Picture of the Day: Sunset on Buddha's Birthday

Took this sunset photo at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Today is Buddha's birthday, and to celebrate there were no new coronavirus cases in Hong Kong for the fifth consecutive day.

Lots of people were out and about, practically everyone in masks, though it was a bit unnerving to see so many people gathered when I walked past Dr Sun Yat-Sen Park in Sai Ying Pun around 6pm.

A chartered flight from Pakistan carrying 319 Hong Kong residents who were stranded there for the past few months arrived this evening at 7pm and were tested for the coronavirus so we may see a few new cases tomorrow from these passengers as the epidemic controls there are less restrictive.

There are some 2,000 people in Pakistan who want to come back to Hong Kong, and 2,300 in India.

But so far in the past 11 days there have been no local cases.

A picture from Kennedy Town around 5.45pm

Walking by the waterfront is not only a great way to exercise, but doing it with a friend makes the time (and distance) go by much faster. We got to catch the stunning sunset today as we were at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai and then made our way back to Kennedy Town.

I clocked in 12km today, and this month have walked a lot, doing more exercise than I would normally do on the treadmill for sure. If and when the gyms reopen, will there be new protocols? Will they only allow half the capacity to be in at any one time? How will lockers and gym equipment be cleaned more regularly? It just seems strange to go back to being "gym rats" again.

However at the same time the weather is getting much warmer (29 degrees today) so exercising in air conditioning would be welcome too.

Lots to think about, but in the meantime enjoying the views outside.

From Mykonos to Santorini

On a large ferry on the way from Mykonos to Santorini in over four hours

We took a ferry from Mykonos to Santorini and the journey was over four hours long. Considering tourism is such a big part of the Greek economy, it was pretty surprising to see how underdeveloped the ferry piers are at both Mykonos and Santorini.

The view of the sea from the stern of the ferry

At Mykonos there is a temporary kiosk that sells food and drinks from giant refrigerators. The sandwiches are more bread than filling, but the prawn cocktail-flavoured potato chips from Lays ("summer edition") were not bad, more tomato taste than prawn.

Then there is no proper passenger seating area -- there is a covered area with cement benches for people to sit on, or out in the sun on wooden benches. There is no electronic board to show which ferry is coming and will be docking at which pier.

Not all the ferries display English signs, though we managed to find out which pier our ferry would dock at, which arrived at the appointed time. Security officials were on hand to direct traffic: first the passengers disembarked, followed by several vehicles from cars to trucks.

Then trucks and cars waiting in line were allowed to drive into the ferry first -- trucks had to back in one by one, and then finally passengers. There were hordes of us tourists descending onto the ferry, though there was a traffic jam at the entrance as we could only enter one by one by showing our tickets.

Everyone trying to take pictures of the sunset at Oia

The ferry ride took over four hours going south east, passing several other islands along the way. Finally we arrived at Santorini and the port here was even more primitive than at Mykonos, which is strange considering hotels in Santorini are much more expensive. It was like arriving in a developing country, with people holding up signs for tours or transport, while others advertised for taxis or buses for certain destinations.

We found our driver who then drove us over half an hour zig-zagging up the hill and then driving along the countryside where we saw donkeys, cows and horses grazing in the fields, hardly any development in sight.

Finally we drove onto a quiet street in the middle of nowhere to find our hotel opposite a huge resort development called Santa Maris, consisting of a number of villas that could be accessed by golf carts. Ours is a small complex of three units.

I managed to finally get a sunset picture without tourists

We were told by the manager to go up the hill to the right to see the famous sunset view in Oia, the town we are in. The hill is a steep walk but it took less than 10 minutes. From there we tried to go as far right as we could and encountered tons of people holding up their smartphones to document every second of the sun's descent into the ocean.

It took us a while to finally inch a bit closer to the front, but even then people were busy taking selfies or recording the sunset on video. And when the sun finally set, people actually clapped their hands as if it was a performance!

Then the tourists started leaving like a stream, as the stairway we were at is quite narrow. We could see more and more people coming up the stairway and wondered when the last ones would finally leave.

And actually this was when the skyline was even more dramatic with yellow, pink, mauve and deep purple colours. We're glad we didn't miss that!

An even better view of the sky after the hordes left the area

For dinner we found a small and relatively decent-priced restaurant but we had to wait about 20 minutes. During that time we met a couple from South Dakota, and the husband had been to Hong Kong on a business trip last year.

He asked about the protests and I told him they were actually happening as we spoke. I added the protests would not end soon as the government was not listening to the protesters at all. He also said that he visited Macau via the bridge a month after it opened (November 2018) and was impressed by the small former Portuguese colony.

We finally tucked into tzatziki sauce that we dipped bread into, baked eggplant stuffed with onions, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, and spaghetti marinara with prawns and mussels in a rich creamy tomato sauce.

Our rich spaghetti marinara in a creamy tomato sauce

And then as we were finishing dinner, there were fireworks going off in the distance and we watched this small but constant stream of fireworks being set up for at least 20 minutes. The size of the fireworks paled in comparison to the ones in Hong Kong, but the non-stop firing of them was impressive!

Picture of the Day: Sunset by Victoria Harbour

Taken between Shun Tak Ferry Terminal and Dr Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Park

The other day my colleague and I finished work in Tsim Sha Tsui and then took the Star Ferry back to Central. She walked back to Wan Chai and I headed back by foot to Western on foot, taking the scenic route.

The sun was just setting and it was a beautiful view looking west out onto the water. You would never know that Super Typhoon Maria was approaching Taiwan, except that it was quite humid.

It isn't often I get to walk so close to the water -- it had such a calming effect that put me in a good mood. This is why I love Hong Kong and also living close to the water!

Picture of the Day: Overlooking Victoria Harbour

Clear skies and brilliant sunshine resulted in this photo looking west

After 6pm I arrived at the spa in the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong for a badly needed massage (it was painful!) and just before my treatment I managed to catch the sun about to set for the evening.

No where else in Hong Kong can you have a jaw-dropping view like this from the 116th floor! Everything looks so tiny...

Picture of the Day: Sunset

Glorious sunset yesterday from Kennedy Town

I'm not usually home early on weekdays -- I'm either still in the office or out on assignment.

But on Friday afternoon I finished an assignment early and came home to see this fantastic sunset. I had to take a few pictures of the sun peeking out of from the thick clouds.

Admittedly though, pollution probably has something to do with the radiant colours...

This sunset didn't last long -- within about 15 to 20 minutes the sun disappeared behind the clouds and it was soon dark.

Picture of the Day: Sunset Summer

Catching the tail end of a gorgeous sunset at Spanish Banks in Vancouver

I've had a short trip to Vancouver, but enjoyed every moment thanks to the fantastic weather we've been having. The best part is that the humidity is so low you hardly break out into a sweat, unlike Hong Kong, where walking outside for five minutes results in sweat pouring from your forehead like a waterfall.

After dinner my friend and I headed to Spanish Banks to catch the sunset and we got there at the tail end with the sky was already a deep pink and mauve.

Down the beach we saw a gaggle of Canada geese hanging out right by the water -- I don't remember ever seeing this before. But there they were standing around and cleaning themselves. Wondered what they were up to next.

It's so nice to see the sun go down just before 10pm -- in Hong Kong it's already dark by 7pm, but then again in Vancouver, it's dark by 3pm in the winter.

Nevertheless I was really glad to be able to catch the beautiful sunset right by the water -- before heading back to Hong Kong.

Picture of the Day: Sunset from the Harbour

Looking back at Hong Kong Island (left) and Kowloon close together

A work contact I met in Manila came to Hong Kong for a short trip and invited me on a boat trip around the harbour.

She was amused that I and two other Hong Kong-based guests had never done this before -- but it is expensive, and also something we wouldn't think of doing.

However, if you have the means, it's a fantastic way to appreciate the city.

The weather cooperated too -- originally it was forecast for sunny periods and isolated showers. But in the end it was sunny and hot, with hardly any clouds in the sky.

The boat was docked at Central Harbourfront Pier 9 and then we set off eastwards practically to Shaukeiwan, hung around the Kai Tak cruise terminal, then towards Tsim Sha Tsui before finishing in the evening in Causeway Bay.

Here's my sunset shot looking back on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

We appreciated the opportunity to see the city from the perspective of the water, while our hostess kept exclaiming how pretty Hong Kong's skyline was.

We never tire of looking at it, but we sometimes don't stop to look because we're so busy. But today was a memorable day to do nothing else but take it all in.

Picture of the Day: Sunset

Tail end of the sunset looked like this from Leighton Road in Causeway Bay

On Thursday after work, I was waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green when I looked up to see a gorgeous deep purple sky.

I quickly snapped the picture and glad I did.

Us city dwellers living in the concrete jungle forget to look up to see what's around us.

Best to do that once in a while to discover the beauty of Mother Nature around us.

Up The Peak for Sunset

Managed to capture the sunset from The Peak looking over Kennedy Town

Last night I saw an acquaintance's stunning picture of Hong Kong at dusk from The Peak on Instagram which inspired me to get up there too.

I didn't plan it out too well, but managed to get on the No. 13 Kotewall bus at 6.20pm in Central and made it up to the start of the Morning Trail on Kotewall Road at around 6.40pm.

It was still light at that time, but I knew sunset would happen soon. Most people were walking down The Peak, only me and two other women were walking up and I walked past them.

Hong Kong at dusk on the Morning Trail

The Morning Trail is a good workout, though the signage is quite amusing because it is posted every 100 metres.

Soon it started to get dark, and the trees illuminated by a bright orange glow from the sun.

Luckily there was a clearing at one point on the west side looking down on Kennedy Town and some local amateur photographers were taking pictures of the sunset and I joined in. A gweilo stood off to the side, trying to have his own private nature moment, while others chatted around him in Cantonese.

After several pictures, I continued on my way, and when there was a fork in the road where the path is flat, I made a sharp left turn to walk towards what YTSL calls "the money shot", where all the photographers come take pictures of Hong Kong in the evening.

Watching the sun go down on a clear (and hot!) day

Because the path was flat, I picked up the pace and soon got to one of the few photo sites, and as I kept going, there were more and more people, many speaking Putonghua.

I finally reached the Peak Galleria in 4.5km, and together with 5.5km running in the gym, it was a pretty good workout today.

I quickly wandered through the Peak Galleria, which is slated to be renovated in phases soon. The shopping mall has an eclectic selection of shops, from SaSa and Coach, to a small space with lots of toy vending machines crammed in it, a Japanese dollar store, a supermarket and a shop selling smartphone accessories.

Many mainland tourists capturing the scene below

It was time to go and the wait for public transport was really long -- I had to wait for three minibuses before I could get on, though the line-up for the No. 15 bus wound around the block and a massive line for the Peak Tram. Taxis did a brisk trade.

Picture of the Day: Weather Woes

Lovely sunset; too bad about the rain, though it keeps temperatures cooler

This past week has had crazy weather. The morning will be blue skies, blazing hot sun, and then sometime in the afternoon dark clouds suddenly gather and there's heavy rain for a few minutes before stopping and then starting again about an hour later.

While the weather is pretty humid, it's not suffocating hot, though the rain gives a short welcome respite from the heat.

This photo is of the sunset this evening from Tsim Sha Tsui -- a gorgeous pink one, though raindrops were still hanging around from the rain a few hours earlier.

Sadly the Hong Kong Observatory forecasts thunderstorms this weekend...

Picture of the Day: Sunset in K-Town

Looking at the sunset from Victoria Road

These last few days I've been fighting a cold thanks to sitting next to a mainland girl on the plane who was about four years old and coughing at my face at times... I was regretting not bringing a mask with me and now am paying for it.

However I do wonder how effective a mask is in blocking viruses from a coughing, phlegmy kid sitting next to you who is not instructed by her mother to cover her mouth...

A small crowd of people with cameras waiting for sunset

In any event I tried to rest today, but after a prolonged nap it was 5pm and I felt like going out for a stroll. I headed up Victoria Road in Kennedy Town, thinking I would go find the scenic spot I'd discovered back in April.

It turns out I didn't walk up Victoria Road far enough, but instead found another place where young couples like to go for cheap dates.

I followed a group of them down the stairs with the bright green railing to a hut where a man lived -- he was running his washing machine -- but nearby was a dock and many people were standing around.

One more picture of the sun setting by the water

I'd just come around 5.20pm when the sun was starting to set and it was either young couples or amateur photographers there ready to wait for the giant fiery orb the sink into the ocean.

Today was a bit hazy, but that's when you get the brilliant colours of the sunset... thanks to air pollution!

Picture of the Day: Bird's Eye View

A beautiful reflection of the sunset and looking towards Kennedy Town

When Felix, the Philippe Starck restaurant and bar opened in 1994 on the top floor of the Peninsula, the bathrooms were all the rage, particularly the men's where they could relieve themselves with a floor-to-ceiling view of Kowloon.

Whenever there were no men in the washroom, women could steal a quick look at the panoramic landscape.

Another bathroom that gives a nice view is that of Cafe Gray Deluxe on the 49th floor of The Upper House in Admiralty.

While the view may not be as stunning, it is an interesting angle on the city looking towards Wan Chai and beyond.

But perhaps the view that's tough to beat is that of the washrooms on the 103rd floor of The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. Past the sinks and washrooms is a small alcove area complete with comfortable seating where patrons can admire the view looking westwards towards Kennedy Town and beyond.

But it's not always like this. Most of the time the hotel, on top of the International Commerce Centre tower is surrounded by clouds. Last week I was up there for a lunch and there was barely anything to see as it was Amber rain storm warning.

So we paused for a moment and enjoyed watching the boats go by in Victoria Harbour, and the sun, as it slowly settled down into the horizon...