Mount Stenhouse

Eamon wanted to climb the highest peak on Lamma Island, so I found myself back on the island after less than a week.

He thought it would be a fairly simple hike and that most of it would be paved, so I didn't bother bringing my water bladder or wearing any more specific hiking clothes.  Shorts with cotton t shirt and a backpack with a few bottles of water.  That all seemed to be enough.

As usual, I was foolish for believing my friends.

Rather than a simple walk up a paved path, I found myself in dense scrub, fighting up paths which were barely cut through the vegetation.  My legs were scratched, my arms slightly bloodied.  Thankfully, I had decided to wear proper hiking shoes instead of some runners, so I was able to at least bound up the path without slipping and hurting myself.

Still, it was fun all the same.  A good whack through the bushes in the Hong Kong jungles and paths is usually an enjoyable day out and you get all the benefits of the exercise as well.  The hike ultimately wasn't that long, but it definitely had some trickier and more taxing sections.  When the scrub closed in, there were sections where you could feel the air thickening and breathing became more difficult with the humidity.

The views were as you would expect, stunning once you reached the highest points.

At various points in the distance, I could see back to where Veronica and I had stayed only the week past.  Further off once you were higher, you could see all the way back to Hong Kong.

It's always one of the stranger feelings you get when you go on these hikes in Hong Kong.  You feel like you have fought through the wilderness, through parts which are remote to others and isolated from civilisation.  Then you look up a bit and you realise you are just on the neighbouring doorsteps of on of the most densely populated metropolises in the world.

The opening of something grand

I like modern art.  I like it a lot.  I grew up thinking that it was something silly and pointless, but I still remember my first trip to London and my visit to the Tate Modern.  Being introduced to the deeper meaning of it all changed my mind and I was opened up to an incredible world that still inspires me to this day.

Living in Hong Kong has been interesting from the perspective of my personal interest in art and culture more generally.  It hasn't been "bad" per se, but it certainly hasn't been amazing.  I had expected there to be more galleries and locations to satisfy this itch, but I had sadly found myself in a fairly similar situation to Sydney.  There was stuff around, but I definitely wasn't in a centre for arts and culture.

All of this seemed to be slowly changing though.  Hong Kong is making a big push to become the centre for culture within the region with major development of the West Kowloon Cultural District.  This huge park area is going to contain parks, restaurants, galleries, museums and theatres.  Some of this is already open, but must of it continues to be under construction.

However, one of the shining jewels of this new area has now opened! 

M+ is hoping to be the world's next great modern art museum.  It is an enormous new complex which has floor space which puts it on par with the Tate Modern and MOMA (which are two of my favourite galleries in the world).  The idea that we in Hong Kong now having something of this size and scale is truly exciting.

In anticipation of this opening, Veronica and I decided to become members.  Everything was going to be "free" in the first year, but we wanted to support the gallery and we also thought that there might be some benefits to getting in early.  This proved to be the case when we received invitations to attend the private members opening of the gallery!  Instead of having to fight with the throngs of people who would be queuing to get in when it actually opened, the gallery was opened for all members to attend a few evenings earlier.  We took the opportunity to go to work dressed a little bit better than usual, then headed over with all the others to see this brand new gallery.

It was amazing to see.

The space is enormous, and it is filled with wonderful and strange exhibits.  The focus was on art within Asia, and it was a pleasure to be able to see the various types of expression from the region all within the same space.

One particular highlight was the large gallery inside which had been set aside for one of the more unique works from Antony Gormley.  Hundreds of thousands of clay figures, each unique, each hand crafted by the inhabitants of a village in China, each of them silently looking up.  Standing in front of this crowd of figures was a strangely humbling and awe inspiring experience.

The rest of the gallery was no less intriguing, with installations, paintings, sculptures and other oddities designed to make you think and ponder.

It didn't feel quite like I was in Hong Kong.  Veronica even mentioned that she felt like she was back in New York again.

It was a privilege to be able to attend this opening.  As a members event, the space was far more open and we didn't feel any of the crowds that would normally be at a new location like this.  Instead, we were able to walk calmly from exhibit to exhibit, calmly taking in everything and enjoying it without any bother.