Faces On Friday - Hong Kong - Kowloon - Jade Market - Saleswoman

Jade Market - Kowloon - Hong Kong

The Jade Market in Hong Kong is always worth a visit. There are so many traders there that it can be very difficult to decide where, if you are going to purchase some jade, you should do so. My advice is avoid the pushy salespeople that do nothing except pester you and choose someone to buy from that you feel comfortable dealing with. I purchased from this lovely lady who was very friendly and helpful but not in a pushy way.

Jade has a very special meaning to the Chinese, it is considered a sacred stone that symbolizes purity and morality and stands for beauty and grace.

More Information about the Jade Market can be found by visiting the following links.

Jade Market - Hong Kong Traveller           Best of All Its In Hong Kong - Jade Market

Faces On Friday - Hong Kong - Schoolgirls

In China again for Faces on Friday but in Hong Kong, where the children wear very formal uniforms. These young girls were very happy to model for me!

Faces On Friday - Hong Kong - Sunshade

   I love this lady's choice of traditional Chinese sunshade to protect her from the intense Hong Kong sun.

Faces On Friday - School Girls - Hong Kong

                                                                               

School Girls in Hong Kong

Can you imagine young ladies in the UK of this age going to school dressed in what seems to be a very old fashioned style of uniform.

Faces on Friday - Bride and Groom - The Peak - Hong Kong

Those of you that have been been following my Photography Blog for sometime may recall having seen photos of Pre Wedding Photo Sessions before. These are normal practice in Hong Kong and the photos are displayed for guests to purchase.
During my last visit I saw quite a few of these photo shoots and of course I took some photos with my Faces on Friday posts in mind.

Faces On Friday - Scooter Fun - The Peak -Hong Kong

                                 Explaining the serious business of using a scooter.

Previously published on Friday August 21st on my photography blog in error, as I had forgotten I had moved this series to Travel Tales!

Will be posting a second Faces On Friday later today just on Travel Tales. 

Faces on Friday - Bubbles - Hong Kong

This little girl I photographed in Hong Kong was enjoying blowing her bubbles. She obviously considered it a very serious business, as she was concentrating very hard.

Please note this post originally appeared on LindyLouMac's World in Photos but I am in the process of moving some posts to Travel Tales as I plan to change direction on the photography blog.

World at Work 5 - Dried Seafood Market - Western District - Hong Kong

A few minutes tram ride  from Central Hong Kong, in the Western District the dried seafood traders are to be found. In my photos are all sorts of dried sea foods, some recognisable, others I have no idea what they might be!  

These photos were taken during a visit to see my daughter who lives in Hong Kong. 

Please note this post originally appeared on LindyLouMac's World in Photos but I am in the process of moving the themed posts to Travel Tales as I plan to change direction on the photography blog.

World at Work 4 - Sailors - Star Ferry - Hong Kong

World at Work this week features some of the Sailors that work on the Star Ferry in Hong Kong. These photos were taken during a visit to see my daughter who lives in Hong Kong. You will find more posts about this fascinating city here on Travel Tales. 


Please note this post originally appeared on LindyLouMac's World in Photos but I am in the process of moving the themed posts to Travel Tales as I plan to change direction on the photography blog.

Faces on Friday - Bride and Groom - Hong Kong

 In Hong Kong and many other parts of Asia it is traditional to have a pre-wedding photo shoot. A perfect choice for Faces on Friday.

This photo originally appeared on my Photography Blog 

Yim Tin Tsai - Abandoned Island - Hong Kong

Approaching Yim Tin Tsai on a Kaito Ferry

On a sunny Saturday back in January when I was in Hong Kong visiting my daughter we took a trip to the deserted island village of Yim Tin Tsai.  It took us about an hour maybe a little more to get to Sai Kung from where she lives in Central, bus, MTR train, then a light public bus out to Sai Kung Pier.

From Sai Kung a ferry service by Kaito a type of small motorised ferry which runs at weekends and public holidays takes you across to the island in about fifteen minutes. The island is located south of the Sai Kung Peninsula and east of Sai Kung mainland. It is tiny with an area of 0.24km easily explored before the next ferry returns you to the mainland. We took a picnic with us, but it is also possible to get ice creams, snacks and drinks on the island, from a kiosk, which was once the Village Communal Office, near the arrival pier. Although Yim Tin Tsai has been deserted since the 1990's when the mainly Christian residents fled before Hong Kong was returned to China, there is a revival of interest and this can be seen by the religious and cultural eco-tourism attractions that can now be found there. It is apparently the descendants of the original villagers via a charitable organisation called 'Salt and Light Conservation Centre' who are trying to revive the island as a tourist destination and are themselves running the limited ferry service.

In days gone by Yim Tin Tsai was home to over one thousand people many of Hakka descent originally from the Guangdong province of China, who first moved to the island in the 18C. They derived their livelihoods from farming and operating the salt pans. Christian missionaries arrived in the late 19C and the whole village was converted to Christianity and St Joseph's was built in 1890. One of the landmarks of the island in 2005 it was restored thanks to an award from UNESCO for its protection and preservation.

Some photos I took at St Joseph's Chapel.

The village houses face south, surrounded by hills, with plenty of shelter from adverse weather conditions. Mainly still as left when the residents, deserted the island to resettle in other parts of the world including the UK and Poland. Maybe it was in fear of how the Chinese take over of Hong Kong would impact on the Christian community, I do not know but looking inside the homes it is if they left in a hurry not taking much apart from personal possessions with them. 
There may be a slow return to a resident community as a few of the homes are now occupied again but sadly the majority are still being slowly reclaimed by nature, often because the owners descendants cannot be traced.

Salt Pan

Fantastic views from top of the island

Fantastic views from top of the island

View across the Mangrove Swamp

I took many  more photos than I have shared here today, which can be viewed on Flickr in My Album entitled Travel Tales - Yim Tin Tsai, which includes some great interior shots that my daughter took.

At the moment there is an unresolved issue with sharing photos from Flickr to Blogger posts, when this is resolved which it is supposed to be, I will return to this post and add some of my daughter's interior photos. Until then these can be viewed by visiting the Flickr Album. Travel Tales - Yim Tin Tsai

Also sharing here a slide show of my photos that I put together courtesy of Picasa. 

                                  YouTube Slide Show - My impressions of the island in photos.

Timetable - Please remember this may have changed, so do not rely on this information  if you ever get to visit the island yourself.

Sight-Seeing Map - available on the island, which will guide you as you explore.

With thanks to the following sites for the background information included in this post. The links will take you directly to the Yim Tin Tsai official website if you are interested in learning more about the island.

   Yim Tin Tsai - Official Website    Sai Kung District - Wikipedia    Yim Tin Tsai - Wikipedia

                           All photos unless stated otherwise are my own taken in January 2014

More photos taken by both myself and my daughter can be found on Flickr in My Album entitled Travel Tales - Yim Tin Tsai

Finally if you click through to LindyLouMac's World In Photos you can view some photos of our fellow passengers on the Kaito.
  

  All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection

Tram Advertising 2014 - Des Voeux Road, Hong Kong.

The tram system is one of the earliest forms of public transport in Hong Kong as they have been in existence for over one hundred years. The tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town, with a branch line circulating Happy Valley. The trams which are an environmentally friendly mass transit system are not surprisingly a major tourist attraction. 

No surprise then that previous posts on this blog about the Hong Kong Tramways are amongst some of the most visited. Therefore whilst I was in Hong Kong recently it seemed a good idea to take a walk down to Des Voeux Road and see which companies the trams are advertising this year.

There are many more but I hope you have enjoyed the small selection I captured on my walk

Tram Stop Information

Map showing the current tram termini and major stops along the route.
Wikipedia

Just in case you would like to read more about the history of the Hong Kong Tramways I am including the links to my earlier posts.
Trams in Hong Kong - August 2012
Hong Kong Trip 2010 - Trams

With thanks to the following sites for the background information included in this post. The links will take you directly to the pages on  Hong Kong Tramways if you are interested in learning more about the history of the tramway.

Wikipedia - Hong Kong Tramways    Hong Kong Tramways   Hong Kong Extras

                           All photos unless stated otherwise are my own taken in January 2014
  

  All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection