HK to Fiinally Relax Some Measures April 21

Restaurants are excited to have dinner service next week

Finally the news everyone was waiting for -- DINNER IS BACK ON!

Today Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor confirmed that social-distancing measures will be further relaxed on April 21, with dinner available until 10pm and four to a table, while gyms, beauty salons, religious venues and cinemas will be reopened. The ban on no more than two households meeting together will be lifted too.

However, swimming pools, beaches and barbecue sites will have to wait for the next phase together with bars and pubs...

Lam proudly showing she's got her fourth jab

Interestingly anyone seeing a movie in the cinema or be employed there will also have to be triple jabbed.

"At this point in time and into the near term, Hong Kong is much, much better prepared to handle another wave," Lam said during the daily press conference. "Nobody wants a sixth wave, but if a sixth wave hits us, we are now much, much better prepared, she said, pointing to the sufficient treatment facilities, quarantine centres and ample supply of Covid vaccines.

"With this greater capacity, it will be very, very unreasonable and perhaps unacceptable to the majority of Hong Kong people to continue to close all these premises and allow people no chance to lead a normal life."

Interesting she says this now after howls of complaints and multinational companies fleeing Hong Kong, but perhaps she can now that she's leaving office.

Anyone interested in living in isolation cells?

And yes there are plentiful quarantine -- or rather isolation units, shipping container units converted into cells that Chinese state media like to call "mobile hospital units", when in fact they are just a bare room with four beds. Toilets and showers are elsewhere...

This is what the next phase of Covid-19 will look like in Hong Kong. Any takers?

Finally, Some Loosening of Restrictions

Lam delivered some good news to Hong Kong residents today

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has finally loosened some restrictions, but social-distancing measures are still in place until at least April 21.

Those stuck abroad in the nine countries that were banned for months, including Canada, the United States, Australia, India, Nepal, and Britain, can finally come back direct from April 1. In addition travellers coming to Hong Kong will need to show a PCR test no more than 48 hours before boarding. When they arrive and test negative, they can quarantine in a hotel for one week if their PCR tests are negative on the fifth day, and RAT tests are negative on day six and seven.

HK residents in nine countries can return April 1

Also Lam said universal testing was indefinitely postponed for now until the fifth wave was under control and needed to flush out the rest of the infections. She cited how tens of thousands of staff would be needed to be mobilised for this operation, something that would be difficult to accomplish well in Hong Kong's environment.

If the number of cases go down further this month, then social-distancing measures will be further relaxed in three phases. The first would be having four people to a table in a restaurant and dining until 10pm, while gyms, beauty parlours and religious venues would reopen along with museums and sports venues run by the government.

Then at a later date, phase two would entail bars, pubs, karaoke lounges, swimming pools and public beaches can reopen, restaurants could have up to eight people per table and open until midnight.

From April 21, people can eat four to a table

In the third phase, all restrictions would be lifted on restaurants and bars, and opening hours extended.

Remember the students currently on their "summer break"? That all ends on April 19 when face-to-face classes resume. Lam also encouraged students to get their jabs.

No sooner had she made the announcement on lifting the ban on the nine countries did Hong Kong residents overseas start trying to book for tickets. Airlines and hotels were hearing the announcement at the same time and were probably scrambling to establish schedules, rooms and prices.

It was also announced yesterday that people need to get their booster by May 31 instead of the end of June in order to be able to enter many public places, such as restaurants, shopping malls, government offices, universities, hospitals and hair salons to get people vaccinated.

Children are encouraged to get vaccinated

Interesting to see what unvaccinated people have to say about pushing up deadlines. They will be further shut out of daily life in Hong Kong while the rest of us are moving on.

Also interesting was that Lam insists the government is not adopting the strategy of "living with the virus", but perhaps she has been given a directive that it's time to loosen up a bit for the sake of the economy...

Covid Infections Projected Several Times Actual Reporting

A man selling rapid antigen tests on the street

In an online virtual gathering with colleagues this afternoon because we are all working from home, many said they knew people who had had Covid-19 and had not reported it to the government because the website was not up and running yet, or they had room in their homes where they could isolate.

One colleague has recovered after 10 days of isolation in her bedroom that she shares with her family. She is triple jabbed, though she had a sore throat and dry cough. Her nine-year-old daughter had a fever that lasted two days or so and tested negative on a rapid antigen test two days before my colleague did.

Newly-built isolation units for Covid-19 patients

Interestingly her husband who has not had his booster, tested negative as did the rest of the family.

Nevertheless, just anecdotally it shows that people know of friends and family who have been infected and so even though the number of cases is in the 20,000 mark (today it is 27,761, 228 deaths), the number could actually be several times that. 

Those reporting they are positive from RAT to the government are those who have no space at home to isolate at all, or need the official documentation to get sick leave from work.

Some colleagues think the number is actually five times more than what is reported, and researchers at the University of Hong Kong's faculty of medicine estimate there could be 3.6 million residents infected at some point and 4.5 million will catch it during the fifth wave; they predict the death toll could be 5,102, and current it is at 4,355.

The researchers project a significant drop in the number of daily cases towards the end of March, and the daily caseload to fall below 1,000 by the end of April, and below 100 by mid-May.

However, they have noticed an uptick in the number of people using public transport to get around from monitoring Octopus usage during this past weekend and believe this could affect their projections.

Medical personnel at AsiaWorld-Expo

"This could well portend a fundamental change in transmission dynamics that would render our assumptions inaccurate, thus underestimating the forward burden of the fifth wave," they said.

Meanwhile a day earlier, Kwok Kin-on, an associate professor at Chinese University's School of Public Health estimated about 5 million residents would be infected by June, and projected an even higher death toll at 7,000.

He predicted the number of infections would not subside into the four digits until late May, and would return to the 100 mark about a month later.

What is the government's response to the over 20,000 cases a day?

To close down beaches.

Beaches will be closed yet again due to Covid

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor could make the announcement as early as tomorrow (Wednesday) even though she had said earlier that social-distancing measures were already tough enough.

"Too many people have gone to the beach unmasked and pictures have also shown a lot of them had ignored the ban on gatherings of more than two people," a source said.

How many people have actually gone to the beach?

Considering most Hongkongers like to stay away from the sun it couldn't have been that many... but alas now residents are being further punished and not allowed to go to the beach... what little pleasures there are left... 

Is it any wonder people are fleeing the city?

Fact of the Day: HK$5M in Fines

Hanging out at the beach means a visit from the authorities

The five-day Easter/Qing Ming break is over, and the Hong Kong government has netted HK$5 million (US$643,000) in fines because 980 residents violated social-distancing regulations.

The police gave out the most fines at 959 fixed-penalty notices, while the Leisure and Cultural Services Department issued 14,000 verbal warnings and 21 fines while inspecting its venues.

HK$5 million in fines were issued this holiday

During Easter break, some of the raids included illegal gambling halls, restaurants, unlicensed bars and party rooms, with 48 percent of the fines issued in Kowloon West.

Currently bars, karaoke, and party rooms remain closed, while people can dine four to a table in restaurants until 10pm.

With bars having been forced to close for over 200 days over the past 12 months, some bar operators are holding a hunger strike in a bid to get the government to lift restrictions on their premises. However, the authorities seem unmoved by their action, even though they have a strong argument that restaurants have been allowed to operate in the evenings.

Meanwhile during the holiday, people flocked to beaches and the outlying islands. There were big lines for the ferries to Cheung Chau and Peng Chau, and Sai Kung pier looked packed. People also enjoyed staycations in hotels and dined out in restaurants.

People lining up at Lai Chi Kok for their jab

While today there were seven new coronavirus cases, three of which were local, health experts caution that there may be a spike in cases in the next few days.

The surges and drops in cases seem never ending, and yet Hongkongers are not keen on getting the vaccine, which is frustrating to say the least.

The sooner Hong Kong has at least 70 percent of its residents vaccinated, the sooner restrictions can be lifted and perhaps build a stronger case for the city to take part in travel bubbles with other countries.

But at the rate we're going, it make take till next year...

 

 

Govt's Incompetence Fighting Covid-19 Leads to Frustration

Outbreaks in housing estates in Kwai Chung and Ma On Shan

Hongkongers are getting tired of the coronavirus pandemic, and their patience with how the government has handled it is wearing threadbare thin it could snap any day now.

Swimmers are desperate now beaches closed

Starting tomorrow all dining establishments -- with only two per table -- must close by 6pm, while gyms, museums, concert halls, stadiums, beaches, and massage parlours are shut down, and infectious disease experts keep reminding people to stay home, as the number of new cases rose to 104 today.

But people are tired of staying home and it's going to be Christmas in two weeks. 

Restaurant owners, chefs and wait staff are disappointed -- it is during this period in December when they rake in the most money, and considering they've had it tough all year, they were hoping to recoup some of the losses these few weeks but now that's gone.

Does the government really think it can seriously clamp down on the virus by Christmas Eve? Why not just tell us that Christmas is cancelled and be done with it? Fireworks won't be exploding in the sky December 31 anyway.

Now the frustration is turning on the government for mishandling the pandemic. There have been so many missteps from the beginning.

Healthcare workers docked pay for striking

The first is not shutting down borders with the mainland until hundreds of healthcare workers protested for several days and then Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor relented. And now those same healthcare workers are being punished for striking by docking their pay.

Then there were several loopholes where airline staff were tested at the airport, but didn't have to wait for their results. One airline staff went sight seeing with his luggage on the Peak Tram. Questions were raised and then finally loopholes were tightened.

Also, why do directors of listed companies and those planning their IPOs, get to be exempted from quarantine? It makes absolutely no sense. Everyone needs to take a test, regardless of who they are.

Restaurants desperate for business, now shut at 6pm

And now the main source of the fourth wave with over 600 cases are dancing clubs and why aren't they closed? Why are they allowed to remain open and yet karaoke lounges, entertainment centres and cinemas forced to shut instead?

Finally why has Hong Kong not procured enough Covid vaccines for everyone, and not until late 2021? Not only that, but also the flu jab as well. The government was warned well in advance the winter season would be even more severe, and yet only about 200,000 are available in the city of over 7 million.

Why is it that Hongkongers are forced to pay for the mistakes made by the government?

Gym owners are angry they will be shut again tomorrow, and even though the government stipulates it is for two weeks, the last time gyms were closed, it was at least six weeks later until they were allowed to reopen.

Meanwhile Lam claims she is too busy working to even talk to her husband, and boasts of having piles of cash at home because she can't open a bank account.

How about sparing a thought for the hundreds of thousands of people who have been financially affected by the pandemic and lost their jobs or had to take pay cuts for the foreseeable future? 

Why are dancing clubs still not closed?

Infectious disease experts have hinted many times the government is not moving fast enough to clamp down on the pandemic when time is of the essence.

Two housing estate blocks in Kwai Chung and Ma On Shan have clusters of infections and yet the government has not exercised its powers to lock down those buildings to test everyone; many families have moved out elsewhere, possibly spreading the virus to other areas.

Is this deliberate so that Hong Kong will never be able to reopen its borders with the mainland and Macau again? Or is it because of the sheer incompetence of the government to follow expert advice and make decisive decisions?

Because the number of cases is so high these days, the chances of the travel bubble with Singapore restarting again soon is a far from possible.

Lam is one of the highest paid leaders in the world and yet her performance rating is so low. 

It boggles the mind how Hong Kong ended up with Lam. Do the 777 people who voted for her in 2017 regret doing so?

 

 

Shock and Ridicule in One Day

Three national security police with Chung (second left) today

 

Today the National Security Police nabbed three young people related to a pro-independence group called Studentlocalism, one just metres away from the United States Consulate in Central.

The Hong Kong police said the trio, aged 17 to 21, were arrested for breaching the national security law with social media posts allegedly inciting others to split the country.

Chung allegedly violated the national security law

At 8am this morning the former leader of the group, Tony Chung Hon-lam, 19, was taken by national security police as he was at a coffee shop just across the street from the consulate. He was planning to go to the consulate to seek asylum.

However, the US does not grant asylum to people at its diplomatic postings -- asylum seekers need to be on US soil to apply. 

When the media contacted the local police to ask how to get in touch with the national security police about Chung's arrest, the force replied there were no contact details.

Huh? Perhaps this is the new normal?

Meanwhile later in the day two others, Yannis Ho and William Chan, were arrested by the national security police when they reported to the local police station for their previous arrest on July 29 along with Chung also related to violating the national security law. 

Chung was 50 metres from the US Consulate

At the time Chung's passport was taken, preventing him from leaving, and facing the charges makes it hard for him to enroll in post secondary studies.

He reportedly wanted to seek asylum because he was told on Monday to report to the police station today and Chung feared he would face further charges and his bail conditions revoked.

So far it is reported the trio have access to legal assistance, but will their situation continue to be relatively transparent?

Apart from this shocking news, there was farcical news coming from the Hong Kong government.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee announced there would be a further loosening of social-distancing measures. Starting Friday restaurants can have six people per table, up from two, and bars another two people per group to four. These businesses can also remain open until 2am, whereas currently they have to close at midnight.

However, public social distancing needs to remain at four people.

From Friday restaurants can have six to a table

That means theoretically that six people could go out for dinner at a restaurant, but as soon as all of them walk out of the restaurant, they could be arrested for not social distancing.

How does that make any sense?

When asked to explain this, Chan replied:

"Generally speaking, we must appeal to the public not to gather... even though we're exempting [the public gathering ban for certain activities], those social-distancing measures have conditions... and their risks can be managed," she said.

"Of course, any relaxation [of social-distancing measures] will carry risks, but most importantly we're not relaxing all the rules at the same time... and will continue to do so step by step. We will continue to monitor the epidemic and make adjustments when necessary."

Huh.

Oh and after over three months (basically the summer), beaches will finally reopen on November 3. 

Beaches will finally open November 3

Either the government is getting a lot of heat from the catering sector, or it isn't too worried about the fourth wave coming.

But yes if there are six of you dining, make sure the police aren't milling outside the restaurant ready to pounce...

 

 

 

Coronavirus Cases Continue to Rise

Dr Chuang (left) says the Covid-19 situation is very worrying

For the fourth straight day there is a record number of new coronavirus cases which makes the situation very worrying for health officials, and depressing for Hongkongers who had tried hard months ago to avoid the virus as much as possible.

But many were fatigued from working at home for weeks, eating home-cooked food or the stress of being stuck with family members made them want to go out as soon as restrictions were loosened.

Police telling beach goers to stay at home

Today Hong Kong recorded 133 cases, reflecting infections from two weeks ago and it's upsetting to see people weren't taking the virus seriously then.

"We are still seeing a very high number of cases daily and the trend is still increasing," said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection. "We are very worried about whether this situation can be controlled actually."

Of the cases, 126 were local infections, including 55 with no known source of infection. At least one was from the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse -- which is listed as one of the places people are exempt from quarantine.

One patient, #2099 apparently went wild around town, going to a staggering 16 places on July 22 -- the day she was confirmed positive with the virus.

She went to a restaurant in IFC mall in Central, several locations in Sai Kung, Sha Tin, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po and Wan Chai. How did she even logistically do that? Just reading the list of places makes me exhausted.

A reporter asked Chuang if it was a delivery person and she said no, someone who had an unusual number of activities. No kidding.

People waiting to get on junks on July 11

Also among the 133 cases, Chuang said the government is now trying to track down over 40 people who went on a junk trip on July 12, as one person was confirmed infected.

Why am I not surprised. Every weekend I walk by Pier 9 and Pier 10 in Central and see several groups of people without masks, waiting to get on one of the boats, or junks they have rented and will spend the entire day in cramped quarters with other people, eating and drinking.

It was bound to happen, and I'm surprised it didn't happen earlier. Perhaps the authorities will stop partying on junks for a while?

The police had to go to the beach today to tell scantily-clad people it was closed and to go home.

Which part of "stay at home, stay safe" do they not understand?

More Fears of Positive Clusters

Lots of people hanging out by the waterfront today, with or without masks

Today there is something to be happy about -- Hong Kong recorded four new coronavirus cases, three of which were from abroad.

However, lots of people took advantage of the warmer weather and blue skies to again head out to the beaches and hiking trails...

And it turns out my new next door neighbour doesn't really understand social distancing either.

Many people went to Cheung Chau for Easter Sunday

Early this afternoon I heard the door open and a male voice say, "HEY!" and people came into the flat, and there was practically non stop laughing and joking. It seemed like a mixture of English and Cantonese.

As I had a feeling there would be lots of people out during the day, I purposely planned to go out after dinner for a walk. When I opened the door, I was shocked to see several pairs of shoes outside my neighbour's flat. Nine pairs to be exact.

My neighbour recently moved in, so this was probably a housewarming party, but why now, in the midst of a pandemic?

And while having a house party is not yet banned by the government, it is shocking to see people not making more of an effort to maintain social distancing.

Nine pairs of shoes outside my neighbour's flat...

I took a picture of the shoes and went out for a walk along the harbourfront. I noticed not as many people out tonight as usual, probably because they had already been out during the day, and also it was windier, making it more chilly.

After I came back, I told the man at the reception desk there was a house party next to my flat and showed him the picture of the shoes.

I told him he probably couldn't do anything about it, but I just want him to know. He took down notes.

Then I went into the elevator and when the doors opened to my floor, I was stunned to hear really loud music coming from my neighbour's flat.

But moments later, the music was shut off -- the man downstairs had probably contacted them to be quiet. As I write this blog they are still there, two hours after I complained...

While most Hongkongers are staying home most of the time, there are others who are selfish and still don't think the coronavirus pertains to them...

I just don't want to hear a week from now the Centre for Health Protection talking to reporters in the daily briefing about a cluster of positive cases next door to me!

Day at the Beach

The calm clear blue waters at Palaga beach in Mykonos

Visiting the Greek islands means visiting the various beaches which are located in various natural bays shaped in semi circles that are either accessible by bus or boat.

In Mykonos we visited the beach at Ornos where we stayed, and then decided to try another beach in another part of the island. There's a water taxi service available and it's 10 euros for a return ticket to visit one beach, or 20 euros to visit two or more for one day.

The rocks that I swam to and there were sunbathers

We chose Palaga because it's supposed to be one of the more quieter beaches compared to Paradise and Super Paradise which you can guess are for those who want to party. The furthest beach is an hour a way by water taxi.

The water taxi is a small wooden boat and the ticket seller explained that these beaches were originally only accessible by boat in the 1960s that were run by sea captains. One of the original captains is still driving his own boat (which we went on), the rest by the sons of these captains.

Our ride to Palaga beach took about 30 minutes and along the way we passed by several super yachts moored in the bays. Makes you wonder how much these giant floating toys cost.

Palaga is a nice beach and the water is very clear, leading to an aquamarine followed by deep indigo coloured ocean. I swam out in the sea again very refreshing, this time to a group of rocks in the water a few hundred metres away. It was quite slippery standing on the rocks under the water that were covered in seaweed. When I got to the group of rocks there was a woman sunbathing topless!

The beach in the late morning when we arrived

I then decided to swim out further, towards a small boat floating nearby and reached its anchor line before turning back. However by this point, the winds started picking up and blowing at me as I tried to swim to shore. This resulted in sea water constantly splashing into my face (very salty) and I eventually made it back to shore again.

There are all types of beach goers, from young people preening their lean bodies, to seniors who enjoy the surf and sun were there. An Italian couple next to us are definitely sun worshipers and they have very dark tans, but at the same time they are quite fit as they went into the water many times during the afternoon. They even had some snorkel gear and swam a lot.

Another couple, the woman quite voluptuous, dipped into the ocean many times topless, uninhibited about showing off her large breasts. Meanwhile we stayed in our one-piece swimsuit...

I was also impressed watching a middle-aged daughter guiding her father into the ocean. He had trouble walking without a cane and he put his hands on her back as she led him in. She helped him put on his goggles and then without any hesitation he dived in.

Forever One is a super yacht we saw along our way

"Magnificent!" he cried when his face popped up. He was so excited to be in the water, free from gravity to float and swim as he pleased.

By around 4pm, while it was still sunny, the temperatures started to drop and we started feeling chilly. This probably explains why the last water taxi is at 5.15pm for people to head home.

We indeed got the last one back and passed by those super yachts as we slowly made our way back to Ornos. Ah the lifestyles of the rich and famous...

Hungry Cows Raid Supermarket

Three bulls wandered into a supermarket and started munching on fruit

Many Hong Kong people are terrified when they come across animals -- even domesticated dogs -- because they haven't been exposed to them much. They really don't know what to do and are paralyzed with fear.

So if they go to the outlying islands, particularly Mui Wo, they will be shocked to see feral cows wandering through the village, or walking along the beach.

After having their fill, the bulls left the supermarket

The best precaution is to mind your own business and let them go on their way.

But what do you do when they enter a supermarket?

That's what three of them did Thursday night in Mui Wo -- they entered a ParknShop there and began grazing on fruits like apples, pears and cherries on the shelves.

The supermarket staff contacted police, and when the bulls finally left, the contaminated produce was disposed of and the area where they were munching on was disinfected.

While some may have found the incident amusing, animal welfare activists say it's a warning of more of these events to come.

"A lot of farmland has been turned into soccer fields or warehouses in recent years. The bulls simply do not have enough room to rest and not enough grass to eat," says Ho Loy, chairwoman of the Lantau Buffalo Association.

Humans are encroaching further onto the cows' grazing areas

She said some grass areas had been polluted by the illegal dumping of waste, which the government failed to prosecute effectively, and with the increasing numbers of tourists and residents in the area, the wild animals have become less inhibited and gotten used to human feeding them.

They, like creatures in the sea, are unable to discern plastic from real food. In November, an eight-year-old bull named Billy who lived on Pui O beach on Mui Wo, was found dead -- his stomach and intestinal tract were blocked with enough plastic bags to fill two garbage cans.

Shocking?

This is definitely a sign we are encroaching too far into animal habitat and we are leaving too much inedible waste for them to mistakenly eat.

Earth Day? More Like Plastic Day

How does this mountain of garbage make Hong Kong look beautiful?

Today is Earth Day and some 1,500 people took part in beach clean-ups in Hong Kong and collected over 3,000kg of junk, most of it plastic. It included plastic bottles, plastic wrappers, plastic packaging, children's toys and cigarette lighters.

"I would say about 80 percent of what we picked up were plastic items that were only used once... and most of it was local," said Dr Robert Lockyer, director of operations at the AquaMeridian Conservation and Education Foundation, one of the groups organizing the major citywide beach clean-up.

The clean-ups were at Sai Kung, Lamma Island, Discovery Bay, Tai Po, Central and Sham Tseng.

Mainly one-use plastic items were collected on beaches

In recent months, some restaurants owned by expats have announced they are not using plastic straws anymore, and instead either using paper or metal straws, or none at all.

There is also a Facebook page that encourages people to write to restaurants, shops and grocery stores to complain about their excessive use of plastic packaging, and then post the letter on the social media site.

It's called A letter a day keeps the plastic away, and many people are posting their letters and responses from companies, but the replies are usually standard corporate ones that seem mildly concerned, but not much concrete action to rectify the situation.

Most expats and local Hong Kong Chinese who have lived abroad and are environmentally conscious, know too much plastic is bad for the environment. The focus should be on educating locals, Chinese restaurants and cha chaan tengs that they need to change their habits.

My friend YTSL regularly organises beach clean-ups and sometimes she can be demoralized when she cleans up a beach one week and then returns the following week only to see it covered in trash again.

Hong Kong's waste problem is growing every year

I try to be conscious about my grocery shopping -- using my own bag and when I'm out, carrying a thermos of water so that I don't need to buy a water bottle. But there are some people -- mostly men I have to say through observation -- who don't do either and don't think twice about paying HK50 cents for a plastic bag or buying a bottle of water.

The Hong Kong government really isn't doing enough to get people to use less plastic or legislate companies to use less packaging because the authorities aren't serious about protecting the environment.

In 2016, 10,345 tonnes of municipal waste was sent to landfills every day -- 1.8 percent more than the year before, though most of it was commercial rather than residential. Of this waste, 20 percent or 3,132 tonnes was plastic.

This has to stop soon because it is unsustainable. Is there no one else who understands this? Or is it because people are so reliant on domestic helpers to clean and cook that they are completely unaware of how much garbage they create?

Another day, another Earth Day. But environmental NGOs have more work to do to get the public and companies to understand waste is everyone's responsibility.

White Slick HK Beaches

Clumps of congealed palm oil washed up on Hong Kong beaches

There are questions why it took two days for the mainland Chinese authorities to inform Hong Kong about a ship collision that resulted in the leaking of palm oil onto our city's shores.

Congealed palm oil that looked like solid white clumps, washed up on Hong Kong beaches and all 11 of them had to be closed on Sunday. They included Hung Shing Yeh Beach on Lamma Island to Upper and Lower Cheung Sha Beach, as well as those at Repulse Bay and Chung Hom Kok.

All 11 of Hong Kong's beaches were closed on Sunday

Beach workers tried to contain the palm oil with oil-absorbent felts and strips, while witnesses say the contaminated areas smelled like chemicals, or like the odours in alleyways behind fried snack shops.

Dr Tsang Po-keung, an associate professor of science and environmental studies at the Education University of Hong Kong and a member of the government's Advisory Council on the Environment, says a notification mechanism should be modified to specify how many days authorities should be given to report such incidents.

"This time they may think it's fine because it's just palm oil, but what if next time it is gasoline?" he said, but added for some marine life, two days is too late.

When pressed, the palm oil disintegrates like powder

City University chair professor of biology Paul Lam Kwan-sing says the spill did not amount to an environmental disaster, but was "not a good thing".

"Palm oil is a crystallized liquid... which will slowly be decomposed by micro-organisms. The problem is that it is a real eyesore for beachgoers," he said.

It's troubling that China doesn't seem to think this spill warrants any kind of immediate warning -- so much for its supposed priority on the environment, or do they not care about what happens to Hong Kong? Guess not...

Picture of the Day: Fun Art Class

Love this fun piece of art of minions hanging out by the beach!

When I walk to the bus stop to catch the bus to my office in the morning, I pass by an art school for kids.

They display their work by the windows to show off their accomplishments and entice other children to come, and why not? It looks like they're having fun.

The school is on a street corner and when I wait for the pedestrian light, I sometimes take a good look at the artwork displayed.

One that caught my eye is this mini sculpture of minions hanging out at the beach.

On the left there's one dressed up with a grass skirt and clams strung on its chest, and another lying in a hammock. My favourite part is the three minions burying the fourth in the sand and his reaction is funny.

Looking at this diorama makes me smile and reminds me to have fun, and to have a good day.

Pitch in for Cleaner Seas

Lots of garbage gets washed up  -- imagine how much is in the sea!

One of my friends, YTSL regularly joins a group to do beach clean-ups around Hong Kong. She is dismayed to find each time there is the same amount of garbage or even more sometimes. But she hopes that each time she pitches in she is doing her small but significant part in improving the environment.

Part of the problem is old school thinking by people who don't seem interested in trying to make the environment better for the next generation and beyond.

Case in point are the styrofoam boxes used by fishermen to transport their catches to wholesale markets.

WWF-Hong Kong's corrugated plastic boxes

"We see many of these boxes floating along the coastline and in places like Aberdeen typhoon shelter, which may have been dumped or blown into the water," says WWF-Hong Kong's project manager for marine affairs, Patrick Yeung Chung-wing.

"This has a huge impact on the environment as foam is very brittle and light, making it very hard to clean up once it's in the sea."

Not only do they pollute the water, but also the fish mistake the small white bits as food. These non-digestible things make the fish think it's full, but really it's not.

About a year ago, some scientists did biopsies of local fish and found lots of plastic and styrofoam in their stomachs. How gross is that!

According to a 2015 report compiled by the Environmental Protection Department, foam plastic makes up for one-fifth of marine refuse.

Marine life may mistaken floating plastic as food

WWF-Hong Kong is now launching a trial scheme with local fisheries representatives to use sturdy crates made from cheap, lightweight corrugated plastic.

What was the reaction? One would have thought the fishing industry would welcome the chance to improve the environment.

Instead Hong Kong Fishermen Consortium chairman Cheung Siu-keung says they would only consider the corrugated plastic crates if they were cheap, functional and durable.

"The most important consideration will be the ability to maintain the temperature of its contents," he said. "Reliable supply will also be important."

Yeung also hopes the fishermen will consider deploying special trawler nets to scoop up floating refuse more efficiently, and even bring back refuse in their nets back to shore instead of dumping them into the sea.

"Rubbish should be cleaned up in the sea and sorted onshore and given a new product life. In Hong Kong, there are no groups or companies doing this," he says.

We all need to pitch in to make the harbour cleaner. And it seems just trying to get the right attitude from stakeholders is the biggest challenge of all...

Picture of the Day: Water Buffalo

One water buffalo seems to have fun hanging out on the beach at Pui O

Today I went to Mui Wo to visit a friend. She actually lives in Pui O, a rural area by the beach.

In the late afternoon we took a stroll around the neighbourhood and as we got to the beach, we encountered some feral water buffalo.

They are gentle creatures and I wasn't quite sure how to react around them; everyone else seems to just let them to about their business so I tried not to be intrusive.

We encountered two more on a path we were walking along

Unfortunately these pictures were taken against the light, but it was nice to be relatively up close to them!

The other thing to be concerned about when you walk where these water buffalo roam, you have to watch out for the giant cow patties!

Phuket Day 3: Leisurely Day

At the north end of Patong Beach are these large rocks covered in shells

Our day was filled with more sand and sun! By the time we got out of the hotel at 10am the sun was already bearing down but we trudged on, doing our daily walk on the beach.

An amazing sunset with a parachute dragged up into the air

This time we walked all the way to the north end of Patong beach where we found some rocks covered in shells and barnacles. Nearby is an idyllic looking outdoor cafe serving drinks and food. We had more mango (why can't we get mango this good in Hong Kong?!) and a lemonade before heading back to the hotel.

A few observations along our walk -- many people, mostly Russians, Australians and Germans visiting here are severely overweight, and several women had no qualms going topless to have as even a tan as possible. They probably would have gone in the nude if they could! Obese and topless are an unsightly combination, of which we saw many...

Whenever I'm on the beach I like to hunt for shells. I find it a good exercise to be on the look out for nice-looking shells and see what I can find. Today I found more larger shells than yesterday and even a small sand dollar!

Phuket Seafood looks fancy but the seafood is well priced

In the late afternoon I checked out the hotel pool which was much longer than the one I swim in back in Hong Kong which was nice. I did a few laps and the others in the pool must have thought I was strange as they were all huddled around the pool bar or playing with their kids... what's wrong with doing a mini workout?

Nevertheless it was worth burning off a few calories because we planned to check out a restaurant called Phuket Seafood that we had seen before and full of people. Again it looked like a Chinese-run establishment, with one or two staff speaking Mandarin and a tour group of mainlanders came in for dinner.

Stir-fried kale with crispy pork

Fresh seafood was laid out on ice and we got to choose what we wanted. We chose a fish and it was weighed and priced for us on the spot which made the whole process transparent. It came steamed with chillis and lime, though hardly as spicy as yesterday's lunch. The fish was again perfectly cooked which confirms Thais really know how to cook their fish.

We also ordered fried rice with crab meat -- though it didn't look anything like the picture in the menu that featured giant chunks of crab meat... however the kale with crispy pork was delicious -- stir-fried with deep-fried cubes of pork that added flavour to the dish.

Expecting it to cost over 1,000BHT ($31.25), we were surprised to find the bill came to 845BHT including a bottle of water and young coconut.

Fish steamed with garlic, chillis and lime

We tried to ask the waitress for a plastic bag to take the young coconut home, but she had no clue what we were talking about; in the end another waiter gave us the requested bag. The level of English varies widely here and it's a pity that some have no clue what you are saying, and yet don't have the common sense to ask another person to come and assist you...

There goes our second last day in Phuket and we've enjoyed the leisurely pace here, involving lots of naps, walks along the beach and fresh fruit!