Batgung

Walking along the Cheung Chau seafront we came across this row of chickens hanging from a bamboo gallows. Given the recent cases of bird flu I wondered whether it was evidence of some pagan ritual to keep the illness away. MrsB assured me it was just a local restaurant hanging the chickens up to dry, so the skin is crispier after roasting.

Man Mo Temple on Hong Kong Island is easy to reach, and well worth a visit. This picture shows some of the incense coils that hang from the temple's ceiling and fill the air with their smoke.

If you are planning a vacation in Hong Kong around August / September time, it is worth checking the calendar to see if you can be here for the Mid Autumn Festival. Parks are filled with children carrying lanterns, which makes a very pretty scene. Traditional lanterns are made of paper, with small candles inside. You can still see plenty of them, but as these photos show, battery-powered inflatable "lanterns" are getting more and more common.

If you are planning a vacation in Hong Kong around August / September time, it is worth checking the calendar to see if you can be here for the Mid Autumn Festival. Parks are filled with children carrying lanterns, which makes a very pretty scene. Traditional lanterns are made of paper, with small candles inside. You can still see plenty of them, but as these photos show, battery-powered inflatable "lanterns" are getting more and more common.

If you are planning a vacation in Hong Kong around August / September time, it is worth checking the calendar to see if you can be here for the Mid Autumn Festival. Parks are filled with children carrying lanterns, which makes a very pretty scene. Traditional lanterns are made of paper, with small candles inside. You can still see plenty of them, but as these photos show, battery-powered inflatable "lanterns" are getting more and more common.

Here's an image you're less likely to associate with HK Island - surfers at Big Wave Bay near Shek O on the Eastern end of the island. It's not unsusal to find surfers at this beach, but it's quite unusual to see waves like this. Usually the surfers are just bobbing up and down in a very gentle swell, waiting in vain for "the big one".

Ladies in the morning, practicing their Tai Chi fan routines in the local park. Read more »

If you're coming to Hong Kong, and you're around six foot high or taller, expect to spend a lot of your time (in the MTR, on busy shopping streets, etc) staring out like this over a sea of black hair. The photo was taken at the Lo Wu crossing into China, where on busy days the queue seems to go on forever.