Canadian History

Who knew we had to come to Hong Kong to learn about Canadian WWII history?  Scattered in a variety of places across Hong Kong are reminders of the Japanese invasion and the troops (including Canadians) who tried to defend it.  Come journey with our Canadian boys......

Two infantry battalions from the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers arrived in Hong Kong November 1941, bringing the total defence force to 10,000.  They had not completed their training, did not have all of their equipment, and were not combat ready, however they became the first Canadian soldiers to fight in WWII. 

Click on this to enlarge - it is in
English, Cantonese and French!

On December 8, 1941, at 8 a.m., four hours after they bombed Pearl Harbour, the Japanese invaded Hong Kong.  By December 18th they were on Hong Kong island and fierce hand to hand combat began.  Much of this fighting happened at the Wong Nai Chung gap, the key route for the Japanese to get to the other side of the island.  The Canadian presence in the gap was so important that the Canadian government has posted numerous signs along a trail in the gap to ensure this history is not forgotten. 

Lawson's bunker

The trail starts at Lawson's bunker.  He was the Canadian commanding officer and one of two brigade leaders.  He lead his troops in defense of the gap with incredible bravery.  On December 19th, down to just a few men, he radioed headquarters to say he was "going outside to fight it out", and left the bunker with pistol in hand.  The Japanese so admired his bravery that after the war they erected a memorial to him.

Standing on one peak, looking
across the Wong Nai Chung gap

As you follow this very peaceful trail through the gap, it is hard to imagine that when our troops fought here, it was barren land -not a tree or bush in sight.  The troops would have seen the thousands and thousands of Japanese troops approach, knowing that they were utterly unprepared and would loose.  Yet, they held their ground.




As we walked, we came across a few pillboxes that have been left.

 



Quietly, we wandered and thought about these Canadian boys, so far from the  farms of Canada, who fought and died here.  The statue to the right stand in Hong Kong park.  It is of Sergeant Major John Osborn of the Winnipeg Grenadiers who fought in the gap, and threw himself on a grenade to save the lives of his fellow soldiers.  For that, he was awarded the only Victoria Cross given for the defense of  Hong Kong.

 



Click on to enlarge

By the morning of December 20th, the gap was lost and the fighting continued down the hills to the shore at Stanley.  On December 25th, Sir Mark Young, governor of Hong Kong, officially surrendered to the Japanese.  In Stanley sits the Stanley Military Cemetery, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  Here 20 of our Canadian boys are finally at peace, and our history lesson ends. 

We continue to love exploring this country, and learning a wide variety of things, even about Canada.

Oh, and this was part of the bus ride home from the gap!  Enjoy the view from the top of the double decker bus!  As always, we love you all....Linda and Jeff



Random Oddities....

As we wander through our home town, often we see flavours of life that are unfamiliar to us.  Here are a few.....

Because Hong Kong is made up of tight spaces and busy streets, deliveries cannot be made by the large trucks seen throughout North America.  These are two egg delivery systems we have observed:

Drive carefully !

Left at a restaurant door

As we travel home up the escalators, there are many people handing out pamphlets with all sorts of advertising on them.  To get people's attention, this company advertising foot massage / reflexology have gone a "step" further and outfitted their workers in this attractive head gear - yes, that is a foot on his head....would he still have hat hair or would you call it something else? 

Throughout Hong Kong there are tiny parks and playgrounds squeezed into corners.  This gives us some nice greenery, and at times a good laugh.  This sign is from a very specific playground (with equipment).  Read carefully and enjoy!

Puzzles:

Did a crane deliver this crane?
This helps give you an appreciation
for the tight spaces where not
a centimeter is wasted

For our physics / engineer friends and all other
enthusiasts, why are all bamboo scaffolding bases
cut on an angle?  Wouldn't flat give a better support?

 A taste of Canadian history found in the Hong Kong Maritime Museum ..... note the name of the shipping line above the "Empress of Asia" words

A short walk from our home is the Hong Kong Botanical and Zoological Gardens, one of the many free oasis in the concrete jungle that is Hong Kong.  Enjoy these couple of shots from this area.

 

Happy Birthday Little Girl (who will never grow up!)



Flashback...

Hello Friends,

We are slowly getting into some sort of routine in Hong Kong...what a fascinating city!  As we have more time to explore, we will share more things with you.

I recently met some new friends at a Thai curry cooking class (very yummy....come over any time and I will make you some!).  We decided to go over to Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to explore an immense shopping district over there.  This is what that neighbourhood looks like:

For blocks and blocks it looks like this, and is filled with tiny shops selling all kinds of things related to one industry.  Rumour has it that the 14 blocks makes this the largest market of this type.

As I entered the third or fourth store, I shuddered as I had a flashback to childhood.  Maybe you can relate to my memory:

Mom tells me to jump in the car because we are going to run a few errands.  I am too little to stay at home alone, so I go along (often with Laura, too).  There is always the hope that the errands will include an ice cream cone or cold pop.  I don't really pay attention to where we are going, and when the car stops I get out.  OH NO - NOT HERE!?!?  I very slowly shuffle my way to the store, open the door, and the familiar and feared smell wafts out.  Sigh...yes, the floors are still old wood and squeak; yes, the sales ladies are all a hundred years old or more; yes, there is still nothing here to interested a child for even a moment; and yes, the store is still so quiet I am afraid to walk in fear of making the floor squeak and the old ladies look at me.  Have you guessed?  Do you have the same memory?  Mom had taken us to a fabric store. Sigh....and yes, we stay in the store for at least a week....and no, we did not get ice cream (usually ran out of time).  At least, that is how I remember it.

Well, for those of you who like those stores, Sham Shui Po is like heaven for you!  The stores specialize in one item relating to the fashion industry...either fabric, buttons, lace, ribbons, beads, etc.  You get the idea.  This picture is from a button store and this was just one of 13 units like this in that store. For people like me, this was not heaven....it was interesting but not heaven...actually, almost the exact opposite.

However, life is what you make it, so I enjoyed getting to know some new friends, enjoyed the pace and variety of the neighbourhood and the people walking by.

Afterwards we hunted down a noodle shop one lady had the address of.  Picture this - a string of six ladies wandering the streets with the only one who spoke a bit of Cantonese asking store clerk after store clerk, and eventually a police man, where this place was.  I am sure the many store clerks we passed over and over again as we wandered spent the rest of the day talking about us. 

It was all worth it!  Here we are, ready to share an immense bowl of authentic noodles as an afternoon snack. An American, German, Hong Kong born Indian who lives in Los Angeles, her mother who still lives in HK, another American and myself.  To me, this was even better than ice cream at the end of the errands.  This was Chinese noodles with a little UN in HK.

May your explorations bring back some memories (hopefully more good than bad), and may you just embrace where you are....never know where you may end up!

Love you all,
Linda

A Tourist in Tokyo

Once again I, Linda, was fortunate enough to travel with my hard working husband, Jeff, as he headed to Tokyo the week before I came to Canada.  (As an aside, many thanks to all of our dear friends who took the time to catch up over coffee, breakfast, lunch, supper, tea, etc....I treasure every moment with you all...but not the pounds I put on!).  Back to Tokyo - is it revealing of my personality that I went to Tokyo without any concerns when others we know would not go?  You may chuckle if you wish....  I thought I would go and help out the economy which is struggling in so many ways.

Before we headed to Tokyo, I was asked by a friend what it was like to be a tourist by yourself. She became single last year after a 25 year relationship, and cannot bring herself to travel around by herself.  My quick answer was that it took me a long time to get used to it, and it can be lonely, but I promised to further reflect on her question as I was sightseeing in Tokyo on my own.  What do you think?  Have you been a tourist on your own?  Would you?  Could you?  Think about that while I show you some highlights from Tokyo, and then I will share where I am in my own reflection of this excellent question.

Meiji Jingu

This is a Shinto shrine, Shinto being Japan's ancient original religion....a religion with no founder, no holy book, no concept of religious conversion - just values like harmony with nature and sincere hearts (magokoro). Interesting, eh? This shrine was built in 1920 for the divine souls of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.  He was the 112nd emperor of Japan (1852-1912).  He opened Japan to the world and introduced some western ways, yet retained Japanese identity.  Though the area was destroyed during WWII, it has been completely restored like the original (including 100,000 trees).  It is an immense wooded area in the middle of the city with shrine buildings in the centre and with many trails that people seem to use to break up the hectic pace of their daily commute and lives in Tokyo. 

The peace and tranquillity is kept because no machinery is used...here is how the keep the numerous pathways clear of the uncountable leaves that fall...seriously, how long would this take with broom only?

This is the main worship building in the centre of Meiji Jingu.  Here people pay their respect to the emperor and empress, and bring their wishes to be heard. The tree on the right has many wooden signs hung on it, and for 500 yen a priest will present your gratitude and your wishes during the morning ceremony, and hang it on the tree.  Ah, rituals for and to dead royalty.....

As I continued to wander this very peaceful area, I realized one advantage of being a solo tourist...this was completely at my pace, and if I want to wander each path (well, actually get sort of lost and have to wander each path), then I will!  It also allows me the chance to play with my micro lense some more without people with me getting bored!

Senso-Ji

This temple area enshrines a golden image of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of Mercy found in a nearby river in 628.  It actually is not on display, placed away from public view over 1000 years ago. Unlike the peace of Meiji Jingu, this place is noisy, crowded and very full of buildings and cement.  You enter through a lane way of little shops - great place to buy things from traditional kimonos and wigs to plastic swords!

What struck me here was the numerous ways people seek out a better future by performing rituals at this temple compound. At the front of the main temple is a giant cauldron always with burning incense. The smoke is said to give you good health, so people stop and rub the smoke on their faces and clothes. I guess that is cheaper than seeing a doctor regularly!

Further on, in the main temple, people throw in coins, bow twice, clap their hands twice and then bow again.  This is their worship of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, in hopes that she will show her mercy to them.  People seem to drop into the temple to do this in their daily commute. (ah, mercy, a gift that you cannot earn but is given freely by God)

If it is just plain old luck you are needing, there is always a bronze Buddha around to rub the head of:

As you may have guessed, I spent some reflection time on all of the ways the Japanese look for blessings, luck, health and mercy....it all seems so ritualistic and you can find it around every street corner.  What rituals do you and I do to 'improve' our luck, blessings, mercy? Why do we do them?  Who do we go to?

Surprises

Here are some things I came across that surprised me as I wandered Tokyo:

A small statue and plaque for a true pioneering hero.  Read her story (click on the picture to make it bigger) and be inspired!



I guess even statues get cold

Guess what this restaurant sold?
If you guessed sushi, you win!

Other surprises included a Rembrandt exhibit at the museum (unfortunately 'Return of the Prodigal Son" was not there....fellow Henri Nouwen readers will get that), a shopping area with a different Tiffany's on three blocks in a row (no, I did not buy anything there...didn't even go in the door), a new appreciation of Japanese bill play art from 1794-1795 (Sharakuhmmmmm...how often does tragedy bring about culture shift?  How severe does it need to be to make the shift permanent?

I think that is enough about Tokyo for now (if you are still reading, thanks for hanging in there).  Have you thought about being a solo tourist?  What I realized is that I tend to head to places where you see people wander on their own (large temple areas, shrines, parks, museums) and avoid many places that cater to families (Disney).  I like the open areas, where it is less obvious that I am alone.  I have learned to look more intently at things and reflect on them, maybe because I am not concerned about what the person I am with wants to do next, etc....I just wander, stop, go, eat, etc. whenever I want.  There is freedom in that...and yet, I would still prefer to have someone to share it with.  Yes, Jeff wonderfully and patiently looks at my pictures and listens to my stories each evening, but it you are free and want to join me sometime.....

Love you all

Linda

Palau - Part Two

Are you ready to head under the water?  If so, be at the boat at 8:30 am, geared up and ready to go!  We will be going to famous dive sites such as Blue Hole, Blue Corner, German Channel and more.

We headed out for three days of three dives each, with little pieces of paradise for our lunch spots.  Here is the wonderful group we dove with:

Lunch Spot - Maria, Jeff, Linda, Anne, Imilio, Ashley and
Hernel (who was brave enough to lead this unruly group!)

Let us introduce you to a friend of Jeff's.  He is a surgeon fish, and loves to play in bubbles. It is amazing to see other creatures seemingly "play"!   Jeff had no idea what I was filming, he just knew that I was telling him to stay there and don't move.

Palau has such a wealth of creatures under the water, some we have never seen before, and therefore we took many many pictures.  We have put the best into a variety of videos so that you can see as much as possible without getting too bored (we hope).  Ready?

We saw at least one of Jeff's favourites every dive:

These sleek, graceful creatures (new to us) were so much larger than these pictures show:

Ah, another first for us....we hooked onto the reef in the current and just watched them go by:

Another first - a cave dive.  Chandelier Cave has four caverns we surfaced in on this trip:

One last video of just a glance into more of God's creation that we were so fortunate to see....giant clams, Napoleon wrasses (HUGE), trigger fish making her nest (moving rocks and coral with her mouth), anemone fish, "falling" down Blue Hole, barracuda, schools of jacks, big eyes looking so sad, colourful and small mandarin fish, moray eels, lion fish, school of mackerels, and just enjoying the time together.  Seriously, does life get any better than this?





 We hope you enjoyed this trip to Palau as much as we did! 
 As usual, we love you all....Diving Buddies for Life, Linda and Jeff

Palau - Part One

We had GREAT
service - though we
look a little lonely

The hard working man took a few days off, and we were off on a scuba diving trip with our dive masters from Manila.  Our little UN group - diver master, Hernel, Filipino, divers - Filipino, Singaporean, Spanish and three Canadians - all had a wonderful time diving in this little country in the middle of no where.  It was just after the busy season, so we had restaurants and dive sites to ourselves - which was PERFECT!

Streets were very quiet
and beautiful

Palau (find it on a map!) has only 21,000 people in the whole country,  but over 300 beautiful islands.  It is 459 sq km, roughly 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC.

 The little country is a fascinating mix of cultures - first owned by the Spanish after Magellan arrived in 1521, sold to the Germans in the late 1800s, then entrusted to Japan with the rest of Micronesia after WWI, was the site of many battles during WWII (as these remaining guns attest to), then given to the US as a Trust Territory when WWII ended.  After decades of development, Palau became an Independent State in Free Association with the United States in the early 1990s.  All of those languages, along with a few others, flow in the people's day to day speech.

Oh - and they do brew their own beer - appropriately named Red Rooster.  Two of the Canadians just had to try it!

Anne - a friend we met in Manila
who is wonderful to dive with!

Good Canadian boy with his beer!

 








Between the spectacular sunsets

 and full moon

Reflection of the moon

 












and beautiful scenery, you may think we just enjoyed the island above the water.....

however, we were there to enjoy what was under the water!  Boy, we were not disappointed!!

This video is just a teaser to finish off Part One of our Palau blog.  Since I learned about this place, I have wanted to dive with these jelly fish, and that dream has now been ticked off as completed on my life list.  They have been land locked for thousands of years, with no natural enemies, and over time has lost the ability to sting.  None of us were disappointed with this snorkeling opportunity.  Enjoy the video and stay tuned for Palau - Part Two when we will bring you even further under water!!