Was sagst du? 樣樣都德

Where I stayed in Hong Kong was just a stone's throw away from Lamma Island, which I could see every day across a small sea channel. I've heard that it is a good hiking location and I've been itching to try it for myself. 在香港住的地方，與南丫島祇是隔了個小小的海峽，每天進出都看到，而且聽說那裡遠足還不錯，令我心癢想到那裡逛逛。 When I found out that I could take a small boat (called Kaito in Hong Kong) from the district of Aberdeen nearby to the two largest villages on Lamma Island, I decided to make use of it and spend an afternoon there. 當我發現從香港仔可以坐街渡（渡海小艇）到南丫島的兩大灣——索罟灣和榕樹灣時，我便決定找機會一試，到南丫島郊遊一個下午。 The East Lamma Channel that the Kaito crosses is a busy shipping channel heavily utilised by container ships into and out of Hong Kong's container ports. Shortly into the voyage we encountered a supertanker which pushed out a tube of waves along its path. It looked innocuous from afar, but I realised that it was actually something far more treacherous when the boat stopped momentarily. I grabbed hold of the metal fencing of the...

When I was young in Hong Kong, many text books would carry this almost cliché saying that Hong Kong used to be a small fishing village. While it has since then changed umpteen times, there are enough bits and pieces left to allow one to trace back the beginnings of this place. 小時候的課本常言道，香港從前是個小漁港。雖然這地方改頭換面了不知多少次，但歲月總會留下一點痕跡給後人看的。 Hong Kong is still inseparable from the sea, and the sea is a part of many people’s lives. 香港這地方與海仍有不可分割的淵源，是不少人生活的一部分。 For my one week in Hong Kong, I stayed in a seaside district which is also a stronghold of Hong Kong fishery. The typhoon shelter is filled with fleets of fishing boats where the fishery households also do their business and call home. 這次回港一週，住的地方不止與海為鄰，而且是香港傳統漁業的據地之一，避風塘內泊滿了一艘又一艘的漁船，既是漁民的謀生工具，也是他們的商鋪和他們的家。 In contrast to the seafaring lifestyle, many have chosen to live in one of the many high-rises hugging the sea front. Fortunately the place doesn’t appear overly crowded with so many buildings. There is still plenty of open space to let th...

This winter has been one where the sky was often as grey as the pavements and the colour that people wore matched the dullness and sombreness of the world around them. The weather and scenery reminded me so much of the typical autumns of Germany – if it hasn’t been an exact replica thereof. And much like my second autumn in Germany , this season has been filled with comings and goings. The frenzy of construction near my work place continues unabated, and at the end of July one of those long-established pubs has decided to call the last round in order to make way for new student flats. Although I don’t frequent it, it’s no ordinary pub to me, as it was where I had my first ever drop of alcohol in my life on my 21st birthday. After a lunch and a beer on the closing day, all that was left was just memories of the days long gone. The lab has seen a research group moving elsewhere and a couple of others leaving. Some of those have only joined the lab for less than half a year, and now the...

This winter hasn’t been too cold, and watching the sea can be a leisure when it’s not windy. 這裡的冬天不太冷，找一天沒刮大風的，看看海也可以是一種樂趣。 St. Kilda is one of the better known beaches in Melbourne. While it’s really not too difficult to find a better beach around Australia, what attract people to St. Kilda are the variety of shops and restaurants in the neighbourhood as well as the Luna Park amusement park by the sea. There are enough things to keep one occupied for a whole day. 墨爾本其中最為人熟悉的海灘是St. Kilda，在澳洲隨便找一個更好的海灘委實不難，但St. Kilda勝在充滿生氣，毗鄰海灘，特色商店和食肆比比皆是，也有個小型遊樂場Luna Park，到那裡打發一天是挺寫意的。 Lively decorations above the shops at St. Kilda (left) and on a railway bridge in the adjoining suburb Balaclava (right) St. Kilda的商店屋頂上（左）和鄰近Balaclava區火車橋上（右）生氣盎然的裝飾 The classic roller coaster that still requires manual control! (See the man standing in the middle of the train.) 仍需人手操作的經典過山車（留意列車中間站操作員 ） But in the middle of winter, most would have preferred the comforts of restaurants and shops. The amusement games i...