114 | March• 2018
HONG KONG REVISITED
nearby path we can see the fishing
boats and stilted seafood restau-
rantsofSokKwuWanvillagebelow.
Walking back, we spot graves set
intogreenslopesthatfacethesea
forfavourablefengshui.Duringthe
ChingMingFestivaltwoweeksear-
lier,familieshadsweptlovedones’
gravesites and burned incense for
departed spirits.
In Yung Shue Wan, we head to
Andy’s Seafood Restaurant on Main
Streetandfindatablewithaview
ofthesunsettingoverthesea.It’s
asliceofHongKongheaventodine
on fresh grouper with soy sauce and
ginger, and razor clams in black
bean sauce.BACK ON HONG KONGisland, we
walk from the pier into Central and
Sheung Wan. The walk is a few min-
utes longer than in the 1990s: the
shorelinehasshiftedtoaccommo-
date new skyscrapers. One thing
hasn’t changed: most high-rises
underconstructionarecladintra-
ditionalscaffoldingofbambootied
with nylon strips.
Webrowseantiquestoresalong
HollywoodRoadandCatStreet,look-
ingforananniversarygifttoeach
other. The symbol for the 20th year is,
fittingly,china,andwefindtheper-
fectitem:agold-paintedteapotwith
wicker handles, featuring the Chi-
nese character for double-happiness,
aweddingsymbol.
The teapot tucked under Jules’ONASUNNYMORNING,we hop onto
aferryboundforLammaIsland.It’s
a30-minutetriptoYungShueWan
village–andaworldaway.Although
Hong Kong isn’t often associated with
greenspaces,therearemany,and
Lamma,wherewelived,hassome
of our favourite hikes. We drop our
bagsatourguesthouseandwalkfor
twohoursonpathsthatwinddown
towardssandybeachesandsteeply
upwards again.
Atahilltoppavilion,webuyre-
freshingpineappleslicesfroman
old woman in a straw hat. From a PHOTO: YEUNG MAN CHUN/SHUTTERSTOCK
Incensecoilsscenttheairinside
Man Mo Temple in Central