If you’re walking around Hong Kong and you see what looks like an improvised food stall built into a ramshackle little hut, you’ve just spotted a ‘dai pai dong’. You can tell them by their green painted color. They sit in front of buildings, next to the sidewalk. Usually they have several round tables and folding stools set up for their customers to sit and eat. Typical dai pai dong fare is instant noodles or congee.

Dai pai dongs are vanishing now because they can only be owned by the original owner or handed over to a spouse. For a little history, the government granted “big license stalls” to families of civil servants who had died or were injured during World War II. Over the years the government made the stalls non-transferable, and then came up with incentives to have license holders relinquish their stalls for a fee. Only a handful of true dai pai dongs remain open to this day. In the photo below you can see a dai pai dong that just closed (next to one that remains.)

Last night I was walking along Queens Road, one of the main thoroughfares in Central and I saw a huge camouflage wall covering the side of a building. The writing on top of the camo boldly announces the arrival of Hong Kong’s first Bathing Ape store. The location is interesting. It’s on the same block as the Joyce boutique, one of the pioneers of high-end fashion retail in Hong Kong. It’s also across the street from Harvey Nichols and a new flagship Gucci store that is under construction. It’s a rather conservative blue-blood location for a brand aimed at the trendy youth market. Perhaps this illustrates their H.K. strategy - extending the brand to a wider demographic. This makes sense in Hong Kong where older people tend to be more concerned with appearing fashionable, and donning contemporary brands, than in other parts of the world.

I’m sure the shop will be created to be a destination, rather than simply a store that people amble into. If it has enough spectacle, it will grab everyone from the office-workers in the neighborhood to the younger crowd who would normally shop in Causeway Bay.

Occasionally, even an urban guy like me is looking for a quick getaway from the constant bustle of the city. Only a 30 minute ferry ride from Central, Lamma Island provides a convenient escape. Sunday afternoon I walked down to Pier 4 of the Outlaying Island Ferry Pier which provides service to Discovery Bay, Peng Chau, Cheung Chau, and Lamma Island.

From the IFC2 shopping mall, simply walk out the exit closest to City Super. Next, head along the suspended overpass which will lead practically to the door of Pier 4, where you can catch the ferry to Lamma. The pier is also situated within walking distance from the Star Ferry pier, if you are first coming over from Tsim Sha Tsui.

There are several things to consider before you board a ferry:
There are different destinations to choose from on Lamma, with boats arriving at the two main strips on the island, Yung Shue Wan and So Ku Wan. The ferry schedule differs from weekdays on Sundays and public holidays. There are also two types of boats, normal ones and express ferries.

Regarding the two ferries going to different parts of Lamma, Yung Shue Wan is the busier of the two destinations. It features a narrow main street lined with seafood restaurants and small shops. There is even a branch of the local bank HSBC there. So Ku Wan is more remote with much less shops, but an equal abundance of seafood restaurants. I would recommend going to Yung Shue Wan. If you are up for a nice hike, you can walk from one strip to the other in about an hour (I walk fast.) It’s an uphill climb in part of the trip, but you are rewarded with beautiful views of the hills, plus the chance to stop at several beaches along the way. To check the Lamma Island Ferry Schedule before you leave home, click here.

Lamma has a reputation as sort of a bohemian place to live. Rents are much cheaper, and the pace of life is much slower. If you’re looking for a small town feel, yet remain close to the city, it’s not a bad choice. Everyone knows everyone here which is good and bad. One major inconvenience is being reliant on the ferry. The last ferry back to Lamma from Central is just after midnight at 12:30, which makes it inconvenient if you are interested in nightlife, or lead a more city-based lifestyle.

One thing you won’t find on Lamma are cars. There are no normal-sized vehicles on Lamma. The pathways that make there way around the island are smaller than even a one lane road. This is part of how Lamma has managed to maintain its charm.

On some weekends when the weather is good, tourists from other parts of Hong Kong will take the 30 minute ride over from Central. The narrow pathways become more like the city streets you wanted to escape. The boats can also get crowded during peak season. If you want some sort of solitude, take a trip there on a weekday and you can enjoy the paths virtually to yourself for most of the way around the island.

The other night I got invited to attend a soccer game that featured part of the Korean national team vs. Denmark. It was being held at the Hong Kong stadium which is actually more famous for what’s not being held there than for what is. After the stadium was completed, neighbors put up a successful fight to limit the type and time of events held at the venue. Music events have been severely limited. Two of the ridiculous ideas that were hatched to save the stadium as a music venue: have concert-goers wear gloves to cushion the sound of their clapping; give everyone a headset, where the sound would be played over headphones to the attending audience. With its 40,000 person capacity, the stadium still remains a destination for large sports events like the H.K. Rugby Sevens tournament.

After hearing about the walk along Bowen Road for many years, I finally had the chance to check it out. The path along Bowen Road is spectacular. It is completely flat and extends for several miles, snaking along the hills above five Hong Kong neighborhoods.

Taking the walk on a clear day will give you a better understanding and appreciation of Hong Kong. The Bowen Road walk winds all the way from the Mid-Levels neighborhood to Stubbs Road. It goes through steep hillsides thick with vegetation and next to remote mansions tucked away. Walking along the path you come away with an appreciation for how the island has been built up. You have an excellent view of the back of neighborhoods like Wanchai, and can see the jumble of buildings that form the city.

Stopping by a park along the way I discovered this cool industrial tunnel. They left it unlocked so I snuck in and took a photo! I could see Darth Vader hanging out in a place like this!

One of the more interesting buildings that you can see from the path appears to be extremely thin from the side. It is built with windows covering nearly all sides to take advantage of the superior views. It’s almost at the end of the path, close to Stubbs Road.

I’m a sucker for fireworks. I headed up to The Peak to check out the view from the top of Hong Kong Island. I took a taxi up, which is about a ten minute ride from Central. I got off at The Peak Lookout Cafe and made my way through the crowds who had the same idea I did. It was a clear night out and The Peak would have an amazing view of the fireworks which were set to explode from barges in the harbor. Once the show began I was surprised that they lasted a full 30 minutes. The last time I watched fireworks it was only 15 minutes worth. After about ten minutes I started to get antsy, so I left my first view point and headed along a path to check out the show from a different vantage point.

Although I missed part of the show, the aftermath of the fireworks was equally as impressive. A huge cloud of thick black smoke covered Tsim Sha Tsui, and blocked out the view of Kowloon side for around 20 minutes. This eerie view made for some cool photos. Click to see a bigger view.

A few weeks ago a friend told me about a trail that you could take in the new West Kowloon District, on the far West side of Tsim Sha Tsui. This is an area that is literally only a few years old - created from reclamation, in what was once part of the harbor! Actually, a significant amount of Hong Kong Island is waterfront landfill, so this shouldn’t come as such a shock. Due to the fact that H.K. Island is mostly mountains, with little flat land, reclamation has become a means to make up for the lack of usable space. The new airport in Lantau is also built on reclaimed land - it was the largest project of its kind in the world.

The new West Kowloon District is currently home to several brand new luxury housing developments and also Kowloon Station, a stop on the MTR and Airport Express train lines. The new buildings are enormous, and several more are being built. Since the airport was moved to Lantau Island, the cap on the height of buildings in Kowloon has been lifted, and the new developments make use of the vertical space.

Additionally there is a large swath of waterfront land that is supposed to be developed into two museums and a concert hall seating 10,000 people. This project is known as the West Kowloon Cultural District. They will be building here for many years to come!

I found a hole in a fence and snuck in to take a few photos. It’s got a spectacular view of Hong Kong Island. After I went back to the sidewalk I followed the pathway and it opened to an equally stunning (and legal), harbor front promenade. There is even a viewing place with benches. Worth a visit for a nice long walk with great views.

For the second year in a row I attended Dragon-i’s Chinese New Year celebration. This year they also featured a lion dance and music by the d.j. Paul “Trouble” Anderson. The lion dance is always a special treat. It featured two lions - a silver one and a gold one. At the height of the performance the lions fetched something from the ceiling using their mouths. It is then unfurled and opens to be a banner with good new years wishes.