As part of the plethora of events organised by Chatteris for us, we were all invited on a day on a Hong Kong junk boat for a invaluable bit of rest and relaxation after our first month at school! (I know, I can't believe I have been at school for a month already...!) It was a glorious day as ever, and we met at Sai Kung ferry pier, (for those regular readers, the same place as the kayaking!) Sai Kung is on the eastern part of Kowloon and has some stunning scenery, with a huge amount of tiny islands just off the coast. It is always so refreshing to get out of the city and in to the open and the fresh air - not that you really feel awful when you are in the city, but its probably good to come out and catch your breath a little!
We motored about half an hour and then moored and tied the two boats up (there were too many people for one boat)and let us loose to go banana boating, wake boarding, to the beach, swim, read etc, whatever we wanted really for the day. It was lovely to be able to relax and catch up with everybody and I think exactly what we all felt like doing after a week at school and very much appreciated by everyone I think! It would be such a nice thing to do for an event like a birthday or something.
The only sad thing about the day is the amount of rubbish in the sea and on the beaches here. There are so many bays and beaches to head to, and the water is the most perfect temperature however, you find yourself swimming by plastic bags and wrappers, and then on the beach there are all manner of items from fridges, and metal poles etc to general waste. It is so sad to be in such a beautiful setting and yet be witness to how it is all being spoiled and ruined. The amount of wildlife that must suffer because of this. Fortunately, with increased awareness that this is a growing worldwide problem, the Hong Kong Coastal International Clean Up Challenge has been launched within the framework of the international coastal cleanup (ICC)in order to try and tackle and fight back at the pollution of the seas. From the analysis of the rubbish found, it is clear that any rubbish left on the land travels and finds itself in the sea, polluting the water and harming wildlife. Indeed, the number one item found last year...cigarettes. Last year, in 2008, 443 animals were found entangled, the most common were sharks (all beaches here have shark nets to provide safe swimming although I don't think shark sightings are common close to the shore!), seahorses and stingrays of which only about half were able to be released alive. It is so sad to think of runing such an idyllic haven. In Hong Kong I feel the impact of waste and pollution can be seen so much more acutely because it is a huge and bustling city with a huge amount of coastline and beaches in a small area but it is reflective of what is happening all over.
In Hong Kong, every year, from mid September to mid October, you can sign up for a day or organise for your own beach clean up as different volunteers come together on different stretches of Hong Kong's coastline to attempt to clean up beach debris.
If you are interested, this is the website. http://www.ecovisionasia.com/hkcoastalcleanup
People that give up their time to organise and coordinate such events, keep me feeling positive about the world!
After being in St Andrews, and being lucky enough to be able to get to the sea and the beach whenever I wanted, I always love being by the ocean and being able to have so much space around you. Albeit the beaches and the seas are a little different; it is a tad warmer here and less windy...in fact HUGELY hot and NOT even one bit windy! but it is still the beach!
I am told, by a lovely old man I met in the library yesterday (!) that it gets colder in...december....december, there are days when I dream of putting a coat on here...or I would even settle for a jumper!!! December.
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