Views to live for 香江道上，應接不暇

It’s indeed a real pity that air pollution has become a perpetual problem in Hong Kong as I mentioned in the last post. To make this problem worse, it is really inescapable to everyone’s eyes whenever the landmark Victoria Harbour becomes shrouded in this veil. Thankfully not everyday is like this, however.
上文提到香港空氣污染是個老問題，可幸有時也有些天色較好的日子，不致於令維港終日都「烏雲蔽面」。

I had this pleasant surprise on my second night in Hong Kong during my last trip in March, when I saw a perfectly crystal clear view of the Kowloon side as my taxi drove along the Eastern Corridor expressway. It boded well for the next day (14th March) as a day to appreciate the full beauty of the Harbour.
上次回香港的第二晚，乘計程車駛經東區走廊時，但覺對岸九龍的夜景份外明朗，心想翌日（3月14日）天色必定不錯，機不可失，不去觀賞海景真的太浪費了！

I wasn’t disappointed when I saw the morning sky the next day. I made my way to the roof and enjoyed a panoramic view of the surroundings as if even the last bit of dirt in the air has been mopped up by an omnipotent vacuum cleaner.
幸好我所料不差，早上的天色果然不錯，從酒店天臺遠眺四周，一切正好像被清水洗濯過一樣明晰，一塵不染。

The eastern part of Victoria Harbour, overlooking Kowloon Bay and surrounding districts
維多利亞港東部，面向九龍灣及鄰近各區。（各位香港讀者，如能猜出短片拍攝地點自有獎賞！請把答案寫在留言版。）

After lunch in Yau Ma Tei on the Kowloon side, my family and I sauntered through Kowloon Park to the harbour front of Tsim Sha Tsui. The seaside promenade was filled of tourists everywhere as it was one of the must-see items on many people’s itineraries, but unexpectedly we found a way to run away from them all. We only needed to walk up the steps to the terrace of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and all of a sudden the crowd had disappeared and the noise seemed so far away. We spent time there for afternoon tea and a full view of Hong Kong Island across the Harbour without fighting for a spot with the rest. It really surprised us how easy it was to find a piece of serenity amongst the continual hustle and bustle of this city.
午飯過後，我和家人從油麻地經九龍公園走到尖沙咀海徬，那裡是遊客必到之地，自然人山人海，但我們祇消沿樓梯走到香港藝術館入口旁的茶座，便遠離了人群和熙攘，悠閑地享用下午茶和觀賞對岸香港島清徹的景色。沒想到在香港這片彈丸之地，一片繁囂中，隨便拐個角，也可換來一點清靜和情調。

The Avenue of Stars (left) and the view of Victoria Harbour from the Hong Kong Museum of Arts nearby (below)
星光大道（左）及在附近香港藝術館看到的景色（下）

In the evening we went to the fishing village of Lau Fau Shan for dinner. What a difference one hour could bring about, as the city scene gave way to a village landscape, the shops became fishmongers and grocery stores of dried seafood, and the Victoria harbour turned into the tranquil Deep Bay which separated the mudflats and dunes made of oyster shells at Lau Fau Shan from Shenzhen on the other side of the bay. It was sunset by the time we arrived. The puddles of water in the mudflats glistened with the brilliance from the sun, while looking attentively farther afield the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor and Shenzhen became visible through the evening haze. Onlookers all took the opportunity to capture the moment before it faded.
那天晚上到流浮山用膳，祇消一小時的行程，身邊的景緻由繁華鬧市換成一片鄉郊漁村，大街兩傍仍商店林立，但盡是賣海鮮和海味的，大街盡頭也有個海，不過是個泥灘，岸邊有一片用蠔殼推成的小丘，而隔了這個后海灣便是深圳，真是另一番海景。到達時剛好是日落西山，但見太陽徐徐西下，金黃的光芒反映在泥灘中的水潭中，彼岸的深圳和矗立在海中的深港西部通道大橋在煙霞中隱約可見，遊人都紛紛捕捉這璀璨美好的一刻，夕陽無限好，此刻正好體會到。

The mudflats and dunes of oyster shells at Lau Fau Shan
流浮山的泥灘和蠔殼山

An idyllic sunset (the bridge is the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor)
令人悠然神往的黃昏

There is never a shortage of breathtaking views in Hong Kong. The only shortages seem to be my time and my rather limited knowledge on where to go to see them all!
借用陳奕迅《夕陽無限好》的歌詞，香港「好風景多的是」，每次回香港都總會讓我發掘到新的東西，令我有不同的感受。