Taking Election Benefit of Free Rides

Carrie Lam cast her vote this morning to kick off elections

The polling stations closed over an hour ago in the first revamped Legislative Council election and as of 9.30pm there were 29.28 percent of eligible voters who cast their ballots,  the lowest ever turnout for an election since 1997. The lowest was in 2000 at 43.57 percent.

Hmmm we wonder why.

Only some of the dim sum we ordered

There may be table banging in the Liaison Office in Western District tonight, wondering which bright person came up with the idea of giving all Hongkongers free rides on public transport (except ferries and buses going to the airport), as places like Disneyland and Ocean Park were packed with people.

The MTR constantly sent messages to subscribers, telling them taking the subway was free all day and there was no need to use the Octopus card, while buses had passengers use their card to count the number of people (presumably to bill the government later).

My friend and I took advantage of the free fares by going from Wan Chai to Hung Hom to go to Sheung Shui, where we went to get some dim sum (we were too hungry and over ordered).

Lining up for First Class - and we got a seat!

Then we got back on the train -- first class -- to Tai Wai, where we changed trains to go all the way on the newest line to Wu Kai Sha. Then we immediately went across the platform and too the opposite train back all 28 stops to Tuen Mun. 

From there we got out and took the light rail to Tuen Mun City Centre and got on the bus (that was just boarding) to go to Tung Chung and then ended up at City Gate to split a peanut butter and chocolate Cinnabon washed down with lemonade soda before taking the train back home.

The Tung Chung station was packed with people -- staff had tried to slow down the number of people going down to the platform, which was hard to do and they seemed to give up.

Phew! What a ride! By the time we took the train back to Hong Kong island at 5pm it was packed with people.

Rewarded ourselves with a Cinnabon

My whole transit fare would have cost HK$101 (US$13). I thought it would be more, but it was a good six hours well spent (and fed).

What we'd really like to know is how big the bill is for all the free public transit, sending out text messages urging people to vote, all the banners placed all over the city advertising the election, and for all 40,000 polling staff, and 10,000 police.

Was it really worth it?

Local Tourist in Kowloon

M+ looks like a hard drive in West Kowloon

 

The coronavirus pandemic has turned many Hongkongers into tourists in our own town. This afternoon we did the same, walking from West Kowloon all the way to Kowloon Bay, a 15k stretch that surprisingly was accessible for the most part. 

The pavilion inside Xiqu Centre has disappeared

However starting the walk was a bit frustrating. We got out of Kowloon MTR station, but then it took a while to figure out where to get out -- it turns out the exit is near the ice rink -- which sadly at the moment is half melted.

Once we got out we were confronted with lots of water barriers here and there, and the place is still pretty much a construction site. We managed to get across to the area closest to the water and saw the Palace Museum being constructed, which will house a temporary exhibition of items from Beijing's Forbidden City. 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor got a lot of flak for not having a proper public consultation of the project, and instead just announced that it would happen in December 2016. Even those involved in the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority didn't even know about the project, and the architect, Rocco Design Architects  was chosen without a tender. 

Smoked salmon on toast with passion fruit tea

Workers were installing the gold metal perforated sheets on the outside of the building, which is expected to be completed next year.

M+ is the new museum for visual culture, and so far it looks like a giant... hard drive. But upon closer inspection, it seems to be made of what looks like black bamboo poles. Interesting!

The park area is occupied by many young families and people with dogs. Many domestic helpers set up small tents to hang out for the day. 

Not soon after we passed by Xiqu Centre, for traditional Chinese opera. The last time I visited, there was a Chinese-style pavilion in the middle with a tree, but that seems to have been taken away and is empty now, pretty sad looking. One of the restaurants is actually open with customers in it which is good to see. Perhaps an alternative dining spot for people in the area?

We then headed down Canton Road towards the Star Ferry and interesting to see people lining up at luxury brands to go shopping. Previously it would be mainlanders queuing up but now it's locals... but why Gucci?

Cute painting of a ferry at the Hung Hom pier

Then we walked along Avenue of the Stars and passed by the InterContinental that shut down in April. The other day I had lunch with the former executive director of communications for the hotel who was laid off at the end of June. She said she and some 20 others were left behind to literally pack up everything in the building, plates, glasses, and put them into boxes and label them.

After we passed Tsim Sha Tsui East, we headed up a bridge that quickly took us to Hung Hom, another scenic area where we took a break at NOC for a snack before powering on.

However, the waterfront promenade just kind of ended at a complex of flats and we had to walk around to get back onto another part of the waterfront towards Kai Tak, which is still a massive construction site.

When we were at Harbour City we were accosted by many real estate agents promoting a new complex called Monaco and then in Kai Tak we saw it being built. Ahhh, the pre-sale, but not many takers from what we saw.

Wanna buy a flat in a development called Monaco?

Finally after a bit of a detour we made it to Mega Box, a large orange shopping mall in Kowloon Bay. Needless to say the Ikea in there was not socially distanced, as lots of people went through there to look at and buy furniture. Afterwards we walked a block away to the bus terminus to take the bus to Causeway Bay and then I took the MTR home.

Lots of exercise and had another perspective of Kowloon side I'd never been before!

Stormy Days Ahead in Third Coronavirus Wave

The gloomy weather on Sunday reflected people's mood

Today Hong Kong reported another 80 coronavirus cases for a total of 3,669,  though the death toll went up by four to 42.

The focus is now on two wet markets, Hung Hom and Tokwawan where there were two more infections at the former, one at the latter. Both markets were closed earlier to have a thorough disinfection.

Social-distancing measures are set to continue for at least another week, with the dining-in ban from 6pm to 5am. Numerous restaurants in Hong Kong may not survive after this third wave, as it is difficult for them to pivot to doing more takeaway, which does not earn them as much as patrons dining in.

Yuen Kwok-yung inspects Hung Hom wet market

If more of them close, then more people are going to be out of work. I bumped into a young Singaporean chef on Sunday while walking along the waterfront. Since the new dining-in restrictions have been in place, business has dropped significantly at the food court in Central where he serves Singaporean dishes like laksa and nasi lemak.

The food court, which opened two months ago, mostly services office workers in the building upstairs, but most of them are now working from home. Also that food court has no agreement with any delivery services, which means he's had to set up an alternate location for food delivery pick-up.

This is his first business venture and while it's temporary, it's still not a good sign when you've been doing everything you can to keep the business afloat, but there are so many factors beyond your control. He knows cutting staff would help financially, but he feels this would be awful to do to people and is trying to figure out other ways to keep everyone employed.

Another young businessman runs a space for guest chef pop-ups, but that's been obliterated since the pandemic in late January. He quickly pivoted to doing special dinners cooked by local chefs, offering cooking classes and bake sales, and for two months managed to pay the rent this way.

Been supportive buying these desserts!

But now with no dinner service, he can only depend on doing home catering for clients, and while it's decent money, it's a lot of physical labour, carrying all the ingredients, plates and pots, pans, and cutlery to the customer's home.

This was probably not what the father of a young child had in mind when he started this business over five years ago, but now he is hustling any way he can to keep going. He's had to dig into his savings to pay this past month's rent.

It's difficult to watch these guys work so hard and yet they can't seem to get a break...

Hong Kong Finally Takes Action

Carrie Lam and her senior ministers briefed the media on the latest measures

Things are (finally) getting serious in Hong Kong with regards to the Wuhan coronavirus that has now claimed 106 lives and over 4,680 cases worldwide. There were 1,200 new cases in Wuhan alone today. Hong Kong has eight confirmed cases.

Railway services will be cut, while flights will be halved

Today the Hong Kong government has instructed civil servants who aren't frontline service staff that they can work from home until at least February 10; some companies are following suit. In many cases, these employees don't have company laptops or access to the special computer systems they need to use, which means they will have an extended holiday.

Late this afternoon Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held a press conference with senior members of her cabinet and announced travel to and from the mainland would be drastically cut, with flights reduced by half, all ferry services suspended, and trains from West Kowloon and the through train to Guangzhou from Hung Hom would be stopped.

While tour groups to Hong Kong have already been suspended, no more individual visas to the city will be issued.

This high-speed train will stop service from Thursday

It's not a complete closure of all border checkpoints (only about 9 percent), but it is finally a start for Lam to act on the advice of the infectious disease experts and legislators from the entire political spectrum who are urging her to do the right thing for the safety of Hongkongers.

However, she really needs to do more to combat against fake news, and spent the first part of her press conference berating people for spreading rumours.

She really needs to be more transparent, which means speaking more frequently and clearly. At the very least Lam or her ministers should update the media once a day, twice would be better... or is she too busy to consider doing that?

The more you communicate, the more your message comes across.

Newly refurbished Museum of Art will be shut temporarily

Or maybe because the government keeps flip flopping that the Lam administration is unclear on its own position?

In addition the government will not use the newly-completed housing estate in Fanling for quarantine purposes... perhaps a decision made too late. Some people in the media have thrown out the idea of using Disneyland as a quarantine area. It's isolated, self sufficient and hey, it's cheerful too. Why not?

Just saw news that the Hong Kong-Macau ferries will be suspended from Thursday, while all Hong Kong libraries, museums, sports centres and swimming pools will be closed until further notice.

Meanwhile in China, Dr Zhong Nanshan who discovered SARS over 17 years ago believes the current coronavirus will peak in a week to 10 days, which is much earlier than what Dr Gabriel Leung at the University of Hong Kong had predicted, which was April or May.

Dr Zhong Nanshan predicts the coronavirus peaking very soon

Who is right? We will find out soon enough.

Cryptically, Lam said in the press conference: "If you asked me a week ago, I might not have the determination to roll out the measures we rolled out today and yesterday."

Does that mean she didn't think she had to take the Wuhan coronavirus that seriously?

Where was she in 2003?

The Protest Spirit Marches On

Some 22,000 people stand in solidarity with teachers at Chater Garden

Finally 10 weeks into the protests the rest of the world is waking up the reality that Hongkongers are fighting to defend their city.

Today things were relatively tame. The weather wasn't cooperative this morning and there was a march organized by the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union with the theme, "Safeguard the next generation, let our conscience speak".

The union says some 22,000 people showed up at Chater Garden in the pouring rain. That's a lot considering there are just under 30,000 teachers in the city.

Then they marched up to Government House, where Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor lives. Or symbolically lives.

Today's slogan was "Safeguard the next generation"

Later in the afternoon the march in Hung Hom from Hoi Sham Park to Whampoa MTR station goes smoothly and peacefully and officially ends at 5.30pm. Some of the protesters splinter off to Tokwawan, others to Mongkok, throwing eggs at pro-Beijing lawmakers' offices, or leaving graffiti.

They dared to deface the office of the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Unions, spray painting graffiti, throwing engine oil, eggs and leaving pineapples, that symbolize hand grenades.

Meanwhile at 6pm I try to get on the 101 bus to get to my relatives' place in Tokwawan for dinner, and the bus driver says he is only going as far as Hung Hom cross harbour tunnel. Strange since the situation in Tokwawan is relatively calm and the crowds are dispersing.

So I take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui, walk to Chatham Road to catch either the number 5 or 28 bus. When I get on the no. 5 bus, the driver says he is not passing through Tokwawan, but will take us to Choi Hung. How bizarre.

Gorgeous sunset view of Lion Rock in Choi Hung

But perhaps even more interesting is that no one is fazed -- no one complains about the protesters disrupting the roads.

The bus goes on the high way and this is a route I'm completely unfamiliar with -- consider it kind of city sightseeing. We end up at a bus stop near a bus terminus and I can see Plaza Hollywood, a shopping mall that includes Diamond Hill MTR station.

I walk towards it but not without snapping this picture of Lion Rock in the pink sunset. At least one good thing came out of this roundabout drive.

Thank goodness there's a massive taxi line and within 15 minutes I arrive at my destination.

Other than a tense standoff on Nathan Road near Tsim Sha Tsui, with police trying to chase down protesters, but they are weighed down by their heavy gear. Amazingly no tear gas was fired today. Perhaps, as some people joked, it was raining, which wasn't good conditions to use it.

A laser light show in front of Mongkok police station

Protesters called it a day around 8.30pm, saving their energy for tomorrow's big rally in Victoria Park.

It's expected to be the biggest rally yet, with organizers explaining in an ad hoc press conference that they hope people will stream into the park and then have to "walk" back out towards Central. Through this constant stream they hope to have a lot of people participating.

There are a lot of calls on social media and many seem to be heeding it. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Financial Groups Back Protesters

Tonight in Tsim Sha Tsui the police try to contain protesters in the area

Yesterday Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet Ngor and Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po tried to blame the economic slowdown in Hong Kong on the protesters.

However, two groups in the financial industry, one for banking the other finance, with members totaling 9,622 professionals issued a statement today refuting what Lam and Chan said.

Yesterday Carrie Lam with Paul Chan (left)

"Earlier this week at a press conference, Financial Secretary Mr. Paul Chan warned that Extradition Bill protests would hit [the] Hong Kong economy. The government's statement is misleading and placing the blame on protesters is irresponsible and unacceptable.

"Hong Kong's economy has already shown signs of a slowdown in the first quarter of this year whereas the first demonstration began in the late second quarter," the statement continues. "Recently, the Hong Kong Institute of Economics and Business Strategy of the University of Hong Kong and Wang Chunxin, senior economic researcher of Bank of China Hong Kong, have lowered Hong Kong's annual GDP forecast to 1.7 percent - 1.8 percent, mainly due to the US-China trade war.

"The report did not mention any impact caused by the protests. However, the Government's continued selective disregard of the law, abuse use of institutional violence, and negative sentiment by the international investment community will be [the] real reasons for any economic deterioration down the road."

Peaceful protests in Tai Po this afternoon

The statement continues to say that the five demands of the protesters should be met for the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and that the government needs to respond quickly.

"Allegations of 'foreign forces' meddling in recent events with no actual supporting evidence is unhelpful. On that basis, society and various industry sectors demand that a neutral and recognized independent investigation committee to be set up to uncover the truth and responsible parties, so that Hong Kong can return to the right track as soon as possible."

It's interesting these two financial groups have made a very forceful statement condemning the government for placing the blame squarely on the protesters "in an attempt to deceive the public from its mistakes and divisive statements".

Two financial groups condemn the government's inactions

Wonder how Lam and co will respond to this damning indictment...

Meanwhile this evening more battles erupted between the protesters and police in Tai Po, Sha Tin, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom, Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong and Ngau Tau Kok.

My relatives and I watched the rising tensions between the police and protesters on Nathan Road in the shopping area of Tsim Sha Tsui. Some police were surrounded after they had arrested a young woman.

The crowd grew as people who were hanging out in the area, just finished dinner or a movie came out to see what was going on. Many turned on the lights on their smartphones to shine back at the police.

A young woman arrested in Tsim Sha Tsui, protesters angry

Eventually the officers had to retreat back to their police station nearby but not without lobbing a few canisters of tear gas for good measure.

Tomorrow is another day...

Joyride Courtesy of Protesters

Unprecedented occupation of the Cross Harbour Tunnel roads in Hung Hom

Almost every Saturday I visit my relatives in Tokwawan in Kowloon for dinner and usually take the 101 bus to get there.

Usually it takes 45 minutes. Today... we came out of the Cross Harbour Tunnel at 6.35pm and traffic stopped. Then I checked Twitter and found out protesters had just blocked the road on the other side of the toll booth!

The view from my bus was a parking lot in Hung Hom

The bus driver let some people off and I thought we would wait a bit longer. But already tunnel officials were allowing cars to make U-turns back through the other side of the tunnel and our bus did the same! We were not allowed to get off.

At that moment my relative texted me to ask where I was at and I told her what had happened. She was watching it all unfold live on TV.

So my bus went back through the Cross Harbour Tunnel again but this time went eastwards along the highway (that was now moving slowly) towards the Eastern Tunnel towards the bus terminus in Kwun Tong.

I tweeted what was happening and a colleague asked me where I was. I told her the story and she said I would be passing by her place after crossing the Eastern Tunnel so i jokingly said I would wave to her when I got there.

Eventually we made it to the tunnel, but again traffic was slow. By this time protesters had already left Hunghom and gone back to Tsim Sha Tsui...

Tear gas unleashed again in Tsim Sha Tsui tonight

My fellow bus passenger remarked how we got to ride through two tunnels for the price of one. What a deal.

I made it to Kwun Tong at 7.35, and then took a taxi to my relatives' place as to not waste anymore time; they were waiting for me to eat dinner.

I told the taxi driver what had happened and he warned me not to go to Mongkok tonight. "Best to just go home early and not go near there," he said.

And he was right. After dinner there were skirmishes on Nathan and Argyle roads, with a fire set in front of the Mongkok police station. Riot police came out -- it looked like over 100 of them with riot shields and moved in to clear the area. Oh yes and the obligatory tear gas was fired again and again and again.

Arrests were made while others left the area. As of 11.15pm some protesters have occupied the Cross Harbour Tunnel again.

Riot police trying to reclaim Mongkok this evening

Was I annoyed that the tunnel was blocked earlier? Not really, and people on the bus didn't seem to make much of a fuss either.

What will really be interesting will be to see exactly how many people actually strike on Monday.

My relative suggested that the culture of striking is new in Hong Kong as there are no unions here. But it's gotten to the point (entering the ninth week) of the government doing nothing and is actually in hiding and the people are tired of this inaction and may come out to strike.

We Hongkongers deserve better leadership. The place is on the brink of falling apart and our Chief Executive has done nothing productive in the past two months.

So Monday the people will have a chance to express how they really feel about this city and about how Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has dragged us down this ridiculous path. Something needs to be done, and the ball is in her court.

ARE YOU THERE CARRIE?

The Tireless Lion Rock Spirit

There are hundreds of people in Sha Tin chanting for Sun Hung Kai to explain

Tensions are still simmering in New Town Plaza in Sha Tin tonight, the site of the pitched battles between protesters and the police. This evening there are crowds of people gathered in the same spot shouting, "Sun Hung Kai explain!"

They rightly or wrongly believe the developer that owns the mall may have called the police in on Sunday evening, which created a lot of chaos and violence. The mall has reiterated twice in written statements that it did not call the police to come in.

Nevertheless, residents are demanding answers and apparently will continue chanting this message everyday until they get one.

This booth and several others will be inundated by protesters

People are very angry, tired and frustrated. But most of all they want to be listened to and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is completely ignoring them after she claimed she would work harder to engage the community.

In the meantime there are so many activities going on -- I had to ask a colleague what was happening and this person gave me a long verbal list of what was happening where. It's pretty amazing.

Tomorrow should be interesting -- it is the start of the Hong Kong Book Fair -- known for its massive lines because parents want to snap up books for their children to read during their summer break.

However, protesters will be targeting booths run by a mainland publisher, Sino United Publishing. It is state-owned and is controlled by Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong, and is the largest publishing group in the city that controls as much as 90 percent of the book retail business through its subsidiaries, Joint Publishing, Chung Hwa Book and Commercial Press.

Will a Lennon Wall be started at the Hong Kong Book Fair?

Some tactics that protesters discussed online include setting up a "Lennon Wall", which are a collage of messages written by people that have sprouted all over the city; besieging booths by standing there and reading, and protest talks given by pro-Beijing writers.

And surprise surprise -- Hong Kong's leader won't be attending the opening of the event -- the first time in three years.

Meanwhile there will be more events this week, including tomorrow when seniors who will be marching from Chater Garden in Central to government headquarters in Admiralty, and on Sunday, Civil Rights Front will have a rally in Admiralty calling for an independent inquiry on police actions during protests.

This coming weekend there will also be marches held in Hung Hom, Western and Tseung Kwan O.

Summer this year has hardly been quiet. It's a pretty schizophrenic situation -- there are violent clashes on the weekends, but come Monday morning everything is civilized again until Friday evening. If anything this Hong Kong spirit is indefatigable!

Survived Typhoon Mangkhut

Dramatic scenes in Heng Fa Chuen, with a man by the waterfront

Typhoon Mangkhut has come and gone -- and it was a whole day affair.

Late last night around 1.10am the Hong Kong Observatory raised the T8 signal. Early in the morning I could hear howling from my air conditioner and rain pounding against the windows which was unsettling. Would my windows blow out? Why did I not tape them?!

Outside my flat the elevator shaft was howling loudly along with any fan connected to the walls of my flat -- they were whirling away madly and blowing in any debris that was lodged in them into my flat -- including a broken tiny spring probably from a pen!

Many windows were blown out in a building in Hung Hom

Cooking breakfast was a bit nerve-wracking because the stove fan was making strange noises from the wind. And my building was swaying periodically too...

Meanwhile on social media people started posting pictures of destruction -- first it was the flooding on the waterfront in Heng Fa Chuen, the fast east side of Hong Kong Island, and then an office building in Hung Hom had its windows blown out and with them flew lots of papers too...

There was also footage of a construction crane falling off a tall building, same with a tree that was growing on a rooftop of another building. And one of the front doors of the InterContinental Hong Kong shattered from the powerful winds, while the Mercedes-Benz showroom in Wan Chai was completely flooded.

A tree broke in Tsim Sha Tsui next to The Peninsula

The list goes on and on, but the good thing is that as far as I know, there were no casualties, and the vast majority of people stayed at home. However, my friend YTSL told me this morning her friend went to Wan Chai for dim sum with her family at Hopewell Centre during T10! Apparently the restaurant was half full and mostly elderly people. Guess some cannot do without yum cha...

The only transportation running was the MTR and some taxis so overall the city was dead, which is strange as we all know it as a metropolis that is non-stop. But today it was eerily quiet.

In all my 15 years of living on and off in Hong Kong, this is the worst I have ever experienced! And no I didn't need tape. Nevertheless, today will be an "I remember" moment for a long time to come...

A Scenic Way to Get Around Hong Kong

 

Could a hop on, hop off ferry service work on the water in Hong Kong?

The Hong Kong Transport Department has a novel way for people to get around the city -- by the water.

It's proposing a circular ferry route that would have at least five stops: Kai Tak, Hung Hom, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Central and West Kowloon, and it would start service next September.

"The... service aims to respond to suggestions from the community to introduce the 'water taxi' service between different calling points along the waterfront of Victoria Harbour to bring vibrancy to the harbour," the department said in its tendering document, inviting interested bidders.

The Transport Department proposes five piers to stop at

It seems to be pitched as a hop on, hop off service akin to a touring bus rather than a "water taxi" per se,

The 25km circular route would operate between 7am and 11pm on Monday to Saturday, and 8am to 10pm on Sundays and public holidays. The entire journey should not take more than 110 minutes.

Passengers would be able to buy round-trip tickets or half-day tickets and embark and disembark at any stop.

Meanwhile the bidders need to be able to ferry up to 150 passengers at a time, with views on both sides of the vessel. They can also propose other stops other than the five proposed.

Lawmaker Yiu Si-wing who represents the tourism sector, says the proposal looks more like a tour bus than a taxi.

"People expect fast and point-to-point transport from a taxi," Yiu said. "Here the 'water taxi' concept is a little bit confusing. It's more like a tourism project than public transport."

The ferry service would be another way to get around HK

We have to agree, but if you are taking a boat, you aren't going to be in that much of a hurry, are you? Many of the piers are already in out-of-the-way places, so people taking these services are not necessarily rushing. They look at it as another way to get around.

Maybe going from stop to stop will be tedious, but what better way to get around in a leisurely way without having to deal with traffic jams on the road?

Yiu also says having so many piers to maintain will be costly and that may be the case, but tourists would definitely enjoy this service, as the Central to Tsim Sha Tsui route is so short -- a 25km route would be a nice way to spend some time looking at Hong Kong from the water.

I hope the proposal does materialize -- surely not only tourists but residents would use the service too. And there's nothing wrong with tweaking it once it starts. The service at least deserves a chance.

Two More MTR Stops

Passengers crowded into the new stations to check them out

Hong Kong now has two more MTR stops on the Kwun Tong or green line.

It used to start or end at Yau Ma Tei, but now Whampoa and Ho Man Tin have been added.

The two stops were supposed to open last August, but there were engineering problems, space constraints and limited construction hours to avoid disturbing residents.

A map on the train showing the new MTR stops

However, the over one year delay didn't deter excited commuters who were ready to ride the train at 6.10am yesterday, a Sunday morning.

Even before the shutters were barely raised, over 100 people rushed into Whampoa station and cheered as the train pulled away from the station.

However seconds later the train came to a sharp halt and Adi Lau Tin-shing, operations director at the MTR explained that with any new system, new equipment and operation, there will be teething problems that have to be resolved.

But the people on the new train didn't seem to mind -- they were just too excited to have consistent transportation in their neighbourhood, or they are MTR diehard fans.

Some people were really, really excited to be on the first train

Already 108,000 people used the new stations up until 5pm yesterday, but the station is designed for some 146,000 passengers a day.

It is hoped the new stations will relieve traffic congestion in Hung Hom district, while Ho Man Tin station will become the biggest interchange station on the MTR network as it will eventually connect with the Sha Tin to Central line.

While it's exciting to see more areas becoming easily accessible, it's also the sad reality they are becoming more gentrified too...

The Waiting Game Begins

Potential buyers check out Upper East but many have given up down payments

You know the economy is not looking good when potential home buyers are not purchasing homes -- because they think prices will go down even further.

Some buyers have even walked away from deals even though they have put down deposits.

"Developers that require purchasers to put down a small initial down payment will be hit the hardest," said Alvin Cheung Chi-wai, an associate director at Prudential Brokerage. He added buyers would rather cut their losses by forfeiting their deposits if they believe an economic slump is coming.

The media has reported at least 30 such cases so far this month, 11 of which were at Kowloon Development's Upper East project in Hung Hom. Five cancellations were made at Cheung Kong Property Holdings' Beaumont in Tsueng Kwan O, and four at The Aspen Crest in Diamond Hill developed by Far East Consortium International.

One buyer signed an agreement for two flats at Upper East for a total of HK$11.8 million, but gave up the HK$2.55 million initial down payment.

That's a lot of dough, rich or not.

That project has the most number of defaults so far because it required potential buyers to put down payments of just 5 percent. Because of this deal, including a 14 percent discount, it sold 340 units, 40 percent of which were bought by investors this month. Down payments for the cheapest flats -- 194 square feet -- were just HK$150,000.

Kingswood Villas in Tin Shui Wai

The market for luxury and secondary flats was also slow, with sellers cutting prices to entice buyers. A 806 sq ft flat at Pacific Palisades in North Point Hill sold for HK$14.5 million, HK$1 million less than the original asking price.

"This is the first deal for North Point Hill so far this month," said Terry Chan, associate director at Centaline Property Agency.

In Tin Shui Wai, a 546 sq ft flat in Kingswood Villas, the city's most active housing estate in terms of turnover, changed hands for HK$3.92 million, the first unit to be sold for less than HK$4 million in the past few years.

Real estate agents report the secondary market has plunged to a 20-year low.

This is good news for first-time home buyers, but it's a waiting game now, trying to figure out how low prices will go... who's in?