Chill out

Only in Hong Kong

These Teenagers were found to have nothing wrong with them-they were just cold(or wanted to ride in a helicopter)!
From RTHK
Nine schoolboys taking part in an Outward Bound course in Saikung have been airlifted to hospital, after being overcome by the cold. This came as Hong Kong experienced its coldest day of the winter, with the mercury plunging to -2 degrees Celsius on Tai Mo Shan, where ice and frost were reported. The temperature in parts of the New Territories fell to 6 degrees, while the average temperature in urban areas ranged from 7-9 degrees. The cold weather warning is in force.

Police said the teenagers were among a group of students hiking in the hills above Saikung when they became ill. They called for help, and were airlifted by helicopter to hospital. Two were admitted for treatment, while the others were sent home.

The Outward Bound organisation said the teenagers had been asked to pack up and move to a store in the village. It said three of the students were found to be shivering and cold, but responsive.

It said on arrival at hospital the core temperature of the boys was found to be normal suggesting that they were not suffering from hypothermia.

The Island (which is called Lantau)

http://williamsons-world.blogspot.com/2010/10/island-which-is-called-lantau.html

From what I understand, Lantau is the largest of the islands in Hong Kong, (bar Kowloon which is on the island of Asia - somewhat larger. At least three times as big.) and provides the one thing you cannot get on Hong Kong Island: space.

On Saturday we tootled off to the pier to catch a ferry to Lantau (all of R30 to get there) which is about a half an hour journey. As we were both suffering immense hangovers, it became a 30-minute exercise in not hurling as we bounced from wave to wave caused by the multitude of boats traversing around Hong Kong harbour.......(click on link above for full post)

More roads for Lantau?

Major tourist attractions call for better roads.
Source-http://bit.ly/aDXirY




Lantau draws urge tourist roads

Natalie Wong

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Three major attractions on Lantau - AsiaWorld- Expo, Ngong Ping 360 and Hong Kong Disneyland - have called for an upgrade of the island's road system to improve its standing as a tourist destination.

Li Yun-tai, managing director of Ngong Ping 360, said at the Lantau Tourism Forum yesterday that more than 10 major attraction sites on Lantau are accessible by public transport within an hour of Tung Chung.

"However, it takes much longer for tour buses to travel directly between tourist sites because a number of major pathways on Lantau are private roads restricted to residents," he said.

James Tien Pei-chun, chairman of the Tourism Board, said one in four travelers to Hong Kong visit Lantau Island, double the number in 2005.

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"Lantau is gifted with spectacular scenery and a rich cultural heritage, as well as world-class trade show facilities. We should foster closer partnerships for the sustainable tourism growth of the city's biggest island," he said.

Ngong Ping 360, Noah's Ark and Hong Kong Disneyland have launched a joint-attraction ticket offer for the first time in which visitors to any one place receive a 10 percent discount when purchasing one-day admission tickets for any of the other two attractions during November.

Michael Wu Siu-ying, chairman of the Travel Industry Council, said he hopes tourism on Lantau will be further boosted after construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which is due for completion in 2015.

Chau Chuen-heung, a local resident and 10-year district councillor on Lantau, said she supports measures to boost tourism on the island because it would create more job opportunities for residents who cannot afford high transport fees for commuting to work in urban areas.

In 2004, a concept plan for Lantau was drawn up by Financial Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen to provide an overall planning framework for the island's future development. New attractions including a boutique heritage hotel in Tai O, windsurfing facilities in Mui Wo and mountain bike tracks will be built on Lantau in the next two years.

Meanwhile, Tien said 27 million people visited Hong Kong as of October 10, up 23 percent over last year. Tourists stay in the territory for 3.4 days on average and Tien expects a 20 percent increase in the annual number of visitors by year-end.

Growing

My youngest son Jack, is 7 years old this week.He is still our baby, and always will be, but at 7 he is now a young boy, albeit a small one. Joseph will be 10 years old in the coming year, time is slipping away, so I thought it was time to take a look back.

Leaving Hong Kong behind in Tai O

Full Article-http://bit.ly/bL4xdB by Tiffany Lam

The stilt-house community of Tai O on Lantau Island is known as the Venice of the Orient, but let’s be honest. It’s nothing like the opulent Italian city.

Tai O, once Hong Kong’s biggest fishing community, was ravaged by fires, floods and typhoons in recent years, and it shows.

The community’s derelict pang uk (Cantonese for stilt-houses) look like they were built with whatever villagers could scavenge -- broomsticks, Styrofoam boxes, bits of nylon netting. Houses some distance away from the main street have broken windows. Barefooted grannies play majong on balconies overlooking the canal, their front doors flung wide open.

For some, this is Tai O’s charm. It is the antithesis of the city landscape and is a throwback to Hong Kong’s past as a simple fishing village.

Read more: Leaving Hong Kong behind in Tai O | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/life/tai-o-800151#ixzz11ZjBDku5

Mui Wo: an island getaway in Hong Kong

Full article-http://bit.ly/aXSMQ6

That was my last week in Hong Kong; I decided to do something different. Rather than climbing up to the Big Buddha, exploring the Stanley Market or indulging myself in the grand shopping malls, I escaped to Mui Wo, a little town on Lantau Island.

The ferry ride to Mui Wo is just as relaxing as the island itself.....

Soybean man on CNN

From CNN. Follow the link for full story and pics.
http://bit.ly/dBQYGJ

Mok Kau Moon came to Hong Kong from Dongguang nearly 60 years ago, dreaming of a better life. He settled in the island village of Mui Wo where he eventually began to farm his own soybeans to make tofu to sell for a modest income. Today, Mok still makes fresh tofu each morning to sell as the sweet Cantonese dessert known as doufu fa. Each morning he picks soybeans from his small backyard farm. Mok insists on cooking over a wood fire and making his own ginger syrup, not just for the authentic flavors produced, but also for economical reasons.

A mouthful of Mok's silken, nutty doufu fa is a taste of the fat of Mui Wo's land. This is the story of a locavore born out of neccessity; an accidental advocate of local eating.

Read more: In pictures: Mui Wo's tofu man takes us from farm to spoon | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/tofu-man-140691#ixzz10iTA2zD9

On the bus today....

香港旅游巴士疑似自燃 50名乘客紧急疏散(图)

香港大屿山发生惊险火烧旅游巴士意外。图片来源：香港明报

中新网9月20日电 据香港明报报道，香港大屿山19日下午发生惊险火烧旅游巴士意外。一辆载有50名本地团友的旅游巴，沿路上山落斜，途经塘福与石壁水塘之间的水口村附近，疑机件过热冒烟。男司机许×荣(47岁)立即将车停在路边，并疏散车内乘客再报警。

　　消防到场前旅游巴车尾已起火焚烧，消防员驰至，迅即开喉将火救熄，惟旅游巴车尾部分，约三分之一车厢严重焚毁，烧剩车架。现场消息称，该本地团接待居民到大澳旅游，幸旅游巴起火时，团友已下车并到达安全位置，他们事后乘坐其它车辆继续行程，意外中无人受伤。

Chinese to English translation

Hong Kong's Lantau Island adventure tour bus fire accident. Source: Ming Pao

BEIJING, Sept. 20 Xinhua, according to Ming Pao, a Hong Kong Lantau Island fire 19 in the afternoon of adventure tour bus accident. A set of 50 local groups Friends of the coaches, along the road down the mountain slope, passing between Tong Fuk and the outlet village, Shek Pik Reservoir near the suspect parts hot smoke. Rong Xu × male drivers (47 years) to immediately pull over, and the evacuation of passengers in the car and then alarm.


Rear of the fire scene before the coach has been on fire burning, firefighters Chizhi, immediately opened fire hose to put out, but the rear part of the coach, about one third of the car was severely damaged, burnt frame. Sources at the scene said the local group to Tai O residents received Fortunately, the coach caught fire, the group Friends had got off and arrived safe location, they subsequently take other vehicles continue their journey No one is injured.

Stampede in Mui Wo

http://lantaulink.com/?p=1548

Can you help?

Appeal for information on missing man in Lantau (with photo)
************************************************************

Police today (September 20) appealed to the public for information on a man missing in Lantau.

Terry Ridgley, aged 45, who lives at Tai Tei Tong in Mui Wo, went missing after being reached by his family by phone on May 8. His younger brother made a report to the Police on July 22.

He is about 1.83 metres tall and 86 kg in weight. He is of medium build with white complexion, a long and pointed face with short straight black hair.

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or who may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of New Territories South on 3661 1172-6 or any police station.

Police Report No. 11
Issued by PPRB

Ends/Monday, September 20, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:53

NNNN

Impressions of the Buddha

Impressions of the Tiantan Buddha Statue, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

by Anita Revel on Saturday, 18 September 2010 at 08:36

Looking at our feet, watching the asphalt drop away from under us, the murky river below, a lone fisherman on his boat under a rainbow umbrella, lush jungle, a patch of ferns, a smattering of shacks huddled under a mountain, soaring over a rough path and crystal clear waterfalls, up and over the first peak, the second, too scared to move from my seat in case I fall through the glass-bottomed cabin, and suddenly, there he is. Buddha. On the horizon, backlit by an azure blue sky - unusual for Hong Kong, I'm told. Stepping out of the cable car with some relief to be back on terra firma, braving the exit via the souvenir shop, head down through the tourist zone, onwards towards my main man.

There he is, above me, all 22m of him, bronzed and shining, calming and awesome at the same time. Only a couple of hundred steps to climb, or so it seems. Puff puff, pause, wipe the sweat from my brow, rally my strength, and just one more flight of 16 steps. Puff puff. Finally, we are there, taking respite in the shadow of our Buddha, walking around the base on wobbly knees, still wiping the sweat from my face, taking in the views, loving the calm between each of my puff puff breaths, feeling myself smile in the face of such divine love and brilliance. Ommmmmmm.

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South Lantau Buffaloes

South Lantau Buffaloes
Wednesday, September 15, 2010

In just under a month, mini rugby kicks off again in South Lantau! We have two new age groups ~ Under 9 and Under 10 ~ and continuing groups for Under 6, Under 7 and Under 8. And, we have a brand new South Lantau Buffaloes kit for Season 2 which will be available for collection this Saturday, 18 September as follows:
9:30am - 11:00am @ Caffe Paradiso in Mui Wo and 3:30pm - 5:00pm @ The Gallery in Tong Fuk

We are thrilled that Caffe Paradiso and The Gallery are continuing their valued sponsorship and will be open to serve refreshments on Saturday as you register your membership and collect the kit for your child.

If you have not yet registered for Season 2, please come along and do so at these times. Membership costs just $50 for a required parent and $300 for each child.

Please share this message with friends and neighbours who have children aged between 4 and 10 who would like to be involved in the growing popularity of mini rugby on South Lantau.
Posted by Katie Norman at 5:08 PM

Aliens invade Lantau

Space Aliens or Streetlights? UFOs Reported in Hong Kong Lightning Storm

Lee Speigel Contributor

AOL News

(Sept. 10) -- Were they UFOs or ordinary street lamps? That's the question being raised after Wednesday night's spectacular, record-breaking lightning storm over Hong Kong.

Just within the first hour after midnight on Thursday, the Hong Kong Observatory recorded 13,102 lightning strikes around Hong Kong.

According to Radio Television Hong Kong, or RTHK, the observatory received many calls from people claiming to see UFOs during the fierce storm near the Tai Lam Tunnel and in the Wanchai and Happy Valley districts of the city.

The observatory said the UFO reports were most likely street lamps. Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the Hong Kong UFO Club, Moon Fong, confirmed that UFO sightings were reported on their website.
The Observatory assumed the UFOs were misidentified street lamps, according to an observatory scientific officer, W.C. Woo.

Whether they were street lights or not, it's not the first time UFOs have been reported or even photographed during intense storms. Maybe they need a free burst of electrical energy provided by the lightning bolts.

Or maybe they're just street lamps.

http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/hong-kong-lightning-storm-ufos-probably-street-lamps/19628456

Rehab

Rehab school renews push for Mui Wo The principal of Christian Zheng Sheng College has renewed his call for the government to speed up the school's relocation to Mui Wo. Friday, September 03, 2010 The principal of Christian Zheng Sheng College has renewed his call for the government to speed up the school's relocation to Mui Wo. Alman Chan Siu-cheuk said there is great demand for the drug rehabilitation school, with at least 20 inquiries from parents each week. Several employers have also offered jobs to graduates. However, the relocation is being opposed by Mui Wo residents and the Education Bureau has been sitting on the school's application to join the 3-3-4 secondary education stream. "The government says it has been bargaining with Mui Wo residents but still needs more time," Chan said. In addition, he said plans to temporarily expand the current site are still being put on hold. A spokesman from the Narcotics Division of the Security Bureau said it has been actively exchanging views on temporary improvement measures, long-term reprovisioning arrangements and other related matters with the Christian Zheng Sheng Association. "We have all along supported the proposal in principle, which isin line with the government's anti-drug policy," the spokesman said. "The Legislative Council education panel is following up the matter. The administration will respond to members' suggestions and provide a progress report later this month," the spokesman said. An Education Bureau spokeswoman said the Education Ordinance would be strictly followed when processing the application to join the secondary stream. SERINAH HO

Insane school argument

Above-some pics of Pui-O beach



School faces stiff fine for noise at recess after neighbours complain

Expatriate children at an international primary school in Pui O on Lantau Island are in no doubt about what the locals think of their school. NO NOISY SCHOOL 30-centimetre-high letters scream on a six-metre banner strapped to a roadside railing. Local villagers who erected the banner have complained to the Environmental Protection Department about the noise made by the 70 pupils, aged seven to 11, during recess at Lantau International School. And it could force the school to shut down. The department has issued it with a noise abatement notice, failure to comply with which could cost the school a HK$200,000 fine plus HK$20,000 for every day the order is disregarded. The school has lodged an appeal, which will be heard on Monday. The EPD found the level of noise from the school to be above the permitted 60 decibels. Staff of the school who also measured the noise said it varied between 62 and 65 decibels, slightly over the limit. Principal Serge Berthier and senior teacher Tom Vujnovac say it will be very difficult to pay the fines if the appeal fails. Plus we have to pay heavy legal fees for representation at the appeal, Vujnovac said. And it is not just the noise that is upsetting villagers in the beach resort town just a few kilometres from Mui Wo, the scene of another row with villagers over a school. Pui O residents say they do not see the need for an expensive school with an expatriate teaching staff and a body of mainly expatriate pupils in their small village, where there is already a free public school. Eddie Tam and his wife, Jenny, who live next to the international school - which occupies three village houses in a residential area - said its facilities were inadequate. This school is charging fees close to that of private schools where children have much better facilities, they said. Fees are HK$5,450 a month, and tuition is in English and follows the Basic English Curriculum. Vujnovac said most Pui O residents welcomed the school, but the Tams did not agree with him. Eddie Tam said that when they objected to planning permission he collected 250 signatures of people who lived in Pui O and did not want the school. Police estimate the population of Pui O to be about 1,000. No data is available on how many of these are expatriates. Berthier said the EPD was discriminating against expatriates. There are locally owned holiday homes in Pui O that are very noisy, often through the night. Yet these are never served with such notices, he said. Vujnovac said Pui O public school staff used hand-held loudhailers and roof-mounted loudspeakers to address the pupils, yet they had never received a noise abatement notice. Tam and his wife lead the objectors, but they said three village heads were backing them. He did not deny that the teaching staff were qualified but said the children have no playground; there is less than a metre of ground they can use for leisure breaks. He added that down the road is a public school with plenty of space and a large playground, and also with fully qualified staff. Expatriates are misguided if they think their children cannot be educated in Cantonese. The EPD said that noise complaints had been received about the school since late 2007. Noise measurements taken of the school at a complainant's premises confirmed that the statutory noise limit was being exceeded.

. South China Morning Post

Some Views;

SteveG

There is more to it than this. The acerbic head of the school reneged on some promises he made to the local community and they have not forgotten this.

If he actually tried to engage people instead of just being nasty he may find he actually makes progress.

Unfortunately you can't teach an old dog new tricks and will continue to be at loggerheads with the local community - including the school children's parents - for the foreseeable future.

Real shame as it is the excellent teaching staff that bear the brunt of this and they deserve better.

6th June 2010, 12:10 AM

ho loy

Agree with SteveG.

Unique school

A primary school like no other in Hong Kong

From biglychee.com

http://biglychee.com/blog/2010/03/17/a-primary-school-like-no-other-in-hong-kong/

That’s the claim made by Lantau International School, not least because of its unique location: scenic south Lantau. The lower school is in Tong Fuk, and the upper in Pui O – both villages with beaches, no less. How’s this for a school photo?

Click on the picture to hear kids playing at 62dB, courtesy of Amadou & Mariam!

LIS now has another distinction. It seems it has become the first school in the whole of Hong Kong to be served with a noise abatement notice by the Environmental Protection Department on account of the sound of its kids.

This happened soon after the growing school finally opened new premises in a renovated, derelict hotel at Pui O last month. That project – you can see this coming a mile off – faced peevish opposition on the part of certain sons of the local soil.* EPD inspectors turned up and positioned their microphone right outside. Apparently, they waited for some time before recording any noise, but sure enough, lunchtime came around, the children came out and the valiant EPD officials registered 62 decibels.

Which surely makes LIS students the quietest kids in the Big Lychee. However, the EPD take their job seriously – why else do you think Hong Kong is such a calm, almost silent place? – and slapped the school with the abatement notice for exceeding the 60dB limit in ‘village type development’.........continued (follow the link)

http://biglychee.com/blog/2010/03/17/a-primary-school-like-no-other-in-hong-kong/

Lantau School

From 'Biglychee.com'

http://biglychee.com/blog/2010/08/19/a-primary-school-like-no-other-in-hong-kong-part-2/

A primary school like no other in Hong Kong, part 2

The persecution of Lantau International School at the hands of murky ‘rural interests’ and the Environmental Protection Department continues, with the Noise Control Appeal Board confirming the validity of a noise reduction order. When outside during playtime, the kids create a noise level of 62dB, which, in plain English, could be worse. But it’s 2dB above the limit for the area, known for its graveyard-like silence and its local residents’ extreme aural hypersensitivity. So LIS has to find a way to cut the din.

The South China Morning Post reports the matter as one of a villager called Jenny Tam driven to torment by children laughing and playing music (as, in all frankness, I would be). An alternative story is one of apparent collusion between the EPD and the local village leadership who seem to have it in for the racially mixed institution; another school in the neighbourhood, full of all-Chinese students, can carry on as usual.......continued (follow link)

Tour De Mui Wo

Tour De Mui Wo

Dengue

Dengue fever warning issued

16-08-2010

The government has issued a warning against dengue fever. It says the latest figures show that there's been a rise in the monthly average ovitrap index from 11 percent in June to 13 percent in July. The ovitrap indices reflect the prevalence of Aedes albo-pictus, a mosquito vector for dengue fever transmission. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has urged the public to step up anti-mosquito measures and stay alert as the current rainy season is most favourable for mosquito breeding. It said the inter-departmental anti-mosquito response mechanism has been activated in six districts which recorded readings at or above the alert rate of 20 percent. They are Diamond Hill, Tsim Sha Tsui, Sheung Shui, Tung Chung, Ma On Shan and Pok Fu Lam.

Mui-Wo googled

Click on the map! Zoom in, spin it round, I have marked the must see places,just click on the markers.

View Mui-Wo,Lantau in a larger map
Here are some images of Mui-Wo

Turtles in Mui-Wo

Hong Kong (HKSAR) - The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) released a juvenile green turtle, which was rescued by a local fisherman in Mui Wo in April, in the southern waters of Hong Kong today (August 6). On April 13, the AFCD received a report from a fisherman that a green turtle was accidentally caught in a fishnet in Mui Wo, Lantau.He removed it from the net and temporarily kept it until AFCD staff collected the turtle the next day. The turtle was delivered to Hong Kong Ocean Park for veterinary assessment and was ascertained to be in good condition.Since then, it has been kept at the Hong Kong Wetland Park with constant monitoring and veterinary care.The caretaker fed the turtle with squid, shrimp and vegetables.

After more than three months of rehabilitation, the turtle has grown remarkably.Its weight has increased from 7.8kg to 10.4kg and its carapace length from 40cm to 45cm.Its good shape suggested that it was ready to be returned to sea. Before the turtle embarked on its journey, the AFCD microchipped it for future identification and attached a satellite transmitter to its back.Green turtles are remarkable for their migratory behaviour.By tracing the migratory routes and feeding grounds of green turtles, the AFCD can draw up protection measures and seek co-operation with relevant authorities to better conserve the species. The AFCD is very thankful to the fisherman who rescued the turtle, and urges members of the public to report any sighting or stranding of sea turtles to the department via the 1823 Call Centre to help protect them.

The AFCD will continue to promote public engagement in sea turtle conservation through educational activities and seminars with fishermen. In Hong Kong, all sea turtle species are protected under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) and the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap 586). The green turtle is one of the five species of sea turtles found in Hong Kong waters and so far has been the only species known to breed locally.

It can be found in warm seas all over the world and occasionally is seen in the waters off Sai Kung and the southeastern region of Hong Kong.

Source: HKSAR Government

Aussie Rob

With sadness we have tragically lost a mate this week. Rob will be missed in Mui-Wo by so many people. He was a familiar figure around the island, of course most of the time with QQ, cycling around , taking his early morning swim, or having a few drinks at any one of the many watering holes. Rob would never fail to stop and have a few words as he cycled around, asking about your plans, your weekend, sharing a story , or his latest plans. Rob loved Lantau, and was never that happy travelling over to the big smoke, preferring to do as much work as he could from the peaceful tranquillity of Mui-Wo. Rob had a big heart, which he showed through his patience when listening to the myriad problems of others, and he also opened his home to those in need, when nobody else would dream of doing so. His attempts to help one particular 'stray' was medal worthy.

Everyone who knew Rob knew that his closest friend and constant companion was QQ, I have never known a dog that was loved to such a high degree. We would wind him up that he loved that dog 'too much', but it was water off a ducks back. Rob would just smile and carry on as ever. To see Rob give QQ a wash was to see the embodiment of 'one man and his dog'.

Rob was an honest man willing to share life's ups and downs, and through his experience he was able to give advice to people trying to find their way in this sometimes difficult city. Rob was an intelligent, educated, man who was able to discuss anything from economics, politics, history, and being an Aussie- sport. I was often corrected by his thorough knowledge of football. A recent heated debate over a few beers centred around the complexities of the football transfer market and the comparison with Aussie rules, I had to bow to Rob's use of facts, rather than my own guesswork. Those are the conversations that make a good night, good.
Although we knew about Rob's life here in Hong Kong, we didn't really know much about his family in Oz, and we can only imagine the pain they feel at such a loss at this time, especially for his mother. Rob was taken too early, and that is a huge tragedy. The only consolation we can give them is that we share their pain and we will continue to think of him and who he was, and how he affected us all during the now too short time that we knew him. RIP and God Bless Rob.

Scmp article about Mui-Wo

Here is a link to the article that was published about Mui-wo in the SCMP, but also with an interview from Mark.

http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2010/07/04/growing-pains-in-hong-kongs-backwater/

Move along sir!

2.00am-Silvermine Bay beach
I am not sure how long I had been there to be honest, but there I was. On a covered bench at 2am smoking a fag, I hadn't seen another human being for at least half an hour, I had my beat box next to me blasting out the loudest music possible. In front of me was the sea and the relentless wind. The 2 police men stopped directly in front of me and the second one said' please turn down the music' 'no' I said, and after a short conversation he said ' I don't want to argue with you anymore, I'm going' and off he went.
I have spent a long time since, thinking about this short exchange, and let me make it clear-I really do have the upmost respect for the Hong Kong police, and I am convinced this would never have happened elsewhere.
I was awakened from my reverie by the policeman's request to switch down the music, and it is really impossible to write down with any accuracy the speed and volume of thoughts that went through my head before I decided upon 'no' as an answer.
I am not a fucking fool and immediately I thought 'this is a man with a gun,a truncheon and possibly other things that could seriously hurt me and if he fails there is always his mate as well'.

On the other hand though, I was sat on a beach at least a quarter of a mile from the nearest house which I did tell said policeman after I said no and he told me I was noisy and I told him I was sat on a beach, and he said someone might complain and I told him there was no one within a quarter of a mile. It was at that point that he told me he didn't want to argue and rode away. Could I have gotten away with that anywhere else? No fucking way! Across most of the world the police have some really big mental shit going on, especially in England and the US. I was there tonight, a lone man on a beach, defying 2 coppers, I knew full well that if I was elsewhere they would have dragged me off to jail before I could utter ' bent copper'. The officer i met tonight though, considered my non compliance and thought' well ,he is actually well within his rights, let him be' and went on his way. He doesn't know it, but I am so thankful that there are still policeman as upstanding and honest as him.

Attempted murder and suicide

Hong Kong (HKSAR) - Police are investigating an attempted murder and suicide case in Lantau this morning (May 31) in which a 32-year-old woman died and a four-year-old girl seriously injured. About 10.16am, Police received a report that a 32-year-old woman and her 4-year-old daughter fell from height from a unit of Kui Yat House, Yat Tung Estate, Tung Chung and were found lying on the top of a covered walkway. They were rushed to the Princess Margaret Hospital where the woman was certified dead at 11.19am.¡@¡@ A post-mortem examination will be conducted later to ascertain the cause of the woman's death.

Investigations by the District Crime Squad of Lantau District are underway. Add Police Report No. 1 Issued by PPRB

The Yuppies are taking over the asylum.

I have lived on Lantau-on and off for 17 years, and during that time I have seen many changes. When I first arrived in Lantau it was almost a backpackers/hippy paradise, there were very few foreigners, and those people lived quite happily with the locals, the dark days of the airport soon followed and the huge influx of airport workers clashed terribly with the locals-often violently. The culture clash was deep indeed, taking the bus to Pui-O was a real drag, and the locals began to resent all foreign men under 50. Thankfully those times passed with the completion of the airport and things once again settled down.
For the last 5 years more and more families settled in Lantau, and a lot of us started families of our own. Locals and foreigners now live side by side, and our kids are friends and those cultural differences seem to be much less marked-until now!
Living in an idyllic place such as this word is bound to get out, and more and more affuent foreigners have begun to settle here. This is in itself not a problem, although it has pushed up prices for us riffraff-but that's life.
What is now becoming apparent is another cultural clash, this time not only with the locals, here is an example;
Wang Tong in Mui-Wo, is situated in the swamp behind the beach, and rents there have remained low for many years-and there is a reason for that which I will come to. Recently a few large houses have grown there, which were built by foreigners but the majority of the village has remained the same-cheap housing and holiday flats. A group of people who apparently represent foreigners have recently begun a campaign to change some things in the village.
• Reduce noise in the village by closing holiday flats
• Control the number of dogs loose in the village
• Rehouse a particular person who lives in a house with no roof at the entrance to the village-he is apparently an eyesore.
• Close the toilet bar
Mui-Wo is a seaside town-if you don't want to live next to holiday flats , you should have done your research before moving to Wang Tong! This is important income for Mui-Wo residents and any chance of changing that will seriously piss them off, and that is really not a good idea. I can give you a list of people who can attest to that.
Go to any New Territories village and you will see lots of loose dogs, they are a part of life, and unless they are dangerous are nobody's business.
How someone lives is none of your damn business-if that person wants to change his life he will, who are we to dictate?
Good luck with closing the toilet bar-it never has any noise complaints against it, it is a perfectly legal shop, the same as hundreds dotted around Hong Kong, and once again I certainly wouldn't want to mess with a locally owned shop and then have to walk to Wang Tong every night.
In the end, things are how they are, and that is part of Lantau's charm, and the local people accept us and our differences quite happily, we should do the same-or piss off back to where we came from.

Waste

This is a true story, it is heartbreaking, disturbing and definitely a tragedy. Although I will tell it in the first person, I was not there, and the first person is fictional, as are the thoughts and sentiments of that first person. The reasons I have written in the first person is to try and approximate the sheer horror of that person. If you don't like my language, then fuck you, because as with most people in this world you have blinded yourself to the cold hard fucking facts of life in the real world. And so I will begin;
Hong Kong is a pretty fucking good place to live, and to live in Lantau is the business. I live in Mui-Wo, which is the by far the best place to live on Lantau.All this means shit if you've never been here, but you must at least know that Hong Kong is the most populated place on the planet. Well, us Gweilos (white motherfuckers) who've lived here awhile realised very quickly that we couldn't handle the city and found our way to the beautiful,tropical and quiet outlying islands-Lantau being one . Life is pretty idyllic over here, a little like Cheers but much much bigger. This is not a fuckin tourist blurb though and if you want to know more look on the net. To pay for this life we have to work, and that takes me to the day in question, where I was on the late shift and ready to go home. The office is always high stress, there are over 20 of us there, most of us British. One of the fellas hadn't turned in today, which in itself is not unusual, but nobody had heard fuck all from him for a couple of days now. Only 2 days ago it had been Bill's(made up name) birthday and a few of the lads had had a night over in Wanchai. Nothing unusual had happened, and so far as we knew nothing was amiss. It wasn't the first time that someone's dad/mum/wife had called, shit after a good night we lost people for days, that's Hong kong. Bill's Dad told me hadn't heard from Bill for 3 days, I had worked with Bill for 7 years, so I knew straight away to expect the worst. 7 years Bill was on the desk next to me, we were close. Most of us here have lived the life, but survived and calmed down with wives and kids. Bill had been married, but it didn't last-who knows why? Bill lived in Mui-Wo above the supermarket, close to the ferry, most of my Lantau friends didn't know him though as he kept himself to himself.He was still young , on the right side of 30 and as I've said had worked for our company for years. As I also said earlier, most of us had walked the fuckin walk and done the talk before we settled down, and as afar as we knew so had Bill. Someone always went off the rails at times, but generally nothing a good sleep or a good divorce wouldn't cure-you know what I mean. So back to Bill's dad on the phone; He hadn't heard from him for three days and had been round to his flat a couple of times but had no answer. He could hear the same music being played again and again though. You fuckin know where this is going and so did I at this point, but of course prayed and prayed that he'd left his telly on and was shacked up with some bird somewhere. We had no clue where Bill was, and Bill's dad didn't live on the island so I offered to stop by on my home and call him later. The sense of impending dread built as I took my normal 90 minute journey home, it was 1am by the time I got back.i had never been to Bill's flat but I knew the building and floor, and so I found myself at his door. The music was still playing, and after a while I realised it was on a very short loop, it must be a DVD. Of course there was no answer to my ringing and knocking. Hong kong is a small place and if Bill was still out on the town we would have heard, he wasn't I knew he must be in his flat-nobody leaves their music playing like that. On the way I had called a couple of friends in the police to ask their advice about what I should do and they had been very clear-Don't put in the door, just call the police. I already knew from Bill's father that the music had been playing for a couple of days, and so called the cops.
They arrived very quickly-the island is a small place. They broke down the door. I followed them into the flat.
He was sat there rigid, frozen. On a chair facing the TV. Blood and vomit had congealed on his face. The DVD was some crap Jennifer Lopez film. There were syringes. He was dead.
They moved him and the rigor mortis was obvious, his whole body remained in the same position as they tipped his body.
I don't have the words to describe my feelings, my horror, my shock at that moment. This was my friend, my colleague. How much of our lives had we shared together? I knew he'd had history, but thought that had long gone. He was so straight at work, competent.
This was a young 33 year old, intelligent, good, hardworking man. He still had everything to live for, with so much to come. This man was not a drug addict-he was a fully functioning, highly functioning young healthy man. The anti drug adverts don't do the reality justice. Bill's petrified rigid body would scare the fuck out of anybody.
What a fucking waste!

Junk

This is Graham's junk moored in Silvermine Bay, just arrived from a 5 day sail from the Philippines.

Ferry funny

Ferry runs aground in fog

14-04-2010
A New World First Ferry, with more than 40 passengers and crew onboard, has run aground in fog off Peng Chau Island. No one was injured but water seeped into the vessel. This morning's incident happened as the ferry was sailing from Central to Mui Wo.

The passengers were later transferred to another vessel to continue their journey. A ferry company spokeswoman, Anthea Chow, said poor visibility was suspected to have been behind the accident.

School

Rehab school 'in clear' after probe

12-04-2010
The operators of a drug rehabilitation college on Lantau island say the ICAC has completed its investigations into the body and has found nothing wrong.

The Christian Zheng Sheng Association is now calling on the government to allow the school to move to new premises in Mui Wo - saying that otherwise it may have to close down, because it cannot meet fire and building safety requirements as its current remote location in Chi Ma Wan.

The ICAC has said it won't comment on individual cases. The school's proposed move was held up after its financial accounts were called into question last year. There were also protests from Mui Wo residents, who say they want a vacant school building to house classes for local children.

Toilet Bar

http://toiletbar.blogspot.com/2010/02/happy-tiger-year.html

Lantau slideshows

New Mui Wo-school proposal 大嶼山 南約學校預習報名表

http://www.lantauchat.com/showthread.php?p=2172#post2172

http://www.infodesign.com.hk/sds_e/

Still no information on woman found near Silvermine cave.

大陸/大嶼山半裸女屍身份仍

成謎　剖屍檢驗未知死因

http://www.cdnews.com.tw　2010-02-04 16:52:55

Scroll down for translation

王鵬捷/綜合報導
　
　　據香港《星島日報》報導，香港警方繼續調查大嶼山梅窩發現的女屍案，死者身份仍然成謎。

　　法醫官進行剖屍檢驗後，仍未知她致死原因，需抽取血液及體液進行毒理化驗。

　　女死者年約30至50歲，屍體已嚴重腐爛，相信死去一個月，死者是在上月31日被爬山人士發現倒臥一處荒山草叢內，下身僅穿內褲。
China / Lantau, the half-naked woman's body is still a mystery as an unknown cause of death post-mortem examination
http://www.cdnews.com.tw 2010-02-04 16:52:55
Wang Peng Jie / roundup

According to Hong Kong, "Sing Tao Daily" reported, Mui Wo, Lantau Island, Hong Kong Police continue to investigate the woman's body found in the case, her identity remains a mystery.

Forensic autopsy examination, she was the cause of death is still unknown, the need to take blood and body fluids for toxicological examination.

The deceased was about 30 to 50-year-old body was badly decomposed, I believe died a month, the deceased was in the last month found lying unconscious in a mountain of barren hills and bushes.

Pui o quiz

Quiz Night at JK Club - Friday 19th February
The JK Club Quiz Night resumes on Friday 19th February. Once again, Lantau's favourite trivia expert, Michele Luke, has penned 40 general knowledge questions and picture rounds to stimulate the old grey matter. Min 2/max 4 persons per team. Kick off 9pm.

Grim Silvermine find-latest

scroll down for English translation.

半裸婦伏屍大嶼山山頭 失鼻子胸肌 不排除遭侵犯

【明報專訊】大嶼山 白銀鄉山頭昨早發現一具半裸女屍。消息稱，死者的面褲失去，內褲褪下，上身衣衫不整，胸圍移位，而屍體已嚴重腐爛，鼻及胸口肉塊失去，估計死去約1個月。現場亦無檢獲財物或證件，警方暫未確定死者身分，不排除涉及性侵犯或刑事成分，由於需作進一步調查，案件暫列「屍體發現」處理。

死去逾月 面褲不知所終

警方估計，女死者年約30至50歲，死去超過1個月，探員初部檢查屍體後，證實死者失去鼻子，胸口兩邊的肋骨亦沒有肉塊，發現時面部向天，頭朝山腳方向倒卧。死者雖有穿上衣及風褸，但衣服並不整齊，胸圍移開，內褲褪下，雙腳仍穿上運動鞋，惟面褲卻不知所終，死相離奇。

倒臥行山者便溺地 內褲褪下

警方事後封鎖山頭調查，但並無尋獲任何財物或身分證明文件，有調查人員透露，分析山頭環境後，相信現場無掙扎或糾纏迹象，上址疑為行山人士的「便溺熱門地」，死者可能是往該處小解，惟未能解釋死者為何失去褲子及衣衫不整。

由於案件疑團重重，雖然暫未能確定有否刑事成分，但警方今天將安排警員搜山蒐證，並會進行剖屍檢驗，確定死者曾否被襲擊或性侵犯，並追查其死因以及身分等，案件由大嶼山警區刑事調查隊第2隊跟進。

現場為大嶼山白銀鄉對上約1公里，望渡坳頂峰旁一處叢林，上址離望渡坳的石屎行山徑約50米，長滿高度及腰的植物，鮮有人行經，但沿途有一條疑被人經常踐踏而成的泥路，不排除為行山人士的隱閉便溺處。

未檢證件財物 今登山蒐證

昨早11時許，有行山人士行經上址時，發現有一具人形物體倒卧地上，他懷疑有人暈倒於是報警。警方到場後證實是一具死去多時的女屍，遂即封鎖現場調查，及至傍晚6時許始召黑箱車到場，由仵工將屍體舁送葵涌 公眾殮房等候檢驗。

本港山頭不時發生情節離奇的屍體發現案。去年6月，一名青年行經葵涌葵盛圍高盛臺對下山坡小路時，因手上戒指掉落人迹罕至的山坡，當他爬下尋找時，未料發現一具腐爛至見骨的屍體。警方未能尋獲死者的身分證明文件，而屍體的年齡及性別亦未能分辨，需驗屍鑑定。另外，2008年2月，行山人士在荃灣 城門水塘發現一具無身分證明的女屍淹浸水中，警方調查後亦一度未能確定是否涉刑事成分。




Ming Pao Pak Ngan Heung, Lantau Island mountains Zuozao a half-naked woman whose body was found. According to reports, the deceased's face pants lost, underwear Tunxia, Yishanbuzheng upper body, chest displacement, while the body was badly decomposed, nose and chest Meat Loaf to lose an estimated death of about 1 month. The scene nor the seizure of property or documents, the police yet to determine the identity of the deceased did not exclude those involving sexual assault or a criminal element, due to the need for further investigation, the case behind in "the body was found in" processing.

Dead pants disappeared over the moon's surface

Police estimated that the woman was about 30 to 50 years old, died more than 1 month, officers, after a preliminary inspection body confirmed that the deceased lost his nose, chest and ribs on both sides did not Meat Loaf, was found with his face to heaven, head-foot direction of lying. Although the deceased wearing a T-shirt and jacket, but the clothes are not neat, Bust away, Tunxia underpants, his feet still wear sneakers, but face pants have disappeared, lifeless bizarre.

Lying on those soil in underwear hiking Tunxia

The police blocked the hills after the investigation, but did not find any property or identity documents, there are investigators revealed that analysis of mountain environments, it is believed the site no signs of struggle or struggle, hikers on the site believed to be the "soil hot land", the deceased may be to the Department to urinate, but could not explain why the loss of the deceased and Yishanbuzheng pants.

As the cases of highly suspicious, though could not be established whether there are criminal elements, but the police officers will be arranged today, found mountains of gathering evidence and will conduct an autopsy to determine whether the deceased has been attacked or sexually assaulted, and trace the cause of death as well as the identity of etc. Investigations by District Crime Investigation Team, Lantau Island No. 2 Team.

Pak Ngan Heung-site on Lantau Island on the right about 1 km, Wang Du Pass summit near a jungle, looking away from the site of the concrete crossing Au hiking trails about 50 meters, covered with a high waist of the plant, few people passing through, but along the way There is a suspect had been made often trampled on the dirt, do not rule out for the hikers hidden soil Division.

This property is not seized documents, forensic Mountaineering

Zuozao 11 o'clock, there are hikers passing through the site, we found that there is a humanoid objects lying on the ground, he suspected that someone fainted then. The police arrived at the scene proved to be a dead woman's body for a long time, moved for the blockade site investigation and, until 6 pm before the evening call black-box cars to the scene, working the body physically carried by the Wu Kwai Chung Public Mortuary to send wait for the test.

trouble and strife

http://lantaustrife.blogspot.com/

The Noughties