8/5/06 ~ Hong Kong Part III

On the Rio: Ry Cooder & Ali Farka Toure ~ Banga.

Here is a typical Hong Kong Street.




















Last Sunday morning I woke up early and noticed some hints of blue sky, so decided to head out. But I had my umbrella just in case. My destination was Kowloon Park as it was only a few blocks from the hotel on Nathan Road.

I knew I found the park when I came upon the Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Center. This is Hong Kong's largest mosque, originally built in 1986, and refurbished in 1984.


















Kowloon Park was a welcome relief from city life and the hustle-bustle of Shanghai. The Chinese Gardens has shrubs and shade trees, snaking covered walkways and a pagoda. Several groups were doing Tai Chi, Wushu (the correct name for all martial arts), kung fu, and wing chun, the martial art Bruce Lee incororated into his list of skills. I sat and watched for several minutes (until the mosquitos started biting), and even made a small video recording with my camera.



















I then headed to the aviary. It is full of colorful parrots and parakeets. Oh, my, can they make noise!

The park also consists of a shrub maze that I wondered through, as well as a sculpture garden. At the Bird Lake the pink flamingos, the parks most famous residents, preen themselves against the backdrop of high-rise buildings on Canton Road.




Before I knew it, the morning was over, and I had to head to the airport. I will be returning to Hong Kong on August 26th for 2 nights, but staying in the New Territories in the north, and hopefully the weather will cooperate so I can do some nature hikes and hit the beach.