of restricting the outside tables outside certain restaurants because…(answers on a postcard please).  I cannot imagine that when tourists have a meal in the Piazza del Signoria in Florence the establishments are at risk of being asked to remove the outside tables.  Of course not, they realize that is what people want the experience.

Fun Police

 

GARISH ADVERTISING - FLOWER PAINT FACTORY

If we are all in agreement that Sai Kung is a strategic tourist destination then why oh, why oh (there it goes again) is the Flower Paint Factory on the approach to Sai Kung, the back garden of Hong Kong, allowed to have the most gigantic garish sign of all time placed on their hideous concrete building showing a complete lack of appreciation and concern for local residents with blatant disregard for the aesthetic of the town.  Why does it feel the need to advertise anyway? It’s not like the general public can even go in there to buy paint so who exactly is the advert aimed at?

 

Don’t get me started on Star Plaza!

 

 

Strawberry Picking - Hong Kong

Here I am snipping the strawberries

 

http://yl.com.hk/sbg/index.html

 

STRAWBERRY PICKING - SHA TAU KOK ROAD

Today I picked about 5lbs of strawberries on a pick-your-own-farm up towards Fanling in the New Territories.  In fact it's almost in China and there is the border with a policeman and a big sign saying Permit Holders Only'.  There is a big Buddhist temple on the right of Sha Tau Kok Road with many people burning paper offerings to their ancestors, some quite nice gardens with some carp swimming about although it could do with a clean and general prune.  One Buddhist temple is much like any other round these parts but this one has stalls with dried and fresh produce for sale.  The added bonus is the strawberry picking field.

My punnet (see below) cost $140 and right now I am making jam!

I would never have believed it possible but its really true.  It is strawberry picking for softies in that the plants are grown on plastic sheeting so no need to get any dirty soil on your Guccis plus they provide a handy pair of kiddie scissors for snipping the stalks.

 

A basket full of strawberries    $140 please

 As well as that I have now made organic carrot and corriander soup.  It's all good.

BREAKING NEWS - JAM IN JARS

Extra bonus addition to this blog - it is now Tuesday 5th April and the jam is now in jars.

The first attempt resulted in 4 jars of jam but it didn't set.  So I put two jars back in the pan, added apple skin and boiled for longer.  This resulted in set jam but it reduced down to only one jar.  It is yummy but in no way economical. 

Fairyland - Foot Massage and Hard Skin Removal - Shanghai

 

Feet

SOOTHING MASSAGE

After a tremendous amount of walking around Shanghai one Saturday on a weekend mini break our feet were throbbing and in need of some attention.  We didn't plan to visit Fairyland Health and Beauty on Nanjing Pedestrian Street, it seemed to find us.  I think it had a magnetic charm that lulled us up the stairs into completely unknown territory.  There was a short period of uncertainty until I was sure it was a respectable establishment because its just awful when it's not, don't you just hate it when that happens?

RELAXING MUSIC

In the blink of an eye we were made comfortable in a darkened room with relaxing music and our feet were soaked in fragrant water while the masseurs paid our shoulders much need attention.  A special bonus of a shoulder rub just to make up the time while the feet are cleansed and softened up ready for the foot massage.

HARD SKIN REMOVAL

The massage was excellent and I would have no reservations in recommending Fairyland if you are ever in need of stress relief and are in Shanghai at the same time.  But actually the best bit was the hard skin removal service.  For an extra 48 RMB a specially skilled man was summoned into the room yielding a blade.  Or was it a scalpel or was it an incredibly sharp chisel?  As I say it was a darkened room so it was hard to tell.  But the hard skin removal master was well equipped to work on feet in a darkened room.  He was wearing a head torch.  I guess he had a been boy scout when he was younger so was always prepared.  He set to work with the chisel and with the lightest touch he managed to  shave off what looked like snow flakes from my feet.  The towel was soon covered and I caught the masseurs looking sideways at each other at the surprising amount of dead skin building up as he dutifully shaved my feet.

The service was excellent, shoulder, feet and shaving of said feet. We floated out.  Wow!

Hard skin removal man wearing head torch

The man in the head torch made Fairyland an extra special experience and I want him to come and live in our house.

Circuit Training - Sai Kung Tang Shiu Kin Sports Ground

Teacher's Race!

Sai Kung is a marvelous place to live.  I know I am in danger of become a Sai Kung bore but I believe it to be true.  Once you live in Sai Kung you'll never have to go anywhere else.  There is no need for fancy, expensive gym membership because there is - wait for it - the 'outside' for running in.  No need for running machines installed infront of televisions to slowly stagnate the brain because it is possible to step outside your door and just start your exercise.

OUTDOOR TRAINING

As well as the countryside there is also the excellent public facility right in the centre of the town, Sai Kung Tang Shiu Kin Sports Ground.  The track has people running all the time.  Some are potential Olympians and some are grannies flip flopping their way around, beware of them - they may overtake you. 

[email protected]  Nina Blacklock

As an added extra bonus there is the lovely Nina Blacklock who offers outdoor circuit training sessions at the ground, Monday to Thursday every week and I strongly recommend them.

DO YOU WANT  CHALLENGE?

There are beginners and general sessions in the evenings which involve getting your heart thumping out of your chest and a copious amounts of sweat gushing from your skin.  There is a mixture of women and men and ability.  Be warned, Nina will challenge you! 

A typical class will start off with a run around the track.  Yes you heard me, all the way round one time.  I have to admit to being stunned at being asked to do such a thing the first time and really thought I would never make it. But, at my own pace I did it.

WHAT TO EXPECT

She will follow this by stretching and balance warm ups and then the fun starts.  Making good use of the sports ground we will be given exercises to do which target various parts of the body.  There will be lunges and squats, press ups, triceps dips, sprints, planks - pant pant pant - may be a rest if you're good, but no slacking at this point because you'll probably have to do it all again, then core then may be another run around the track and of course the stretch and cool down to finish.

By that time an hour will have disappeared and we'll all be begging for mercy...not really (well a bit) But it is worth it for the fantastic buzz of endorphins and with any luck those stubborn fat stores will be left at the track instead of hanging around my middle.

CONTACT NINA

If you are interested you can contact Nina Blacklock on her email for more details of times. [email protected]

The photo is me running at my school's sports day in the dreaded teachers race - something I never would have attempted before Nina's Outdoor Sessions.   Whether this is a good or a bad thing?  The jury is still out on that one.
 

 

 

Steamers Sai Kung

NEW IMPROVED MENU

Steamers is a Sai Kung institution.  I highly recommend it.  The staff are friendly and helpful and the food is delicious.  They do a great curry as well as other gems from their, mostly, western menu.  On Sundays it is an excellent choice of venue for a roast dinner which includes Yorkshire pudding.  You get a huge pile of meat (beef, chicken or lamb) lashing of gravy and lots of veggies for under $100.  Then there is their Full English Breakfast which is everything you'd expect and includes tea and toast.  There is really more than you can eat (personal opinion obviously). 

ALFRESCO DINING

The atmosphere changes depending on the time of day.  It can be a quiet and peaceful place for breakfast or it can be full of sports fans enjoying the game and getting very vocal.  The best thing about Steamers is the private court yard outside where you can sit and enjoy that fresh Sai Kung air (everything is just peachy in Sai Kung, don't listen to the API index!) and do a spot of people watching to your hearts content.

Steamers,66 Yi Chun St, Sai Kung, tel 2792 6991.

White Rabbits

Pinch, punch first of the month and what a lovely day it is!

I have been thrapping on about how blummin cold it is at the moment.  Honestly, it has been so miserable.  I have found that the best solution has been to wriggle into my Lycra, get outside and exercise and the combination of that and the sacred Weight Watchers meetings (previously mentioned) are paying off.  People are beginning to notice!

On this clear, bright Saturday morning with a temperature of 21C the mountains beckoned and the luxury of being able to start a hike from our front door came into its own.  We embarked upon an uphill walk to Ma On Shan and it was glorious.

We trekked up and up from Tai Wan Village past Shan Liu then up up up some more to join the MacLehose Trail (named after a previous Governor of Hong Kong 1971-1982) which is a very steep section with some environmentally friendly concrete steps (they love those in Hong Kong) and through some bamboo dappled, sun lit paths with shafts of light coming through the green canopy of leaves.  The temperature was just perfect, a coolness with a blue sky and the steepness and challenge of the route was enough to get the heart rate up and sweat flowing.  Excellent!

It took around two and half hours.  We were back home by 11.30am to enjoy poached eggs and wholemeal bread from Mushroom Bakery, Sai Kung but that's another blog.

Sai Kung Town

Have a look at the new album called 'Sai Kung'.  There are some photos taken today walking from Sai Kung town to Tai Wan Village where I then start the steep climb home!  Tuesday is a public holiday because there will be dragon boat races.  The photo is a team training for the big day.

Walk in the park

Near my house is  Sai Kung Country Park.  It is a secret.  Don’t tell anyone what I am about to tell you. 

Unbelievably but true there are some green bits in Hong Kong where no one has built a matching set of 33 floor concrete housing estates.  There is no one selling copy Rolex watches or offering to measure you for a suit, there are no MTR stations.  It is possible to hike among the greenery and enjoy silence.

Obviously in Hong Kong this has to be done in a controlled way.  The HKSAR love their rules and regulations so all Country Parks have designated concrete paths to walk along, there are signs along the routes telling hikers what they can and cannot do, there are some information boards to educate the general public about the flora and fauna of the local countryside and all this makes it extremely popular at weekends and public holidays.

The guarded entrance to Sai Kung Country Park.

The guard will only raise the barrier if you have permission to enter.  This keeps the rif raf out.  See the lady with the pink umbrella.  She is a walk organizer and is holding an electric loud hailer so that when her party of walkers joins her she can bellow at them and tell them the way.

Here is a group of unsuspecting walkers about to set off on their 'quiet' walk in the park.  As always in Hong Kong the photographer waited for them to pose appropriately, said the statutory "Yat Yee, Sam" (one , two, three)  or even 'cheers' which I guess is a confusion of 'cheese' and neither of which makes any sense and not worth really explaining to a non native English speaker!

And were off!  "Follow the person in front, keep your eyes on their heels, if you get scared just image you are in Mong Kok".

Can you spot me elbowing my way through the crowd?

"Read the signs and conform at all times".  That is the key to Hong Kong living.

All these photographs were taken on the last public holiday.  Luckily we were early and our walk was over by the time we met the hordes of people. 

It can be a beautiful experience and there are genuinely quiet areas.

This incense tree and its smell is the reason Hong Kong is called Hong Kong, Fragrant Harbour being the English translation.

  A shrine to the ancestors decorated for the holiday.

As we drove away the packed buses and taxis relentlessly headed towards Sai Kung Country Park  Every Sunday and any public holiday this happens.  It fills up and causes a major traffic jam in Sai Kung at around 4pm when everyone starts going home again.

So remember, don't tell anyone about it, its a secret OK!