Vignettes of the World
A lesson in Australia’s history would not be complete without the history of Port Arthur. It began in the 1880s as a penal colony. Then lieutenant governor of Van Diemen’s Land, George Arthur, established Port Arthur as a settlement for the most incorrigible, repeated offenders …
Generous sunshine blessed our last day in Tasmania. We were on our way to Port Arthur. However, we detoured and stopped by a number of interesting natural sites. The Tasman Arch The Tasman Arch began as a small sea cave. Constant sea waves formed …
You don’t know what you got till it’s gone, and that is the story of the China Café. I visited this old-schooled, Hong Kong styled café on December 28th, 2019. This is one of its very last days before saying goodbye to Hong Kong. Located in Canton Road, the China Café is a hidden gem amidst a typical street stall scene in Mong Kok.
I like to call these “bing sutts” “tea deli.” But perhaps the word “café” is just as true to the experience of dining in these “bing sutts.”
The cafés are part and parcel of daily life in Hong Kong. They are the place to be when someone does not have any particular food in mind but needing a quick fix at the same time. The menu items are similar in these cafés. There are the “quick sets,” which usually include an instant noodle with spam and egg item, or some kind of meat, or a combination of both, with tea or coffee. There are the “common sets,” which usually feature a dish of fried noodles, fried rice, or meat with gravy on rice. Tea or coffee follows, and the prices usually range between $40 to $60. Those who are opting for a light snack can pick the afternoon tea sets. They usually come with a pineapple bun and a generous slab of butter, or chicken wings, or an egg and beef sandwich, or a club sandwich.
To me, the top attraction at these cafés is always a nice, dark-brewed cup of Hong Kong milk tea.
China Café first opened its door in 1964, and it has witnessed a good 55 years of Hong Kong. From the outside its “gold plated plaque”[i](picture above) reflects clearly the era that it stands for. The glass case next to its door displays the very goodies that will fulfill the palate of its patrons. In the same vein, the walls and the floor inside are lined with colorful tiles, themed to the 1960s. Two hanging fans mount from the ceiling. As they spin one seems to see the times when (usually old) people would sit down at these cafés bright and early in the morning. They read newspapers on one hand and drank milk tea on the other. Or perhaps the younger generation will remember scenes from Hong Kong movies that were set in this very site.
Reports suggested that China Café experienced difficulty in business and that is why it is closing. Yet in its last days, the China Café had many customers lining up all the way till its closing hour (which is in the afternoon.) I was one of them, and many came with their cameras like I did.
I ordered a Kaya toast with milk tea. There was a very long wait for my snack, but that was fine. I wanted to share in this nostalgia for as long as I could. The Kaya is a spread made from coconut paste, Pandan leaf and eggs, the waiter told me. It is native to Malaysia, and relatively few Hong Kong cafés serve the Kaya now. Other famous menu items are the fried egg and beef sandwich, roast pork noodles, and pineapple bun with butter.
Finally, sitting at the table not far from me upstairs was actor Lam Suet, who starred in the Hong Kong movie PTU. This was one of the movies that was set in the China Cafe. This nostalgia was real.
Reference:
Jenny Leung, Time Out Hong Kong, One of Hong Kong’s Last Remaining Traditional Cafes Closes Down After 55 Years.
[i] The “gold plated plaque” is a direct translation of the Cantonese phrase referring to a longstanding, established name brand, store or restaurant.
In our last full day in Tasmania, we visited the Wineglass Bay lookout. Note, though, that we did not visit the beach. The tour guide told us that the hike down the beach was very rigorous, going more than two to three hours each way. …
The Jackman McRoss was a local bakery just a stone’s throw away from the Montacute. We decided to get our breakfast there, since all tourist sources recommended it. It clearly was a local favorite. We felt the energy of the place as soon as we …
The Hong Kong UNESCO Global GeoPark remembers Hong Kong in a way that none of us does. Hexagonal rock columns line the slopes at the Eastern Dam of the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung. They span a total area of 100 square kilometers including sea areas. Rows and rows of these rock formations surround the buffer zone of the reservoir. They are the living testaments of Hong Kong’s pre-settlement history.
Back in those pre-settlement days, there were active volcanoes in Hong Kong. Eruptions of these volcanoes 140 million years ago have made possible the forming of these columns. The following is a description of how they formed:
“Whenever there was an eruption, great lava flows gushed out along with scorching volcanic ash. They spread across the ground surface and formed lava layers. During the cooling period, the rock contracted very uniformly and gave rise to the marvelous hexagonal columnar joints seen today.”[i]
The vertical columns already create a magnificent testament of the geological movements hundreds of millions of years ago. Yet nature has not stopped there. Subsequently, movements in the earth has created a bent to the vertical columns into “S” shapes:
And the description explains this phenomenon thus:
“When the hexagonal rock columns were first formed, they cooled down slowly inside the caldera. Their texture would have been similar to that of putty. Most probably earthquakes or regional subsidence caused them to become contorted into the S-shape columns seen here.”[ii]
I highly recommend the GeoPark to any nature enthusiasts travelling to Hong Kong. The hexagonal columns, as a non-basaltic kind, is really quite unique to the hexagonal columns in the world.[iii]
Surely, one visiting the area would be drawn to the columnar formations, but there are a few other wonders worth seeing at the site. Lying at the very end of the trail at the buffer zone is the Sea Cave. It was formed from the erosion of the waves. The construction of the coffer dam has shielded the area from the consistent erosion of sea waves so the cave remains a cave, instead of a sea arch.
One can also see afar the Po Pin Chau, a stack island that split from the mainland due to the erosion of sea waves. It now shows a steep cliff.
Finally, the East Dam’s coffer dam itself is an infrastructural wonder. It is lined and protected by thousands of t-shaped dolos blocks, made of concrete and weighing 25 tons each. When you arrive at the long upper edge of the dam, you will see a giant blue dolos block that commemorates those who died in the construction of this dam. An Italian firm constructed the dam.
For a leisurely stroll in the area with time to read the exhibits, one should reserve at least 1.5 to 2 hours. A gentle but crucial reminder to visitors: if you are travelling during the summer, two bottles of water would not suffice. Bring three at least. The area has very few shades throughout, and even though the walk is very short, it does involve a strenuous climb up. Therefore, be certain to bring a hat and a number of bottled water with you.
This following is perhaps the best way to get to the area:
Do note that the area is off-bounds to private cars and the mini buses only go on the weekends. On all my past visits I have taken taxi’s in. After every visit, however, I thought it was well worth the trouble. The scenery there never ceases to amaze me.
Finally, for the hikers, from Pak Tam Chung to hike to East Dam, the trail will take at least 3, 3.5 hours each way.
[i] Internationally rare acidic polygonal volcanic rock columns － High Island.
[ii] A Landmark Produced by an Exogenous Force, an introductory display at the GeoPark.
Hobart was a kind of place that opened up your mind. We arrived into ample sunshine and a blue sky that spread wide and far above us. The city was vast, and as the second oldest city of Australia, retained much of its antique character. …
On day 3 our journey would take us across the city into the Cataract Gorge. The Cataract Gorge is where the three rivers of Launceston meet: the Tamar, the Northern Esk and the Southern Esk. We took the Tiger Bus on our way to the …
For centuries, the villagers of Kat Hing Wai lived in contentment. The Tang clan settled in the Yuen Long area as early as the Song dynasty. The Tang villagers were the first settlers in this area of the New Territories. When the last Emperor of Southern Song fled to Hong Kong and ruled in exile, the Tang clan gave him shelter. One of the Emperor’s aunts married a man of the clan.
The Tangs’ established the walled village and its surrounding moat during the Qing dynasty. Together they were the stalwart against attacks by bandits, wild and stray animals, and even the rivals in their neighboring villages. The villagers installed a ring-chained wrought iron gate to close off the blue-brick wall that protected the village. The iron gate was the only way-in and way-out of the rectangular-shaped walled village.
The British declared the New Territories as part of the Crown Colony in 1899. The Tang clan of the Kat Hing Wai village took part in the resistance that persisted after the British won the initial battles in eastern New Territories. Drawing on their advantage in terrain-based warfare, the villagers waged a difficult war against the British colonial army. Yet they did eventually lose the resistance, as the British force had much better weapons and practiced strategies.
Although the Tangs have already surrendered and accepted defeat by the British, the British official that scaled the area to accept surrender blew open this wrought iron gate of the village. The British officer did this partly as a declaration of victory, partly as a way to assert authority, and partly to humiliate the villagers. They furthermore confiscated this iron gate.
For decades into the 20th century, the villagers sought the return of the wrought iron gate. It was eventually discovered in Ireland. Then Governor Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs negotiated its return to the village in 1925. Upon its return it was restored as a goodwill toward the village.
The gate shall forever stand as testament to indigenous history.
Launceston is the third oldest city in Australia after Syndey (1st) and Hobart (2nd). That explains why the city retains a distinctively Victorian vibe. Much of the character of the late 18th, early 19th century is well alive in Launceston today. Charles Street is the …