Kowloon Cityscapes

There's no way to unsee it- the lion lies visible in almost all corners, from Choi Hung to Diamond Hill and most notably at Wong Tai Sin. It's always a prominent mark on a bus ride, on the way to the airport, or returning home after weeks of travelling. Out to northwest NT, a weekend in Lantau, or simply a shuttle to San Po Kong, connection to nature starts simply by seeing it.

Sort of an interesting finding: 坳 (Pass as in mountain pass) comes in two ways to find it. The proper way seems to be 㘭, but people increasingly adopt the proper 坳 instead, denoting the geographical feature of a low point between two hills, ie. a saddle. 

This is where my friend calls the best tofu pudding in town. It does deserve to be one of the top ranked place, both for its significance as a rest stop on the hill and the pudding's great texture. Topping with brown sugar and ginger syrup makes the perfect combo. Also unique over there is soy milk with ginger syrup, perfect blend for a hot winter day. 

There's stairs uphill via the temple behind Tsz Wan Shan, which is sort of an unofficial path that everyone ends up taking. Appreciating some slopework keeping people safe before reaching the top, marked by a pavillion.

Shatin Pass Estate- a super small public housing estate consisting of just two blocks. Known for exceptional number of elderly living alone compared to the massive clusters of public housing in Tsz Wan Shan. 

Shatin Pass Rd- the key stop for bus services to northwest New Territories. It's always the quickest to catch a train here, and hop onto a bus for Tuen Mun, Yuen Long or Tin Shui Wai, sometimes even the airport.

My friend always seeks for bakeries with seats, where one could order a pastry (and a drink maybe), get seated and enjoy the day. It's hard to find one in Europe or Australia, let alone Hong Kong. His first favourite spot was Milk Cafe, which has mediocre food but good vibes at the basement of Temple Mall. A robot runs between the kitchen and the bakery, shouting to everyone in the path that it's working and you should make way, "我要做嘢，唔該借借". Had breakfast here weeks before the massive flood that wiped out all its furnitures before my flight to Sydney. Been back once also before a flight, and never been there since then as a replacement bakery with seat has been found (that offers good food).

It was then a foggy day when super creative KMB rebranded the stop into Wong Tai Sin Temple, ditching the decade-long name of Shatin Pass Rd. All these rebranding have been confusing enough let alone the massive typo of calling the temple 廟 where it should be 祠. The stop does mean a lot to me and quite a bit disappointed when it's renamed.

The same mediocre design comes along, squeezing into whatever space they have.

The day before the Lunar New Year Carnival. A lot of last minute drills are carried out, testing every aspect of the show. There's the famous Avantgardey plus some pretty random performers.

Sun shines on K11's office block in sunset. Always the Aqua Luna cruising around.

The promenade is always a crowded boring place. It's packed with tourists busy taking photos, most coming from China and only planning to visit one spot. It's slightly better on weekdays but still better to escape out onto the bus stop.

Sunset pics in clouds

What defines San Po Kong? Just the other side of Diamond Hill? Similar to Kwun Tong the area transitions into another commercial area with offices, hotels and new residential projects. One side serves the Diamond Hill population with extended shopping and dining options, and the other with offices, car mechanics and some smaller restaurants scattered in between.

Citybus's route 797 heads straight to home (with an interchange) via some tight industrial streets, making these shots possible from somewhere higher up from ground.

The route's ridership is a real concern though. During off-peak there's literally no one on the bus, even with its wide coverage over multiple business areas. When I was on the bus there were a total of 4 people onboard, driver included.

Kai Tsuen Court, or more still call it with its old name Tai Hom Village. Once a squatter village the land was cleared from squatters, left untouched for several decades, and finally finishes off with this HOS (Home Ownership Scheme) housing on top of Tuen Ma Line platforms. 

The bus interchange serves both Tseung Kwan O and nearby residents. Footbridges link to nearby Lam Tin and Po Tak for a fast ride straight onto the motorway. Tseung Kwan O residents swap between bus rides for a quicker journey home.

Po Lam and Hang Hau are Kowloon Motor Bus areas but often times people take Citybus services for a cheaper and more direct route home. Their Mong Kok service can be quicker than taking a train, and changing to a Po Lam direct bus from airport services avoids lengthy detours around suburbs.

Also a great place to use the toilets - it's super clean yet always feel forgotten

Followed by a heavily delayed E22A due to roadworks on Tsing Ma Bridge. The only option other than these night buses is the rt. A29 right behind us.

Kwun Tong business area - the only reason for being there is to go to the offices. Food is crap, traffic is bad- just like this Taobao bin.

Back to schoooool - Minecraft teaching, in one of the best schools I've taught. Students guided around their school, not missing any corner to be recreated in their project, while for me a bit of nostalgia through their classrooms.

A walk from Kwun Tong up to their school. Lots of new lifts for their community, while the good old Wo Lok Estate still remains. The old cinema abandoned on Hiu Kwong Street has finally reached its final days and was demolished, making way for these new infrastructure. 

The old Clear Water Bay Rd is infamous for its steep grades, so much so it limits the maximum length of the buses. At its end it passes through the heart of Choi Wan Estate, its shopping centre, before rejoining the new road.

Kwun Tong Bypass is a key route rerouting traffic around the congested Kwun Tong towards Eastern Harbour Crossing or Tseung Kwan O. It's always on the way home and a commute on this route during sunset is very scenic. The other side of Victoria Harbour can be seen when weather is good.

Drying laundry in roudabout. There's the 4-storey temporary public housing, plus the high rises back there being around for almost a decade.

Hi Mr. Fun

A pretty unique cul-de-sac layout where the central strip is reserved as a pedestrian boulevard around the train station, and vehicle access lead in with roundabouts at the end.

In a massive change- some parts have been completed, some have not. The temporary hawker bazaar has finally gone, the line of buildings between Yue Man Sq & Kwun Tong Rd is gone, and the bus terminus is also gone. The city gets renewed- in a good way?

The old trains, now almost entirely out of Kwun Tong Line

Demolition of this part also comes very quickly. All of a sudden the McDonalds is closed, the shops of the basement stops operating, some try to remain open but are still gone. This space is now gone entirely and replaced by a open park.

Present day Kwun Tong - buildings gone, night vibes in

Tong Yan St Market - the main wet market of Kwun Tong. It's lunar new year shutdown and nothing was open. One stall remained in business but very few were in the need of purchasing groceries

A normal day feels more like this- hectic streets, goods everywhere

Happy lunar new year - Citybus route 101. Fuk Wah Street cityscapes.

The red minibus terminal is empty for the new year, same for the grocery stores nearby