Honk Kong-2

Day2:

  A good way to see Hong Kong would be to hop on a Big Bus Tour, which takes you around the city in an open top double decker bus. So with the wind on our faces, we set out to discover the old harbour region called Aberdeen and also a picturesque village named Stanley Village close to the famous Repulse Bay.

With a personalised running commentary on the various places in the journey, the Big Bus Tour was really good.

These pics were taken en route to Stanley Village. Some of the scenes were truely breathtaking as each bend in the road would reveal a different landscape with tiny islands dotting the South China Sea.

This is Stanley Village, a dreamy waterfront with a beautiful view of the South China Sea.

This is the famous Repulse Bay, so called because it was the den of ferocious pirates during the colonial days. The British Fleet drove them out in hoards, thereby " repulsing" them out of this natural crescent shaped beach.

It is also famous for another reason. The 1959 William Holden starrer, Love is a many Splendored Thing, was shot in Repulse Bay. The movie captured various facets of Hong Kong back in the colonial days and is also one of the most romantic movies of all time.

Then we were taken to Aberdeen, the old harbour that houses the typhoon shelters. We took a traditional Sampang ride along the stretch.

A famous landmark there is the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, with a traditional Chinese decor.

Its a great mix of old and modern. Private yatchs are docked alongside traditional fishermen's houseboats, and high rises provide a stunning backdrop to the old world beauty that is Aberdeen.





Also, take a look at this picture from the net showing a panoramic view of Aberdeen Harbour.

Hong Kong-1

                  Very often, we make up opinions based on news, other people's views, media reports etc and relegate the subject to a pre-defined category. So it was for me with regard to Hong Kong. Since a long time, all I ever thought about the island was how it was one of the most crowded places on earth, and expensive too, and most of my friends who had been there offered no other impressive details except for the fact that it was a close clone of Singapore in all aspects, with the added bonus of Disneyland and Madam Tussad's. So, when I decided to visit Hong Kong, this January,I was in for a very pleasant surprise!And also I made up a firm mind never to form impressions on a second person account for it is my belief that perceptions change drastically between people.

                    Well, so it was that we found ourselves on the windy tarmac of Hong Kong airport, with the temperature a chilling 8 degrees, and through the fog, we had our first glimpse of the beautiful hills that the island is comprised of. And straight away, I fell in love.

Hong Kong, meaning "Fragrant Harbour" in Cantonese, is situated along the southern coast of China, 60km from Macau. It was a British colony from 1942-1997.Currently, both Hong Kong and Macau are deemed as Special Administrative Regions(SARs) of the People's Republic of China.

Hong Kong consists of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories and over 200 offshore Islands of which, the largest is Lantau Island.

       
Day1:



This very beautiful scene is en route to Lantau Island from the Ngong PingCable Car and offers a bird's eye view of the whole area.

This is part of the Ngong Ping Village, a picturesque hamlet with cobbled streets good for shopping and food.

This is the very famous Tian Tan Buddha. The fog has rendered an ethereal quality to the beautiful and serene statue.

This is the Po Lin monastery within the village. The crysanthemums on display were truely a delight to see and added a splash of color to the grey day.

This first day in Hong Kong just enamoured my heart to it. For someone who loves Buddhism, this is a perfect retreat as this island is serene, beautiful, and dreamy and a far cry from the crowded, neon lit poster pictures that define Hong Kong ubiquitously.

Winter Blooms

                   When I was a kid in high school studying geography under the stern yet meticulous guidance of Roma Sohi Ma’m, I recall a class that was about the tropical climate of people living on the Equator. Apart from all that she told us, one thing that stood out was the fact that there were no seasonal changes on the Equator and it rained pretty much everyday at 4 in the evening, termed the 4 o’clock rain. Now, I know better, after having lived at 1^oN for the past 3 yrs, and having experienced the unending monotony of a tropical climate with bouts of rain and thunder showers, and stuck between 24-34^oC throughout the year, and a relative humidity of an average 90% to top it up!!

                   Therefore, whenever I get a chance to escape the monotony of Singapore’s climate and its plain topography,  I either head to Cameron highlands or the very least Jamshedpur, where amidst mountains and wisps of cold fog, I experience what according to me is sheer joy-the beauty of seasons. And wherein so many people I know hate winter, I adore it! The very memory of winter evokes visions -of being wrapped up in layers of woolies, colorful stoles,mufflers and scarves, boots and snug gloves, of sunset in the afternoon and chilly evenings redolent of woodsmoke  emanating from bonfires, hot soup and tasty dishes cooked with the freshest of the local winter produce, gajar halwa with lots of nuts and playing badminton under streetlights, and having a garden bursting with the blooming colors of chrysanthemums, dahlias , marigolds and orchids. Oh! And to imagine that no technology can ever bring winter to Singapore! What a loss!!

                  This winter, I was in Jamshedpur with my parents. Here’s a look at mom’s garden with a myriad of blooms! Who wouldn’t be envious as well as nostalgic for them??

Oh.....that feeling of beholding your garden full of winter blooms!! And see the sun set in the afternoon and feel in chill in the air. How I miss all that!!