Thank you to Lionel Messi and his new Hong Kong haters for giving us opportunities to laugh (at the Hong Kong government)! :D

 

Actually, I reckon Messi's no longer welcomed in Hong Kong... :D

 

This has been one of those weeks that has left many Hong Kongers feeling depressed -- for good reason.  Certain court verdicts have seriously rankled.  (On the same day that the news came of Gregory Wong and co being found guilty of "rioting", the results of a survey made between May and November of last year by the Hong Kong Mental Health Association was released, showing that Hong Kongers’ depression levels have reached a record high, with the severe depression rating skyrocketing by over 30% compared to back in 2020.)  

 

The death of beloved actor Gregory Charles Rivers, apparently by suicide, has also hit some people hard; with it coming less than a month having passed since the suicide of another well known Hong Konger, former journalist and TVB news anchor, Ryan Lau -- who also made the news back in 2019 when he was one of the people attacked by a white-shirted gang in Yuen Long MTR station on the evening of July 21st. 

 

And then there's the spectre of Article 23.  Re that which has been billed as Hong Kong's own security law: a sign of how fearful it -- and the national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong back on June 30th, 2020 -- already has made Hong Kongers can be seen in a Hong Kong Free Press article about people's views about Article 23 having been run without any of the people quoted in it having their personal names listed for the record (and more than one of them not even wanting to have their surname known).

 

And yet, many people have endured and been (unexpectedly) resilient.  And still know how to laugh.  And today, Hong Kongers were given something to laugh about -- and unite to hate! -- by way of the PR fiasco that came by way of footballing superstar Lionel Messi having come with his Inter Miami team to Hong Kong but ended up not playing even been on the pitch for even one second of the friendly game in which he was supposed to be the star draw!

 

After the game (which saw Inter Miami play and beat a Hong Kong selection by 4 goals to 1 -- not that anyone seems to care about the result or anything besides the fact that Lionel Messi had not played!), the American club's coach, Gerardo Martino, told reporters that the club's medical team had taken the decision to bar Messi -- and teammate Luis Suarez -- from playing after an assessment this morning.  But the match organizers (Tatler Hong Kong) didn't disclose this to match attendees and even announced that he was a substitute in the stadium! 

Amazingly, Tatler Hong Kong had effectively guaranteed back on January 11th that all Inter Miami marquee stars, including Lionel Messi would be playing in what was billed as the Tatler XFEST Hong Kong fixture.  But during the game, it dawned on a number of the attendees at the match whose tickets were priced between HK$880 and HK$4,880 that they would not be seeing Messi play.  Cue boos and shouts for refunds!  And some more boos after the game when co-owner of Inter Miami, David Beckham, went onto the pitch to thank attendees for their "support"! 

 

So, okay, there were people genuinely upset by Lionel Messi's effective no show.   And I do feel for the children who went to see their hero, only to get heartbroken by not getting to see him play.  But the over-the-top reactions of such as Leung Chun-ying's daughter, Chai-yan, to what happened can be pretty funny.  (As is the thought of her being restrained from shouting in/to Messi's face that he was "not welcome[d]" anymore in the city by her father!)

 

And then there's the angry response of the Hong Kong government that came as a result of it getting hit with quite the PR disaster.  A lesson I wonder whether it will learn: "[T]is is what happens when you use taxpayers' money to subsidise multi-millionaire soccer players."  If not, it is going to give people more opportunities to laugh at it!

 

In the meantime, check out this Tweet by the Financial Times Hudson Locket IV: "Hong Kong's government paid HK$16m to cover the costs of the match, with 40,000 fans paying up to HK$4,880 apiece for a chance to see Messi. Every advertisement for the event featured his face front and center, only for him not to play for even a single second. I'd boo, too!" :D

Just two days into 2024 and I already worry that it won't be a happy new year!

I like the color of these flowers I spotted on a hike

yesterday (New Year's Day, 2024)

 

It's just the second day of the new year and I don't want to be a kill joy but I worry that 2024 may be worse than 2023.  Some portends that are not good: the killing of Palestinian civilians continuing on New Year's Day; ditto the war in Ukraine caused by Russia's invasion in February 2022; ditto the civil war in Myanmar which massively escalated in May 2021; etc. And to add to it, there being a massive earthquake in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan yesterday -- though, thankfully, all tsunami warnings issued in association with it have now been lifted.

 

And then there's Hong Kong where, as per an RTHK report: "Safeguarding national security will continue to be Hong Kong's top priority, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said on Monday [i.e., New Year's Day], as he vowed to complete work for Basic Law Article 23 security legislation within this year."

 

A reminder: China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong on June 30th, 2020, which remains very much in effect and has sowed so much fear along with actual political persecution in the city. Basic Law Article 23 would effectively be Hong Kong's domestic version of a national security law -- one which has been opposed for decades by Hongkongers. Indeed, back on July 1st, 2003, over 500,000 people took part in a protest march against it -- and in the aftermath, the then Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Tung Chi-wah, felt obliged to resign, as did the then Security Chief, one Regina Ip.

 

Back to yesterday's RTHK piece: "On social media, Chan said the upcoming legislation, together with the existing national security law, will more effectively prevent, stop and punish acts endangering national security." So... Chan thinks Hong Kong is still not... secure?! (In other words: Hong Kong is still not back (to normal)? Re that last bit: if so, he and I are in agreement; albeit for different reasons!) 

 

Another bit from that piece: "Meanwhile, the number of visitors to Hong Kong topped 30 million in the first 11 months of last year, Chan said, adding that the government will continue to hold different international events and drive the local economy." 

 

While at first glance, that sounds impressive, do bear in mind though that that's still just around half of the number of visitors attracted to Hong Kong in 2018; and that the vast majority of Hong Kong's visitors, then but especially now, are from Mainland China rather than the rest of the world. So I really am not so sure how valid Hong Kong's description of itself as "Asia's World City" is anymore.

 

One more quote from the RTHK piece: "He also called on new district councillors to respond to people's urgent needs and concerns." Note: That would the new district councillors who gained seats in the District Council "election" last month which only 27.5% of registered voters decided to take part in -- as opposed to 71.2% for the 2019 District Council election -- for whatever reason (e.g., they couldn't be bothered to take part in something they considered a sham, couldn't find any candidate they actually believed would help them/Hong Kong, etc.)

 

So... happy new year? I would love for it to be so. But I already worry. And I think I have good reason to.  Still, if I were to look for a good portend: yesterday saw Hong Kong beat China 2-1 in a football match; the first time Hong Kong's footballers recorded a victory over China's in 29 years (or is it 38? -- in any case, it's a pretty historic victory!)  And granted that China had two players sent off (and an assistant coach) over the course of the game -- so were handicapped by having two players fewer than Hong Kong for part of the game.  But in some ways, that makes the whole thing even more hilarious (and yes, it's indeed good to have something to laugh about -- and so early into 2024 too)! :)

Much to see in Hagi's old castle grounds despite the castle having been long ruined! (Photo-essay)

Yesterday came startling news that China had withdrawn from hosting the Asian Football Confederation's Asian Cup because of Covid issues -- startling because that tournament's not due to take place until June of next year.  While Hong Kong is not subject to (all of) the same restrictions as Mainland China (e.g., there have not been reports of mass "clipping" of passports the way there has been over in Mainland China in recent days to prevent its citizens from travelling abroad), it does make me think and worry that Hong Kong will remain largely closed, with a minimum of one week's hotel quarantine being required upon people arriving in/returning to Hong Kong for some time to come.

 

As it is, it's quite the shock for me to realize that I've not been out of Hong Kong for some two and a half years... and, also, that I've not yet finished blogging about my most recent trip abroad -- to Japan back in October 2019!  So here's going ahead and sharing more photos taken from that trip: this time, focusing on ones taken while exploring the old castle grounds of Hagi; the Yamaguchi prefecture city which I spent a few days in after moving my base there from Hiroshima (which has come to be one of my favorite cities in Japan; from where I had made day trips to Okunoshima (AKA Rabbit Island), Ikuchijma, Osaka (mainly for the Funassyiland there this time!) and Akiyoshido)...

 

The first photo I took of the picturesque town of Hagi outside of my hotel 

there -- of the pier for sightseeing boats which I elected not to go on!

 

Puppet Ponyo (remember her?) posing in the grounds 

 of the long-ruined Hagijo (Hagi Castle)

 

Much of the grounds have a neglected feel even though

there's a still functioning Shinto shrine located within it

 

From one side of it, there are splendid views to be had

of the Sea of Japan, the coastal section of Hagi, and 

one of those sightseeing boats whose pier I had passed by earlier 

 

A Japanese garden within the ruined castle grounds

(which are formally known as Shizuki-koen (aka Shizuki Park))

 

With so few other people about the place, the park

turned out to be great for critter spotting (including 

of this grey heron) and nature photography! :)

 

One of those large spiders that I've only ever seen 

in Japan and Hong Kong :)

 

Spotted as I was leaving the old castle grounds:is that a hawk 

or an eagle?  I know for sure though that it's a bird of prey!

Hope fades for the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, and Hong Kong itself

 

Spotted at Victoria Park two years ago

 

I hope many people continue to believe this two years on

 

Two years ago today, a pro-democracy gathering took place on the football pitches of Victoria Park. Unlike the June 4th candlelight vigils held at the same venue to commemorate the Tiananmen Square Massacre, that which brought together football fans bedecked in the jerseys of their favorite clubs was a joyous affair.  Two weeks earlier, Carrie Lam had finally announced that she would be withdrawing the hated extradition bill that had caused protests to rage over much of the summer of 2019 (and would morph into a call for the rightings of many injustices along with genuine universal suffrage for Hong Kong).   

There was so much hope then and I wish that could have continued to be the case.  But the fact of the matter is that, especially since the announcement and then coming into being of China's national security law for Hong Kong, the territory's pro-democracy movement has been largely on the back foot. And while there are some individuals and organizations trying to hold the line (or, at the very least, to their principles), many more appear to be folding -- with yesterday seeing confirmation that the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), a worker's rights organization that represents 145,000 members from 93 different groups covering a broad spectrum including aviation, construction, catering, retail and social welfare, is in the process of disbanding. 

 

On its website, the words "solidarity", "dignity", "justice" and "democracy" feature prominently, and the HKCTU lists its mission as "To strive [for] decent work and dignity for workers through the consolidation of collective strength and promotion of independent trade union movement and societal change.  Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy trade union, it was founded in 1990 by Lee Cheuk-yan, who remains its General Secretary despite currently being behind bars.   

Hong Kong Watch's Benedict Rogers was moved to Tweet the following yesterday: 

First they came for the protesters 

Then the legislators

Then the media

Then the lawyers and speech therapists

Then the trade unionists

Make no mistake about it: Hong Kong's civil society groups are crumbling. The HKCTU's impending disbandment comes amid growing pressure from Chinese-backed media on the city’s unions and mounting national security probes on pro-democracy civil society groups.  And earlier this evening came news that the HKCTU's Chief Executive, Mung Siu-tat, has left Hong Kong for the United Kingdom after, in his words, "A strong power forced me to make a painful choice between being a chief executive and being a father".  

As was noted in the Hong Kong Free Press's piece about the HKCTU disbanding: "Pressure on pro-democracy groups which have long been part of the city’s social fabric has prompted critics to accuse Hong Kong authorities of using the security law to dismantle civil society [but] Carrie Lam has denied such an intention."  This is in keeping with the line she's taken that that there's been no dismantling of civil society in Hong Kong taking place since the implementation of the national security law, which she told the United Nations back on June 30th, 2019, would affect only an "extremely small minority of people".  But when the HKCTU's membership alone numbers some 145,000, I think it should be plenty clear that this is not the case at all.    

Protesting while watching football and cheering for the Hong Kong national team

Two national anthems were played before the association 

football match at Hong Kong Stadium tonight

 The Hong Kong national football team 

scored its first goal in the first half

They managed to score a goal too in the second half! :)

Before anything else: here's confirming that, contrary to my truly pessimistic expectations, the police siege of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is still ongoing.  This is not to say though that the news coming out of there has been all that great.  To the contrary, in fact, as reports, video footage and images galore have attested to terrible things having occured in the past 72 hours or so in the area, including the police reneging on their promises to let people leave unharmed by firing tear gas and rubber bullets as well as effecting arrests in a thoroughly brutal fashion.

So it might seem callous of me to have gone and attended the football match at Hong Kong Stadium this evening between Hong Kong and Cambodia -- except that this World Cup Qualifier was listed on the Hong Kong protest schedule and was arguably one of a number of events these past few days that many people took part in with the hope of causing at least some riot police to be diverted to them, and away from the besieged university.

Yesterday (and especially last night), thousands of people went to central Kowloon to try to create diversions for and also to rescue people trapped at PolyU.  At lunchtime today as well as yesterday, office workers and others protested in Central -- but while it's true enough that protesters were quickly forced off a street they had occupied onto neighboring sidewalks today, their actions resulted in a good number of riot police spending some time in Central rather than, as might have been the case, on the other side of Victoria Harbour.    

Returning to the subject of tonight's football match: here's confirming that I did indeed encounter riot police on duty on the way to and into its venue.  Also, here's confirmation of there being lots of pro-democracy supporters as well as football fans in the crowd came by way of the booing of the Chinese national anthem (which, officially, also is Hong Kong's but really isn't accepted as being so) when it was played before kick off,  the belting out of Glory to Hong Kong more than once this evening, and protest chants reverberating through the stadium along with more football match specific ones.  And even with the latter, shouts of "We are Hong Kong" and "Fight for Hong Kong" are impossible to think of as being non-political in current circumstances. 

At the same time though, I have to admit to having genuinely enjoyed watching the football and being at the game; this not least since Hong Kong ended up notching its first World Cup Qualifying Match victory in five attempts by scoring two goals while not letting in any from Cambodia.  A week after I had broken down and wept upon learning what was happening at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a day after I had gotten so upset about what was happening at PolyU that -- strange but true -- I actually felt the top of my head heat up, it was nice to be able to cheer on Hong Kong, and see at least its football team triumph after having endured a number of losses over the past few months.     

Footballing support amidst sporting disruptions in Hong Kong

Supporters of various football teams and clubs 

came together in Victoria Park last night

Traditional footballing enemies put aside their differences to show 

their shared support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests 

A symbol of the uncommon unity held up like a trophy

(and used to show that laser pointers can't burn it)! :)

China's late paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping, promised that after Britain's handover of Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997, “horses will still run, stocks will still sizzle, dancers will still dance."  As it so happened though, the Hong Kong Jockey Club cancelled race night at Happy Valley last night for fear of how people would react to a horse co-owned by hated pro-Beijing legislator Junius Ho (he of the Yuen Long Triad connections and more) being scheduled to compete in a race.

Continuing on the sporting front: News came today that the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA)'s Clearwater Bay Open also will not take place this year while the organizers of the Hong Kong Tennis Open pre-emptively announced last week that this year's edition (originally scheduled to begin on October 7th) would be postponed because of the ongoing pro-democracy protests.  And, as it so happened, the Hong Kong government also announced yesterday that there will be no fireworks display this October 1st (like was the case five years ago and in the aftermath of the 2012 Lamma Island ferry collision).     

We can but hope that on the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China, more joyous events like the gathering of football fans at Victoria Park last night will be held in Hong Kong instead.  Hundreds of supporters of various teams and clubs obeyed a call put out just a few days ago to assemble in the public space which on each June 4th since 1989 is where a candlelight vigil is held.  We then fanned out to form a human chain that ended up circling all six of Victoria Park's football pitches, with enough hands, legs and bodies (the last clad for the most part in jerseys of favorite football teams) to spare to form an additional line through the middle of the area.  

A spirited yet peaceful pro-democracy protest and show of solidarity, it saw club rivalries set aside to show people's collective support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.  Consequently, there came to be such unlikely sights as Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fans happily posing for photos together, and experiences involving fans from various clubs good-naturedly singing the anthem associated with Liverpool Football Club (You'll Never Walk Alone) as well as belting out Glory to Hong Kong and chanting "Five demands; not one less"! 

More than by the way, this Gooner couldn't help but notice the healthy representation of people clad in Arsenal jerseys last night.  Either there's a good percentage of Gooners who are pro-democracy supporters or there are a good number of pro-democracy supporters who are Gooners.  Frankly, either of these possibilities is fine by me! 

Something else that I found interesting was whose names and numbers were the best represented at last night's footballing gathering cum pro-democracy protest.  The most popular current Arsenal players in Hong Kong look to be, expectedly, 2018/19 Arsenal Player of the Season, Alexandre Lacazette, and less expectedly, Uruguayan defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira (more so even than the likes of 2018/19 Premier League Golden Boot Winner, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and German World Cup Winner, Mezut Ozil).  As for past players: I found it gratifying to see that there's still love for Dennis Bergkamp and Tomas Rosicky even while being shocked to not have spotted a single jersey bearing the name of Mr Arsenal himself, Tony Adams! ;b

Reflections on this past weekend of further protest and violence, and statements made today by various parties

Contrary to widely disseminated opinion, not all 

Hong Kong protesters are young nor dress in black ;b

 

Another fallacy I've heard: that those who don't go march are all 

against the anti-extradition bill protests or have no opinion about them

The weekend that recently passed has been another protest-filled one here in Hong Kong.  On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of thousands of people defied police objections to plans for protest marches against Triad and police violence to take place in Yuen Long, the northwestern New Territories town where thugs attacked people at an MTR station there two Sundays ago.  Twenty-four hours later, thousands of people assembled at Central's Chater Garden for yet another extradition bill protest rally there.

As has become all too common, both the protests on Saturday and Sunday ended up with the police coming onto the scene and doing such as charging and firing tear gas at protesters, ostensibly to clear the scene but often when the protesters were not charging and, in fact, getting ready to leave.  In Yuen Long on Saturday, the police started firing tear gas and sponge grenades at protersters as early as around 5pm.  Yesterday, on Hong Kong Island, they held off until around 7pm before unleashing the first rounds of tear gas before firing rounds again around half an hour later and then again at 9pm.  Oh, and they also fired rubber bullets at protesters for good measure.

A Tweet by Jeffie Lam, a journalist who calls Yuen Long home, starkly illustrated how the use of the tear gas by the Hong Kong police has become the new normal.  Indeed, it's actually hard to recall that, prior to this summer of protests, the last time tear gas had been fired in Hong Kong was back on September 28th, 2014 -- and it was such an incredible shock to many as that was the first time that tear gas had been fired at Hong Kongers since 1989.   

Taking things up a notch in the aftermath: instead of Carrie Lam appearing to condemn the protesters once more after yet another weekend of protests that have morphed into ones condemning her and her government along with the police and the Triads as well as demanding the withdrawal of the extradition bill she proposed that is the root of all this mess, we had the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (AKA the Liason Office, AKA Sai Wan) calling its first-ever news conference since the 1997 Handover of Hong Kong to China by Britain, during which its representatives reiterated its support for Hong Kong's Chief Executive in name (but no longer by actions).

There are some people who reacted to this "news" with disappointment.  Others expected no less.  And then there's the football fans among us who see Beijing's latest move as akin to Carrie Lam being given the equivalent of the dreaded vote of confidence that usually is confirmation that the person given it will soon be sacked!   

Also noteworthy is that on a day that Carrie Lam was expected to temporarily emerge from hiding and make some kind of statement, a letter from jailed Hong Kong activist Edward Leung shows the kind of leadership that Hong Kong could benefit from.  Meanwhile, that from his fellow Shek Pik prison-mate and activist, Benny Tai, which also was sent out today, echoes a July 1st message written on the Legislative Council Complex -- that the Hong Kong government is reaping while it sowed by doing such as ignoring peaceful protests, even ones involving millions of people.

Announcing the end of an era at Arsenal Football Club and sharing hopes for way better days to come!

The old Arsenal crest I way prefer to the current one

For most of this blog's existence, I had included a "Gooner since 1978" line in my "About Me" profile.  A year or so ago though, I deleted it as a statement of how I had ceased to look forward to watching The Arsenal "live" on TV (since, for much of my life, I've not lived on the same continent, never mind in the same country as the football team/club I've supported for the better part of my life) and decided to stop doing so after realizing that it often was causing me a lot more stress and anguish than much of the rest of my life.

While my frustration and ire during matches were often caused by the actions of individual players, I got to realizing with each passing year that the bulk of my agony and anger in recent years stemmed from the actions, policies and ideas of the manager of Arsenal Football Club since October 1st, 1996: one Arsene Wenger, whose reign had initially brought Arsenal F.C. so much success and fans like myself so much joy.  So it was great delight, even euphoria, that I learnt earlier today that Arsene Wenger will resign from the post that he's held for close to 22 years now at the end of this season. 

Here's the thing: Arsene Wenger did Arsenal a lot of good in the first decade or so that he's been at the club.  (We're talking here of double-winning seasons in 1997-1998 and 2001-2002, and a whole entire season unbeaten in the English Premier League in 2003-2004, among other things!)  But he also looks to have done much damage to the club in the past decade or so -- with Arsenal's Arsene Wenger-instigated move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium not having yielded the footballing dividends it was supposed to even after all these years, and a change of football tactics and player recruitment effected to give Arsenal greater European success not only not having yielded success in Europe but also causing the team to fare less well against domestic opposition.

Between the FA Cup wins of 2005 and 2014 were frustratingly fallow years where Arsenal not only didn't win any trophies but gradually ceased to play with the élan we had come to expect of teams managed by Le Boss.  And while Arsene Wenger did manage Arsenal teams to FA Cup victories in 2015 and 2017, he really should have gone after winning the FA Cup in 2014 -- and I reckon that if he had done so, he really would have been looked upon far more fondly by Gooners than he has been for the past four years.

As it is, it can feel like people's respect and affection for Arsene Wenger have increased exponentially in the hours since he announced his impending resignation; not least because they can finally see light at the end of the tunnel for a team and club that they follow, and may passionately love once more with a new man at the helm rather than what has felt for some time now like a dead man walking.  For my part, I want to say to him: thanks for some really great memories but I now look forward to a brand new era at Arsenal Football Club, and sincerely hope that it'll bring far more success to the Emirates Stadium than Arsene Wenger has managed to do.         

Game for a laugh outside a Yau Ma Tei mahjong parlour?!

An image pretty much guaranteed to get the attention

of those who pass by it (and put a smile on faces?)! :)

A few hours ago, the association football team I've supported since 1978 basically ended any real chance it had of winning the English Premier League this season in a game that it didn't just lose but also saw two members of the team sent off and a crucial player injured. After trying to destroy the Arsene Wenger bobble head my sister gave me -- but not being completely successfully in doing so because it turned out to be made of super strong stuff! -- I've decided to try another way to feel better: i.e., by thinking of and/or looking at something humorous.  

While looking through my photo archive, I found just the thing -- and reckon that the imaginative caricature I snapped while walking in Yau Ma Tei earlier this week is so cool that it's actually worth sharing on this blog (and yes, you can click on the photo to view an enlarged version of it)!  

Adorning an outer wall of a mahjong parlour is this large illustration which depicts Chinese president Xi Jinping, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Russian president Vladimir Putin and American president Barack Obama seated at a mahjong table.  And to judge by the chips on the table, Xi and Obama look to be doing well -- and this sense is given strength by Xi and Obama looking quite a bit happier than Abe and an especially disgruntled appearing, judo outfit-wearing Putin!

Just the image of this foursome playing mahjong together would bring smiles to the face of many.  But that wasn't enough for the ambitious artist, who also has North Korea's "dear leader" Kim Jong Un, popcorn in hand, being one of the game's spectators, German chancellor Angela Merkel at the party serving cupcakes, and the ghost of Saddam Hussein hanging on to the back of Barack Obama's chair!  

And while I can't identify the eighth personality in the picture, I'd easily imagine that he's a political heavyweight from the African continent.  If his hair were whiter, I'd say that it was supposed to be Nelson Mandela.  What do you think?! ;b

Taking part in a beach cleanup on Cheung Chau

Some people clean the beach while others enjoy themselves

earlier today on Cheung Chau

A sample view of the kind of trash found on a Hong Kong beach

The fruits of a morning's worth of labor 

of nine "sustainability heroes" ;b

Today has been one of the busiest Saturdays I've had in a while.  I just got back from watching  the English association football team I've supported since 1978(!) triumph in a match telecast "live" from England into such as the big screen of a bar in Hong Kong.  And in the afternoon, I put on a yellow T-shirt and went to Wan Chai to hang out for a time with my fellow Malaysians in aid of Bersih (the movement to demand for clean -- bersih in Bahasa Malaysia -- and fair elections (and government) in Malaysia).

While important in their own way to me, both of those events actually weren't the main event of the day as far as I was concerned.  Instead, that "honor" goes to a morning beach cleanup session over on Cheung Chau organized through Green Sustainable Living HK, a local meetup.com group founded by a Madagascar-born Hong Kong resident.  One reason for thinking this is that it was the event of the day where I felt most actively a participant.  For another, I really appreciate that there was physical evidence that people's efforts actually counted and made a difference.

Whereas my first beach cleanup had seen the group head over to Coral Beach (AKA Tung Wan Tsai) over on the northeast of the island, this time around, we headed in the opposite direction -- over to Pak Tso Wan (AKA Italian Beach) over in southwest Cheung Chau.  Partly because this smaller area of the island didn't seem half as full of garbage as Coral Beach and in part because there were more volunteers around this time out, I really could see that the beach was quite a bit cleaner after we had labored for a few hours in hot sun and also under clouds as well as were showered upon on a couple of occasions -- and boy, did this make me feel good!

Over on Coral Beach last month, I had been shocked to not only find lots of glass shards on the beach but also whole test tubes and bottles that looked like they were meant to contain medication.  This time around, I found less glass about but, equally -- if not more -- alarmingly, lots more plastic materials and styrofoam, both of which easily break into little bits after baking for a time in the sun.

Sometime back, I read about how the tiny bits of plastic found in the ocean are liable to be swallowed by various sea creatures, including those that we consume -- leading to the pollutant ending up in our bodies.  When seeing the garbage found on the beach, I also get to thinking of the early scenes in Ponyo, on the Cliff by the Sea showing the horrific mess that trawlers tend to dredge up from the seabeads -- and how it is that pretty much all of it is the creation of us humans.

To this end, I make it a point to get as much plastic and styrofoam off the beach as I can while carrying out beachcleaning exercises.  Something else that I target are the broken pieces of glass that dot the ground, since there have been too many times when I've been barefoot on a beach in Hong Kong and found myself worrying that my feet'd get cut by the shards I can't help but spot every few meters that I walk on what on the surface can appear to be truly beautiful beach locales.

At the same time, there's no denying that one can get a disproportionate sense of achievement from getting larger, more clearly visible items off the beach and into the garbage bag.  Some of these objects are on the mundane side and come in the form of such as whole plastic and glass bottles.  More unexpected "finds" on Italian Beach this afternoon included footwear, ranging from an adult-sized sneaker to a child-sized plastic sandal!  Then there's what strikes me as really disturbing to find on a beach in Hong Kong: items such as syringes, which get me thinking less of drug users and more of medical waste that should have been disposed of in a much more responsible way than it has been.

But when the pollution I see threatens to make me despair about humankind, I get to thinking of the people who volunteer to help clean up the beaches.  As one beach cleanup participant remarked to me last month: "Isn't it amazing to think that people are willing to do this kind of labor for free?"  Alternatively put: humans really aren't all bad, there's hope for this world -- and long may that be this way! ;b

The scenic Atlantic Road, including the (in)famous Storseisundet Bridge

Would you go on that bridge? :O

 The Storseisundet Bridge viewed from a less scary angle

Some members of my group were put off going along 

this nearby walkway -- not by fear but, instead, 

the cold winds blowing that afternoon! ;b

As I outlined in a previous blog post, a voyage along a Hurtigruten ship is not a conventional cruise.  And despite such as the wonderful food served on board, it's not considered a luxury or luxurious cruise and actually is looked upon by many as a no-frills affair since there's next to nothing as far as organized activities on the ship are concerned; with light-hearted crossing the Arctic Circle ceremonies, daily briefings (complete with video) which my mother made a point to attend (but not me!) and the "live" broadcast of such as the Norway vs Germany Women's 2015 World Cup Finals match and a Swedish royal wedding just not cutting it for those expecting such as on-board casinos and variety shows!

Instead, this cruise line's main selling points are the often stunning scenery on view pretty much throughout the voyage, the many stops each day that its ships make (and the related opportunities to go on shore), and the varied shore excursions that don't come with the general package but which pretty much every passenger goes on at least once during their trip.

The first of the shore excursions offered by Hurtigruten that I went on was on was absolutely fantastic, seeing as it not only allowed me to see Geiranger Fjord from land (rather than just the water) and also introduced me to the wonders along the "Golden Route".  If truth be told, I was far less impressed by the Kirkenes "Russian Border" excursion since we didn't get as close to the Norwegian-Russian border than I expected that we would, and that played some part in my disinclination to go on more shore excursions than the three in total that I ended up opting for.  

As it turned out though, I'm definitely pleased that my mother and I did go on one more shore excursion after that -- since the Atlantic Road excursion yielded a number of visual highlights, including the sight of double rainbows in the sky (which I sadly was unable to photograph) and the two churches at Kvernes (which I happily managed to snap photos of -- both inside as well as outside of them). 

Also, although I personally think it a bit of a stretch for it to be billed the world's best road trip (as was the case in a 2006 piece in The Guardian) since it's only around 8.3 kilometers in length, the journey along the National Tourist Route-rated Atlantic Road between Kristiansund and Molde did offer up scenery so beautiful that I found myself wishing that we could be on this route -- which is built on several islands and skerries, and includes eight connecting bridges -- for quite a bit longer!

Speaking of length: The longest of these bridges is also the best known of them -- having appeared in numerous car commercials (such as this one) and numerous Youtube videos.  Our first glimpse of the 260-meter-long, 23-meter-high Storseisundet Bridge got some people gasping out loud because what we saw looked like it was part of a scary rollercoaster ride rather than a bona fide road on which vehicles go on!  So it was a very good thing indeed that close to it is a walkway where one can see this bridge from other angles and realize that it's only an optical illusion that makes it seem so terrifying.

That same walkway winds 360 degrees around a small knoll and offers up breathtakingly beautiful views of the surrounding land and sea.  But while the sun was out doing its bit to make the scenery even more attractive, the wind was doing what it could to make it bone-chillingly cold and put off some people (including my mother but also others from colder climes, such as a Philadelphia couple!) from completing the walking circuit!

Still, at least, pretty much everyone in my party did manage get far enough along the way to see that the Storseisundet Bridge is not a "bridge to nowhere" or anything like that!  So there was no one doing such as refusing to cross it and go along the rest of the Atlantic Road that would take us to Molde, where we'd meet up once more with the MS Richard With and the people on board who, as it transpired, had had to endure a few hours of bad weather -- and, in some cases, sea sickness -- while those of us on the shore excursion had been on terra firma!

An unconventional cruise experience, courtesy of Hurtigruten's MS Richard With

My home for 12 days and 11 nights earlier this month :)

One the first photos I took while on board Hurtigruten's MS Richard With

 

What became familiar sight on this Norwegian cruise :)

 

There are some things that I've told myself that I'll only do when I'm old(er).  One of these is take up tai chi.  Another is play golf.  A third is to go on a cruise -- or, rather, was, since I've now gone and done it...though having said that, a voyage on one of  Hurtigruten's boats that sail up and down the western coast of Norway, between Bergen and Kirkenes, a town with a population of around 8,000 that lies over 2,400 kilometers away, is by general consensus not really your usual cruise experience.

 

In 1893, Captain Richard With (whose name is pronounced like "Rikard Vit") entered into an agreement with the Norwegian government whereby his steamer company would provide shipping service to a northern section of the country's rugged west coast.  Over the years, what came to be known as the Coastal Express became a valuable passenger and freight shipping service for a large percentage of the Norwegian west coast, stopping regularly at 34 ports -- and crossing both on its northbound and southbound routes -- over the course of its 12 day voyage. 

 

Christened the Hurtigruten (Norwegian for "fast route") in 2006, this shipping line decided early on to serve tourists as well as locals.  But even while its tourist component has increased over the years, it's never relinquished its non-touristic duties -- and its ships (including the MS Richard With, on which my mother and I sailed) still drop off and pick up freight (and often also passengers) at each and every one of the ports -- many of them on the very small side -- for which it acts a veritable lifeline, and proudly flies the Norway Post flag on each of their voyages.

The MS Richard With drops anchor at an average of 3 to 5 ports over a 24 hour cycle.  Many of these port calls are for less than an hour.  At the stops that were on the short side (with 15 minutes not being unheard of!), I often took the opportunity to walk around the promenade desk several times (4 complete circuits made 1 kilometer, the ship's friendly tour manager, Anna, told us) to get some exercise as well as views of the village or town the shop had stopped at, and the surrounding often pretty magnificent scenery.  I sometimes also frequented the open sections of the promenade and top decks when the ship was sailing -- but, more often than not, strong, bitingly cold winds put me off doing this!

 

Usually, there's at least one stop a day that's longer than one hour.  Almost invariably, I'd leave the ship to explore the town (or village) and surrounding area.  (Rest assured that I'll write about and share photos of specific towns and such in posts to follow.)  On three occasions, I availed myself of excursions offered by Hurtigruten that allowed me to venture further inland and afield.  Each and every time, I got something out of temporarily leaving the ship for a time -- this even when I ended up walking about in rainy, windy, surprisingly-cold-for-June (i.e., 6 degrees Celsius) weather conditions!

At one port where a more conventional -- and much larger -- cruise ship than the 11,205 ton MS Richard With (with its maximum 623 passenger capacity and total of not more than 450 passengers on the cruise my mother and I were on) had also docked, I got a taste of what it would have been like to have been together with far more people -- and thanked my lucky stars that we had opted for a small boat cruise. This on top of the knowledge that Hurtigruten's smaller boats can sail into many fjords (including the famous Trollfjord whose mouth is only 100 meters wide) and narrow sea passages that the larger cruise ships cannot.

Something else that I really like about the Hurtigruten ships are that they have an informal dress code, always.  Put another way: There are no formal dinner occasions on this cruise where people are required to dress up. Neither do the ships have casinos, live entertainment shows and the kind of things that those who go for conventional cruises consider attractions but both my mother and I had considered unnecessary distractions at best and elements that would put us off going on cruises at worst!

 

Basically, what we both had wanted -- and found on the MS Richard With -- were grand views of land along with water and sky; and we got that in spades courtesy of the ship almost never sailing out of sight of land, it being the midnight sun for the majority of the time that we were on the cruise, and there being loads of places on the boat from which we good get good views while seated as well as standing.  

 

Some people might think this state of affairs boring.  Worried that I might get bored at some point during the 12 days, I took three novels on board but ended up finishing only one of them!  Oh, and I didn't check my emails even once -- and probably was online catching up on the news and such for an average of just 10 minutes a day (and this even though the internet could be on the slow side, especially when we were sailing far from any big -- by Norwegian standards -- town or city)!

 

Something else that added considerably to the cruise experience and occupied quite a bit of our time were the chats we had with fellow passengers; and this even though 75 percent of the ship's passengers were Germans, many of them elderly and unable to speak English. For even so, we managed to communicate with some of them -- including on one uproarious occasion when much of the conversation between four elderly German ladies, their middle-aged friend, my mother and I ended up involving our shouting names of famous German footballers (with my mother chipping in with "Franz Beckenbauer" to the delight of the Deutsch crowd)!  

 

As for those who could speak English: in addition to a sprinkling of younger Germans, my mother and I also befriended people from Belgium, South Africa, the UK, the USA, Canada, Japan, Norway, etc.  And truly, I have to say that our fellow passengers on board the MS Richard With -- and also its friendly crew (composed entirely of Norwegians and Swedes, it seemed) -- did contribute quite a bit to making this cruise experience as thoroughly enjoyable as it was. :)