Temples – Travels with Ali

~ February Adventures – Wan Chai’s Historical Gems ~

Back in February we had a few days in Hong Kong. Normally February weather can be quite bleak, getting ready for the Chinese New Year cold snap. We were surprised this time by how mild it was, we even saw blue skies.

I’ll be linking to Monday Windows and The Changing Seasons hosted by Brian and Ju-Lyn.

There was somewhere particular I wanted to see after spotting it on google maps. It wasn’t too far from our hotel so one morning we took a walk there. Just my luck that the day we went it was closed. Anyway I was still able to take a few photos. It was called simply “The Blue House”.

The building was constructed in 1920 and is a four tier tenement block. It was fully renovated around ten years ago and the original tenants were allowed to stay. The Housing Society came up with a plan of HK$100 million to preserve nine Chinese-style buildings in Wan Chai. I’m glad that money is not just being spent on high rise buildings, it’s great to see a glimpse of the past.

**Emas – Wooden Plaques for writing prayer**s

Inside the courtyard of the Blue House – decorated for Chinese New Year

The front of the building is in Stone Nullah Lane.

At the start of the 20th century, shops that processed soybeans were established near Stone Nullah Lane. Because of the unpleasant odour emitted during the processing, this led to protests from residents in the neighbourhood. Eventually, the shops were forced to move to other areas. The nullah, (a water channel made of stone or concrete was located on the street ) which also emitted a foul stench, was culverted in 1959 and relocated underground, where the stream from The Peak still flows today. Although the nullah can no longer be found on the lane, the street name was left unchanged. Source: Stone Nullah Lane.

Disappointed that we couldn’t enter the house that day we wandered down the street to Wan Chai Pak Tai Temple. It was built in 1863 by locals and is dedicated to Pak Tai, a martial deity.

Red framed windows of the temple

**A Door God to protect against evil spirits and intruders**

I didn’t want to intrude on the people worshipping and praying, so no photos from inside.

Street Scenes

As we wandered back to our hotel I took some photos of everyday street scenes.

**As fresh as it gets! – not sure about the joint on the ground**

Fishmongers hard at work

Orange trees in preparation for Chinese New Year

Every time I visit Hong Kong I always see a different tram.

It was good to spot a mural without graffiti for a change

I’ll finish with this photo that I took from the top of the bus. Another side of Hong Kong. I’m wondering is he homeless or selling some wares? He has a few too many items to pack up.

~ A trip to Ulun Danu Beratan Temple ~

Today we were going to take a trip out to see the lake at Ulun Beratan Temple. We had booked June the day before and he arrived promptly at 10.30 am. Our first stop would be the lake which was just over an hour away. Anthony loves to have a chat with taxi drivers (I think this is a male thing) and before long they were discussing the politics of Indonesia. My hubby seems to know something about any government. I could see June was very impressed by his knowledge.

When we arrived we could see it was super busy and a very popular place to visit. Once we had parked we ventured off into the beautiful gardens and down to the lake.

The details on the bird above looked like dried petals, beautiful to see up close.

We wandered around the gardens admiring all the different statues and flower beds before making our way down to the lake.

The History of Ulun Danu Beratan Lake

“It is said long ago there were several groups of people who found a very large area of land. It was part of an ancient volcanic eruption. They decided to make their home here. They started farming here and planted rice and other crops. The land was very fertile.
The crops thrived and were ready to be harvested. It is normally the women who harvest the rice while the men carry it to the barn to be stored.
A miracle happened and the rice grew again. The rice they harvest never runs out.
The people soon got tired of all the harvesting and had a habit of sticking glanggang (sic) into the ground which in turn hit the water vessels in the ground. Soon the water emerges from the ground and gets bigger every day, inevitably the water drowned all the rice and became the lake”. Source: ulundanuberatan.com

🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕

Posted as part of Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share

Sai Kung, Hong Kong – where East meets West

Sai Kung is a place like no other it’s as if time has stood still. There is an old village with a network of alleyways and lanes, a town square and a harbour front. It is located in the New Territories in Kowloon and can be reached by public transport from Hong Kong Island. You can escape the hustle and bustle of city life and while away an afternoon in this oasis of peace and tranquility.

Most people when they visit Hong Kong don’t get the chance to leave the city as it’s usually just a two or three day stopover. They leave thinking Hong Kong is just made up of high rises and skyscrapers, whereas in fact there are so many country parks and beaches.

During our week in December we spent the afternoon in Sai Kung, showing our friends the village where we used to live.

We walked through the old village first, where you’ll find small grocery and hardware stores amongst private residences.

Tin Hau Temple

Walking through the old village

Along the waterfront there are many small boats and sampans waiting to ferry you over to the islands surrounding Sai Kung. Here you will also find many seafood restaurants with huge tanks with live fish.

An old man tending to his pots held up by ramshackle planks

Customers can buy any type of seafood and take it along to the local restaurants to be cooked how they like

There is a small square where there are many European restaurants, which is why Sai Kung is so popular at the weekend. There are huge traffic jams on a Sunday evening when all the islanders drive back.

We had dinner at a place called Big Fish, as you can see there were other things on the menu besides fish!

A sculpture on the waterfront

Getting here

There are several ways to get to Sai Kung. On the MTR from Central you can either alight at Tseung Kwan O MTR and take a mini bus or from Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon to Choi Hung MTR and also take a mini bus.

We had a wonderful time living in Sai Kung for many years. I love going back to visit to see how time has stood still with many of the restaurants and shops we visited still going strong. Obviously some things have changed but not as much as so many other places in the world.