Vignettes of the World
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 …
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 stop recording and watch out for my own safety, as the bulls began running across the pedestrian’s path in a seemingly blind rage.
As a result of dodging the bull run, I dropped my wallet without knowing. A kindhearted man picked up the wallet and handed it over to the police.
Kuk Po is about a third of the way between Luk Keng and So Lo Pun. The most common animals we see in this area are cattle. These are some mild-mannered cattle, the kind that we usually see. They seem to just munch on the pasture all day.
But perhaps seeing a rare bull fight bodes well for the Year of the Ox. I think the venue of the match is notable. They first locked horns in the sandy stretch by the shore. The high rise of Shenzhen is visible on the opposing shore. The urban and rural elements juxtaposed in a wild contrast. This type of scenery only shows in video games these days.
So the question is, which bull do you think to have eventually won the fight?
And I was really quite startled by the bull’s roar. It was an assertion of prowess. Not a moo, but a roar.
Answer: the one on the right. If you take a closer look, this bull is actually a bit skinnier than the one on the left. Its rib cage is slightly more pronounced than the one on the left. It managed to gain all the grounds on the sandy stretch. It effectively pushed the other ox off the sand, and thus the fight moved court to the pedestrian way. The other bull kept losing its ground, and it was pushed further off the pedestrian way. That was when I decided that I must leave for safety’s sake.
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 …
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 to grow back. We express the most severe condemnation to the person who committed this grave act against nature.
On this beautiful winter day a group of friends and I headed out from Mui Tsz Lam to see the great twines of Mau Ping. We hiked the Mui Tsz Lam and Pak Kong Ancient Trail, which was an easy, 2.5-hour walk.
At the Tai Shui Hang MTR Station, we took exit B toward Chevalier Garden. We stopped by a restaurant at Tai Shui Hang for a typical Hong Kong meal first. Then we walked through the compound of Chevalier Garden, toward the general direction of the mountains. At this gate with the red lanterns (near Block 17), we entered into the path to Mui Tsz Lam.
We turned left on the paved Mui Tsz Lam Road. Trees lined this section of the road. For about fifteen, twenty minutes we headed up on a gentle incline. Many bikers raced by, and we saw one that made a few rounds back and forth. It was a Sunday and there were quite a number of hikers.
At this point, follow the sign for Mui Tsz Lam Village. Keep on for a little bit further.
You will have entered into the village, and reach this point. The entry to the Ancient Trail is the path on the left.
Mui Tsz Lam is a 400-year old village. The Ng clan of Hakka came to Ma On Shan and settled down here. Although at its heyday the village prided a population of 200 to 300, most villagers have moved away. Only about a dozen residents remain there now. There is no record of why this village was named Mui Tsz Lam (in Chinese, it means plum grove). The villagers grew mainly grains.
Once we passed by Mui Tsz Lam village, we came upon the Mau Ping Ancient Trail. At this sign we knew that Mau Ping is only about 1.6km up. Generous shades bless this leg of the journey. It is a gentle incline throughout, with the last section before reaching Mau Ping to be mostly upward steps.
The ancient trails of Hong Kong are distinguishable by being stone-paved paths. Judging from the condition of the stones on this trail, it is likely that the villagers have paved the stones with what they were able to find in nearby sites. The stones had irregular shapes and did not seem to have been processed in any way. Other ancient trails that came with planning are paved with wide stone slabs.[i] This ancient trail is dated over one hundred years.
We then passed by the former Mau Ping Villages on our way. Although there are a number of abandoned houses, the ancestral hall stands proudly restored. It gives tribute to the Lau ancestors. The Mau Ping villages have moved to their current locations in Sai Kung by now. In the old days, the only access to the village was this ancient trail.
This stream was a popular rest stop.
The section from Mui Tsz Lam Village to the Mau Ping Resting Area takes about 1.5 hours. Once we arrived at the Mau Ping Resting Area, (where everybody lines up to take pictures of the giant beans), we took a break. I have previously written on the Great Twines of Mau Ping and the bamboo lined sections.
We continued on the Mau Ping Ancient Trail back to Pak Kong and it took about another hour, plus 15 minutes on Pak Kong Road to Hiram’s Highway and thus back to civilization. There is a bus stop on Hiram’s Highway and you can take a bus to go back to Sai Kung Town.
The walk back to Pak Kong is slightly steep. The stone-paved roads can be slippery when heading downward because of the round and smooth surface of the stones. I caution hikers against walking it during rainy days, or otherwise always have a hiking cane.
[i] 梅子林及茅坪，馬鞍山民康促進會https://mos.hk/spot/6.
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 …
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 for the egg selection on its menu: omelets fully stuffed with ham in a generous egg pocket; two-inch thick egg and beef sandwiches, egg milkshake and egg custard dessert. The former owner, Mr. Mak, was 74 years old in 2018. He was retiring. The decision was to close Gala Café at its fortieth year.
The news got out and the fans of Gala Café came to say goodbye. Mr. Chan was one of the patrons. He has been to the café a few times, and he has talked to Mr. Mak before. As an owner of two Japanese restaurants, Mr. Chan knew the value of good restaurants. He wanted this memory to live on. He entered into the discussion to buy the business from Mr. Mak. Mr. Mak sold the business for 34 million.
While 34 million for a small café seems like an astronomical number, this was only the beginning of a long and hard-earned journey. Mr. Chan knew full well that the business could only go on if he manages to maintain the former high standards that Mr. Mak has kept for forty years. Therefore for six months Mr. Chan took up every post in the café, from cooking food to making drinks, from serving food to busing tables.
Maintaining the standard of the café’s key menu items was the single most important factor of success. Mr. Chan learned the techniques of making egg dishes, how to make the soy sauce for the famous soy chicken wings, and how to fry the wontons to an indelible crispiness.
Although Mr. Chan was most concerned with keeping up the good name of Gala Café, he has also innovated some new items, such as the crunch Ovaltine, and variations of the French toast, such as red bean and Ovaltine crunch.
I have not had the chance to visit Gala Café before Mr. Mak retired, but I did make it out to Tsuen Wan on two occasions this year. I was very happy with the quality of food and the whole dining experience.
The café is tucked away in a very busy district in Tsuen Wan. The 10-minute walk from Tsuen Wan West station to Gala Café was quite an experience. I proceeded from the well-groomed Nina Mall and Tsuen Wan City Walk, right into the heart of the din and hustles of street stalls and wet market. In fact, only when I lined up for my afternoon tea today did I notice that the café was right next to a pork table. It brought a smile on my face as I saw a huge cockroach slipping through the many attempts by the hostess to crush it (this was outside of the restaurant). Perhaps that the surrounding environment was not the best, but that was itself the reason why it was a place of local memories. Its roots sunk deep into the everyday routines of local life.
Let’s see why I think the food is great. In my first visit, I went for breakfast and ordered the “small omelet.” It is in fact a big omelet, with lots of ham. When I call it a “local favorite,” there are certain indicators why it is a “local’ take on food. As soon as the waitress set down the dish, I smelled Maggi. I do not like Maggi, but when I tasted the omelet, I understood why a dash of Maggi made it flavorful. It added a touch of complexity to the taste.
On my second visit, in light of my intention to blog, I went all out and ordered the egg and beef sandwich (on tasted bread), their famous soy sauce chicken wings, and the fried shrimp wontons. I topped these off with the crunch Ovaltine.
I like these dishes more than the omelet last time. The soy sauce chicken wings was the most impressive I think. It meets Mr. Chan’s explanation of why it is good: the chicken wings are braised in soy sauce only when orders come in. They come to the table warm. In that way, the freshness of the meat and the body of the soy sauce are equally prominent. Many foods that are braised in soy sauce lose their natural flavors because the sauce is usually overwhelmingly sweet. But that is certainly not the case with these soy sauce chicken wings at Gala Café.
As to the other dishes, perhaps I will let them speak for themselves here.
Sources:
A Patron Takes up Gala Cafe, Hopes to Preserve Old Fashioned Cafe Dining Culture.
The plan for the day is to hike the Wilson Trail Section 1 via Violet Hill to end at Repulse Bay. We began at the Stanley Section of Wilson Trail Section 1 at Parkview. The entrance is across the street from the public parking lot …