Day 2: Kowloon, Hong Kong
Nearly all these pics from my first day in Hong Kong feature food, not a suprise to my family, i promise you! For me, getting to grips with the local food is one of the greatest delights of travelling…. Not a great place to visit if you are dieting: there are HUNDREDS of these little cake shops all around Hong Kong.
Depending on the type of device you are using, you can click on any one of these pics that interests you and get a full screen image, you can run a slide show if that’s your thing! Just keep clicking…..
- Typical Hong Kong Cake Shop – there are hundreds of them….
- The Jade Market – not my favourite things, but very popular with Chinese people
- Live fish for sale at the Night Market – fishmonger comedian showing me how much money he makes!!
- Entrance to Temple Street Night Market
- Lots of variety in the Chinese food!!
- Local buses- air conditioned??
- This is the King George 5th Memorial Park in Kowloon – very unusual in that most references to King and Empire disappeared 20 years ago….
- Entrance to Children’s Play Area in Kowloon Park – all brilliantly crisp and clean
- Maybe Waitrose should present their fruit for sale like this??
- Seafood restaurant by the Night Market – take your brolly if it’s raining!
Day 3: Hong Kong Island and The Peak
- Hissing with rain over on Hong Kong Island as we left Kowloon on the Star Ferry….
- ….didn’t get any better as we crossed Victoria Harbour!
- Star Ferry battling across from the other side….
- …..but by the time we got to HK Central the rain had crossed to Kowloon, so we didn’t get (very) wet!!
- Legal punchup between the guys who used to run the Ferris Wheel and the guys who are going to run it means it ain’t working!
- Bronze lion guarding HSBC HO….
- …..complete with bullet scars from Japanese takeover of HK in WW2!
- Couple of very loved up HK feathered friends… could be Black Collared Starlings??
- The last remaining working Gas Lamps on HK Island
- Very few historic buildings left- the land is seen to be just too precious. Most of those left are ecumenical – like the Anglican Cathedral…..
- ….and St Pauls Episcopalian Church.
- Happy tourists on the Peak Railway…..
- ….this is the shot they are after!
- Took a stroll to the top of the peak… probably saw half a dozen young newly weds in full regalia, for formal pics…..
- All waiting for the sunset…..
- …..and hoping not to get wet!
- Very impressive Bank of China building… Not sure what Mao would have made of it??
- The lovely Anglican Cathedral again, somewhat overshadowed by Mammon in the shape of the HSBC HO….
- More food… Great Special Congee from Mak’s Noodle in Kowloon! Would fill up even big son Mike! Haven’t yet paid as much as £10 for dinner, but dined like a Taipan.
Day 4: Wan Chai and the Temples
- Hung Shin (Tai Wong) Temple on Queens Road East. Dates from 1860 and was originally on the shoreline. Successive land reclamations mean it is now about 700 yards from the waters edge…..
- Detail from the roof of Hung Shin Temple dating from 1909.
- Altar at Hung Shin Temple: worshippers of Hung Shin (a former government official) visit the temple twice a month to pray and once a year on the birthday of Kwun Yum the Goddess of Mercy….
- Former Wan Chai Post Office – dates from 1912
- This unusual Wan Chai building, creatively named The Blue House, is a 1920s tenement building with wooden staircases and metal balconies.
- Pak Tai Temple built by local residents in the 1860s in honour of the Daoist God of that name.
- The biggest temple in Hong Kong these dragons on roof line symbolising they are guarding the temple
- Ornate carvings on the roof of Pak Tai Temple – more dragons!!
- This 10 foot copper statue of Pak Tai is reckoned to be over 400 years old. His title was ‘Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven’. Big mate of Tony Blair I hear……
Tony's Geriatric Adventures 