The Last Hunt

Our boat nudges the pier, then pauses against the one flight of steps, a prow-mounted tyre stopping concrete scraping on wood. We clamber ashore, check we have all our gear, and the boat leaves. With neither sight nor sound of anyone here, we could be as lonesome as castaways. But then, the place is no longer welcoming. Filing off the crumbling pier, we pass a red sign with the words `Danger; Blasting; Keep Out' painted on in white.

We soon halt, to leave rucksacks, tents and food we will not need till later among the trees; to protect against ants, bags with food in are hung from branches.

A laughingthrush shrieks among the undergrowth, its brief outburst only emphasising the deceptive quiet of our corner of Chek Lap Kok. Central, the main business district of Hong Kong, lies only 22 km to the west, but seems as remote as the Moon. We have arrived to spend an afternoon and evening scouring parts of the island for wildlife, especially reptiles and amphibians. Already, wildlife has discovered us: mosquitoes dance around arms and legs, prompting liberal applications of repellent.

Our team is small: leaders James `Skip' Lazell and Numi Goodyear, research assistant Suzanne Ayuazian, volunteers Carol Elliott, Jane Herd and Connie Hastert (all members of Earthwatch, an organisation supporting fieldwork worldwide), and me. Lazell and Goodyear are from the US-based Conservation Agency, which was founded by Lazell. Through the agency, the two pursue their love of investigating, and helping to protect, animals ranging from rodents to flying lizards. Their globe-trotting research has taken them to such far flung places as Hawaii, the Philippines, Australia, Brazil and China.

Hong Kong was originally rated by them as little more than a transit lounge en route to China; but red tape and rising costs in the People's Republic made them reconsider, and they made a first survey in 1987. It was a great success: Lazell describes the territory as a `biological treasure trove', and has since made annual visits, which he plans to continue until at least the handover to China in 1997. Last year, Lazell shifted the focus of the research to cover the areas which would be destroyed by the scheme to build Hong Kong's new airport. Chief among these was Chek Lap Kok, which will be levelled to make way for runways, leaving only a token hill. The demolition work is now underway, and this is the last survey Lazell and Goodyear will make on the island; when they return to Hong Kong next year, it will have been blasted flat.

Bauhinia - Hong Kong emblem

Bauhinia, emblem of Hong Kong, is a tree with beautiful, orchid-like flowers. Enigmatic Beauty  For much of the year, one of the commoner trees in Hong Kong’s city parks and gardens looks rather nondescript. It never grows more than around eight metres high, and there’s little distinctive about it except leaves shaped like camel’s feet – which are hardly the epitome of style. Don’t let this unassuming appearance deceive you: this tree is special in several ways. In late winter, it explodes with the blooms that give rise to its common English name – Hong Kong orchid tree – and which have been adopted as the emblem of Hong Kong.
            Known as Bauhinia blakeana in scientific parlance, the Hong Kong orchid tree is something of an enigma. Rather than being allied to what many of us think of as "real" trees, it’s a legume, which means its close kin include not oaks and sequoias, but the common or garden pea. Then, it could be that every Hong Kong orchid tree alive today is descended from a single tree. And, even though the flower has been Hong Kong’ s emblem since 1965, no one is sure if the tree is a true species, or a hybrid.

Hong Kong's rare dolphin, spoonbill, tree frog, and a dragonfly

There are some parts of the world whose names evoke images of both wildness and teeming cities. Florida, say, conjures visions of swamps with lurking alligators, and the oceanfront and bustling downtown stretches of Miami.
          Hong Kong, by contrast, is typically seen as a metropolis and little else: it’s the place where east meets west, where neon signs overhang crowded streets, and junks drift through a harbour surrounded by concrete jungle. This typecasting is unfortunate, as there is far more to Hong Kong than city – indeed, 40 percent of the land area is designated as country park, and the SAR supports a rich diversity of wildlife, including roughly the same number of reptile and amphibian species as Florida.
          To a fair extent, Hongkongers have themselves to blame for the stereotyping. They’ve been content to market clichés – east meeting west, the sailing junks that are all but extinct in reality. And until very recently, few could have even hazarded a guess at the names of any of the world rarities and unique species found on their own doorsteps. Happily, this situation is changing, with moves underway to promote green Hong Kong, and a growing awareness among local people of the importance of Hong Kong’s wildlife.
          There are even a few stars emerging among local species. Only a few are large enough to be noticed by novices – Hong Kong long ago lost the elephants, tigers, crocodiles and others that once inhabited much of south China – but all are interesting, and deserve to be more widely known. Here is a selection of four of these wild stars.

Hiking in Hong Kong

An overview of hiking in Hong Kong, including a pick of the best trails and areas.

Hong Kong is far more than a modern metropolis; the territory [Special Administrative Region, or SAR] boasts some wonderful countryside, with hills, forests, old villages, waterfalls, and islands. There are many trails, along which you can follow routes that range from gentle strolls to tough hikes.
            You don't need special gear; but, in summer especially, you should take plenty of water and/or sports drink - it can be surprising how much you need to drink (in peak summer, it's best to opt for shorter, gentler routes). There have been a few recent cases of hikers being robbed by illegal immigrants; the incidents have mainly been on Hong Kong Island and in the eastern New Territories, but maybe shouldn't be too off putting, as thousands of people hike each weekend.
            Here's a selection of areas and trails. Elsewhere on the Internet is more information on hiking and country parks in Hong Kong (see links below). I've started with areas near to the city, shifting to some that are more remote, and to some islands.

Lying in the tropics, on migration routes for birds breeding from Japan west to Russia and north China, and boasting a range of habitats including the world-renowned Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve, Hong Kong is an excellent place for birdwatching. Here, you can find global rarities that are tough to see elsewhere, encounter stunning songbirds, watch seabirds blasted inshore by typhoons (yes, typhoons – birdwatchers do far sillier things than just lurk in bushes), and savour waterbirds thronging the mudflats of Mai Po.

In the Dragon's Lair: fung shui and Hong Kong

From the great Kun Lun Shan range of central Asia, mountains push south to the coast, to the South China Sea. In one place, the mountains halt before a tongue of flat land, then dive below the sea, to emerge again as an island, an island the local fung shui men say is a dragon, turned to face its distant ancestor. Here, say the fung shui men, the mix of mountains, plain and sea forms a dragon's lair; a place where the earth's benevolent forces can concentrate. This place is Hong Kong.
Prosperous, quick to catch on to the latest electronic gadgets — be they fax machines or mobile phones — Hong Kong has held fast to ancient, esoteric beliefs which the mainland government has sought to dispel. Prominent among these is fung shui, or Chinese geomancy — professional practitioners can be found through a listing in the Yellow Pages.
            Besides noting the swirl of cosmic forces on a grand scale, the geomancers include more mundane matters in their domain. They advise on location and shapes of buildings, auspicious dates for ceremonies, even arrangements of office furniture, or shapes and positions of beds. All factors which can, they say, affect health, harmony and — most importantly — prosperity.

From piers beside the financial heart of Hong Kong, a stone's throw from roads choked with traffic, and the frenetic stresses seething within the stock exchange, ferries run to four outlying islands. One of the two smallest of these was long the populous [overtaken by Lantau, since advent of the "new" airport].

Tthere are no cars other than a small police car that can just squeeze in a pair of Hong Kong's finest and a couple of miscreants, only motorised trollies, mini ambulances and fire engines — and a couple of their full-sized counterparts, which are limited to waterfront roads. Nor are there high-rises. It's rare to hear the pile drivers so typical of urban Hong Kong; residents in greener areas are more likely to complain about cicadas, belching frogs, and the crazily persistent cuckoos of spring.

As if these differences didn't set it sufficiently apart, the island, Cheung Chau, is downright quirky — what other place do you know where the chief annual festival involves feeding ghosts, then banishing them to the underworld? 

If you're about to land at the new airport and you know little of Hong Kong save the concrete and neon land "where east meets west", you're in for a surprise. Mountains rather than high-rises dominate the view — especially to the south, where you might glimpse a giant Buddha perched on a hilltop. 

The Big Buddha at Ngong Ping is one of the most distinctive landmarks on Hong Kong's largest island, Lantau. Take a train, bus or car from the airport to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island, and you'll quickly cross to Lantau, then follow its old northeast coastline before a suspension bridge plunges you into the city.

There isn't much to see of Lantau along this route bar a characterless looking new town, and hillsides with grass and shrubs. Though beside the highway are [or were] signs you would hardly expect in one of the world's great metropolises, warning drivers to watch out for feral cattle.

Hi! I hear you're visiting Hong Kong, you've been out for the day - doing something dull like shopping, or vastly more satisfying hiking and sightseeing -and now youve energy to spare, and you want to see what the city has to offer at night. It's almost dusk, and Hong Kong's nightlife is just getting underway. But for the time being, the main bars in Lan Kwai Fong, especially, mostly host suits clutching beer in small bottles.

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Far too often, Hong Kong is portrayed as a rather one-dimensional destination for visitors – a “world city” with shopping and dining, a little sightseeing, and more shopping and dining. Okay for a stopover between visiting some truly fascinating parts of Asia, but not somewhere you’d want to spend more than a day or two.

Yet Hong Kong has much to offer. There are beautiful beaches, gentle forest trails, challenging hill walks, South China villages, clusters of islands and islets, diverse wildlife including globally rare birds, corals and the world’s pinkest dolphins. Plus, of course, there’s the city itself – with gleaming skyscrapers, streets festooned with neon signs, neighbourhood markets and, yes, a host of shops, restaurants and bars.

To appreciate some of Hong Kong’s striking contrasts, ride up the Peak Tram, a cable railway that climbs the steep north slope of Hong Kong Island’s highest hill, Victoria Peak, often known simply as the Peak. The tram starts near the main business district, and high-rises seem to lean backwards as it ascends. Soon, there’s lush greenery on either side, and the tram arrives at the upper station, around 400 metres above sea level.

Now Broadband TV is a service from pccw in Hong Kong (and is restricted to Hong Kong). As the name suggests, channels are delivered via broadband Internet connection - if you subscribe, pccw supply a small box to transfer signals to your tv. Strong picture quality and sound: better than quality of terrestrial channels at my place; though also prone to halting during thunderstorms, as my broadband connection then stops n starts.

When I first got Now TV, seemed rather futuristic to receive tv channels this way, and to so readily have big increase in channels choice from terrestrial tv in Hong Kong - especially given I live on Cheung Chau, where don't have cable service. But went to UK at Xmas, and experienced DVR set top box: just connect this to aerial socket, and host of free channels available; could record them on hard drive too - even "pausing" tv shows so could stop watching, then return to hit play and see the programme continue as if it had been recorded throughout. Very cool. (Technology of Broadband TV may improve with advent of HD in Hong Kong; but must wonder re programming.)

After this experience, Now Broadband tv seems a tad outmoded, chiefly as don't have recording function: Slightly Dated Broadband TV might be better moniker.

Appropriate, perhaps, as tend to get programmes shown months or years after they were first aired in US/UK - which doesn't stop announcers excitedly referring to "All-new" episodes, never mind if they've been aired months ago in Hong Kong (even a year and more ago overseas). Among the more extreme examples: Star TV airing the "all new" episodes of first season of Prison Break - with guys in jail, closely followed by TVP Pearl showing season two, with guys on the lam.

Now Broadband TV English channels

Children's

CBeebies

The BBC's kids' channel is strong, with shows for young children such as Teletubbies, Bill and Ben (yay! - Hello Little Weed!, tho not the same as when I was a kid), Big Cook, Little Cook ("We've got the campest kitchen in town!"). Not too long between repeats, though, with rather limited selection of shows.

As I write in mid-Jan 08, CBeebies here odd as between shows, has something re getting ready for Xmas - either Cbeebies likes to be way ahead of the curve, or someone's asleep in the control room.

[I haven't seen Baby TV; even the ads make me feel a bit bilious; and my lad's just that bit old for it. I never really thought too highly of things like Baby Einstein, anyway.]

TV Comedies/Dramas

AXN

Seems to be action-oriented, inc shows with guys fighting or pretending to fight (wrestling type stuff), cars zooming about, people doing barmy things in Fear Factor.

Some good series though - such as CSI (all three of em), Kidnapped, The Shield, House, Damages. Also shows the Amazing Race; and the feebler Amazing Race Asia.

BBC Entertainment

Was called BBC Prime - though I rather figured BBC Past Its Prime might be better, as almost no new shows, and plenty from the past; despite the name change, this remains the case. Prone to abundant repeats: if you haven't seen Absolutely Fabulous, Red Dwarf by now, watch BBC Entertainment for a while, and you'll likely soon find them.Though at least the early evenings are no longer so dominated by shows re food and gardening - can't see many Hong Kong families have space for water features!
Catherine Tate among best comedies around at the moment; Little Britain ruder and more repetitive (I've mostly only seen on dvd; dunno how much of references to "fisting" etc makes it on air here). Also some good dramas, such as Waking the Dead, Spooks, Murder Prevention.

Doctor Who reached BBC Entertainment a couple of years or so late, after I'd seen on dvd, and it had been shown on terrestrial, ATV World channel (not known for being too hot with material). Might we later get the spin-off Torchwood (now also on ATV)? Once enough cobwebs have covered the originals in the UK, perhaps.

Oddly, in early 2008, during several shows there's tendency to have blurring over even a hint of female cleavage: whether in young teenage girls, young women, or even middle-aged women. I wondered if the shows involved had been readied for markets such as in the Middle East, but have learned since the cleavage censors are in Singapore, where maybe govt wishes people reproduced by asexual budding.

Star TV

Though Asian origin, airs mainly US shows, typically from series with episodes lasting half an hour or an hour (including adverts). Some pap, of course - I'm glad Fashion House has finished, for time being, but also good selection of watchable and strong shows, with comedies such as Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives (latter more my wife's cup of tea). Also runs American Idol, and the excellent Heroes. 

It's here that I really notice fondness for announcing "all-new episodes" of series - even if these episodes aired aeons ago in US, where might be whole new season underway or finished by now.

Hallmark

With this name, and logo suggesting there is strong link to greetings card company, I figured this would be mainly for soppy movies n dramas. But has a little crunchy drama, too - like Wire in the Blood. Sometimes from Britain, which is good given mostly US origin for Star World etc, and BBC Entertainment's often threadbare schedules. It's also a movie channel - perhaps primarily so, tho to me the tv dramas more interesting so far. 

Plus, gotta love a channel that shows a series called Doc Martin.

Downside, lately: seems to get becalmed at times, showing movies and promotions for them umpteen times. Dunno how often I've flicked over, seen actors puffing merits of Gulliver's Travels or Merlin: when I did so, flicked right away again.

Movie Channels

HBO, HBO Hits, HBO Family, HBO Signature and Cinemax

A set of channels from Home Box Office. Tend to show uninspiring selection of movies - box office successes, perhaps, but rarely real interesting films, and little that's quirky (Being John Malkovich type, say). Instead, you're liable to find someone like Bruce Willis running around shooting guns, or some boys from da hood up to no good, fast cars racing around, and so on. (Yeah, get rather softer stuff on HBO Family, tho even here I've seen odd choices for kids. HBO Signature is supposedly for adults, but nothing too titillating when I've bothered checking, albeit during Rome got to see flashes of nudity, and maybe more blatant blood spilling.)

BUT - yes, big but - the HBO dramas are indeed often quirky, and can be superb. The Sopranos has to be king of these series, but also Deadwood, Carnivale, Six Feet Under (now finished), Rome (one season only, as yet). All on HBO/HBO Signature. As with the beeb, may have to wait - and even wait a long time - before these make it here from the US. Rome perhaps made it quite fast, but last season of Sopranos taking yonks. 

I've emailed to ask if they'll show another HBO series, The Wire - having read it's superb, but no reply: tho I've lately seen first two series on DVD, and indeed cracking, tho maybe there are concerns re language centred on F-word, plus pacing as takes time for stories to unfold.
Cinemax has also shown a tv series: the excellent Battlestar Galactica.

Star Movies

Another movie channel. Movies much as on HBO channels.

Documentaries

Discovery; Animal Planet; Discovery Science; Discovery Real Time; Home and Health; Travel and Living

A suite of channels from Discovery.

As you'd guess, Discovery is the prime channel, with a variety of documentaries.

Animal Planet also strong - mostly nature documentaries, a few covering captive animals (such as following US teams who're like animal cruelty cops).

Discovery Science a disappointment to me. I love science, yet find very few shows here that interest me. Seems a fair few are technology rather than science, maybe looking at planes or whatever. Annoying clips between programmes, in black and white with style echoing 50s tv and minimal info about advent of Internet or painkillers (which, ho ho, can help stop a guy's wife's headache so they can get it on together).

Discovery Real Time is for guys. But as I'm not into cars or fishing, I don't watch it. (C'mon, can't you think of other things guys are interested in - you need clues or something?)

Home and Health seems more a women's channel. Getting along with spouses, giving birth, raising babies, fashion tips and so on.

Travel and Living can have some good shows - inc travel with Ian Wright (much better being a daft lad, eating sheeps' eyes and the like, than hobnobbing with rich folk), cooking with goddess Nigella.

National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, A1

Three channels from National Geographic.

Rather as with Discovery, the main channel - National Geographic - seems to have the key documentaries, covering wide range.

National Geographic Wild is indeed about wildlife, and people involved in wildlife and conservation. Like Discovery docs, strong emphasis on guys running about catching deadly snakes and the like.

Nat Geo Adventure is focused on adventure travel. At times look more amateurish than documentaries on main channel, but are people going to limits - running across deserts, climbing vast remote cliffs.

BBC: BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle

Two relatively new channels from the BBC.

As you'd guess, Knowledge mainly includes documentaries. Though also some reality shows; and generally not hard-hitting, insightful documentaries. Top Gear shown, too: more entertainment than documentary.

Lifestyle has programmes as you may guess, inc on how to look younger, dress better...

Sport

ESPN Star Sports Cricket Live

Because the Broadband channel I have includes ESPN and Star Sports, I was entitled to discount on the cricket channel. Took a while deciding, but eventually went for it late last year.

Oh dear. I'm an England fan, so watching cricket on this channel has often proven painful.

The channel is primarily aimed at India - so get adverts for India. Commentary ok: I think as per Sky TV in UK. But pricey, esp given that simply carries feeds from elsewhere, with repetitive music and uninformative text between this.

In autumn 2007, seemed to abandon being "live" channel, instead running repeats of matches played a few months earlier - and ignoring international matches being played in Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. I emailed Now TV, suggesting better to rename it ESPN Star Sports Cricket Sometimes Live But Often Repeats. Been some return to more live cricket - but none of England vs Sri Lanka (maybe best for me, given the drubbing England received!); nor England vs New Zealand.

Captain Mike Ellis eased the Sikorsky Blackhawk in towards the beleagured Garley Building. Ahead of him, in what seemed to be the last corner of the roof untouched by fire, stood a group of four men. Behind them, the interior of an illegal structure was a hell like inferno of flame. The rest of the roof was lost in dense black smoke.

A mysterious illness was striking the medical staff down one by one. How could they fight back?

The host of celebrities who have stayed at Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotel include Noel Coward, the quintessential British wit who penned the song “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”.

Not exactly a birding jaunt, this is an article I wrote for Discovery in spring 1997

Originally from Yorkshire, UK, and based in Hong Kong since 1987, I'm a writer and photographer, also nature tour leader and ecological consultant, with a strong interest in wildlife and conservation issues including global warming.

Writing and photography for books and magazines

I've written numerous articles for magazines including BBC Wildlife, National Wildlife and Reader's Digest, and written and contributed to books including Hong Kong Pathfinder: 23 day-walks in Hong Kong. (You can find various articles and photos, plus info on Pathfinder, on this site.)

I contributed to 1001 Natural Wonders: You Must See Before You Die [Amazon UK; for Amazon US: 1001 Natural Wonders : Places You Must See in Your Lifetime], and was a major author of Central Ridge and West (covers HK country parks from Ma On Shan west to Tai Lam, published by Friends of the Country Parks, 2006). Also main writer of a Hong Kong Tourism Board booklet, Discover Hong Kong Nature, published in late 2006; several of the photos are mine, and I gave advice during production.

Hong Kong’s highest mountain, Tai Mo Shan, dominates the landscape north of Kowloon.  On clear days, you can see the hulking cone of its upper reaches from way across the harbour, looming over a range of lower hills to form a splendid backdrop to the city.

Seen up close, the mountain seems austere. The slopes are covered in hardy grass, and dotted with huge boulders; there seem to be few attractions save wild upland walks. This appearance is deceptive: Tai Mo Shan has plenty to offer, including one of Hong Kong’s finest places.