A lot can be said about the lack of green space in Hong Kong.  Where an area may exist for the establishment of a park, whatever the size, one often finds the obiqutous, concrete and metal, uniquely Hong Kong ”sitting out area.”

Then of course there’s the rampant (I would be forgiven for saying “condoned“) development of multi-storey residential and commercial buildings.

But that aside, when the Hong Kong government actually gets down to building a “green lung” in this densely populated city, they actually do it rather well.  Needless to say, it begs the question: Why don’t they do it more often?

One such park is the Kowloon Park situated in Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui district.

Located right next to the busy Nathan and Haiphong roads, the Kowloon Park is indeed an oasis in this busy shopping and cullinary district.

Formerly a site for the British army’s barracks, some of the buildings were preserved and now serve as museums.  Some of these include the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre and the Health Education Exhibition and Resources Centre.

The Park also boasts a state-of-the-art Sports Centre with an Olympic-size indoor swimming pool as well as a huge outdoor water-park.  The sports centre was a key venue when Hong Kong hosted the East Asian Games in 2009.

I recently enjoyed breakfast in the park, while on my way to the HKFRU’s event with the Hong Kong Special Olympics.  I had my trusty FlipCam with me and took some footage:

Click here for a map of Kowloon Park

 My family recently visited the quaint fishing village on Lantau Island called Tai O.

Tai O (大澳 in traditional Chinese) is a village located on the western side of Lantau Island, Hong Kong’s biggest island and also where the Chek Lap Kok Airport is located.  It can be easily reached from nearby Tung Chung (bus 11) or from Mui Wo (bus 1).

We visited during the 2011 Chinese New Year break and, as was expected, many locals and tourists alike had the same plans for the day.

Tip: If you’re planning to visit Tai O on a public holiday or even just on a Sunday, rather take the ferry from Hong Kong Island to Mui Wo and take bus 1 from there.  The queues and the trip to Tai O are shorter than from Tung Chung Town Centre.

The bus 11 queue at the Tung Chung terminus (Pic: Mike Jansen)

There are many sights, sounds and smells to experience in Tai O. 

However, for a look at a rare example of a Chinese stilt-house community, Tai O is the place to visit. This is home to the Tanka people, a community of fisherfolk who have built their homes on stilts above the tidal flats for generations because they do not feel safe on land.

Locals enjoy a game of mahjong in  a Tai O stilt-home (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Their enchanting world is an amateur photographer’s paradise so be prepared to dodge posing visitors everywhere.

We took a short (20 minutes) ride on a boat that was advertising “Pink Dolphin Sightseeing” tours.  While the waters off Tai O is indeed home to these rare animals, we saw none on the day.  The trip was very enjoyable nevertheless.

Our day ended with a sumptuous late-lunch at one of several seafood restaurants.

Tao O cuisine (Pic: Mike Jansen)

We wisely took the bus back to Mui Wo, where a stunning sunset awaited on the Silvermine beach right next to the Mui Wo Ferry Pier.

When we lived in Ma On Shan in the New Territories, I used to frequent one of the loveliest golf driving ranges in Hong Kong, convenient located about 10 minutes from our apartment.  These days I don’t mind making the hour-long trek out that way, especially when the weather is as nice as it was today.

The WhiteHead Golf Driving range is located about 10 minutes (by taxi) from Ma On Shan’s town centre.  There is also a free shuttle bus from the Sunshine City mall (where the Ma On Shan MTR station is).

The charge per hour is HK$100 and you can also rent clubs if you don’t have your own or don’t feel like lugging them all that way.  You are not restricted in terms of balls and buckets filled with balls are stacked 4-high behind every bay.

You can also rent kiddies clubs for which the charge is HK$10 per club (refundable deposit HK$100)

Other than the driving range, you can also rent bicycles  and explore the seaside area all the way to Wu Kai Sha where you can find a plethora of really good seafood restaurants.

If you’re into “Chinese-style” braai (BBQ) then you can reserve a BBQ-spot that comes complete with a (Chinese-style) BBQ pack.  Right down to the ubiquitous two-prong forks.  Beer is a wee on the expensive side from the sea-side kiosk (HK$15 Heineken/Blue Lady).

Click here to read more about the WhiteHead Club.

I took some photos today:

A stunning view of the Tolo Harbour with Plover Cove Reservoir in the background. (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Deck-chairs at the kiosk… (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Try your hand at one of the over 100 bays (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Perfect follow-though. Trying my hand at hitting a small white ball (Pic: Mike Jansen)

I just came across a YouTube video-clip of the daily fireworks display that marks the end of a day at Hong Kong DisneyLand.

Hong Kong Disneyland (Chinese: 香港迪士尼樂園) is the first theme park inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort that also includes 2 hotels and vast public parks.

Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny’s Bay, Lantau Island and opened to visitors on 12 September 2005.

With the daily fireworks show lasting around 10 minutes each, imagine the money that gets spent by die company on a yearly basis?!

I attended the official Hong Kong Sixes afterparty at Stormies in Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) a couple of weekends ago and was surprised at all the construction that’s going on in the city’s premier party district.  Seems Mr Lan Kwai Fong himself (Allan Zeman) has bigger plans for the district.

While it was a Sunday evening, LKF was nevetheless quite busy.  I even saw some folks in their pajamas (we don’t bat our eyelids upon seeing this here in Hong Kong).  They obviously live in the area.  Age is probably catching up with me but I could never understand why someone would want to live so close to Lan Kwai Fong, or SoHo for that matter.

James Durston obviously does and he recently went into quite a public (online) rant about it.

Here’s an extract:

Li Ka-shing recently asked the Hong Kong citizenry for some “good ideas” that could make Hong Kong a better place. Here’s one:

Sentence all drunken idiots stumbling around Soho/Central/LKF to 100 days chained to a bar in Soho/Central/LKF … with no booze. Let’s see how many a cappella renditions of Frankie Valli’s “I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” they can take, then throw in a few strangers draping their arms around them and breathing over and over into their face, “Yuh know, I dunno whoyooarr, buh I love you sho mush.”

An eye for an eye, and all that.

And if they happen to be English, castrate them too. That might sound a bit severe, but if someone insists on singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” at 4 a.m. outside my apartment, as many Brits do, the least they can do is make sure they hit those high notes.

Anecdotes about drunken British morons abroad are about as original as … the antics of those drunken British morons. But that’s exactly my point. How many times do we have to hear about some beered-up banker arrested for indecently assaulting a taxi exhaust before we make an example of him?

Just to give this some context, I’m English, and I’m no stranger to the odd beer or six on a Saturday night. But I’ve never felt the urge to take off my pants, wrap them around my head and sit in the middle of the street singing “We Wish You A Beery Christmas.”

Yes, I saw that, from my apartment window. In August.

Read more: James Durston: Drunken British expats should be chained up | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/life/drunken-british-expats-in-hong-kong-113818#ixzz16G7oranJ

My family and I have been travelling to Hong Kong ever since our days as Taiwan residents.  Yes, we used to do the 2hour- flight over for a weekend of Halloween and Christmas celebrations.

We usually alternate between Disney land and Ocean Park and as a result we spent last year’s Halloween Party at Disneyland on Lantau Island.

Having done the trips for the last couple of years, this year’s Halloween Party at Ocean Park just seemed to be the best ever. 

This year around we spent Halloween at Hong Kong Island’s Ocean Park.  We were there for the Halloween Party two years ago and in the meantime they have undergone a hellavu lot of extensions including the funicular (train) transporting visitors to the headland instead of the usual cable car.  They have also added to the attractions in the park as we found when visiting the low-land on Friday.

Here are some pictures from our visit a couple of days ago:

As a avid jazz fan, I am pleased to feature this year’s Hong Kong International Jazz Festival right here on Howzit-HongKong.com

Known as the most stunning jazz gathering in town, the Hong Kong International Jazz Festival will once again thrill jazz aficionados and young jazz enthusiasts with world class music this autumn. In its third edition, the Festival will run from 3 to 9 October, offering an exciting range of programme featuring concerts and workshops by some of the world’s most gifted performers and groups.

“The Old, the New and the Chosen Few” is the theme of this year and with a mix of high calibre Chinese and Asian young talents and internationally renowned musicians who will set the stage for a diverse and captivating jazz experience. More than 10 jazz groups performing in 6 concerts promise to bring a unique experience to jazz lovers.

As an aficionado of the so-called “old-school” jazz scene, I am particularly pleased that Stanley Jordan will feature on this year’s program.

Stanley Jordan is one of the most distinctive guitarists from USA. Born in Chicago and raised in California, Jordan started his classical piano lessons at age six and picked up the guitar when guitar heroes were becoming household names. Names like Jimi Hendrix. At the age of 15, he had the idea to bring the flexibility of piano to the guitar.

Stanley Jordan grabbed the music world by the ears when he arrived in New York in 1984. The release of his 1985 debut album “Magic Touch” placed him at the forefront of re-launching legendary Blue Note Records into a contemporary entity in jazz and beyond. The album went on the top of Billboard’s jazz chart for a stunning 51 weeks !

Key to Jordan’s fast-track acclaim was his mastery of a special “tapping” technique on the guitar’s fret board, using both hands to tap the fingerboard like a pianist. It allows him to play chords, melodies, and bass lines simultaneously. Musicians and critics alike were blown away. Never before had anyone been as innovative with the concept as Jordan. He was said to take tapping into another level. Up to now his technique has been widely adapted by guitarist all over the world.

Stanley Jordan is not all about jazz.  Here he is playing that classic Led Zeppelin hit, Stairway to Heaven:

Catch all the news, schedule, booking information and highlights from the 2010 HK International Jazz Festival by clicking here

Howzit-HongKong.com often gets invited to attend functions all over Hong Kong.

Sometimes the events take place at venues that afford one such spectacular vistas of this vibrant and beautiful city, that it would be amiss not to snap away and post the pics on our Flickr album here.

I attended one such event on the 26th floor of the Park Lane Hotel in Causeway Bay.  South African Tourism hosted a successful workshop to introduce some of the product offerings available to local visitors to our beautiful country.

In his opening address to the workshop today, South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Marthinus Van Schalkwyk mentioned of his slight concern at arriving in Hong Kong in the midst of Tropical Cyclone Chanthu.  However, upon arriving in the territory, he was greeted with beautiful blue skies and hot weather.

Well Mr Van Schalkwyk, while we were fortunate to have missed the chaos of the storm, as you can see from the pictures below, the beautiful blue skies are (as they say back home) part and parcel of typhoon season, both before and after the storm.

More about the tourism workshop later.

The Park Lane Hotel is located in the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay, adjacent to the lush Victoria Park.

The view from the 26th floor affords one some glorious vistas across Victoria Park towards Tin Hau MTR station in the direction of North Point.  Kellet Island, home of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club can be seen in the foreground with Kowloon Bay and the Eastern Harbour Entrance in the distance.

Hong Kong’s Victoria Park (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Turning the camera slightly to the left, more of Victoria Harbour and the yacht basin come into view.  On the other side of the Harbour you can see (from left to right) Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hung Hom and Whampoa Garden.  The “Howzit” indicates my apartment where Howzit-HongKong.com is produced.

Victoria Harbour & the yacht basin (Pic: Mike Jansen)

I’ve always been baffled by the response I get when asking tourists if they know where the Avenue of the Stars is here in Hong Kong.  The conversation often gets to that point when I try to explain to them where I live, where the Bruce Lee statue is or where the best spot is from where to watch the fireworks or nightly laser-show.

It has never really dawned on me that maybe they don’t know because they haven’t been able to find it!

Maybe I should also add that it didn’t  dawn on me because whenever I visit a new city, I always do thorough research about what to see and how I could get there.  Blame it on the Boy Scout in me.  I have spent many a year following the teachings of the good Lord Baden Powell.  I also have a ritual of “doing the walk.”

Huh?

Well, whenever I visit a new city, and I have the opportunity to wake up in said city, I make it my mission to take a pre-dawn walk to experience the city waking up.  It just gives one another perspective of the place and in my opinion, the early-morning experience makes exploring it during the day less daunting.  I had some memorable mornings in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Amsterdam, to name but a few, a couple of full-moon parties ago.  My early morning in San Antonio, Ibiza will (for obvious reasons) remain a BLURR! 

I had the opportunity to do the walk here in Hong Kong a few years ago, before it became my home-away-from-home.

But again, I digress.

Reading a story in this past weekend’s HK Magazine, it became clear to me just why tourists don’t know where the Avenue of the Stars is located.  It’s just so damn difficult to get there!

In short, the Avenue of the Stars is separated from the Peninsula Hotel/Nathan Road-side by Salisbury Road and other than the Star Ferry-corner, there is no above-ground way to cross Salisbury Road to get to the Avenue.

If you do want to get there, you have to take one of three underground routes which could be both time-consuming as well as baffling to tourists.

So what do the time-constrained tourists do?

They make their way to the Star Ferry area, watch the nightly laser-show from there and go back to their hotel, etc.  In the process they miss out on a great walk along the Avenue, right up towards Tsim Sha Tsui East where there are some great restaurants and entertainment venues.  (I know this area intimately because I live on the Eastern-end of the Avenue of the Stars.)

This it what they could miss during the day:

Or at night:

Nice movie, great soundtrack! (Video from trabeller on YouTube)

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Please read the story that appeared in the HK Magazine on Friday April 16, 2010:

(You can click on the story to read it full-size)

Click on the pictures below to view HK Magazine’s 3 detailed routes to the Avenue of the Stars:

In the light of the approval of funding for the City’s first high-speed railway, Howzit-HongKong.com decided to take a walkabout around the West Kowloon precinct to see what it looks like before the bulldozers roll in.

I took the  new ‘pink’ West Rail Line of the MTR (Hung Hom to Tuen Mun) and got off at the brand-spanking Austin Station.  A brisk walk of about 10 minutes along Austin Road will also take you to the Elements Mall in West Kowloon.  Elements also operates a free shuttle-bus service from Hankow Road in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST, between the Peninsula Hotel and the YMCA).

The area earmarked for the new high-spreed train station is still just a vacant plot as the go-ahead for the multi-billion dollar controversial project was only received a few days ago.  I also noticed that the City Golf Club driving range is still operating, although after the go-ahead for the rail system was given, it will probably be shutting down soon.

After about 15-minutes from Austin Station I reached the entrance to the West Kowloon Cultural District.  This area can be seen from HK Island and can easily be identified by the yellow and blue MTR ventilation buildings.

The proposed District is planned as the arts and cultural hub of Hong Kong. Located at a wedge-shaped and waterfront reclaimed land west of Yau Ma Tei, the district will feature a new modern art museum, numerous theatres, concert halls and other performance venues.

When I visited there, I noticed a few people enjoying the tranquility of the area that is located on the waterfront along the western channel of Victoria harbour.  I also saw some beefy blokes running along the cycling path. 

If you walk all the way through the District, the boardwalk takes you to edge of the Western Cross-Harbour Tunnel.  A pedestrian footbridge then takes you either into the International Commerce Centre (ICC) or the brightly- coloured (orange) Elements Mall.

The base of the ICC is still being finished and construction workers can still be seen all of the precinct.

While the visit to the West Kowloon Cultural District this morning can best be categorized as a tranquil stroll through one of the hidden gems of Kowloon, I shudder to think how the area will transform once the construction companies roll in for the construction of the many arts & cultural facilities that are being planned, as well as the new high-speed railway interchange across Austin Road.

However, when all the work is done, the West Kowloon precinct should surely boast some pretty impressive structures.

Have a look at some more pictures I took this morning on our Flickr-Page as well this video:

Below, Hendersen Land’s proposal for the West Kowloon Cultural District. Read more about the West Kowloon Cultural District here