We have, as usual, kept pretty busy. There was a hike with some of the scholars from the Institute of Sino-Christian Studies to the highest peak in HK. By Norwegian, not to mention Himalayan, standards , it is not very high – just under a thousand metres, but it was a long walk there and back, and, including rests, took us 9 hours. On the top itself the mists came and went several times while we were there, but the weather was good for hiking, fairly cool and with sunny periods. A walk to be recommended and a chance to talk to our new Mainland Chinese friends.
The Saturday after this trip we went with Heidi, Steffen and Øystein to the Wetland park next to the border with Shenzhen. It was a part of HK we had not visited before, not so crowded and with a different landscape. We saw a good few seabirds, even if was getting towards the end of the season: many of them will shortly be migrating north.
On Sunday we took a shuttle bus to the Church of all Nations in Repulse Bay. The church is a member of the Missouri Synod (Google it!”) and the multi-storey block also houses a church run a primary school. Their secondary school is a bit farther along the bay. Many Filipino domestic workers attend the church. We attended a Bible class before the eleven o’clock service; there is an earlier one at nine. I thought it was good how they brought the Sunday school group and the Girl Guides into the service, but missed the liturgy. According to my American LTS colleague who goes there, the earlier service is more liturgical.
Back in Sha Tin instead of going home we decided to locate a walled village recommended by Grace of the Service Unit. Sha Tin these days is mostly skyscrapers, shopping malls and traffic machines with little trace of its past. Next to the ramp leading up to the MTR station is a small building for the Sha Tin District Committee, looking rather neglected, in startling contrast to the magnificent new Town Hall on the other side with its large cultural centre. At present the town hall is hidden by scaffolding as they are doing some maintenance work. No neglect there. In front of the town hall crowds were gathered to celebrate Women’s Day. As part of the celebration in front of the neighbouring library a troup in loose Chinese costumes was performing tai chi.
We soon found the walled village. The houses in the terraces that composed it were in a variety of states: some recently renovated looked quite smart while others bore every sing of neglect. The “aboriginal” inhabitants of Hong Kong are permitted to put up houses up to three storeys. Next to the walled village there were several such blocks. I think I would much prefer to live in one of those than in a tower.
In the area in front of the village a street party was in progress. The banquet was over but folk still sat around the round tables enjoying the entertainment. We got dragged in; the Chinese are nothing if not friendly and hospitable. Our photographs had to be taken with the elegant opera singer who had been entertaining, then, with the elderly lady whose 81st birthday was being celebrated, and, finally, with a man dressed up as the Chinese god of fortune. As we left the village the guests, mostly elderly, were queuing up for their coaches to take them home.
It was an eventful Sunday.
The Saturday after this trip we went with Heidi, Steffen and Øystein to the Wetland park next to the border with Shenzhen. It was a part of HK we had not visited before, not so crowded and with a different landscape. We saw a good few seabirds, even if was getting towards the end of the season: many of them will shortly be migrating north.
On Sunday we took a shuttle bus to the Church of all Nations in Repulse Bay. The church is a member of the Missouri Synod (Google it!”) and the multi-storey block also houses a church run a primary school. Their secondary school is a bit farther along the bay. Many Filipino domestic workers attend the church. We attended a Bible class before the eleven o’clock service; there is an earlier one at nine. I thought it was good how they brought the Sunday school group and the Girl Guides into the service, but missed the liturgy. According to my American LTS colleague who goes there, the earlier service is more liturgical.
Back in Sha Tin instead of going home we decided to locate a walled village recommended by Grace of the Service Unit. Sha Tin these days is mostly skyscrapers, shopping malls and traffic machines with little trace of its past. Next to the ramp leading up to the MTR station is a small building for the Sha Tin District Committee, looking rather neglected, in startling contrast to the magnificent new Town Hall on the other side with its large cultural centre. At present the town hall is hidden by scaffolding as they are doing some maintenance work. No neglect there. In front of the town hall crowds were gathered to celebrate Women’s Day. As part of the celebration in front of the neighbouring library a troup in loose Chinese costumes was performing tai chi.
We soon found the walled village. The houses in the terraces that composed it were in a variety of states: some recently renovated looked quite smart while others bore every sing of neglect. The “aboriginal” inhabitants of Hong Kong are permitted to put up houses up to three storeys. Next to the walled village there were several such blocks. I think I would much prefer to live in one of those than in a tower.
In the area in front of the village a street party was in progress. The banquet was over but folk still sat around the round tables enjoying the entertainment. We got dragged in; the Chinese are nothing if not friendly and hospitable. Our photographs had to be taken with the elegant opera singer who had been entertaining, then, with the elderly lady whose 81st birthday was being celebrated, and, finally, with a man dressed up as the Chinese god of fortune. As we left the village the guests, mostly elderly, were queuing up for their coaches to take them home.
It was an eventful Sunday.