The Final Farewell

Hong Kong's skyline is so famous, yet it has changed so much

After 836 days I am finally back home. The coronavirus pandemic prevented me from visiting -- or rather I should say it was the Hong Kong government's strict measures, from 21 days' hotel quarantine to a battery of tests after arriving, as well as the threat of flight bans that stopped me from flying.

But now I am home for good -- at least I think I am -- and sadly am relieved to be out of Hong Kong, the city I love so much.

Since the national security law was implemented on June 30, 2020, Hong Kong has irrevocably changed so much that it is hard to fathom the sweeping changes that happen almost on a daily basis. At one point people were being arrested daily. 

This is not normal.

A friend asked how Hong Kong was different from China. On the mainland you know where the red lines are, whereas in Hong Kong, they are constantly changing; what was something normal or done with regularity is suddenly banned and it's hard to anticipate what is next, or if you will be implicated because of where the red line is drawn.

So I have joined the tens of thousands of others in the mass exodus, saying goodbye to people I have known for years professionally and personally, for them feeling another pang of emptiness as yet another friend or relative leaves.

For me I didn't realise how much I had impacted their lives personally and professionally. They reminded me of the things I had done for them or experiences we had together that affected them so profoundly. It was good to hear I had made a meaningful contribution to their lives.

I also didn't realise how much stuff I had -- even though I had moved into a serviced apartment for the last few months, I still had bags and boxes of things I gave away to friends, charities, recycling and so on. I even dug out an old iPhone 3 and iPhone7 and took them to the nearby recycling centre. The security guard was so excited to see my iPhone7 that he claimed it right away and turned it on to make sure it worked. 

Hong Kong is the city where I started my career when I was a fresh graduate, unsure of what path I was going to take, but only knew that I was willing to work hard and see where I could go. I returned again in 2010 with an even greater appreciation for the city and what it offered.

But after 2014 and even more so after 2019, and the events that followed, this place will never be the same again, and many others feel the same way.

Hong Kong was known as a city of refuge from war and revolution, but now it is the place people are fleeing from to seek safety elsewhere.

I will continue to watch Hong Kong's developments from afar, but it is still close to my heart.

A friend has asked me to write a to-do list on how to exit Hong Kong, but after that, The Fragrant Harbour will end, and I will start another blog and will add the link.

Thanks for reading!

PS: Here is the new link: https://goodbyehkhelloyvr.blogspot.com/

Even Stricter Covid-19 Policies Baffles Expert

Hong Kong is closing loopholes in quarantine exemptions

Starting from today, anyone who was infected with Covid-19 and is discharged from hospital, must spend another 14 days in isolation and health monitoring.

The recovered patients will be sent to North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre for two weeks.

Beds at the newly opened North Lantau Hospital 

This new rule is one of the ways the Hong Kong government hopes to reopen the border with the mainland, though this latest policy comes into effect as it was revealed there is a shortage of health care staff in public hospitals.

Epidemiologist Ben Cowling of the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health said the new policy was "ridiculous" and "unethical" on his Twitter posts.

He wrote that the policy was a "waste of resources and actively harming the patient with no community benefit to offset against."

"That makes it unethical surely," he said as he himself is undergoing quarantine. "I hope it doesn't also apply to 're-positives', that would be even more ridiculous."

Cowling, a leading infectious disease expert, added there were no known cases around the world where a recovered, or even a re-positive case, had triggered a community outbreak.

Cowling says extra isolation is "ridiculous"

"The previous policy is that people who have Covid are put in isolation until doctors are confident that they've recovered and they're no longer contagious -- they're no longer a threat -- if they're discharged," he said.

"That's happened more than 10,000 times, throughout more than 10,000 discharged cases back into Hong Kong. There have never been any report of any recovered case triggering a community outbreak and that's the same as the rest of the world."

Meanwhile the Patients' Rights Association, a group advocating medical causes with a focus on underprivileged residents, warned that authorities risked discouraging low-income patients from getting tested for fear of being locked up for a sustained period of time without pay.

"The government should remove economic disincentives for poor people to seek medical help, either in the form of direct subsidies, or by asking the Community Care Fund or charities to step in to help," the association's Tim Pang Hung-cheong said Wednesday.

"The city's low-income residents who are just getting by cannot afford to lose a day's income, and might even lose their jobs due to a long absence from work."

Pang worries low-income earners will lose jobs

This latest policy change is one of several the government has pitched in a bid to ease Beijing's fears and result in reopening the border with the mainland.

Other initiatives include revoking quarantine exemption privileges to people such as diplomats, business executives of listed companies, truck drivers, crew members of fishing vessels, certified accountants, and cruise ship crew.

While there are debates about what the science says and what Hong Kong will do to placate Beijing -- even though it recorded 50 new cases today and Hong Kong has had zero cases for the past 19 days -- it is more and more apparent which strategy the city is leaning towards to keep Covid-19 at bay...

Charities on National Security Alert

Hui says charities endangering national security not tax exempt

 

Up until today, donating to a charity was considered a sign of individuals caring for the community. 

But now the Hong Kong government is making donors think twice about giving their money away now that groups that endanger national security will lose their status as charities, and stop benefiting from tax exemptions.

The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu announced this on his official blog on Monday. He wrote that the "tax guide for charitable institutions and trusts of a public character" had been amended with immediate effect.

Change refers to 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund

It is largely seen as targeting opposition-leaning social welfare or community groups.

Before, charities were exempted from paying tax, and taxpayers enjoyed deductions on their income tax for making donations.

Hui's announcement was a response to the barrage of questions he faced from pro-Beijing lawmakers in the Legislative Council about the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund that has paid out more than HK$243 million (US$31.2 million) to those facing criminal prosecution or financial hardship as a result of the 2019 anti-government protests.

Earlier this month the National Security Department revealed it was investigating the fund as well as the Alliance for True Democracy, which provided its bank account to the fund's trustees to hold donations.

Now the Inland Revenue Department will no longer recognize any group that "supports, promotes or engages in activities that are detrimental to national security" as a charitable organization. The tax bureau will also revoke exemptions from paying tax.

Inland Revenue will check on groups periodically

"Carrying out charitable activities in society to promote public interest is certainly worthy of encouragement, but we must also prevent people with ulterior motives from using the name of charity to actually endanger national security," Hui wrote.

"Therefore, if a group is found to participate in or use its resources to support or promote activities that are not conducive to national security after review, we will not hesitate to exclude it as a charitable organization and revoke its tax exemption status."

Hui added the Inland Revenue Department will conduct regular reviews and pay attention to "whether the substantive nature of the organization concerned has changed," Hui added.

To be recognized as a charitable organization, a relevant group must be established purely for legally recognized altruistic purposes, such as poverty relief, promotion of religion or education, or for the benefit of the public.

Which other organizations will be targeted? It will be a matter of time before more will be revealed, but in the meantime, the new regulation really makes people think twice about donating to what they assume is a legitimate charity...

 

Hongkongers Sign up for HK$5K Vouchers

Some 1.55 million Hongkongers have signed up for vouchers

 

Today is the first day Hong Kong residents can sign up for the HK$5,000 (US$644) voucher and already 1.55 million people have done so.

People can sign up using an iAM Smart app, or not, and I chose the latter online. I was asked for my Hong Kong ID number, phone number and then choose which of the four payment platforms (Octopus, WeChat Pay HK, AlipayHK or Tap & Go) to have the money deposited in. 

It is to encourage people to use digital payment

If people sign up in the next two weeks, they can get their first monetary installment on August 1. There is a list of regulations of how the money is to be used -- for buying items or eating out, but not for paying government or hospital bills, or even for donating to charity, which is what some people did when they received the HK$10,000 cash last year.

The use of the electronic payments is also to push people to become more digital in their transactions, as Hong Kong is lagging behind China when it comes to electronic payments especially on phones.

Permanent residents and recent migrants from the mainland are eligible for the scheme.

Some people are cautious about how they are going to spend their money on their Octopus card that they are even getting an extra one just to use to get the HK$5,000. It seems excessive to be concerned the government won't give them the exact amount, or they want to be sure they have spent all the money first before getting the second installment -- but that's what the technology on the card will be tracking. People cannot get the next installment unless they have used up the previous one.

Businesses will also get in on enabling Octopus payments. What would really help would be for wet market stalls to enable Octopus payment,s as well as more taxis. I just think it would be amusing to go to a fine dining restaurant and pay the bill using an Octopus card. 

Imagine using your Octopus card at Gaddi's

Meanwhile some restaurants will start a scheme on July 15 to offer special discounts of 30 percent to those who are fully vaccinated in a bid to encourage more people to get the jab.

Executive councillor and lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan is the representative of the food and beverage sector and is coordinating the scheme. He hopes to convince many of the 16,000 restaurants in Hong Kong to take part.

"For restaurants, 30 percent discount is really a big offer and means they can't make any profit," he said. "But we just hope to set the momentum to attract more patrons to return to the dining scene."

The campaign, which runs until the end of August, will offer a 30 percent discount to groups of at least four people who are vaccinated.  

"This summer Hongkongers are still unable to travel overseas, so we expect they will spend a lot on dining," Cheung said, adding restaurants hope to benefit from the HK$5,000 voucher scheme.

More discounts for vaccinated diners

The list of participating restaurants will be posted online before July 15 and will be heavily promoted by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Hong Kong and China Gas Company.

Maybe after that the gyms will offer promotions on losing weight from all that eating...

 

 

Don't Take the Peanuts

Cathay Pacific has found cabin crew have pilfered a lot of stuff over the years

Cathay Pacific is trying to continue to slash costs to save HK$4 billion (despite posting a HK$2.3 billion profit in 2018), but it looks like it may have found a reason why it's spending a lot of money too.

There seems to be a lot of pilfering going on, with flight attendants freely taking items on the plane, from cutlery and wine glasses, and even bread.

One of the more popular items are Haagen-Dazs ice creams

Apparently the theft of the items amount to "untold hundreds of millions" over the years, according to sources.

One of the more popular items is the pot of Haagen-Dazs ice cream served on flights. Some cabin crew are known to have freezers stocked with these ice creams.

"In view of an increasing number of reported losses of company property, we have informed our cabin crew that random inspections will be carried out," a company spokeswoman said.

Cathay had already warned staff in January in a memo about the "unfortunately increasing trend of company property discrepancies". Does everyone know what "company property discrepancies" mean?

Bottles of unopened wine and caviar have been taken too

The cabin crew will be inspected upon disembarking the plane, and they may only take with them cabin crew-designated meals, as well as fruit, water, and plastic-wrapped sandwiches.

That means they aren't even allowed to take the wet wipes or even peanuts.

"Zero tolerance means you are not permitted to take off the aircraft any item other than what the company has authorized as per the policy," said Ed Higgs, general manager of in-flight services.

"If anyone removes company property, irrespective of the value or if you believe it will be thrown away, you will be subject to discipline which may include termination."

Don't say you haven't been warned.

But what is wrong with taking leftover food that will be binned or opened bottles of wine? Or do they donate the uneaten food to a charity, and have proper ways to re-cork the wine for later use? 

Staff shouldn't even think about taking peanuts or wet wipes

It has taken this long for Cathay to realize some cabin crew are pilfering items? There is some mismanagement here.

And what about the airline's huge mistake in 2016 when it lost a whopping HK$8.46 billion on bad fuel hedging bets? Heads rolled, but taking pots of Haagen-Dazs hardly compares to losing billions of dollars.

Nevertheless, this is the new reality for Cathay Pacific flight crew. So put down those company-branded pens, peanuts and ice cream. It's just not worth it.

Picture of the Day: How is This Art?

Sofia Coppola's Birkin handbag becomes an art piece thanks to Jeff Koons

Apologies -- I have one more thing to mention about Art Basel Hong Kong that happened last week.

One of the galleries presented this "piece" by American artist Jeff Koons.

Called Birkin Bag Black (Shelf) 2014, it features the famed Hermes handbag, mirror and acrylic shelf.

Koons didn't even have to buy the highly-coveted bag that takes months to order because they are all handmade in workshops in France. Director Sofia Coppola donated it to him to create for auction in 2014.

Coppola had asked her father to buy her a Birkin when she was "way too young to have one". When Francis Ford Coppola got to the Hermes store with a wad of cash, he was apparently mistaken about the cost of the item. "They said, 'Oh, no... it's one more zero.'"

And then it was in Sofia Coppola's closet for a long time. "It's very decadent so I'm happy it's now an art piece," she said at the time. Her bag was auctioned off for an undisclosed amount.

In the end US$5.5 million was raised for the United Nations Foundation through a charity called Project Perpetual.

And lo and behold, we got to see this "artwork" in Hong Kong.

But really... is this art?

A Christmas Reading

Hearing A Christmas Carol read again brought back memories of high school

So I've put up the Christmas tree, wrapped all the presents and have put the turkey in the brine, but have now done another festive thing -- attended a Christmas reading.

Specifically, it was a reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

I read the story back in high school, but haven't listened to it in one go. A reading was held in a neighbourhood church this evening so I decided to check it out. Also, two of the readers are ex-colleagues of mine I haven't seen in years so it was a nice way to catch up.

Chains were dragged on the floor for extra sound effects

Despite the CAD$25 (HK$144) ticket -- with all proceeds going to a local children's charity -- the church was almost full and I arrived 15 minutes early. I managed to snag a seat near the back and waited for the event to begin that also included some songs.

The rector welcomed everyone and invited everyone to sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing before the reading of A Christmas Carol began. It was split up among five readers, and to make it even more fun there were sound effects too.

There were door knocks and door slams, bells ringing, dramatic laughing, and for the appearance of Jacob Marley's ghost, the rattling of chains dragging on the floor could be heard.

While it was fun listening to the story being told, our posteriors were uncomfortable sitting on the hard wooden pews! Nevertheless in the end the reading was about an hour and a half long and was run was efficiently as possible.

The story has humour that's still relevant today

I didn't remember the sly comments Dickens made in his story, that still hold up very well today. I forgot there were bits of humour in it, only remembering Scrooge's horror of seeing Marley's ghost and how terrified he was of seeing his own dead body.

Listening to A Christmas Carol is a nice reminder for us to think about how we want to be remembered -- that will determine how we treat others.

25% Hongkongers Can't Afford Basic Needs

One-quarter of Hongkongers are considered deprived of basic necessities

The Hong Kong government acknowledges there are poor people in Hong Kong, but it's the number that it can't seem to decide on because it can't determine the exact definition of poverty.

It prefers to just look at income levels, but critics say this is not enough, as some people may own flats, but have no income and have run out of savings, or they barely make enough to make ends meet and live in squalid conditions. Some don't want to bother reaching out for social services or they don't qualify for certain subsidies.

Chinese University researchers have come up with another way to determine if someone is poor by seeing if they can afford 23 essential items or services. These include three meals a day, a dental check-up once a year, afford new clothes or go out with family or friends once a month.

Researchers say poverty should be calculated by deprivation

If they were not able to afford at least two or more of these items they were considered deprived.

They interviewed 1,476 people in 2014 and the same participants again last year. They found that one in four of them were deprived last year, 24.7 percent, which compares to 28.8 percent in 2014.

Researchers say the city's economic growth, historically low unemployment ration and higher salaries attributed to fewer deprived people, but it doesn't mean poverty has been eliminated at all.

Of those who took part in the study, 26.7 percent were unable to afford to get a regular dental check-up, though it was down from 38.7 percent three years earlier.

The study also showed that those who were defined as deprived were 1.5 times more likely to be less physically healthy, and 1.3 times more likely to be less mentally healthy compared to those who could afford all 23 items and services.

Chinese University associate professor Wong Hung who conducted the study said the research showed the government's official definition of poverty underestimated those who were socially disadvantaged in Hong Kong.

Handouts don't solve the poverty issue, researchers say

The government makes its calculations based solely on income and household size, and so the poverty line is at half the median monthly household income according to household size. Those who live below the poverty line are considered poor.

With that calculation, one in five people were living below the poverty line last year, a record high.

Wong said, "Handing out money or cash vouchers to people might not necessarily solve the city's deprivation problem. The government should implement more specific community programs so people can directly benefit from them."

This is not a new suggestion and the government doesn't really do anything, instead depending on NGOs and charities to fill the need.

Wong and his colleagues are suggesting to the government that it include deprivation as part of its determination of who is in poverty or not. It would probably increase the numbers which the authorities wouldn't be happy about, but these people are in desperate need of services and resources to keep their heads above water.

With Hong Kong being such a wealthy city, there is no excuse not to help the neediest.

Tennis Star Serves Hong Kong Elderly

Johanna Konta (right) serving a meal to a senior at Food Angel's canteen

It's nice to see top international athletes doing some charitable work in Hong Kong.

The other day British No. 1 women's player Johanna Konta who is here for the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open 2016, visited Food Angel's canteen in Sham Shui Po.

She along with Chinese players Liu Chang, Zheng Saisai, Lu Jiajing and Nao Hibino helped serve fish fillets and tofu in a crab meat sauce to elderly seniors in the area.

Konta was very happy to help out in her small way, saying, "It was a wonderful cause to be distributing food that would otherwise be wasted to people who really need it".

Food Angel rescues some 4 tons of most raw ingredients daily, from vegetables to meats and seafood, and turns them into 6,000 nutritious meals for the underprivileged.

I visited Food Angel last year and am impressed by how they can do this in such a small kitchen, and they invite volunteers to come and help out whenever they can. Upstairs is a canteen where elderly residents in the area usually come for lunch and dinner to socialize and have a healthy meal they otherwise could not afford.

Unfortunately there is only so much food the charity can rescue each day, and the government isn't doing enough to legislate supermarkets and wet markets to donate their unsold produce to places like Food Angel instead of dumping them into landfills.

However, for now, Food Angel's got it right, by getting as much publicity as possible in the hopes that greater public awareness will hopefully inspire more people to help out, and get more businesses behind them.

For more information go to Food Angel's website.

Picture of the Day: Better Luck Next Time?

Five tickets, and not much luck for this beginner punter

Tuesday was the 40th anniversary of Mark Six, the lottery in Hong Kong and it marked the milestone promising a HK$100 million (US$12.86 million) jackpot.

Naturally lots of people went to Jockey Club outlets to buy tickets, even first-timers like me.

On Sunday night there was a massive queue going out the door from the one in Kennedy Town, so I walked to the one in Sheung Wan and bought five tickets that are computer drawn at HK$20 each.

In the end HK$446 million worth of tickets were sold.

The numbers were drawn last night -- 11, 16, 19, 21, 30 and 33, the bonus number 31.

What did I get? One ticket had two numbers, the rest had one number or none.

But there were five lucky winners who won HK$27 million each.

I like many others knew the chances were slim, but as the saying goes, "You gotta be in it to win it".

Oh well.

Nevertheless, a good chunk of the money will be used to help Hong Kong's underprivileged, such as the elderly, the poor and young people seeing rehabilitation.

Guo Meimei Trades Luxury for Prison Cell

Guo Meimei living the life -- back then on Weibo

Some girls just want to have fun.

That was the case of Guo Meimei, 23, who took lots of selfies or had others take pictures of her scantily clad in bikinis, or short dresses. She has a cherubic face, but Guo seems to have seduced herself into the world of luxury.

She took pictures of herself with luxury brand name bags like Hermes and Louis Vuitton, even striking poses in front of a Maserati that were uploaded onto her Weibo account, where she had almost two million followers.

She liked to pose with luxury cars and handbags

Then in 2011 netizens started digging up information about her online and found that she claimed to be a "commercial general manager" at the Red Cross Society of China, which the charity vehemently denied, but the damage was done -- donations plunged because the public was outraged at Guo and didn't trust the Red Cross anymore.

It turns out Guo's partner Wang Jun, 46, was a Shenzhen-based businessman who funded her shopping thrills. He planned to use the Red Cross brand for an advertising campaign, and Guo asked to head the new business venture.

One would have thought that fiasco would have ended the young woman's career, but she plunged headlong into higher stakes -- casinos.

Someone enjoyed money... a lot

She admitted operating an illegal gambling venue in Beijing as well as having sex with several unnamed men for money. She even fabricated a story that she had a 260 million yuan gambling debt in Macau to get herself back into the limelight.

Guo's antics were over when she and Wang were detained in July last year. Dressed in an orange prison garb, she made a tearful "confession" on state media, saying she concocted the affiliation with the Red Cross purely out of vanity.

"I like to show off," she said. "I have the vain mindset of a little girl."

Over a year after she was detained, Guo was sentenced to five years in jail and a 50,000 yuan fine yesterday in Beijing for running an illegal casino. Her associate Zhao Xiaolai pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years and fined 20,000 yuan.

While Guo admitted in court to taking part in illegal gambling and invited people to play high-stakes poker at a Beijing apartment, she denied running an illegal casino.

In court she looked plain, with no makeup on, wearing eyeglasses, a white shirt and frumpy black pants, a far cry from the sexy image she used to portray of herself.

Guo was sentenced in court yesterday for five years in jail

There are scant details of her life growing up except that she lived with her mother in Yiyang, Hunan province and then Shenzhen. Guo later studied at Beijing Film Academy in 2008.

Thus ends the fabulous life of Guo that was terribly short lived and desperate at the end. Her insatiable love of money that led her downfall. After she gets out of prison at the age of 28, what is she going to do then? And for the rest of her life?

We hope this is a lesson to all those young (pretty) girls in China who mistakenly believe life in the fast lane is fun...

Money Talks for Tycoons

Li Ka-shing hints the economy will go sour if political reform not approved

As expected, Hong Kong's tycoons have spoken out in favour of political reform.

In the last few days, four of them have voiced their opinion, including Li Ka-shing.

Today at Cheung Kong Centre in Central, the 86-year-old Li said if the package is not voted through, it would be an "unwilling and inestimable loss" for all Hong Kong people, including him, and that it "will hit" the city's economy.

Lee Shau-kee sweetens deal with HK$1 billion donation

However at the same time he said it would not affect his company's investment in Hong Kong, saying, "The two are not related."

He said: "Pan-democrats are people with ideals, but they should also know that they are elected by voters, and many people want the political reform [package] to be approved. What good would be a disapproval bring, what benefit is there for Hong Kong?

"There are many capable, wise people among the pan-democrats. They should sit down for the sake of Hong Kong's well-being and think about what to do," he urged.

Excuse me Mr Li, but there are many people the pan-democrats represent who do not want the political reform package to be approved. They do not want to participate in a fixed race. You may like the candidates because they suit your political alignments, but not us.

Peter Woo calls for lawmakers to use "public wisdom"

Then yesterday Henderson Land Development chairman Lee Shau-kee, 86, said Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index could surpass 30,000 points if the reform package was given the green light, and added he would sweeten the deal with a HK$1 billion donation to charity.

Translation: If you support the political reform proposal, you will make us tycoons even richer so I'll donate some money to you poor little things.

Former Wharf chairman Peter Woo Kwong-ching issued a strongly worded statement calling on "non-radical lawmakers to "stand on the side of public wisdom" and support the government proposal.

What public wisdom? How is a fixed race good for Hong Kong?

And then K Wah Group chairman Lui Che-woo penned an article, saying social conflicts had weakened Hong Kong's competitiveness, and that different sectors should seek a win-win solution on political reform.

Lui Che-woo says social conflicts affect HK's competitiveness

Mr Lui, perhaps you would like to sort out the city's social conflicts for the government, because it doesn't seem to care. We all want a win-win solution on political reform but at the moment it's all one-sided. Perhaps you can contact Beijing for us and tell them to negotiate with the pan-democrats in good faith?

Through their words it's obvious the tycoons are only interested in the economic impact of the political reform package, not how this will affect Hong Kong and its people in the long term.

They are just towing the Party line and hoping that by repeating the mantra of passing political reform, that it will eventually happen.

Meanwhile the media asked Li if he would mourn the Tiananmen Square crackdown tomorrow, and Li said the incident was "very regrettable".

Talk about downplaying one of the darkest events in modern Chinese history...

Early Morning Charity Hike

At the start of a hike for a charitable cause with lots of corporate sponsorship

A friend of mine put out a call on Facebook asking her friends if they'd like to participate in the Hike for Hospice 2014 in Tai Lam Country Park in Yuen Long.

Making our way up the stairs at the start

I asked hiking expert YTSL about the easiest route of the three, which was 8km long and she said there wasn't much to see. However I figured it was a good way for me to get there since transportation and a curry lunch were provided and contribute to a charitable cause.

The only catch was that we had to be at the Central ferry pier by 7.10am and so I dutifully woke up at 5.30am -- when it was still pitch dark -- made some breakfast and got ready. There was rain in the forecast so I threw in my umbrella, though the temperatures were still cold at around 13-15 degrees Celsius.

There were a few taxis in front of my building at 6.50am and within minutes I arrived as well as many others. It turned out Medicins Sans Frontieres also organized some charitable event as well in Cheung Chau which explained why there were so many people there.

Verdant scenery set against overcast skies and no rain!

But eventually the two groups sorted themselves out and we boarded chartered buses -- including a few canine participants. In less than an hour we were out in Yuen Long, a place I haven't visited in many years and I'd never hiked before.

The country park is well equipped with washroom and barbecue facilities, and so it is a good place for large gatherings such as this.

As we arrived, several media outlets were there too and we wondered why, but then we soon found out. Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah showed up and I was tempted to complain to him about being so fiscally conservative, but most people treated him like a celebrity and took pictures with him which seemed bizarre.

Overlooking civilization down below

Dr Edward Leong Che-hung was there too, a non official member of the Executive Council, but no one seemed interested in having photographs with a former legislative councillor...

After some short speeches about the hospice, which will be completed next year, we were off at 9am. There was a bit of a log-jam near the beginning as we had to climb up some rock stairs one by one but after a while the groups kind of spaced out.

For me hiking is a quiet contemplative exercise, but for many today it was a chance to socialize with friends, and while I enjoyed catching up with my friend, we wanted to avoid the noisy groups too. One guy even brought a radio and cranked it up loud which seemed to defeat the whole purpose of hiking...

The gods of the mountain hanging out in a temple

What was interesting about this park was that periodically we would see these concrete buildings and one would think it was a restroom, but it was actually a mini temple, with various statues lined up and incense offerings given to them. Nearby was a mini hut with a cute-looking elderly couple who are apparently the gods of the mountain. I saw three of these temples on the route that looked very similar.

YTSL was right -- there wasn't much scenery to see apart from some panoramic landscapes and a large reservoir area. And as she pointed out, now was not the time to find bugs either!

The large reservoir we hiked around

Nevertheless I enjoyed the hike -- it was relatively cool and in the second half of the hike I went off on my own, passing several groups along the way and appreciated the walk. The last section that included walking up stairs was a bit tough, but they were spaced out enough for people to catch their breath.

In the final stretch I wasn't quite sure if I was going the right way but then I saw a sign that said "The curry is cooking" because we'd been promised a curry lunch at the finish. But I still didn't see the finish line and it wasn't for another 20 minutes until I finished reached the end. If you subtract the time I waited for my teammates at one checkpoint, then I probably finished it in about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The curry lunch? It was pretty good -- the restaurant seemed to have trucked in most of the food, but reheated it there, and even brought a portable oven to make delicious nann bread.

The finish line is here somewhere...

Sated and tired, we clambered back onto the bus and I pretty much napped all the way back to Central!