Hidden Treasure: Hiking to Trio Beach

 Hiking  3 Responses »
Jan 082011
 

Hong Kong has scenic view like this:

It is like a corner of southern France.

To see the view, you will need to go this hidden treasure hiking route in Sai Kung. Another plus of this route is that  you will end up in a peaceful beach, with beautiful view of waters and mountain, and then you take a ferry back to the mainland. It is all very enjoyable. Good for a half-day outing.

How to get to the starting point:

Take mini bus No. 101 from Hang Hau MTR station. Before you reach Sai Kung, get off at the highway at this crossroads, with a sign pointing to “Lions Nature Education Centre”, and a side road called “Che Keng Tuk Road”. Or simply tell the bus driver to drop you off at the Hiram’s Highway (西貢公路) nearest to Lions Nature Education Centre.

the crossroads leading to Lions Nature Education Centre

Follow the Che Keng Tuk Road and walk past the Lions Nature Education Centre to the waters. You will see at the right scenic view like this: The Yacht Club lies at your right hand side. Don’t go there, but go straight past the houses at the left. You will find a path flanked by trees. That is the way. 

On the way you will come across a sign saying Ma Nam Wat. Follow it, and then at your right hand side, you see this uphill path.

the uphill path

Go up and follow the path, and you will see view like this at the top:

Carry on and  there you go, it is the trio beach (三星灣).

overlooking the trio beach

trio beach

The day I was there, only youngsters were training in canoeing and dragon boat rowing. It was serene. No noise from crowd.

trio beach

If you see a boat pass by, just wave at it. It will come and take you to the Pak Sha Wan (白沙灣) pier , which is right across the waters. The ferry fare is $10 each. Once you land on the pier, the Hiram’s highway is just steps away. You can then take mini bus or bus to the town of Sai Kung or to Hang Hau or Diamond Hill from the highway. The whole trip is about 2 hours.

Just wave, the boat will take you back to pak sha wan

 Posted by Anna at 2:17 pm

Protest immunity

 Hong Kong As It Is  No Responses »
Dec 312010
 

The relationship between Hong Kong and the Central Government (Chinese Government) obviously must be carefully maintained under the so-called “one country two systems”. Given the anti-protest and pro-”harmony” nature of the Central Government, what would the Hong Kong authorities do to protect it from protests? Look no further than this:

source: epochtimes.com

In front of the Central Government’s Liaison Office in the city, where protests are often staged, a big planter is planted, leaving little space for pedestrians and more so for protesters.

This, coupled with the heavy police presence on days of protests, easily leads to scuffles in front of the Office because of limited space, and persecution of protesters, such as for spilling of champagne.

Protesters, unlike protests at anywhere else in the city, are also barred from placing any protest letter on the doors/walls of the Office. Despite the obvious fact that the treatment for the Office is special, the authorities often deny that. They claimed, for instance, the planter was installed purely for the purpose of greening and so far no complaints had been received towards it from the public. So it is justified that it is there. I should also point out that this city’s authorities have one guiding principle in making their decisions – depending on if they receive complaints from the public. That is why so many signs of not to do this and not to do that have been put up across the city, especially in the park, a result of public complaints.

 Posted by Anna at 7:57 am

A city of little freedom

 Hong Kong As It Is  7 Responses »
Dec 222010
 

Hong Kong is consistently rated as the freest economy in the world. If you live here long enough, you will know that there is little truth in it. The government controls the land supply and therefore the land price and the property price. Our electricity and supermarket sectors are heavily monopolized. Two chains are able to dominate the whole supermarket sector and not even such international chains as Carrefour or Walmart can enter Hong Kong’s market.

Which is not the only reason why I say Hong Kong is a city of little freedom. See this sign I took in the Choi Sai Woo Park on Hong Kong Island.

You are not supposed to lie on the benches in the park! And if you go to parks in Hong Kong, you will see similar signs. No spitting, No biking, No playing balls……The hand of the government interferes with every aspect of the daily lives of the people here.

 Posted by Anna at 11:36 pm

Why the Foxconn girl wanted to die

 China As It Is  4 Responses »
Dec 182010
 

Up to last month, 15 young people working in the Foxconn factories had died from committing suicides. Tian Yu is one of the four survivors of suicide attempts at Foxconn, which produces gadgets for Apple. She jumped from her fourth floor dormitory at Foxconn’s Longhua plant in Shenzhen in March this year. The youngest among those attempted  suicide, the 17-year-old is now receiving treatment in a hospital in Wuhan.

Tian Yu’s father is a man who has worked all his life farming land. Tian decided to follow her cousin who was working at a Shenzhen factory, after finishing vocational training in computer and failing to find a job. She found a place in Foxconn and after basic training, started her first job – inspecting computer screens. She was given only a few seconds to do the checking and this monotonous process continued for 10 hours a day.

And she was assigned to live with workers coming from other hometowns far from her own’s, and who worked different shifts. She had no friends there and stayed all the time in the factory. She had never been to the centre of Shenzhen during the first month of working in Foxconn.

After one month’s work, she was confused about how to claim her wages. She was told by her supervisor that she needed to go to another Foxconn plan, more than an hour’s bus ride away.

She then had only five yuen left in her pocket and a broken mobile phone. So she took a bus to claim her one-month salary, only to be brushed away by people there, asking her to go to someone else for help.

“I was so angry that my mind went blank,” Tian said. “Why was it so hard to get what I had earned? Why must they torture me like this? I felt so bad at the time, and I didn’t want to be insulted any more so I went home.” She told South China Morning Post.

In her dormitory, she was penniless and alone, as all others had gone on night shifts. She cried herself to sleep. The next morning, she jumped from the dormitory to escape from her desperation and helplessness.

“Why was it so hard to get what I had earned?” After reading the story, this line resonates in me. You must work hard for me, but I don’t care if you get what you deserve. That is the plight of migrant workers in China (and not to mention things like the military style management and the dormitory arrangement in factories like Foxconn).

 Posted by Anna at 3:15 pm

Hiking near the city

 Hiking  No Responses »
Dec 142010
 

This hiking route is very close to the city. The walk is about one hour, a leisurely walk.

Characteristics: starting point close to a MTR station in the city; easy to walk; with wonderful view of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, and the harbour

Path: Mt Parker Road (Quarry Bay) – Sir Cecil’s Ride – Braemar Hill Park (near North Point)

Where to start:

Get off at Quarry Bay MTR station and take exit A. Turn right, and you will find yourself walking along the King’s Road towards the direction of Tai Koo Shing, passing the Tong Chong Street and Pan Hoi Street. After about 5 minute’s walk, you will see a flyover, under which there is a road called Mt Parker Road, leading uphill.

The hiking route:

Follow the road going uphill and enjoy the walk, which is part of Tai Tam Country Park (Quarry Bay Extension). About half an hour walk, at the right hand side, there is a signpost pointing to “Sir Cecil’s Ride”. This path is a very pleasant walk, taking in the city view (the harbour and Hong Kong Island and Kowloon), and walking between trees on a mud path. Don’t be surprised that you will come across runners from time to time, as this path is actually a runner’s path.

Where to finish:

After embarking on the Sir Cecil’s Ride for 20-25 minutes, you will see a sign pointing to the direction of “Po Luen Path”. Follow the sign and you will come to a point where you will be directed to Braemar Hill Park. From the Park, you can easily access Fortress Hill or North Point, by walking down the main road or taking a minibus.

 Posted by Anna at 3:22 pm  Tagged with:
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