Vignettes of the World
We are seeing warmer days in Hong Kong. I seize every opportunity there is to hike. This day I visited the Japanese fortifications in Luk Keng. “A bush fire lit up there last week, so I thought it is perfect for exploration,” a young man …
The people of Hoi An celebrate the full moon every month. Perhaps that was how they kept the tourists engaged. But on this traditional once-a-year Mid-Autumn Festival, the celebratory activities were much more elaborate. We intended to have a walk in Hoi An that evening …
Between the 2nd to the 10th centuries, Hoi An was a bustling seaport of the Champa Kingdom. Both My Son and Hoi An within its bounds, the Quang Nam province once belonged to the Champa King. A dispute arose between the Champa kingdom and Vietnam broke out, and between the 14th and 15th centuries Hoi An was the bone of contention. Vietnam claimed that a former Champa King has granted this area to Vietnam as gift for his marrying of a Vietnamese princess. His successor refused to honor the terms, thus causing a century-long fight.
Peace finally came. Beginning in the 15th century, Hoi An became an international trading port that thrived by the Thu Bon River. This encouraged the presence of the world’s trading nations in Hoi An, including the Japanese, Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, Indians, British, French, American and more.
The Chinese and Japanese traders were particularly prominent in Hoi An. They have left a presence by the many beautiful structures that stand to this day. Ancestral halls, temples, traders’ assembly, and all kinds of infrastructures are testaments to the city’s roots as a trading port and the international character that followed. Indeed, these structures are well-preserved as the UNESCO has decreed some eight hundred historical buildings in Hoi An as protected heritage.
The Thu Bon River was Hoi An’s life line. Until the late 19th century, when it silted. Hoi An’s fate thus turned upside down as the sea and river entries to trading closed. Danang then rose in its place as the preeminent trading port.
Hoi An’s long history and its cultural heritage was significant and apparent to both sides to the American War in Vietnam. As such, it remained intact during the war. Whereas the My Son Ruins nearby was largely destroyed.
Mid-autumn festival was around the corner. Hoi An’s old town was bustling with festivity. People adorn the shops and the streets with colorful lanterns, which are the symbols of full-moon celebration. Perhaps it had to do with the town’s trading past (silk was very much sought after two centuries ago); or perhaps it was a lucrative business from tourism, Hoi An’s streets had a remarkable presence of tailors and handicrafts.
Hoi An’s local life seemed to gravitate toward the Cho Hoi An Market. As compared to the many other similar markets I have been in Vietnam, Cho Hoi An was a notch cleaner than most. The scenes of sales were no less engaging, however, as the haggling between foreigners and local traders made the din that signaled vibrant business. Fruits, veggies, Vietnamese sausages, baguettes, name it and you will find it here.
As its name suggests, the Japanese Covered Bridge was a mark of the Japanese community in Hoi An. The Japanese built this bridge in the 1590s in order to gain access to the Chinese quarters across the stream. The bridge was small. Its petite arches over the stream seemed to comport perfectly with the subtleties of Japanese culture.
The Ba Le Well was famous for providing the water for making the famous Hoi An Cao Lao noodles. It claimed to be the source of water for all of Hoi An’s cao lao noodles. It has its ancient origin from Cham times. For centuries, the elderly people would make a trip daily to the well to fill their pails. Well, this seems to hold true to this day. We met an old man at the well. He took a pail and showed me, and I took sips from this sweet water, the water of life for Hoi An.
It wouldn’t be surprising that the Bale Well Restaurant was very close to the well, as its name suggests. When we sat down, the waitress laid down a full array of food under the set menu, the only option for diners. From pancakes to condiments, from barbecued pork skewers to generous handfuls of herbs, from rice paper wrap to white coffee, all in mouthwatering presentation and portion. No, we did not wait to say bon appetit. We dug in right away.
In this very sunny afternoon we ran into a beauty pageant parade. A host of beautiful Vietnamese women dressed in their traditional ao dai’s and posed for pictures. We thought they followed us as we saw them at every spot that we stopped. I told my young handsome companion that he ought to introduce himself and take one of them home. He mumbled something that sounded like a comment of disdain.
With that, I would have to render this beautiful image of the flowing ao dai’s in my memory.
Sources:
The historical descriptions of Hoi An in this entry came from the Lonely Planet: Vietnam (2014).
The historical descriptions of the Ba Le Well came from the Lonely Planet: Ba Le Well, Hoi An.
The destination of the day was the abandoned village of Yung Shue Au, meaning “the Banyan Pass.” The Itinerary We parked at Luk Keng and hiked on the seaside trail along Sha Tau Kok Hoi (also known as Starling Inlet). Having passed first Kai …
It took me three attempts to find the beautiful Shek Pan Tam, aka Ka Lung Tam (Ka Lung Pool) in the Nam Chung area of Sha Tau Kok. The potholes of Shek Pan Tam (meaning the stone-slab pool) are the largest such natural phenomenon in …
My original intention this day was to visit the potholes of Shek Pan Tam Pool in Nam Chung, Sha Tau Kok. I guess it would not surprise readers that I lost my way again. All thanks to Google GPS, which gives poor directions for hikers on country trails.
Once arriving in Nam Chung, I parked and headed off to Luk Keng. I knew that there was a way to the Shek Pan Tam Pool (also known as Ka Lung Tam) from Luk Keng. I had a pleasant stroll in the Luk Keng Village. There were some interesting sights of ruins within the village. It seemed to me that a number of villagers have deserted their houses, but enough good houses stood to keep it a viable community, unlike many other villages in the area, where whole villages deserted their homes.
At the end of Luk Keng Village I came upon the hiking trail. It was a very nice set of stone-paved steps. Generous shades blessed this first part of the trail. But then I saw the sign to the Edward Youde Memorial Pavilion, and I realized that I must have missed the opening to the Shek Tam Pool. So be it, I thought, the Edward Youde Memorial Pavilion it was.
The stairs took me about an hour. I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I saw signs pointing to the Pavilion. Even on my way, I saw beautiful views northward, of the high rises of Shenzhen.
Sir Edward Youde was the only Governor in Colonial Hong Kong that died in office. He began his service in Hong Kong in 1982, in a time of uncertainty. It was during his administration that the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed in 1984. Passed away in Beijing in 1986, Sir Edward Youde was succeeded by Lord David Wilson. The Northern District District Council established this beautiful twin pavilion to commemorate Sir Edward Youde, who had taken the interests of Northern New Territories to heart when he was in office. Lady Youde initiated the Pavilion in 1988.
The view at the Pavilion was breathtaking. It was an aerial panorama of the Nam Chung and Luk Keng areas. There were some beautiful fish bonds, surrounded by the ranges on the horizon. Every road leads to Rome, I thought, and despite not finding the Shek Pan Tam, I found another treasure. I had no time to lose however, as I still hoped that I might find the pool after all. It was certainly in the vicinity and so I hurried off.
I followed signs for Nam Chung. On my way I passed by the Ping Ka Stream, with origin at Ping Fung Shan (Ping Fung Mountain). When this section of the Wilson Trail (Section 10) was built in 1995, the Kiu Shan Bridge provided the throughway over the stream, which usually flooded during rainy season and blocked passage. The rural leaders of the area named this bridge after Kiu Shan School, which was a school for the four neighboring villages in this area.
In early afternoon the sun was right above me. I was on my way back to Nam Chung. It was a steep descent for about 20 minutes. I passed by the helipad, the Pat Sin Leng Country Park Luk Keng Management Center, then I reached the starting point of Wilson Trail Section 10, and the Nam Chung Country Trail. Once on Nam Chung’s main road, there was almost no shade.
The views on Nam Chung’s main road was surprisingly good as well. There were many fish ponds. I figured that this was the ground view of the ponds that I saw up at the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Pavilion. The villagers led a quiet and peaceful life here, it seemed to me, tucked away in the rural pockets within the embrace of mountain ranges.
As I came upon the main highway, I realized that this was right where I parked my car. I could have come this way instead of walking 20 minutes to Luk Keng to start my trail. But I was glad, because the hike up the steep incline on Wilson Trail Section 10 would have been way worse than the stone-paved steps at Luk Keng.
And my next destination has to be Shek Pan Tam. I promised myself that nothing is impossible with better research.
This hike to Jardine’s Lookout would be the hike of the year. In fact, it is probably the single most rigorous hike I have ever done. Part A: The starting point was my friend’s place in Nam Fung Sun Tsuen, taking on Mount Parker Road …
Sunday morning greeted us with a bit of a heavy rain. We checked out at 10am, got into the car and drove around looking for breakfast. We came upon a Lavazza Café that was opened on Sunday morning. The family ordered one to two each …
The house was bustling in the morning as the children woke up to a new day. I woke up tired because I researched late into the night for restaurants to visit in Turin. My cousin requested Michelin restaurants. The family enjoys stately meals when they dine out.
We finally embarked upon our journey at 10am. The car ride from Lausanne, Switzerland to Turin, Italy would take three hours or more, depending on the weather conditions. We would be passing through the mountains.
We crossed the border and found ourselves in the land of cheap and good coffee. In Switzerland, coffee costed 5-7 CHF on average. As we waited for the key to the air bnb, I sneaked out for pastries and my coffee fix. €1.2 a cup and it was heavenly.
Our first stop into beautiful Turin was at the Scannabue Café. I had an onion soup plus a squid ink spaghetti with squid. It was wonderful. My cousin had a well-cooked octopus. We came out full and satisfied.
It was becoming late when we finished lunch. We wanted to visit Museo Eglizio, the Egyptian Museum. On our way to the Museum we passed by many stately buildings. I always thought it was the architecture that makes Europe amazing. We stopped for pictures at the Palazzo Carignano. It was the private residence of the Princes of Carignano. Now it houses the Museum of the Risorgimento. The building shows a Baroque style with an elliptical façade. It was the birthplace for a number of VIPs, including the first King of Italy Victor Emmanuel II in 1820. I noticed that a number of nice historic buildings in Italy have facades both in the front and in the back. The architecture was simply amazing.
The Egyptian Museum was an eye-opening experience. It began in 1824 and houses more than “40,000 artifacts,” of which ‘3,300 were on display in the gallery and 11,000 in the open storage, the “Galleries of Material Culture.”’ To say the least, Museo Eglizio is the epitome of the West’s fascination with Egyptian civilization.
Indeed, the Museum was candid in confronting this difficult aspect of its work: is museology so far away from “looting” in the proper sense of the word? I learned that Italy, the United States, France and Britain bought rights to research and archaeological excavations from the Egyptian government. Where the right was not bought out and executed properly, or without consent by the parties involved, the Italian researchers could lose their stakes in the expeditions.
The material and spiritual civilization of ancient Egypt as depicted in the Museum was rich, diverse and full of wonders. The explanations were well-researched, showing visitors the geographical origin, time period and the purposes that the artifacts served. The display was thoughtful, very often a whole case of artifacts restored to its original arrangement at the time of excavation. Finally, the exhibition upstairs presented sobering questions about the delicate balance between archaeology, museology, looting and the aim of preserving evidence of a civilization as part of humanity. Its practices, technology, and way of life are critical for the world in understanding its own past.
Could the West, in the name of humanity, take or purchase the treasures of Egypt in a way that truly respects what ancient Egypt stands for, even to its own people? Do the Egyptians appreciate the argument that its history is to be shared as a world heritage? Are they convinced? These contentions are well-alive and addressed in this wonderful museum.
The serious effort in telling the stories behind each type of artifact was truly commendable. With 15€ as the entrance fee, one could not have expected more. In fact, visitors entering after 5pm only paid 5€, as we did. This would be the most worthwhile of museums I have seen for a very long time.
This very educational experience satisfied my soul. We were ready for dinner as the museum closed. Koi was a Japanese fusion restaurant. We had a wonderful meal.
We walked by Piazza San Carlo, which was perfect for night pictures. Despite walking around for quite a while, we did not find any dessert. We rested the night at an air bnb in town. Tired, but supremely happy to be in Italy. It was quite a change of scenery from Switzerland. And that is what I like about Europe. There is another world, just a few hours away.
The idea was simple. Let’s bring art into a traditional community by drawing and painting murals. And the results were astounding. Miss Kwok Yin-ming teaches visual arts at a secondary school. She wanted to bring love into the community by gathering students and volunteers to …