I know that at one point or another, I've probably said this about every season of the year... But fall really is one of the greatest times to be in Hong Kong! With its combination of (comparatively) cooler weather, bustling local celebrations and, with them, some days off work that allow for taking full advantage of both the climate and the culture, it just can't be beat.
We've been blessed with some of the most gorgeously clear days I can recall of late. Yes, after that abundance of rain that poured down from the heavens for much of the summer, things have really cleared up beautifully. I've enjoyed journeys up the Peak, ferry rides back and forth to Kowloon, visits to several outlying islands and plenty of al fresco meals to soak up all the glories.
Like most fun-filled times of the year in this city, 2017's version of the fall has been a duet of those recurring annual events that keep me looking forward to the season all year long mixed in with some one-off items that add a dash of the unique and unexpected.
Case in point for the latter: the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra presented a screening of Steven Spielberg's classic E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, with live musical accompaniment of John William's unforgettable score! I get goosebumps just thinking about the moment those bikes take off into the air while the famous melody plays, so you can imagine what it was like to experience that with an orchestra playing along!
There was also a glorious Saturday that consisted mostly of wandering around the city with an out of town visitor, a friend of my friend Nina, who happened to be stopping in Hong Kong at the tail end of a three week trip around China. It's been a good, long while since I'd last taken a Sheung Wander, and I loved showing around a first timer, stopping to admire gritty street art, ducking into new shops and pointing out all my favorite landmarks.
One of the events I look forward to at this time of year occurs on the Sunday closest to the fifth of October, when Saint John's Cathedral opens its doors to all things bright and beautiful and all creatures great and small. Commemorating the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the church hosts a beautiful service where the community is encouraged to bring along our pets for a blessing, so you can bet Fredric and I were there. Afterwards, we went over to Mui Wo to pay a call at my favorite Turkish restaurant, Bahce, and it was an all around great day.
Of course, the Halloween decorations have gone up in my apartment, and the October movie screenings have started—Hocus Pocus, the iconic James Whale classics The Old Dark House, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, all four Screams, and Cat People, among a slew of others—and there are plenty more to come over the next weeks! I even visited the library and checked out the complete collection of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories and poetry, which is providing me with suitably macabre reading material for the month.
The Mid-Autumn Festival kicked off last Wednesday evening, and I hopped the 6 bus to Repulse Bay after work and lingered for a few hours on the sand, lighting red wax candles as dozens of youngsters ran about illuminating lanterns and cracking glowsticks. It had rained earlier in the day, and the precipitation kept the usual crowds away, slightly detracting from the normally charged ambiance. But the full moon glowing overhead and the balmy breezes blowing to and fro provided easy compensation.
The next day, a public holiday, was spent on tiny, oft-forgotten Peng Chau, with my friends Matt, Hana and Julien—and all the new friends we made! After a hearty dim sum experience, we made our way to one of the island's lovely beaches, where the friendliest crew of Filipinos welcomed us to their feast, plying us with drinks and food—and a karaoke machine!
And after work on Friday, Fredric and I ventured to Tai Hang to witness the raucous fire dragon parade, as a lengthy, incense-covered beast winds its way through the grid of streets hidden a few steps away from Tin Hau MTR Station. Matt and his wife Anna joined, in addition to an old friend, Chahir, who I hadn't seen since the Mid-Autumn Festival two years ago. He is a tennis referee, and just happened to find himself in town for the Hong Kong Open, which is taking place this week.
As fate would have it, we plopped down at the same sidewalk restaurant as we had two years prior, eating delicious local food with the cacophony of cheering, popping and clapping buzzing all around us. A mooncake-based ice cream from Lab Made capped off the fantastic evening.
As fate would have it, we plopped down at the same sidewalk restaurant as we had two years prior, eating delicious local food with the cacophony of cheering, popping and clapping buzzing all around us. A mooncake-based ice cream from Lab Made capped off the fantastic evening.
Lanterns appear all over the SAR during this time of year, leading up to the festival and lingering for quite a long while after. It makes for a lovely sight, and the largest, most ostentatious collection of lanterns is the one set up in Causeway Bay's Victoria Park.
So on Saturday evening, with Courtney newly returned to Hong Kong after a vacation in Austria and looking for Instagram fodder, we made a beeline for the fair, with its beautifully illuminated displays filling the warm October night sky. Kids were playing while their parents looked on with glee, and it was a good reminder that the whole idea of the festival is about spending time with loved ones, about enjoying life, about being grateful.
Having missed the Mid-Autumn Festival last year while I was in the States for Lisa and Tak's wedding, I was beyond delighted to fully immerse myself in it this time around. So, yes, I may sound repetitive, but this really is a fantastic time of the year in my city, and I'm so glad this autumn has been a memorable installment I can add to the history books.
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