Persevere! 努力生活!

Hong Kong is one of the largest and most densely populated city in the world. It is characterized by its fast-pace lifestyle, super expansive real estate and probably one of the best dressed in the world with luxury brands filled every street corner. One word sums it up – glamour!

Amidst all the glamour of a metropolis, what I really see is hardwork. Regardless if you’re the rich and famous, or you’re the folks on the street. People are really trying to live in this city, especially the lower income group. 他们都在努力生活. Due to the high cost of living, the lower income group tend to work well past retirement (if there is such thing in Hong Kong) and everyone at home work at any available job if needed in order to keep the family afloat.

I saw old ladies and old men putting in their best effort in whatever they do, be it sweeping floors, peeling garlic, collecting garbage etc. They did it with such gusto. I don’t know if they complain or if they wish their lives are easier, but one thing I knew, they didn’t give up, they just persevere.

Seeing them is such an encouragement to me, reminding me that no matter how life treat us, we should never give up, just push on. As long as you persevere, there is still hope. This is my biggest take away from this recent holiday trip to Hong Kong (besides the fantastic shopping!) I hope they will continue to press on and one day, life will definitely smile at them.

Lamma Island 南丫岛

Simply paradise! Lamma Island is the highlight of my trip to Hong Kong.

Lamma Island 南丫岛 is a small tourist island south-west of Hong Kong Island, 40 minutes speed boat ride from Star Ferry Terminal to Lamma Island Yung Shue Wan Main Street. Welcoming you to the island is a small terminal with lines of bicycle – the main transportation mode on the island. But, I was more captivated by its bright blue sky! So hard to see blue sky in Hong Kong.

Here’s my personal list of must-do in Lamma Island:

• Savour the unique atmosphere at the roll of seafood shops at both Yung Shue Wan 榕树湾 and Sok Kwu Wan 索罟灣， tables donned the classic red-white or blue-white square cloth, very European look
• Visit this little souvenir shop call “The Scarecrow 稻草人”, love the dainty handcrafted nick knack (perfect souvenir) and their motto “暂且抛开烦恼事，细味岛上悠闲天”
• Have lunch at the Bookworm Cafe 南岛书虫， the most delicious organic food I’ve ever tried.
• Visit the century old Tian Hou Temple 天后古庙, where the lions in front of the temple are carved in Western style instead of Eastern style
• Take a rest at Hung Shing Yeh Beach 洪圣爷海滩, the famous beach in most Hong Kong soup dramas
• Walk the trail across Lamma Island to Sok Kwu Wan 索罟灣 (1.5 hours of up and down hills)

Sounds like a lot to for a day trip right? It is. We should have stay the night and enjoy the lay-back lifestyle of the island. It is so different from metropolis Hong Kong, there is no shopping mall, no rush, no crowd. Definitely the place to go for a short getaway. Shall I entice you further with photos?

Lantau Island 360 大屿山 360

Tourism can really change a place.

My first knowledge of Lantau Island are from Hong Kong soup dramas, where the mothers or grandmothers will said, “这几天去大屿山吃斋。” (Going to Lantau Island to pray for a few days). It meant two things:

1. Lantau Island is far (that’s why it takes a few days)
2. Lantau Island has a very respected temple – 宝莲禅寺（Po Lin Monastery)

Then, Lantau Island has an additional attraction, the 天坛大佛 Big Buddha which attracted not only believers, but tourists alike to this holy site. With further improvements in transportation where the MRT reached 东涌 Tung Chung， visitors have increased many folds, including myself. We no longer need to rely only on boat to get to Lantau Island, in its place is an hour-long metro train ride from Hong Kong Island at the speed of 80km/hour. Although we still have to endure the hour-long bus ride, that’s the fun of anticipation.

In our second trip to Hong Kong, we’ve returned to Lantau Island, because it has added another attraction – Ngong Ping 360. When we came in 2005, it was in the midst of construction, in which the whole process was recorded in Discovery Channel documentary. I was truly fascinated with the difficulties and ingenuity of construction through the steep hilly terrain.

However, at the same time I was truly disappointed, the cable car has changed the face of Lantau Island forever, it had turned it into a commercial tourist spot just like every other tourist spot. I can understand it from a commercial point of view to recover the huge cost of constructions, it does drawn in a huge number of tourists, but Lantau Island has lost its identify forever and generations of memories are gone!

To add “insult” to injury, the opening of branded outlet stores at Tung Chung Mall has given people more reasons to go to Lantau Island.

Next time when I go to Lantau Island, it’ll be because of the outlets mall.

Yuen Long 元朗

In our second holiday trip to Hong Kong, we’ve decided to venture out from the metropolis areas, we wanted to see a different side of Hong Kong instead of the hustle and bustle which often characterized a big city.

Our first stop is 元朗 Yuen Long, situated at the west corner of 新界 New Territories. It is about an hour bus ride away from central Kowloon, by any standard, is considered a remote area. When you said “remote”, I was expecting a kampung (village). But by Hong Kong standard, remote is still a very populous suburb with nearly 1/2 million residents, it is nonetheless a bustling township. With well connected public transportation, it is definitely not remote at all, at least to me.

Yuen Long is a very old township, it is mainly divided into the new town and old town. The old town maintain early settler housing which is much more spacious with traditional doorway, arches, temples. Residents organized themselves into village mainly by dialect.

Being a local producer of fresh food, the street market is a must go, you can find anything from fresh meat, seafood, fruits, vegetable, bakery, sundry shops and flowers. Seeing all these food made me excited! (sign of growing old ;p)

Of course, any vacation will not be complete without food. We went to 2 famous must try in Yuen Long: 好到底面家 and 佳记甜品 for their famous noodles and deserts. I’m rather surprised to find Durian on their menu and even more surprised that Hong Kong people has embraced Durian as a favourite.

Walking on the streets of Yuen Long made me forgot that I’m in Hong Kong, as many people speak Hakka, my own dialect, as many Hakka live in Yuen Long. Also, Yuen Long is also known as a migrant town as it is near to factories where migrant workers found work.

The only thing we didn’t do at Yuen Long is to visit its many fish ponds and farms, as well as Hakka village. Leave it for next time.