Happy Valley Racecourse

I was invited to dinner at the racecourse by my friend, Tony. It was my first time there and I had a great time. I even won some money on the horses :) And we got to get to the Restricted Area which the horses and jockeys come in after the race. Managed to take some closeups. It's a fabulous experience. Now I understand why people love going to the racecourse- the atmosphere is just awesome.
Behind the scene on the race track (in the Restricted Zone)


Jockey returning after a race

You can see hundreds of fans on the gallery stands- the entrance fee for the public stands is HKD$20 per head (any persons under 18 is not allowed in the Jockey Club Premises). So for just $20, you can experience the excitement of betting on horses live, surrounded by the adrenaline of hundreds of local horseracing fans or professional gamblers.

However, if you are looking for a "quieter" and more "comfortable" experience, you can try the buffet dinner at the jockey club. You can even dine and watch the race even if you aren't a member. As overseas visitors, you can buy a "Racing in Style" package. The price include a buffet dinner, freeflow of wines, softdrinks, beers and orange juice, and a spectacular view of the racecourse. Further details can be found on the Hong Kong Jockey Club website: http://www.hongkongjockeyclub.com It's of reasonable price and I'm sure it's definitely a memorable experience for visitors to Hong Kong.

Collecting my winnings from the booth

Anyway, there's a story that I would like to share with you about Happy Valley. Happy Valley used to be a swampland back in the day. In the early 1840s, it was used as the British Military Camp before it was attacked heavily by malaria. Soldiers who died in the barracks were buried near there. The area was known as Wong Lai Chong Valley till the government ordered to clear the marshland and built a racecourse for the British, cos it was the only flatland on Hong Kong Island that was suitable for horse racing. the The racecourse was built in 1845 and the first race was held in 1846.

It was said that it was re-named 'Happy Valley' because it used to be a place where people came looking for "Happiness"-after work drinks, nightclubs and hostesses towards the late 1800s. It was very popular among expatriates. You can imagine that it was like the Wan Chai Red Light District today. Since there was a shortage of cemetries and burial grounds during the early colonial days, many of these foreigners asked to be buried in Happy Valley after they died, so that they could be in the grounds of happiness for eternity, hence "Happy Valley". In fact, many cemetries back in the UK were named Happy Valley too.

And one thing I have to mention about the Happy Valley racecourse- A huge fire broke out in 1918 that killed at least 590 people. It was the fire with the most casualties in Hong Kong history. It happened in mid-day during the 5th race, the viewing stands were built of bamboo and one of them collapsed, which caught fire with the hawker's stove under the stands. People ran to save themselves and it was in a choas. People who didn't manage to escape were engulfed by the inferno. The victims were buried in the nearby cemetery in So Kon Po and an monument was erected to commemorate them.
After the tragedy happened, people had reported that they had seen a man on fire trying to escape from the racecourse and people struggling to get off the stands in broad daylight.

As a result, a Chinese phrase that was engraved on the entrance of the St. Michael Catholic Cemetery (just opposite the racecourse) to comfort the souls of the victims after the fire. It translates into "Today, your body return to ashes. Someday, my fate will be the same as yours." It was said that those "hauntings" stopped after that. So look out for the phrase you pass by next time and now you can truly appreciate what it means.

St. Michael Catholic Cemetery at night- the stone carving of the phrase is situated on the furthest right, on both sides of the gate

Tin Hau Festival- 9th May

Saw an ad on the mini-bus to Kwun Tong- "Tin Hau Festival Celebration from 8th to 12th May". The ad showed a procession and two Chinese opera singers as a couple (both women). They are quite well-known in Hong Kong. It's interesting to note that women were barred from the opera stage till the late 1940s. Neat to think that men played all the female roles in Chinese opera since the 12th century!

Like all other big festivals, Chinese opera is performed for the masses in a bamboo tent (of course you have to get a ticket to get in). Sometimes, these operas are performed for people and sometimes for the dead (in the Hungry Ghost Festival in the 7th Lunar month). And this one- is for those who come for the celebration of Tin Hau's (Goddess of the Sea's) birthday.

Legend has it that Tin Hau was born in the Fujian province in AD 906. Her name was Lim Mo Niang and she became a goddess when she turned 15. She is said to be dressed in red when she shows herself in the middle of the ocean, guiding lost ships back to safety as well as rescuing seafarers from storms and shipwreck. In order to express their gratitude, temples were built to honour her. On her birthday, the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month, fishermen would decorate their boats with colourful flags and head to the Tin Hau Temple to pay respects to her and pray for safety and a smooth year ahead. It is also accompanied by a celebratory parade on the streets outside the temple.

Since Hong Kong is surrounded by waters and that most of its natives were fishermen, there are as many as 70 Tin Hau Temples scattered all over the island, with the oldest one in Sai Kung Peninsular which was built in 1266. Needless to say, there's a grand celebration in Sai Kung every year. So you can imagine how it is like judging from my pictures that are taken from a "mini" celebration in the Tin Hau Temple in Kwun Tong.

The highlight of the parade is children dressed like mythodical figures standing on metal rods. It's really amazing. They look like they are floating in the middle of the sky. You can also see them during the Cheung Chau Bun Festival that happens on 24th May too. Other performances include a dragon dance, lion dance, kungfu display and marching band.
The interesting fact that I discovered was that many Hong Kongers, at least almost everyone that was there, owned a digital camera. They were all busy clicking and watching the parade through the viewfinder.

This is the first time I've been to this festival. It's simply awesome :)

P.S You can buy a handmade windmill from the stands by the roadside. Traditionally, people buy them after going to the temple. They believe that windmills can bring them good luck and ward off evils. But of course, others, like the kid below, buy them cos they are neat!

Sai Kung's Secret Food Alley

Lady serving the noodles behind the counter


Thin rice noodles soup with beef brisket, radish, fried tofu and greens

Chung Kee Noodles on Sai Kung secret food alley


I live in this green part of Hong Kong where people call the "Backyard of HK" with my fiance- Russell, and two cats-Roxy and Zoe. You can hear the birds and see people paragliding from the mountains of Sai Kung on a nice day. It's a totally different story from the cosmopolitan concrete jungle.

Sai Kung is famous for its seafood restaurants by the pier with big fish tanks (with all kinds of seafood and should I say SEA CREATURES) in which you can pick your dish if you order al la carte. They are extremely popular and always packed with locals and tourists during the weekends, especially during summer when people get off their rented junks and feast.
Anyway, these restaurants aren't what I'm excited about. Instead, there's an awesome food street only the locals know about. I only found this out after living here for almost 2 years. What a shame! Anyway, this secret little place is called the "Saikung Alley" ('Sai Kung Hong Chai' in Cantonese). This alley is located between two blocks of residential buildings near the mini-bus terminal by ferry pier- it has a funny name- Fuk Man Road. Just name whatever cuisine you'd like and they have it. All these stores offer both 'indoor' and 'outdoor' sitting, where you get to eat outside the shop along the alley for a more 'local flavour'.

Anyway, sometime last week, we went to this Chinese noodles stall called "Chung Kee Noodles". It is almost impossible to get in there on the weekends because there's always a queue that stretches to the length of the alley. At the entrance of the stall, there's a huge food warmer where different sidedishes are cooked. It looks like a huge icemaker- but containing warm food. So you get to choose what type of noodles you want, like the thin or thick or round egg noodles or rice noodles and the various sidedishes you want to go with it.

The sidedishes-There are "normal" ingredients like vegetables, beef brisket, radish, soy chicken wings, fried tofu, eggplants, chilli etc, and if you are the "adventurous" type, you can pick dishes like pig's blood, cow's stomach, tip of chicken wings, fishballs, beef balls etc. You can pick as many sidedishes you want cos they bill you by the number of sidedishes you ordered. For HKD$30, you get noodles with three-sidedishes and a drink. I had thin rice noodles with beef brisket, radish and fried tofu. It's really tasty and most of all- cheap and good. This is a must-try cos there's nothing else like this in other parts of the world.

The locals calls this "Cheh Chai Meen" which translates to Little Cart Noodles. The name originates from the way this kind of noodles is sold- obviously in a cart. In the early days, actually up to the 80s, street side hawkers used to sell cooked food in little mobile carts on the streets until the government put a ban on it in the late 80s.

Chung Kee Noodles has been around for 31 years and they started as roadside hawkers by the Sai Kung ferry pier, where people would come for junk trips and fishing trips. After 7 years, they had a stall nearby and they moved to the present site 11 years ago and they never fail to have a line outside the stall. The staff are very friendly and helpful- stall is very clean. In fact, they are awarded the Cleanliness Award for 5 consecutive years.

My First Blog Entry

It's not the first time I have a blog- but it's the first time that I've decided to take it seriously. In the coming week, you can browse through my entries and find out some cool stuff about my city -Hong Kong. I would really appreciate your comments. So feel free to drop me a line. Enjoy wandering around in my page and hopefully I can keep on updating it regularly.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

Peace,
Angel