Vignettes of the World
In my opinion, the 1881 Heritage is one of the most successfully restored heritage sites in Hong Kong. Formerly the Marine Police Headquarters, the 1881 Heritage stands tall and grand in what used to be the waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui. There are two reasons …
On this winter day of apricity I did a walk in Tsim Bei Tsui in Lau Fau Shan and then took a leisurely stroll to see the fish ponds of Yuen Long. The walk took a little more than two hours and the only climb …
The first hike of 2024 was on January 1st and I went to the Grass Island. I wanted a reasonable walk with views of the ocean. In Chinese we like to say “ride the wind and break the waves” to mean that one will stare down all challenges in life and climb to its peak. That was my intention for 2024.
There are two ways for one to reach the Grass Island. First is from the Ma Liu Shui Pier, the second way is from the Wong Shek Pier in Sai Kung. I went to the Ma Liu Shui Pier because it is a lot easier to go there from the University MTR Station.
The first sail to Grass Island leaves the Ma Liu Shui Pier at 8:30am. You will arrive at Grass Island at a little before 10am. On public holidays, there is an additional ferry that leaves the Ma Liu Shui Pier at 12:30pm. For return, on public holidays there are three departure times, one at 11:10am, 1:45pm and 5:30pm. See below for the schedule.
Note that on non public holidays, there are two return ferries to Ma Liu Shui, leaving Grass Island at 11:10am or 5:30pm. You are likely only able to get on the 5:30 return because leaving at 11:10am would not give you sufficient time to tour the island.
There are always some ferries run by locals that will take you to Wong Shek Pier throughout the day, but schedules are not set.
In Chinese, the Grass Island is known as Tap Mun. Its name refers first to the idea of a “Buddhist Tower,” for the word “tap” in Cantonese means a tower. This reference came from the Balanced Rock. Because the Balanced Rock looks like a Buddhist pagoda tower from afar, and the Tap Mun Cave at its north looks like a door, the people called the Island “Tower” and “Door,” and thus Tap Mun became the Chinese name of the Grass Island.
Situated at the mouth of Tolo Channel and within the Mirs Bay, the Island has a size of 1.69 square kilometers and it is an inhabited island. Even as early as the Ming Dynasty, the Grass Island was a mid-way stop for vessels sailing between Guangzhou and Huizhou and Chaozhou.
Unlike other islands, where significant efforts have been made to highlight the island’s heritage, the Grass Island does not come with any official introduction of its culture and history. Although there is no heritage museum that provides a coherent narrative of the Island’s history, unlike in Yim Tin Tsai, Ap Chau or Kat O (Crooked Island), the villagers in Grass Island do have cultural practices that are well known. I had the opportunity to talk to a villager there to learn about the people of Grass Island.
At the peak of its population, the Island had about 3,000 villagers living there. Now the number of residents there are about 100, and they tend to be retirees. There are two distinct lineages in Grass Island, one group of villagers being Hakka, and another group being shui ga, meaning the boat people. The villages are of mixed surnames.
In terms of cultural activities, the Grass Island certainly celebrates the birthday of Tin Hau, the Sea Goddess. The villager told me that the Tin Hau celebration costs a few million dollars each time. There are usually free ferry rides, a stage has to be set up for a traditional performance, and two vegetarian meals per day for two days for the villagers. All these involve significant expenses, and the villagers abroad, mostly in the United Kingdom, will be seeking donations to cover these expenses.
Like so many villagers in the New Territories, many people have migrated abroad. Many of them ended up in the United Kingdom. They never forget their roots, however. In next year, the Grass Island will celebrate the anniversary of the villages’ establishment. This event will bring together many former villagers again for a merry good time in the Island.
There are three geological sites of significance in Grass Island and I managed to see one, which is the Balanced Rock. The three are namely Balanced Rock, Lung Keng Gun (Dragon’s Neck) and the Tap Mun Cave.
The Balanced Rock was made of hexagonal volcanic rock columns, which were formed from the volcanic activities that took place 143 million years ago. Volcanic eruptions spewed large amounts of volcanic ash. After a period of cooling and contraction, vertical hexagonal columns were formed. With sea and wind erosions that took place in the following tens and thousands of years, some rocks broke away from the mass and stood independently, just like the Balanced Rock does now.
Allow for two hours if you want a good, leisurely walk on the loop trail of Grass Island. More time is necessary if you want to reach the Balanced Rock and the Tap Mun Cave.
At the Pier, turn left to begin the walk. You will soon find yourself at Tin Hau Temple. The Tin Hau Temple of Grass Island was built during the early Qing Dynasty. A plaque inside the temple indicates that as early as the 8th year of the Qianlong Reign (1743), the Tin Hau Temple has been in existence, established by the fishing merchants of the region.
On the left side of the Tin Hau Temple, the trail continues. Follow signs for Balanced Rock throughout this section of the trail. Soon you will be climbing a gentle incline to reach what the locals call the Grassland. This is where most campers find their spots (more below).
The Kung Pui Pebble Beach lies on the eastern side of the Grass Island. It offers wonderful views of the ocean, and I spent about 20 minutes there hearing the waves. It is a pebble beach so walk carefully amongst the large and small rocks.
The Balanced Rock of Grass Island is a natural wonder, where two large rock boulders sit on top of each other and do not fall down.
In this segment of the walk, you will enjoy the sights and sounds of the raging waves of the ocean against the coastline. In Chinese, Ta Long Pai means a “row of beating waves,” and true to its name, this coastal walk offers exceptional views of such.
There are two main restaurants on the coastal strip and I chose Xin Huihe because it offers the very special ginger milk tea. Usually, tourists would pick the sea urchin fried rice but I thought it was too expensive. I ordered a squid fried rice with shrimp paste. It was a wonderful lunch.
The shops in this part of the island also offer some really interesting dried seafood for sale. They should be wonderful soup ingredients.
Of all the outlying islands that I have been in Hong Kong, I have seen the most number of campers at Grass Island. On the day that I visited, the grassland was taken over by campers and cows, respectively. There is one camping shop on the island, from which you may call in advance to arrange for camping supplies rental. The TMDB provides camping supplies as well as water sports gear for campers and adventurists. Look up their Facebook page for details. The shop is located in the restaurant area on your way to the Tin Hau Temple.
Finally, the Mau Ping Shan shows on the TrailWatch App with seemingly clear paths. It lies in the northern section of the Grass Island. However, it is certainly not advisable to hike up this hill. The villager told me that there were quite a few instances where firemen were called in to rescue hikers that were lost in that area. The pathways are not clear once you ascend the hill.
The Wikipedia on Tap Mun (Chin).
Hong Kong National Geopark (2nd Ed.,) (2011) at 242-243.
Seize the last days of this exhibition and make an appointment to see Gazing at Sanxingdui: Archaeological Discoveries in Sichuan. The last day of the exhibition is January 8, 2024. The Sanxingdui was a civilization that existed during China’s Bronze Age in what is now …
In Chinese, Shenzhen is also known as Pengcheng, meaning “The City of Peng.” The Dapeng Fortress is where this other name of Shenzhen comes from. Its full name Dapeng Suocheng refers to the military nature of the ancient city. For the word “suo” is a …
The Lion Rock is a very popular trail in Hong Kong, but I have never had the opportunity to walk it. On this wonderful winter day I joined a group hike and had a wonderful time seeing 360 views in this somewhat midway point of Hong Kong.
The aerial views were certainly excellent, but the Lion Rock also stands for the Lion Rock Spirit, an important cultural reference that has long represented a shared spirit of community and hope for the people of Hong Kong.
Photos: A Panorama of the View of Kowloon and Hong Kong at the Lion Rock
We would be starting our hike at the Fat Chong Temple of Temple Hill. This is also the beginning point for a hike up the 488-meter high Temple Hill, about which we have previously written. At Fat Chong Temple, we headed up the Shatin Pass Road. Climb on a slightly steep incline for about five minutes, and keep watching on your left.
The entrance to the trail is on your left, with stairs and rail. This entrance will come up before you reach the Fung Wong Fresh Water Service Reservoir.
The climbing up this trail is relatively easy, as the paths are either paved or well trodded. Just keep on going on this trail and you will see signs at the crossroads indicating the way to the Lion Rock. It is very straight forward.
I highly recommend that you also see the Lion Head, where you will be able to climb up (engaging all fours) the famous rocky outcrop that makes the Lion Head.
After climbing the Lion Head, you will descend toward the Wang Tau Hom direction, or Tin Ma Court if you use hiking apps or Google Map.
A point of some importance is the existence of military structures on this trail. There are signs along the trail indicating where these facilities are, and I do plan on visiting them on my own when I do have the opportunity to do so. There will be an entry on this under the WWII category.
Photo: British-built Pillboxes Afar
Including time for photos, allow for about three hours to complete this hike.
There are two viewing points at the summit of the Lion Rock. I suggest taking all your pano pictures at the Lion Rock, which is a large area with safe vantage points for photographs. The Lion head is comparatively dangerous, but it is perhaps worth climbing as well. The views are the same at both locations, and both at are the altitude of 495 meters.
Looking north, you will see unobstructed views of Tai Wai and Shatin.
Lying on the northwest is Tai Mo Shan.
And then, of course, looking south you will see all of Kowloon and Hong Kong island.
The Lion Rock acquired its name because the Lion Head resembles the stately appearance of a lion. In terms of geography, it is also very significant because it is the mountain range that wedges between Kowloon and the New Territories.
Before vehicular access was opened by the two other Shatin tunnels, Tates Cairn and Eagle’s Nest, the Lion Rock Tunnel was the only speedy access between Kowloon and Shatin. For a very long time, the people living in the New Territories used the Lion Rock tunnel daily in their commute to the urban areas.
Culturally speaking, the Lion Rock stands as the epitome of the Hong Kong spirit. For as long as I can remember, Hong Kong people have had this phrase “beneath the Lion Rock,” referring to a shared aspiration to strive for a good life by hard work, honesty, integrity, perseverance, innovation and social harmony. The phrase comes from a very well-known song by Roman Tam of the same name, speaking amply to the sentiments of Hong Kong life during the 1970s and 1980s.
As a native of Hong Kong growing up during the 1980s, this song always brings me to tears. It is representative of a spirit of togetherness that no longer exists in Hong Kong today. But it still strikes a chord with so many of us, even for those who grew up a lot later. It was this very spirit that has propelled Hong Kong’s exceptional economic and social development all the way till the 1990s.
From the Wong Tai Sin MTR Station, take Green Top Minibus 18M to the final stop at Sha Tin Pass Estate. Head up Shatin Pass Road, the Fat Chong Temple is on your left. Keep on going on Shatin Pass Road for about five minutes, and the entrance to the trail will be on your left.
For our hike that day, we took a taxi from the Lok Fu MTR station, and you may also consider taking a taxi at the Wong Tai Sin MTR Station.
The Hong Kong Ballet performed The Great Gatsby a couple months ago. When I saw the introduction of the production, I learned about the preparation for the costumes. The program materials showed such sophisticated presentation of the costumes that I bought the ticket right away. …
Let us pause here for a much-loved topic: the wonders of Uzbek food. Before going to Uzbekistan, I had no knowledge whatsoever of the food that Uzbeks eat. I figured that, first, as long as I do not have craving for pork (and I do …
We were greeted with exceptional hospitality as soon as we arrived at Bukhara. By the time we checked in to the Oasis Boutique, it was dusk hour. On our way to the restaurant, we met a group of ladies from four generations of a family. They greeted us enthusiastically, and although we did not share the same languages (the only foreign language they spoke was Russian and we could only do English), we tried to communicate with each other in a combination of hand signs and whatever simple words we could do to convey our meaning.
They started singing and dancing with us. The air was incredibly jovial. We held hands and sang in a circle, clapping together but with much clumsiness in our steps. We could not tell what the tune was, but we sang and clapped along. There was immediate, unspoken but fully understood rapport amongst us.
The lady who was the youngest in the group told us that her grandmother was 84 years old, her mother was in her 60s, and she herself was about 30 years old. She had her young son with her this afternoon, but he was too young to speak English to us. We noticed that the Uzbeks did not find questions about one’s age a taboo. We gladly shared with them how old we were.
In essence, Bukhara greeted us with a spirited celebration of womanhood.
We parted our ways with the family and went on to Mavrigi for a much-needed supper. From Google Map Reviews we learned that this restaurant was known for its rudeness besides the fair quality of its food. And true to its name we got some rudeness and some good quality food as well.
Perhaps I will let the restaurant’s food and the ambiance here speak for itself. We would not go there again, as there are a million choices of food in the Old Town, but the experience was not nearly so bad as the Google reviewers suggested.
Legend has it that Bukhara was founded by Siyavush, a Persian prince from the Pishdadian dynasty. He ended up in Samarkand after his own evil stepmother accused him of seducing her. There he married the daughter of King Afrosiab. Part of her dowry included the vassal state of Bukhara. He eventually met an unfortunate fate, as the King Afrosib accused him of plotting to overthrow the king. The king had him executed.
In 329BC, Alexander the Great made his way here too. By 6th century BC, Bukhara was thriving as a city along the ancient Silk Road. Before the Islam era, which began when Arab invaders came to Uzbekistan in 7th century or so, Bukhara had a period of celebrated religious diversity, where people of many different faiths established their presence and practices, including the worship of the Iranian goddess Anahita, the Nestorian Christians and the Manicheans.
The successful Arab invasion ended the religious diversity here, but it did usher in a golden era for Bukhara in the 9th and 10th centuries, where Bukhrara was known as Bukhoro-I Sharif (Bukhara the Noble), and “The Pillar of Islam.” In 892 AD the Samanid ruler Ismail ibn Ahmad moved the capital from Samarkand to Bukhara. There was trade and with it came wealth, with the resultant glory of cultural and architectural developments.
When the Samanid era ended, Bukhara became the subject of attack by many brutal invaders, the Karakhanids, the Karakhitai, the Khorezmashah, and the most fierce of all, Ghenghis Khan’s mongols. These invaders typically razed Bukhara to the ground, Ghenghis Khan and his mongols, in particular, slaughtered all of Bukhara’s troops and destroyed all things in sight in the ancient city.
For three nights we would be staying at the recently-renovated Oasis Boutique Hotel. It was conveniently located close to the Old Town, within which stood both well-known and unnamed but state-protected old buildings. This is the center of Bukhara, radiating the energies of daily life for the ancient city once glorified by the Silk Road trade. The hotel is small but offers exceptionally clean, swanky new rooms for its customers. The breakfast was also very good, with a wide selection of snacks for you to take for your day’s sightseeing.
Generally speaking, the sites in Bukhara are pretty centralized. You may walk to the most-commonly visited tourist sites. With the exception of the ride to Sitorai Mokhi Khosa, and a failed attempt at finding the animal market, we did not have to call taxis.
As it turned out, we would be getting the best money exchange rate in Bukhara in this trip. At Asia Hotel Bukhara, ask for directions to get to the money exchange desk, which is somewhere in the basement. As Uzbekistan is very much a cash-based society, it is a good idea to prepare a little bit extra, in case you see something nice you like for a souvenir, or to splurge on any kind of unexpected luxuries on the trip.
Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan, Bradt Travel Guide (2020).
Before arriving in Buhkara, we would also be making a stop at the town of Nurota to see some ancient ruins. This part of the journey was simple. We went up to the Nur Fortress to see what was supposedly a military installation built at …