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Seems storm near Hainan won’t become typhoon.
And storm headed for Taiwan may become big but not typhoon, judgging from ECMWF
Nearer home, w procession of thunderstorms arriving from over the sea, our heatwave is over with a BANG or several.
Chart here rather as ECMWF forecast a few days ago.
If you thought July seemed unusually hot and dry, with day after day of heat, sun, and – often – clear blue skies with just a few fluffy white clouds (great to look at; hot to be out in), you were right.
From HK Obs:Quote:Under the prolonged dominance of the sub-tropical ridge of high pressure, July 2007 was much drier and warmer than usual. The monthly rainfall of 76.9 millimetres, less than one fourth of the normal figure of 323.5 millimetres, was the lowest on record for July. With abundant sunshine and meager rainfall, the monthly mean temperature mounted to 29.6 degrees, the second highest for July. The accumulated rainfall since the beginning of the year was 1044.9 millimetres, about 21 percent below the normal figure of 1316.0 millimetres for the same period.As Typhoon Usagi heads for west Japan, the ECMWF is forecasting that by Monday there will be a typhoon hitting Hainan area – and a couple of days later, one slamming Taiwan (before moving mainly northwards). So after lack of storms for some time, a veritable flurry seems imminent; can wonder if a busy time ahead for typhoon forecasters.
Here’s Mon 6 Aug forecast from ECMWF:
Hi Darren:
Lantau would seem the best choice: plenty to explore. Pui O with buffaloes worth including; stroll Cheung Sha beaches, maybe eat there; walking at Ngong Ping inc new trails on hill to north of Buddha – just a fraction cooler there too [and at present, relatively peaceful with Skyrail halted!]; Tai O good to wander round, and waterfall above Yi O to the south; easier waterfall at Mui Wo.
Cheung Chau worth considering, with good coastal walks; but if for a few days, best as a base, so can take ferry to Lantau (Chi Ma Wan and Mui Wo), or to HK Island (unless v hot, Dragon’s Back a great walk, and then down to Shek O)
For an overnight, Tung Ping Chau great.
More guff on most/all of these on this site. My Hong Kong Pathfinder book may help; so too HKTB booklet, Discover Hong Kong Nature.
Martin
I reckon would have to go at fair clip to make circuit in an hour: military yomp?!
Maybe two hours, even four hours if leisurely.Worth having a look along some of the side trails, to abandoned hamlets w ruined houses among trees.
Yes, good corals by HK standards, tho no real reefs. Can just walk into water off beaches to north of ferry pier, then snorkel.I like the place in hamlet north of pier, for food and maybe overnight stay (v rustic!). Called Ping Chau Store I think; I should have tel somewhere around.
There’s shower, too – useful if swim/snorkel. Dinner can include some local seafood, such as urchins, which abound and bit of a pest perhaps, maybe devouring too much algae.That camp may well be the place that’s now ready as shelter for nuclear fallout (!) – lest an accident at Daya Bay plant, which not far away.
Not so daunting now; can take the ferry from Ma Liu Shui near Univ; I think Saturday best, as gets busy on Sundays: a popular place now, inc voted most beautiful spot in HK in AFCD poll.
I don’t think it is most beautiful; but a lovely place, and quite a contrast to elsewhere in HK, inc for the mudstones that led to landscape making it “ping” – level island.Article on this site re the island:
Tung Ping ChauHi Joanne – and Simon D (good to have insightful posts like this):
As I live on Cheung Chau, will admit some bias towards it, but the suicides far less common here nowadays. New place, Cheung Chau B&B, by main beach and just couple of mins’ walk from ferry pier, maybe worth considering.
Plenty of guff on the island, inc more on accomm, on another site I’ve started: Cheung Chau HK.On another thread here, mentioned re Fung Wong Holiday Bungalows in Shui Hau, Lantau, being a fine place to stay. Lies west of Tong Fuk, and lacks restaurants, but good spot.
Tung Ping Chau in Mirs Bay makes v different option; really “away from it all”. Article on this site – under “Places”, where you might find more ideas.
If you try a place or two, Joanne, hope you’ll return and post about them.
I did go to Kadoorie Farm a couple of days ago.
Mentioned snake to animal expert Paul Crow, and he suggested Indo-Chinese Rat Snake: mocha colour fits, and fast moving.Thanks Tom; I did see the letter – shortly after making the above post – had waited till SCMP maybe published, then gave up. Meant to edit the post; will do so now.
I also circulated to group on sustainable tourism, inc rep of Tourism Commission (seems they have someone in the group chiefly as an observer rather than with intent to really learn/contribute – after a few years, doesn’t seem being in the group has made an iota of difference to the TC, with mindset still concrete is good, and never mind grassroots that I”d think should be crucial for real sustainable tourism).
Interesting to see if any response from TC.Martin
News article on bbc site includes:
Quote:There are two main sources of air pollution in Hong Kong. In terms of sheer tonnage, most of the air pollution comes from factories in the Pearl River Delta across the border, and it is the particulates they emit that cause the haze. But this comes in concentrated spurts. The rest of the time it is local sources – vehicle emissions, power plants and marine traffic – that are at the root of the problem. Christine Loh, head of the think tank Civic Exchange, says this means that blame cannot just be shifted over the border, and that the government has been slow to act. "So far, the government is in denial. It’s not that the government is not doing anything. It’s a question of whether it is doing enough, fast enough," she said. Even the pollutants that drift over the border are in one sense "made in Hong Kong" – many of the 70,000 factories in the Pear River Delta are owned by Hong Kong businesses. Serious cost "Pollution is responsible for serious chronic disease and premature death on a daily basis," said Anthony Hedley, professor of community health at the University of Hong Kong.Oddly, on Sat, walked Dragon’s Back and the sea below – esp Big Wave Bay – looked wonderfully clear. (Tho water at Shek O not so crystal when later swam there, tho plenty of plastic bags etc floating around.)
Charlie won’t be real fast replying, as out diving near the Ninepins.
Cue Jaws music – dumm duum duum dumm….Just received this email, in reply to mine posted above:
Quote:Thank you for your views on rural minor works which I have forwarded to our works departments for attention.Rural minor works projects are of course for the benefit of the public.
They are planned and implemented to minimize impact to the environment. We agree with your views.I have taken the liberty to share your views with the Home Affairs
Department which plays an important role in rural minor works.Regards,
Jacky Chiong
for Secretary for the Environment, Transport and WorksBeen meaning to add for a while:
Thanks again for this info; yes, excellent area for hiking.Looking for other info, just come across email inc this:
there are two hostels in Sam A Tsuen , please call 97898295/26799511,Mr.Tsang.
– which was main info I wanted to add. Stayed at Mr Tsang’s hostel for a night last summer: a wonderful spot.
Quote:Frequently shrouded by a polluted haze, two small islands on the edge of Hong Kong¡¦s territorial waters are at the epicentre of an unusual environmental debate.At issue is the ecological cost Hong Kong is prepared to pay to clean up its filthy air.
…
Hong Kong environmentalists object to a project they believe would spoil an ecologically valuable area. The Sokos¡¦ surrounding waters are rich in marine life and a breeding ground for both rare pink dolphins and finless porpoises ¡V the only two marine mammals that manage to tolerate Hong Kong¡¦s dirty and heavily trafficked waterways.¡§Having the [LNG] terminal and burning more gas instead of coal will improve Hong Kong¡¦s air pollution. But the central question is whether they need to step into this ecologically sensitive area,¡¨ says Hung Wing-tat, director of green group Conservancy Association.
…
The terminal, CLP also argues, will be built on already scarred land: the abandoned concrete platform where the detention centre that housed thousands of Vietnamese boat people once stood.Conservationists, however, are not convinced. ¡§The effect on Hong Kong will be to destroy a part of our dwindling ecological heritage,¡¨ says the Living Islands Movement, a lobby group that argues CLP should instead source its gas from terminals across the border in Guangdong.
Making the project even more controversial is the need to lay a 38km underwater pipeline linking the terminal to CLP and ExxonMobil¡¦s 2,500MW Black Point power plant. Environmentalists contend the necessary dredging work will threaten the area¡¦s dolphins and porpoises, which breed each autumn and spring respectively.
¡§The pipes are at absolutely the worst place they could be for the dolphins,¡¨ says Janet Walker, a senior guide at Hong Kong DolphinWatch, which organises nature tours.
CLP¡¦s environmental permit bans dredging during the breeding seasons. Work would also have to halt temporarily every time a pink dolphin or porpoise was spied within 250m of a dredger, and the company has promised to establish two marine parks ¡V a plan the government proposed in 2002 but never implemented.
