Thank you for not smoking

I have noticed Mui Wo is getting more mainland tourists. They're usually in large groups, crowding the ferries during the home commute.

The new management of Silvermine Beach Hotel must have realised that this is where the money is. And tourists are largely good news, because they spend on food and trinkets and keep the local economy going.

That's what I tell myself when I have to endure the noise and the crowded pavements on my way home.

What I can't stand, though, is the way some flaunt the law by smoking on the ferries. You can be sitting in a slow ferry, enjoying the sea breeze when suddenly there is a waft of tobacco, which stays with you throughout the trip.

The culprits are very sly, cupping the cigarette in the palm of their hands so you can't spot them easily. The only clue is a wisp of smoke escaping from their noses – and possibly a butt left behind when they leave.

Plus, I think the ferry crew are too intimidated to tell them off as these illicit smokers are usually in one rowdy group.

Pity, though. Think of what a few HK$5,000 fines could do for the local economy.