Back on blog - and in Hong Kong

So, after a ten month silence, I am back on blog. You don't need a reason for silence, do you?

Just woke to the early morning sunrise in Hong Kong. Big red orb over Tolo Harbour, cool morning air, high mountains rising to the north, south and west.

Yesterday, I went to the Fanling Market for morning shopping with Esther, Patrick and Mavis. A humble marketplace with small traders of all kinds - selling tiny first laid eggs of their hens, making sun hats for wearing in the garden, or crocheted shawls for babies and grannies. Different to the other markets in the handmade and homey nature of their work. The scent of the market was tangy with mandarine as people peeled the green skins off fruit and strung the skins to dry. Small food stalls prepared delicious noodle soups.

After this excursion, we took off for a ride to the border area where Hong Kong meets mainland China. The little villages are nestled in to lush vegetation and facing the sea. Thousands of white cranes live there, and the waters, trees and marshlands are the stage for the wading, flying and preening. Stunning sight.

Home at last

It has been a very busy year with lots of travel.  I should have known it, since the old saying is that "whatever you are doing on New Year's Day is what you will do for the rest of the year".  I was flying on the turn of the year - on the red eye from Hong Kong to Brisbane.  So, my life was all travel this year, and all the more so at year's end.  Since my last post, I have been overseas and interstate most of the time.

My time in Singapore was great very work focused, but with plenty of time to enjoy Singapore's growing museum scene - the cultural infrastructure there is amazing.  Very well preserved precincts, lovely river and multi-cultural diversity.  The museums are breathtaking in their scale and architecture.  Really enjoyed seeing everything - including a couple of trips to the Singapore Cricket Club to have dinner on the verandah.  

Hong Kong was all work, except for a couple of outings, including the essential trip to visit Patrick and Esther at Celadon in Tai Po.  Oh, and two delicious meals at the Happiness Restaurant at Science Park in Sha Tin - both dinner and dim sum are great here.

Since then, I have been to Canberra twice - both for work, but both very pleasant trips.  I saw William Yang's performance piece My Generation at the National Portrait Gallery and was moved to tears.  His biographic stories are so compelling.  

Now I am home for the rest of the year.  Thankfully, I have time to putter in the garden, do laps at the pool and reconnect with a healthy lifestyle.  

On the move

I am on the move again - seems like a perpetual state for me.  I finished this print in August - to honor the humpback whale - the mighty mover of the ocean.  The journey and antics of these ocean giants amuse visitors to Point Lookout with their astonishing physical feats.  We have watched lots of blowing, flapping and  spy-hopping from various lookouts in the area.  Also guaranteed to see dolphins and turtles - and sometime manta rays.

As for my own journeys, I have just returned from the United States where I visited my Dad, saw old friends, attended a family wedding, and saw a Broadway show.  Fun.  Also voted - for the winner.  

Now, after a brief time at Point Lookout and a bit of time at home in Yeronga, I am heading out on the road again.  First to Adelaide for a meeting of the Collections Council of Australia, and then to Singapore and Hong Kong for a couple of intensive weeks in conversation with colleagues about creativity, arts and education.  

Black rain in Hong Kong

What a day! 7 June was a day of total stormy weather, but unlike anything I have ever experienced.  Total darkness shrouded the day, with heavy rain and big winds.  The weather bureau issued alerts in the morning, starting with "amber", then "red", and an hour later, "black". In one hour, 145 mm of rain fell - that is 6".  By day's end, at least 300 mm was measured.  The day was full of rumbling thunder and multiple lightning strikes - according to the statistics, 3657 strikes of lightning hit in one hour.  The wet weather caused landslides, killed two people, closed the airport, and swamped countless cars and businesses.

I managed to stay warm and dry in my apartment in Tai Po - spent the day reading, cooking and beading.  Today looks less threatening, but the rain is still dribbling down.

"Madonnas of Leningrad" by Debra Dean

This is a very profound little book - about memory and longing.  It has two plots.  The historical plot took place in Leningrad at the Hermitage in the Second World War when a young woman packed all the precious paintings to preserve them from damage during the bombing.  She memorizes the paintings and their location in the large museum - creating a "memory palace". She recalls the details of each painting, and in later life she can bring up every small detail even through the haze of dementia.  In the contemporary plot, she is an old woman at the wedding of her grandchild - still living a double life through her memories of the Hermitage and her life as a wife, mother and person.

Upward Turtle Print - OLD AGE

I made this print to celebrate the old age in my family.  This year, my Dad turned 98.  Being in contact by phone and skype with him is a real interesting experience.  He fills me in on the events of his busy daily life - meetings, sorting out papers, reading the newspaper, handling lots of telephone calls.  He cooks as well.   A marvel really.

All the tea in China - the best is at Celadon in Tai Po, Hong Kong

When I got to Hong Kong in August, I was keen to drink as many teas as possible.  I was dismayed to find that tea is served up in the most unpalatable manner in most regular cafes and shops - a strong black brew that is really undrinkable.  This led me on the search for good tea, and to the discovery of a wonderful small tea shop in Tai Po.  Celadon, the shop, is owned by two of the loveliest people - Patrick and Esther.  The shop sells beautiful celadon ceramics from China, and also superb teas from all over.  The ambience of the shop is slow and easy, with lots of time to drink tea, to chat and to discuss ideas.  The ceramics are elegant and traditional - platters, bowls, tea sets, beads and decorative items.  The teas are truly special.  I have drunk several teas there, and been delighted with the elegant flavors of the lapsang souchong (nothing like what we get in the West), the delicate tastes of the various green teas and the stunning surprise of the various fermented teas.  Both Patrick and Esther are very knowledgeable about tea and will share stories willingly.  

Central Western Queensland

Life in central western Queensland is a wonderful blend of cultures - roo shooters and dingo bounty hunters live alongside gentle graziers in a vast flatland.  At the moment, the area is bright green from recent flooding rains.  The rivers are overflowing, the lakes abundant with water, fish and folks.  Here, at Lake Dunn, the water is murky from the rains, but the place is "teeming" with visitors who live in small tin sheds on the lake's edge.  For a few dollars, you can rent a place from the local council and spend a lovely time at the "Stagger Inn", or at other places - such as "It must be five o'clock somewhere".  There is a lot of alcohol consumed in this region - beer, rum and vodka are the choice of the locals.  Strangely, there is a healing circle in this area - one of seven in the world - atop a plateau - modestly signed to show the other six sites in the world where spiritual healing places are located.

Australia Day 2008 in Muttaburra Queensland

On Australia Day, I went to Aramac Shire in the central of western Queensland.  I was invited by the Premier's Department to be the shire's Australia Day Ambassador and was treated to a real different Aussie experience.  I flew into Longreach and was driven through the flooded areas of the Thompson River to the tiny settlement of Aramac where I had dinner with the Council on Friday night.  

Bright and early on Australia Day, we travelled another 84 kilometres along the straightest road in the universe to the tiny town of Muttaburra where I gave the Australia Day speech and distributed awards to the local prize winners.

I met with Doug Langdon, the fellow who discovered the skeleton of the Muttaburrasaurus dinosaur in 1963.  The Queensland Museum sent its young paleontologist, Alan Bartholomei, to investigate the bones and to crate them up for the QM collection.  Doug and his wife Pearl are upstanding citizens of the Shire and still make a great contribution to civic events and community pride.

Wet Markets

Every Hong Kong community has several wet markets - a convenient place to buy fish, meat, vegetables and fruit.  In Tai Po, the wet market was moved indoors to a flash new building a few years ago.  It is a magnificent venue, with three floors, and lots of community activity.  The ground floor holds fish mongers and butchers.  There, you can buy the most astonishing range of shellfish, ocean wild fish, farmed fish and reptiles - some are alive; if you prefer meat, you can buy all manner of pork, beef, chicken and lamb - cut to your specifications.  Many people shop here daily to purchase the best buy and best beast for their dinner.

The fruit and veggie stalls are on the next floor - and all manner of items can be found - stalls full of ginger, arrays of tofu, bean sprouts and the usual cornucopia of fruits and greens.  Also, many specialities are available - pickled vegetables, spiced tofu, noodles.  You can also find organic veggies in this area.

On the top floor is the exciting dai pai dong- the noodle and dim sum stalls where you can order your meal and dine alongside the locals.  This could be considered the true centre of any community.  Everyone seems to be there - young and old.  Children do their school work under the watchful gaze of their grandparents.  Wheelchairs are rolled up to the table, and people stop by to chat with one another.  The small tables groan under the piles of cups,bowls, chopsticks and spoons held in little plastic baskets.  A large bowl of tea is placed on the table so you can wash your utensils while you wait for your order to arrive at your table. I really like the dim sum stalls there, and with a group of friends, we can polish off 7 or more steamer baskets of small dumplings and yummy parcels of food for a mere $50 HK (about $7 US) - not a bad dining experience.  Pots of tea arrive at the table, locals exchange words with us, and all is well in the world.  

"Gweilo" by Martin Booth

One of the best books I read while in Hong Kong was Gweilo by Martin Booth.  The book is a memoir of of his first period of residence in Hong Kong in the 1950s when he was a young boy.  Originally from the UK, he moved to Hong Kong with his parents while his father was posted with the Navy.  He grew up as a young white boy with golden hair (a gweilo) in a city that allowed him to explore its shops, restaurants, neighborhoods and landscape.  His explorations take us to a time and place very different to the Hong Kong of the 21st century.  Read this book to get a close up, warm hearted and honest look at Hong Kong through the eyes of a young boy.

Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery

My last full day in Hong Kong included a very special trip to one of the most exquisite gardens - the Nan Lian Garden near Diamond Hill MTR station. A short walk away from the station is the entrance to a most unique free garden, built by the local Buddhist community as a sanctuary in the city. The garden includes a number of significant features including the Temple of Absolute Perfection, a lotus pond and sundial, and stunning large stones places inside and out for ones' total sensory delight. Inside the garden is a vegetarian restaurant with delicious meals in a peaceful atmosphere. But, the real delight of the venue is the Chi Lin Nunnery where this beautiful temple houses an exquisite golden representation of the goddess of compassion. Farewell, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Wetland Park

In the New Territories, there is a new development - a wetland gardens built to demonstrate the biodiversity of the marshland area near a large private housing estate.  The space is home to a large variety of birds, crabs, insects and water areas.  In the midst of the big city, it is possible to spend a few hours in a sanctuary of nature - watching birds from hides, strolling on boardwalks through marshes, lotus ponds and mangroves.  A very good high tech display and interpretive centre provides hands on learning for young and old, with lots of interesting live exhibits including Thai crocodiles.  A good day out, and worth the trip.

Fanling walled villages walk

We set out in the warmth of the Boxing Day morning for a walking tour of Fanling's walled villages.  Equipped with scanty and inaccurate information from a guidebook, we attempted to walk to 6 wai's, but alas only could locate a few.  No matter, it was fun to set out in yet another rural part of Hong Kong to investigate how life is lived.  It never ceases to amaze me that Hong Kong is full of small villages built in different periods - with large gardens and quiet rural lifestyles - all in the shadow of the huge urban apartments and shopping towers that seem so familiar.  Today's walk was full of ripening bananas hung on the patio, Filipino maids chatting in the courtyard, dogs sleeping in the noonday sun and small walled villages from the 16th and 19th centuries.  

Natural beauty & great views

Even in this highly urbanised world, it is possible to get up close and personal with nature. Here are some spots worth visiting:
Around Tai Po:
Fung Yuen Butterfly Sanctuary – near Tai Po - a short taxi ride to from the Hong Kong Institute of Education campus to the village of Fung Yuen will transport you to a wild place with thousands of butterflies.
Tai Po Waterfront Park – in the nearby Tai Po district, you can go to see the well designed waterfront park with three specially designed children’s playgrounds. Enjoy the view up the Tolo Harbour and the breezes off the water.
Brides Pool – If you have time for a walk, take a bus to Brides Pool and have a short walk in the nature preserve to the waterfall and picnic area.
Ma Shi Chau – If you have some time and energy, go to San Mun Tsai and follow the signs for a walk through the old village and its cemetery and on to the protected area of Ma Shi Chau with its full waterfront experience of beautiful land formations, unspoiled beaches and plentiful beach combing. From the protected area, you may be lucky to get a ride in a sampan back to San Mun Tsai, and from there back to your destination.

On Hong Kong Island:
The Peak – Take a tram, bus or taxi up to the Peak and have a look at the city before venturing down on foot. You can walk easily to the Mid-Levels, and go to Hollywood Road for some shopping and dining.

Ham Tin beach walk

On a junk trip in October, the skipper told me the best spot in Hong Kong was an eastern coastal area known as Ham Tin. Without doubt, this is one of the beauty spots of Hong Kong.
Getting to and from the area requires lots of endurance since it involves walking for about 5 hours - through some magnificent almost wild areas. We set out on a lovely mild Saturday morning to walk from Pak Tam Au to Pak Tam Chung on the Sai Kung Peninsula. En route, we visited Ham Tin and Sai Wan beaches, and bypassed the High Island Reservoir which supplies lots of HK residents with fresh water. Breathtaking (both literally and figuratively), this area is not to be missed, but only visited on foot during Hong Kong's cooler months.

Dirty little markets locations

Some of my favourite places to go are the "dirty little markets" of Hong Kong. Here are a few favourites:
Temple Street Market – Go to Yau Ma Tei Station (MTR – Red Line) and follow the signs to the market. Look out for embroidery, jade, coral, turquoise, and lots of Chinese artefacts. Around the corner is the Jade Market where you can have your fortune read. Opens at night only – go after 6 pm. (Kowloon-side)
Li Yuen Street West - near Central station - a little street market full of clothes of all kinds - mostly for women. Haggle for what you want - it is expected and can be to your advantage. (Hong Kong side)
Fa Yuen Street - get off at Prince Edward station (MTR - Red Line) and head down to this very exciting market with clothes, fruits, medicinal herbs and everything welse you can imagine. This is a long market - open all day - it can get very crowded so watch out for your things.
Sham Shui Po - get off at Sham Shui Po (MTR - Red line, exit C) and look around - lots of small green roofs over small market stalls on these streets. Not many gweilos here, so be prepared to really bargain hard for prices since most traders will think you have lots of money to part with! This is not a market for the faint-hearted. Nearby is a street with lots of gemstones and it is really worth it to go and buy some beautiful pearls.
Tai Po - around the village square in Tai Po, there are lots of fruit and veggie vendors. Have a look. Also some interesting stalls in the side streets where you can buy all manner of things - such as hippie clothes from southeast Asia, art supplies, mah jong tiles and so on.

Hong Kong - markets

All over Hong Kong, markets abound. The Temple Street Night market is full of old Chinese artefacts, gems and jade - as well as electronics, mass produced cheap items, socks, toys and just about anything a person could want. Haggling for a good price is expected. Every neighbourhood has its own market, where goods are bought and sold - in Mong Kok, there are streets selling ladies garments and fruits of all kinds; in Causeway Bay, you can find a wet market with fish still flapping their tails; in Tai Po the markets have been moved indoors, but still provide the experience of selecting from huge and diverse displays of goods of all kinds.

Getting around in Hong Kong

This city has the best public transport system I have ever seen. For very little money, people can travel on bus, ferry, train or tram. Probably the most famous - and cheapest - travel is on the STAR FERRY. This ferry takes you from Kowloon side to the Island, allowing easy transport across the harbour area. It is a good scenic trip, and puts you among tugs, ocean liners, junks and pleasure boats. The train and underground MTA move millions of people everyday around the city and its many suburbs, even taking people as far as the border with mainland China.

San Mun Tsai walk

What a glorious day. At last, a clear blue sky, and cooler weather. I set off for a walk in the mid morning and arrived home just before dark - with my friend Sophia who lives in the flat above me at the college. The day was one of discovery in the To Lo Harbour area. First a walk to Tai Po Waterfront Park with its well cultivated gardens and playscapes for children. Then, up to the industrial village waterfront where a festival was in full flight - we ate corn grilled on the hotplate, and then set off for San Mun Tsai. After yum cha lunch, we walked through the old fishing village and headed on a long walk towards the undeveloped natural area of Ma Shi Chau - a protected area with beautiful beaches and bountiful beach glass. After a short ride back to the village in a local sampan, we headed home. Hong Kong at its brilliant best.

Pollution in Hong Kong

This is the South China Sea and the islands off Hong Kong Harbour. I wonder what this scene would look like if there were no pollution. Hong Kong is a very polluted city, and this means not only daily haze, but also high livels of airborne chemicals - mostly pushed south from the industrial engines of China. In six weeks, I have seen clear blue skies only twice. The toll on humans is severe - with lots of respiratory problems and eye infections. Many people claim that the pollution is less severe in the New Territories, but this is not true.

Dining in Hong Kong

Eating in Hong Kong is a real delicious adventure. You can eat century eggs at most restaurants - and though they look foul, they are actually very tasty. The eggs are cured for a period of time in clay, lime, ash, rice straw and salt. The yolk is a beautiful greenish colour, looking a bit like jade, while the white just becomes dark brown. The taste is described by some as cheeselike, by others as pickled. No matter, they are a good appetiser to start a dinner.

Fish is available everywhere, and cooked by various means. Many say the fish in Hong Kong is all from polluted waters, and they steer clear of consuming any. As for me, well, I don't seem to suffer from eating all manner of fish - freshwater, saltwater and shellfish all seem to agree with me. The best fish is served steamed on a bed of scallions, ginger and herbs. Sometimes the fish is cooked right at the table on a plate with a small burner beneath, and other times it comes already plated and ready to eat.

Forget about eating western food while in Hong Kong - just get right into local dining. Bakeries serve divine custard tarts freshly made at any time of day. Snack on a bowl of sweet soup made with soft silken tofu and some sugar syrup if you are hungry. Want a savoury snack - how about trying salt and pepper squid for a light bite?

Hong Kong - 2007

This is the towering pagoda at the summit of the mountain at the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin. A long and steep climb takes you past thousands of images of Buddha, and onwards to several small temples - with the ultimate destination of the reflective Buddha inside this tower.

My journey to Hong Kong has become a great adventure. I was invited to be a visiting scholar at the Hong Kong Institute of Education for four months. Since arriving a month ago, I have settled in to my palatial office and humble flat on the campus at Tai Po, in the New Territories. Situated north of the island of Hong Kong, the New Territories are a vast land tract, full of high subtropical rainforest mountains, inlets and coves, and massive housing estates. The area was once the garden of Hong Kong, but in the past few decades has become the home of millions. Nonetheless, beauty spots still remain, and I am trying to see Hong Kong as a local.

Tai Po is a normal community - full of shopping centres, housing estates, industrial sites and people. Tourist guidebooks consider the area to be of little interest, but actually it can be quite an interesting spot. The natural beauty of the area is something very special - vast areas of green mountains and big tracts of water distinguish Tai Po. A large area, it is quite diverse and interesting. There are prolific numbers of butterflies and dragonflies in the sky, and birds are heard in the early morning. If you want to see the stars at night, you can - if there is no haze.

Shopping in Tai Po can be very interesting. There is a large market in a modern building, replacing the traditional outdoor market - probably for reasons of hygiene. The market has everything for the table - a wet market area with fish, vegetable and fruit sellers, odds and ends, and at the top floor, a large restaurant area with inexpensive food. Few people speak English, so for me it is a matter of pointing, or even sketching, what I want or need.

Public transport is plentiful, and from the bus/train terminal, you can take off for many destinations. So far, my travels have focused on the island and nearby Kowloon. The island is what everyone thinks of as Hong Kong - the centre of its commercial and financial life. The island is a fantastic place - full of energy at every hour of the day and night. Also full of pollution... To travel to the island, it takes about 50 minutes by bus and train from my location at Tai Po. On Tuesday, 25 September, I travelled to the city to view the scene for the biggest family event on the Hong Kong calendar - the Mid Autumn Festival. The city was packed with revellers - from 6 pm until the wee hours of the morning, families gathered at Victoria Park to view the giant lanterns set up as displays and to take part in the entertainment offered by the city. Nearby, in the park, families set up small areas for picnics, and hung lanterns lit with candles to settle in for an evening of conversation and dining on the grounds of the beautiful parkland setting.

Passion Flower

This is my Christmas card - a linocut of a gorgeous passion flower from my garden. In real life, the petals are magenta, and the filaments are purple and white stripes, but for the purposes of doing a 3 colour reduction lino, I had to make choices to simplify the job. I like the solution, and am delighted to send you my wishes for a passionate year ahead, and a season full of pleasure.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home is my most recent print. This is a tribute to the place where I grew up in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The house was torn down in 2005, so it is lost to the real world but still lives in the memory of many. This print was a challenge - 7 colors, many sittings and a limited edition. I learned a great deal in the process, and am eager to do more...

Divine Tomato

This was my second print. A four color reduction linocut. I created it in Raquel's studio in one sitting. For inspiration, I used a sliced tomato from the lunch platter. Upon looking closely at it, I discovered a dove, an angel, and the divine/sublime beauty of a simple fruit.

Rain!

The clouds have been massing over Brisbane for a day, and now the rain has settled in for a long drizzle. Sometimes soft and sometimes strong on the tin roof. I have moved all the plants to the patio's edge and installed buckets to collect rain water. A good day to putter.

Three Fish (2005)

Working in Raquel's studio

I've been learning how to make lino cut prints this year - Raquel teaches me in her studio. I started with a small black & white print of 3 fish, moved on to a 4 color reduction print of a tomato and am currently working on a 7 color reduction process. Making a color reduction print is a kind of reverse thinking - the picture doesn't fully emerge until the last color is laid down.

I printed both the fish and tomato in a single day, but this 7 color job is much larger in size and complexity. Hope it works... I am enjoying a bit of studio practice and now need to set up a studio at home.

Rainbow over Orcades Road

The drought has been broken - or at least we have some rain! The first downpour came at sundown, so there was a rainbow over my little house late in the afternoon. I have pulled all the patio plants out into the rain, and a steady but slow drizzle is keeping them wet and happy.