Vignettes of the World
The weather has been fine for most of the past few weeks. There are signs of summer and yet it has not been too hot. We seize the opportunity to do different kinds of walks. The walk of the day was from Bowen Drive to …
The day began with a slight overcast and a pleasant coolness. We planned a hike of about four hours from Siu Lam to Ho Pui Reservoir. The journey began at Palatial Coast in Siu Lam. I got off at the minibus stop (information below) and …
The short hiking trail today begins at So Kwun Wat Village. It takes a little over an hour one way to reach Wong Nai Tun Reservoir.
The Wong Nai Tun Reservoir is an irrigation reservoir that was built in the 1960s to serve the irrigation needs for the fields of Yuen Long. To aggrandize the reserves of the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir (popularly known as Reservoir Islands), the Hong Kong Government cut off some of the streams that supplied water to the villages. As a result, the government built four other irrigation reservoirs to meet water demand.
The Wong Nai Tun Reservoir is located within the Tai Lam Chung Country Park. The trail is not so popular. However, it is a nice easy walk with views of the Reservoir Islands that are quite different from what we see at the Reservoir Islands View Point.
Photos above and below: Different Views of the Reservoir Islands on the Way to Wong Nai Tun Reservoir
The day was bright and we first had dim sum at the nearby Gold Coast. Then we drove over to So Kwun Wat Tsuen (Village). On So Kwun Wat Tsuen Road, we went all the way to the very end and parked at the unmarked spaces there. This following is the signpost pointing to the various routes in the area. Follow the sign for Wong Nai Tun Reservoir all along this path.
Very soon we came upon the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir Small Dam. We could find a path to explore the shore here. Although these are no grand views, the site is hidden away and perfect for a relaxing afternoon with a book by the water. Someone has already taken up an old tree branch for a nap. Freshwater fishing is also possible if you manage to get a license from the government.
We also passed by the pathway to the Reservoir Islands View Point. But our destination was Wong Nai Tun Reservoir, so we kept on going on the original path.
The trail is a gradual incline for about 2.5km on a paved driveway. After a little over an hour, we arrived at the southern tip of the Wong Nai Tun Reservoir. We could see the stream that supplies the water to this reservoir. The area was distinctively breezy.
These are views of the main dam of the Wong Nai Tun Reservoir, as we walked further north.
We walked through the dam and arrived at a small diverging path to reach the shore for another view.
At many of Hong Kong’s hiking sites, one usually comes across just one particular animal that roam around freely. In this part of the tai Lam Chung Country Park, goats are the resident animal.
Again, we went by private car. Drive on So Kwun Wat Tsuen Road, enter the So Kwun Wat Village all the way till the end. If you get there early enough, there should be some unmarked parking spaces at the road signs.
By minibus, take Route 43 from San Hui in Tuen Mun, and get off at the final stop at So Kwun Wat Village. After that, enter the village and there is about a 20-minute walk to reach the road signs.
Source:
The Wikipedia on the Wong Nai Tun Reservoir.
On my way to So Lo Pun, I witnessed a bull fight in Kuk Po. It is a novelty to me. The bulls locked horns and wrestled back and forth to gain grounds. The fight went on for just a few minutes. I had to …
The village of So Lo Pun is one of my most looked-forward to journeys on the bucket list. Well, readers wouldn’t be surprised because this is another so-called haunted village in the Sha Tau Kok area, and I am all for Angkor Wat sceneries in …
We saw the final show of Tri Ka Tsai at the Lau Bak Livehouse at Freespace, West Kowloon this past weekend. While the show is distinctively Hong Kong in its theme, as a cabaret production it clothes native contents in a cultural form with western origins. And it works.
Tai Kwun commissioned the performance of Tri Ka Tsai in 2019. It has been two years in the running and every show was a full house. That is no small accomplishment, and there are certainly features of the show that enable its success.
Tri Ka Tsai being the name of the show is worthy of some explanation. “Tri” refers to the expectation of tri-lingualism in present-day Hong Kong, as opposed to the demand of bilingualism during the colonial times. The wordplay is such that, as opposed to the now “Tri-ka,” “Bi-ka” of the older days plays a pun: it means someone (tsai, meaning a boy) who “thoroughly fails all expectations” in Cantonese. This joke sets the stage for the show. What follow are wordplays and cultural critiques, with original music and lyrics that give structure and substance to the performance.
Leading the performance are Rick Lau and Anna Lo. Rick begins with introducing himself as a post-70s Gen X-er. He grew up in colonial Hong Kong in a bilingual environment. He developed trilingual abilities in order to succeed, by meeting new sets of social expectations, just like everyone else here in post-colonial times. I think this strikes immediate rapport with the audience, as it seemed to me that the people of this full house event all had some silver hair. They must have been in their 40s and 50s. I am certainly one myself.
The 1.5-hour show begins with some pretty good jests about Cantonese culture. There are familiar jokes. For example, the Cantonese names that would have read normally but when pronounced they are a pun. Or the English names that Hong Kong people give themselves that are hilarious to English speakers. Another joke was about the old and new street names in Hong Kong. The cultural critiques continue throughout the show. They do trigger the back-and-forth between Cantonese, English and Mandarin in order to get the jokes.
Yet at some point the jesting tamed, and the show seems to have progressed onto a note of poignancy. There is a light touch on the events in Hong Kong in recent years, with enough left unsaid.
This is also when the originality of the music takes the center stage. Anna composed the music, and the band certainly delivers – some rock, some pop. The song On the Same Street (my translation) is particularly moving. We heard a few songs with beautiful melodies. Anna’s sing-along performance on the piano, along with the band and the lyrics by Yuri Ng, certainly showcases the creativity of which Hong Kong’s Gen-X talents are capable.
The show brings into sharp focus Hong Kong people’s mannerisms. Perhaps there is also some effort to show the underlying notions that gjve rise to these linguistic and cultural expressions. This show is meant to be funny and thus there are plenty of ridicules, but the love for Hong Kong shows amply through.
Toward the end of the show the poignancy lingers. The performance captures the culture of Hong Kong up to this moment in time. However, we do know that Hong Kong’s future remains precarious, or worse yet, in deep waters. At some point the performers seems to suggest that the adaptability and resilience for which Hong Kong people are known is the source of hope. Truly so?
Finally, I thought that the Lau Bak Livehouse at the Freespace was a great venue for this final show of Tri Ka Tsai. It was free seating and the ticket included a free drink either before or after the show. The hip and lighthearted bar atmosphere suited the nature of the show.
This was the first cabaret that I have seen and it left quite an impression.
As of June 2023, the giant twines of Mau Ping have been destroyed (not completely) by a vicious person, who chopped down parts of the old trees. The twines suffered significant damage. Some experts have assessed that the damage is too great for the twines …
Be prepared for a full four hours of walk if you want to hike the Tung O Ancient Trail. The trail takes one from Tung Chung to Tai O on foot. We went on one of the coldest days this winter. Besides the long walk, …
Today I went for a very quick walk at Shing Mun Reservoir. As usual, I began at the Pineapple Dam and spent fifteen minutes on the Pineapple Dam Nature Trail. Once at the end, you will see this sign. At that point, make a left on the paved road, and head on upon a gentle incline.
Photos
Left: at the end of the Pineapple Dam Nature Trail, you will see this sign. Make a left onto the paved road.
Right: A gentle incline once you head left from the Pineapple Dam Nature Trail.
Very soon you will come upon a crossroad, as shown below. Head on the trail to the left.
A few minutes later, you will come by the Butterfly Garden. I highly doubt that this is butterfly season, due to the cold weather. Therefore I did not visit the Butterfly Garden.
Very soon after, I passed by the Shing Mun Reservoir entrance of the Lung Mun Country Trail. The Lung Mun Country Trail is a three-hour walk from the Shing Mun Reservoir to Chuen Long. Bloggers say that the views on this trail are moderately interesting. I have walked 1/3 of it when I was lost in Tai Mo Shan last time.
But we are not going onto the Lung Mun Country Trail. Instead, we head on a little bit farther to reach another Butterfly Garden. This is where the large pasture allows for a very nice rest. Although it would have been perfect for picnic, be mindful of the high population of active monkeys there. My advice is not to spread food when they are around.
At this point here, head down for the Pineapple Dam Nature Trail. The stairs are very easy and they will take you back down to the Pineapple Dam.
The walk really was too short for me. However, the sun was setting so I thought it was a good and pleasant stroll before the sunset. To make it worthwhile, I stopped at the shore of the Shing Mun Reservoir along the Pineapple Dam Nature Trail and savored some pretty nice views.
Photos: a panoramic view at the shore of the Shing Mun Reservoir. Accessible from the Pineapple Dam Nature Trail.
My guidebook said this would be a 1.5-hour walk, but I took only 35 minutes from start to finish. I think this is suitable for a family with very young children. There aren’t so many views to speak of, but the shore of Shing Mun Reservoir on Pineapple Dam is a nice viewing point.
I was born the same year as the Gala Café of Tsuen Wan. I have not heard of it until last year, but thankfully it was not too late. For forty years, Gala Café was the local favorite in Tsuen Wan. It was especially famous …