Hi all, Keith here. Time to explore around Hong Kong where I am at the moment.

I’m staying in the Wan Chai area and today I decided to take a walk to the nearby Hong Kong Park. It’s a lovely park in between Wan Chai and Central and has a lot of things to see!

Even the walk there is pretty. Below are a couple of snaps I took along the way.

Right in the middle of the park is a man made lake that is split up into sections. There is a large waterfall feeding the lake. Although some rather large koi carp call it home, there are also many, many turtles!

Above the lake – which you can get to by walking BEHIND the waterfall pictured above – there is a conservatory that houses lots of different species of flowers. Entry is free and it has a number of areas to explore. The main area is for showing off orchids….

…but there is also an area for “dry plants” – cactus mainly – and a humid zone which has it’s own waterfall as well. This area is mostly succulents and bromeliads and my favourite, the bat flower. The flowers look just like little bats hanging from the plant!

From the conservatory, a short walk takes you to the Tai Chi Garden. I highly recommend it. A tranquil place of relaxation, it is small but very pretty.

One of the best features is the “Vantage Point” – a high tower with a steep spiral staircase that takes you to the top. However, I do need to issue a fair warning. The 30 metre high tower has 105 very steep stairs that are quite challenging, especially in the heat or if you are really unfit (don’t ask me how I found that out). As you climb the stairs and at the top, the view is well worth it…

Once you’ve stopped sweating after coming back down those stairs, right next door to the garden is the walk through aviary. I wouldn’t put this on my must see list, but while you’re there, it is worth a look.

And this guy, who worked out a great way to get a drink….

Since Hong Kong Island is naturally very steep in many places, I had found that I’d wound my way up to the top of the park. I had a look at an exhibition at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre put on by a couple of local artists.

After that I found myself on Kennedy Rd which winds back to where I’m staying. I thought it would be nice to see a different view and was not disappointed. The way that urban Hong Kong has to fight constantly with nature is something I really love about this place.

The road that takes me to where I’m staying is called Wan Chai Gap Road and it’s very small, but ridiculously steep. It’s also part of the Wan Chai Green Trail that is a really steep 1.5 km walk that is surround by nature.

Although part of that nature likes to be included in the trail….

After my long walk back, I realised that I had been so busy, I’d barely even looked out of the window of my hotel room. When I did, I noticed a couple of things of note.

The first is this weird building that almost looks like a Gehry. It kind of looks like a normal sky scraper that has been twisted once it was plonked on the side of the hill!

And, a neighbour in a nearby building has some strange pets….