More Photos and a Video

One day on a late afternoon I got off the tram a few stops early and explored the Wan Chai streets. Food a plenty and the bananas are a treat.

This chicken was going out back for some special treatment...


It was the first fine day in quite awhile here and there was a blue sky so I skipped work and went to The Peak. Here are some views - actually the centre photo is the actual peak but as you can see it's too full of transmitters to house a lookout.


2ifc (international finance centre) is the tallest in Hong Kong. Here are three views (from left: west face (from Sheung Wan), north face (from Tsim Sha Tsui), south face (from the peak). Whenever I see at night I can't help thinking that up on that glowing top Batman is fighting it out with a dark underworld figure.


At the request of Piet I again sat at the front of a Hong Tram for it's rockin' rollin' ways. This time I videoed the short trip I take from Work (Central) to Home (Wan Chai) each day. Here's the link for it on You Tube if you want to catch it - it's the first time I have uploaded a video there so I hope it looks ok. If not i can show you in style on my return.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4-cnwCGilI

Cheung Chau

Eric and I set off for a little fishing island called Cheung Chau one early Sunday afternoon. We took a super fast ferry and arrived just in time to fill our hungry stomachs with wonderful fresh seafood.

We had steamed Garoupa, the most amazing garlic smothered prawns (I don't think we'll get sick for the next few months!) and salt and pepper squilla (an evolutionary throw back of the prawn with little spikes on it's shell and very tasty).

To all those bloggers who have recently posted their travels (a big finger point to Lucy Guster) I apologise for the lack of food pictures ... we were too busy eating!!!



After lunch we walked to one end of the island through the busy lanes and on to the southern headland. Saw fisherman and their boats (pic 1) / discovered these small float like structures (pic 2) made entirely of paper in the shape of boats, houses and people, which we gathered would be burned at some festival or ceremony - actually i have just been informed by my one of my trusty work colleagues that they are especially made for people who have recently died and will be burned at their funeral / we also went past a few temples with some great intricate porcelin / ceramic work on their roofs (pic 3).

We kept walking until we got to Cheung Po Tsai Cave. Ah granite ... where would the worlds tourist industry be without all the formations and permutations it can create with the generous assitance of the natural elements.

The cave is a little one and was supposed to be the favourite hiding place of the notorious pirate Cheung Po Tsai. The entrance was guarded by a young entrepreneur hiring torches for $HK 5. Being the cheapskates we were and up for an adventure to look for buried treasure we decided not to hire one and proceeded to explore.


(pic 1) our first glimpse of the cave using the flash of the camera .
(pic 2) our second glimpse of the cave using the flash of the camera.
(pic 3) our third glipse of the cave and eric realising that he was just about to step into a large bottomless hole ... so we went back out to the young entrepreneur and hired a torch. Suffice to say we didn't find any treasure.


We also discovered a cemetary on our travels guarded by feral manky dogs who would keep their distance but always keep their eye on us.

Whilst waiting for the ferry we munched on some local yeasty treats and dragons beard and sipped our coffee from Macca's. A great relaxing day was had by us both so much so Eric couldn't stop yawning all the back on the ferry.

more soon
steve