L O G B o o k
L O G B o o k
Solstice Pursuits
In the dark, fish-smelling recesses of Hong Kong’s Aberdeen Harbour we turned a corner one night and came upon an unexpected sight: a makeshift, floating restaurant bobbing between the fishing boats.
It was little more than a battered old sampan, one which probably spent its days delivering cargo or picking up passengers across the way at Ap Lei Chau. But by night it turned into a bustling eatery, where an elderly couple cooked home-spun noodles, sizzled fried fish and hatcheted up char siew (local barbecued pork) for a long queue of hungry customers. Judging by the size of the line and the waiting times involved, this was a popular spot - and not the sort you’d see written up in any Michelin or Lonely Planet guides.
Aberdeen remains home to the territory’s largest fishing fleet, and although trawling in local waters has been banned since early 2013 (depleted fish stocks are gradually showing signs of recovery), the fishing boats still ply the International and Chinese waters outside the boundaries.
For us, slipping like ghosts through an unfamiliar part of the city, it was a glimpse back to an earlier age, when this harbour was full of people living on boats and such floating kitchens, full of fresh and savory comestibles, were widespread. (And yes, if not rushing to meet the schedule of a departing ferry, we would have taken our place in line and tried the fare ourselves.)
As always, the most interesting glimpses of life were fleeting, and too often passed us by.
by Mark Malby
Friday, 21 June 2019
Text & images Copyright © 2000-2019 Mark Malby at Mute Planet
Just another summer solstice, as the June sun sinks low over Hong Kong’s Lantau Island.