HONG KONG ~ McLehose Trail ~

... Great map postcard of the world-renowned MacLehose Trail... an iconic hiking trail noted by National Geographic as one of the world’s 20 dream trails... it was the first long distance hiking trail in Hong Kong and celebrates this year its 40th anniversary... you’ll see sea caves, sea stacks, and hexagonal rock columns... listen to the sound of breaking waves on the impressive coastlines... breathtaking scenery of the countryside as well as overlooking view of the cityscape of the Kowloon Peninsula... I never would had thought of Hong Kong as a "dream" hiking destination as being one of the most crowded places on earth... most postcards I have seen and received showing skycrapers, bright neon lights and shops😉... with nice matching stamp and First Day cancellation to celebrate this anniversary👍... Thanks a lot Cho Kin!【ツ】

Map by Steve Stankiewicz The MacLehose Trail opened on 26 October 1979, is a hiking trail that crosses much of the New Territories, starting from Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung, in the east to Tuen Mun in the west. The whole trail is 100 kilometres long, marked by distance posts at 500m intervals along the paths and consist of 10 stages.

It is named after Crawford Murray MacLehose, the longest serving governor of Hong Kong, who established the Country Parks and was himself an enthusiastic hiker.

Stamp:

"Hong Kong Hiking Trails "MacLehose Trail".
(Issued 24-10-2019)

Definitives - Landscapes of Hong Kong
(Issued 24-07-2014)

HONG KONG ~ Tram - Sheung Wan ~

... Lovely view of a public transport and tourist attraction in one... classic icons... take a step back in time... the tram was one of the earliest transport in Hong Kong... a unique way of travel on a double-deck tram and still maintain in high standard.... and the best part is that it's very affordable... known by the locals as as "ding-dings"... Thanks a lot Jobbo!! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Trams became operational in Hong Kong in 1904, and the first double-deck tramcar was introduced in 1912.

The current fleet stands at 164 double-deck trams which is the world's largest fleet of double-deck trams still in service.

Western Market is a colonial building located in Sheung Wan, a historic landmark. Since it was built in 1906 to serve as the office of Victoria, which is now a market with shops and restaurants lined inside.





Photo: Jacky Yeung

Stamp:

The 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Issued 01-07-2017)

HONG KONG ~ Portraits of Peninsula - Annie Leibovitz ~

.... A bunch of happy looking employees working in Hong Kong's oldest hotel(1928)... the legendary "Grande Dame of the Far East"... photographed by widely considered one of America’s best portrait photographers... with nice airport stamp cancellation... Thanks a lot Glenn!! ✈Enjoy your trip✈ Gem's World Postcards

Photo: Annie Leibovitz
"Portraits of Peninsula" is a collection of black-and-white photos that go to the heart of the guest experience that distinguishes Peninsula hotels as the finest in the world. With the photos, Leibovitz departs from her tradition of celebrity portraiture to focus on the people and personalities behind the Peninsula brand. While not famous, the faces of Peninsula pageboys, housekeepers and bellmen are just as compelling as those of celebrities when seen through her lens.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz was born on October 2, 1949, in Waterbury, Connecticut. In 1970 she landed a job at Rolling Stone and went on to create a distinctive look for the publication as chief photographer. In 1983 she began working for the entertainment magazine Vanity Fair, continuing to produce images that would be deemed iconic and provocative. Having also worked on high-profile advertising campaigns, Leibovitz's images have been showcased in several books and major exhibitions around the world.

Stamp:

The 150th Anniversary of Stamp Insurance
December WM(08-12-2012)

HONG KONG ~Fire Crackrer Night at Victoria Harbor ~

... A breathtaking  light and laser show features more than 40 different buildings and skyscrapers on both sides of the harbor...a the top tourist attraction in Hong Kong.... Thanks a lot Jobo!!

A Symphony of Lights  is a daily light and sound show in Hong Kong. It is the world's largest permanent light and sound show according to Guinness World Records.

The show is organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and is displayed every night with good weather at 8 pm Hong Kong Time. An orchestration of music, decoration lights, laser light displays, and pyrotechnic fireworks, the multimedia light and sound show lasts for around 14 minutes.

Special pyrotechnic fireworks will be added to the show on the rooftop of participating buildings on both sides of the harbour or stages off at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. They are used on special events or holidays, like Chinese New Year and Christmas.

Stamps:

Sports in Hong Kong
(Issued 23-04-2015)
Hong Kong Museums Collection - Paintings by Wu Guanzhong, 1919-2010
(Issued 17-06-2014)

HONG KONG ~Tung Ping Chau Island - Lan Kwo Shui ~

...A beautiful nature postcard so totally different from my other ones of "busy" Hong Kong...spectacular cliffs and wave-cut platforms... Thanks a lot Hazel!

With nice just released stamp:
Hong Kong Definitive Stamps - landscape
(Issued 24 July 2014)

Lan Kwo Shui, located in the Tung Ping Chau Geo-Area, is composed mainly of sedimentary rocks dating back some 55 million years. After continuous erosion by destructive waves, the base of the vertical sea cliff gradually receded, leaving behind a narrow flat area, gently sloping and extending into the sea, called a “wave-cut platform”, which is covered in water at high tide but exposed at low tide, allowing it to be reached by foot. Lan Kwo Shui is so named because it is difficult to reach much of the time.

Tung Ping Chau island is home to Hong Kong’s Geopark, a protected Marine National Park because of its rich aquatic species. It is the easternmost outlying island of Hong Kong.This crescent-shaped island, measuring 600 metres long and 200 metres wide, is renowned for  strange and spectacular rock formations,hardly found in the rest of Hong Kong.

HONG KONG ~Jumbo Floating Restaurant -Aberdeen ~

Fantastic, floating, flashy giant boat...It is one of the best and largest floating restaurants in the world....and an iconic tourist landmark of Hong Kong...it can accommodate up to 2,300 people!!! Many Thanks Beth!!


With nice "Heartwarming" design stamp.
(Issued: 01-10-2013)

Photo ©Edmond Chan
The Jumbo Kingdom was established in October 1976 by Dr. Stanley Ho. It took four years and over HK$30 million to design and build it. It was originally decorated in the style of an ancient Chinese imperial palace and is situated in Aberdeen Harbour. It has lots of dragons, padogas and very beautiful red and gold decoration. It provides a range of entertainment, shopping and variety of dining attractions.
The Jumbo Kingdom also went through a a multi million dollar renovation in 2003.

Floating restaurants appeared in the typhoon shelter shortly after world war II.

HONG-KONG

Great card showing the panorama of Hong Kong and Kowloon at night (HK-66513)...
all those skyscrapers are soooo brightly lited... I think it must be the most crowded place on earth... I could never live that way... I need my space and I love to go outside in my garden whenever I feel like it!!:D Thanks Jim!!

With lovely stamps too!
Hong Kong is one of two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China, the other being Macau.
Hong Kong has 5 of the the world's 20 tallest buildings.

HONG KONG ~Public Housing Estate~

I've beeen spoiled with wonderful official cards this last few days... Today a great card from Hong Kong (HK-44601) arrived. The sender wrote that this view is from years ago. Nowadays the public Housing Estates are much more beautiful and modern... However it is still very crowded...

I could never live that way... I need my space and I love to go outside in my garden whenever I feel like it!!:D Thanks Iris!
With lovely (older)stamps!

In Hong Kong, the government provides public housing through flats which are rented at a lower price than the markets, and through the Home Ownership Scheme, which are sold at a lower price. These are built and administered by the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society. Nearly half of Hong Kong population lives in public housing.

HONG KONG ~Johnston Road-Wanchai~

Another fantastic card from "Globetrotter" Lily! Looks such a busy and noisy street... Don't think I would like it there... THANKS!!


Stamp from a set of 16 definitives representing birds; the Red Whiskered Bul.(2006)










 From the back of the card:
The tram service began in 1904 and continues to be a vital and colourful part of Hong Kong's public transport system. Today's trams are probably the largest most inventive collection of moving billboards in the world.


Photo ©Keith Macgregor

HONG KONG ~Thyphoon Shelter, Cheung Chau~

My first card this week! It is a beautiful colored but so busy looking island in Hong Kong.I like it how the sender described the card:
..."Typical Chinese organised chaos"... And I think that says it all... :-)
With nice matching stamp and the card travelled only 4 days! That's really fast...


A typhoon shelter is a shelter for fishing boats during typhoons. These facilities are often found in Hong Kong.A typhoon shelter, as it name suggests, is used by small to medium ships as a shelter against gale force winds and rough seas during a typhoon strike.

Cheung Chau (meaning "long island" in Cantonese) is one of the most popular of all the outlying islands. Shaped like a dumbbell, it is about a 30-55-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong's Central District.

HONG KONG ~Peak Tram~

Received today my fifth card from Hong Kong!

Operating since 1888 the cable-pulled tram travels between Central and the Peak, one ofthe city's most scenictransportroutes, with a view of Victoria Harbour.

HONG KONG

Nighview of Hong Kong with many neon signs. This card shows the firework above the Victoria Harbour.

HONG KONG ~Statue Square Cenotaph-Central~

Great card from Hong Kong.... all those skyscrapers are soooo brightly lited. I think it must be one of the busiest place on earth...

The square is home to the legco building on the left, Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, the Standard Chartered Bank and the Mandarin Oriental. The "statue" is of Sir Thomas Jackson, chief manager of "The Bank" from 1870 to 1902. It replaced the original one of queen Victoria.                                          Photo © Keith Macgregor

HONG KONG ~Tsing Ma Bridge~

This is my second card ever from Hong Kong.... and what a view... This amazing bridge is a famous landmark in Hong Kong and connect Tsing Yi island and Ma Wan island. and also the Hong Kong international Airport to the urban area.

At 2.2km the bridge is the world's longest combined road and rail suspension bridge. it is designed to withstand 300 km/h winds and carries 6 lanes of traffic on the upper deck and 2 more lanes below for use in bad weather. The main span is 1,377m. The total length of the 160km suspension cable wire is enough ti circle the world four times. The new airport officially opened on July 6, 1998.

Photo © Keith Macgregor

HONG KONG

Hong Kong is a territory located on China's south coast on the Pearl River Delta