Lamma Birthday

Monday 25 November

My Birthday!

I decided to go to Lamma island for the day and out in the evening. I got a fast ferry from Central to Yung Shue Wan. It is quite a ‘right on’ town, with the Bookworm Café aiming to set a yardstick of cool. I wandered around, looked at the Tin Hau Temple and set off on the ‘Family Walk’ to Sok Kwu Wan. It is a pleasant if entirely undemanding walk that the guide says takes four hours. I think that you can safely say you could not fail to complete it in that time. Along the way there are some lovely and virtually deserted beaches. One overlooks the power station which isn’t so pretty but others are just lovely. It’s funny thinking of the teeming hordes on HK island with these lovely unused leisure possibilities half an hour or so away. 

My destination, Sok Kwu Wan is a parade of fish restaurants including the extremely prospering Rainbow. Having arrived in good time but with no ferry for quite a while and thinking the exercise had not been enough for a 62 year old I did the circuit through Tung O. Like the other walk, it had interesting information boards along the way about the vegetation and I gave up on the 4 o’clock ferry back in order to do them justice. So having looked at the Sok Kwu Wan Tin Hau and walked again through the parade of restaurants I got back to the pier in time for the 5.35 ferry. 

This was great timing at it meant coming back into Hong Kong Harbour once night had come and the amazing spectacle of the at night panorama was on display. How we mankind have used our ingenuity to build these incredible structures in which to live work and seek enjoyment.

This evening, I went to Trip Advisor's #2 restaurant in HK which turns out to be part of a large chain - Din Tai Fung. Chain or not, the service was amazing with an absolute army of staff; and the food was excellent, I thought.  It's a pity they don't open up in London, though perhaps wages would not permit this level of personal attention.

I almost missed out on this lovely meal because, characteristically, I clean forgot the name in walking there. I had the street OK but not the number. I scanned shop fronts for a restaurant that would ring a bell. Not a chime. Fortunately this restaurant is in Causeway and I've never seen such a place. It is full of Bond Street shops (I saw three Cartiers) and an absolute hive of people. Luckily amongst all this was another huge Apple shop which I made use of to google the name of the restaurant and a better detail of its location which was slightly hidden away off the street so I don’t think I’d ever have found it by wandering up and down.  

Suitably fed (and watered!) I set off back to my hotel with somewhat mixed feeling to be leaving for Vietnam tomorrow. HK is really quite amazing for the energy it gives off. It is probably a love it or can’t wait to leave sort of place. You can see which side I’m on. After such a brief exposure I feel really fond of the place; its trams, the bustle, and the incredible variety. I think London will seem quite tame, even in 2013.