Mui Wo sartorial style

He's keepin' it real.

Btw, he put on special clean pyjamas for his trip into Central.

Gasp... choke!

The pollution hanging over Central was so bad that I started sneezing non-stop the moment I stepped off the ferry. 

These days, I find I can breathe easily only when I get back to Mui Wo as the trees and sea do have a positive effect on the air. We have so few green lungs in Hong Kong now.

Do you think the officials behind the Shek Kwu Chau incinerator proposal are jealous of South Lantau folks and want to spread the misery around?.

Barefoot in Central

The problem with only just breaking out my summer shoes is precisely that – they break. Having been kept dormant in the shoe cabinet for the past six months, soles come unstuck and sandals fall apart.

One fell apart just as I was leaving the ferry at Central and it made me suddenly realise what a long way I walk each day to reach civilisation. Imagine having to trudge up the overhead bridge and along the vast expanse of walkway on shoes that threaten to break your ankle every three steps.

It was way too early for any shops to be open and even if they'd been, the nearest place was IFC mall. I wasn't about to spend HK$500 on a pair of emergency Geox or something from Pedder Red.

To make things worse, this was a day of "special deployment", which meant the ferry docked at Pier 5 instead of the usual 6. So it was hoppity skip, hoppity skip to the Star Ferry pier... where I decided that if I wanted to get anywhere at least by noon, I was better off ditching the shoes and going barefoot.

It was a strange experience walking barefoot along the Stock Exchange and Jardine House, passing the suited or stilettoed office workers. Not something I'd want to repeat in a hurry.

I finally got my shoe fixed – temporarily – at the cobblers at Central MTR station.

But that experience set me thinking. Normally, if a shoe breaks, you can just turn round, grab a taxi and go home to change your shoe... but not if you're a ferry commuter.

So why don't they have emergency slipper vending machines at piers? And come to think of it, a couple dispensing umbrellas wouldn't go amiss either.

Or has the whole trauma of walking barefoot in Central addled my brains?

Safe subdivision

The walk from the ferry pier to the MTR station every morning can be a pain, especially when there's a very hot weather warning.

Thankfully, I had this hilarious bus ad to keep me amused.

Remember, folks, unauthorised subdivision of units may CAUSE life.

To prevent unwanted babies, wear a condom when subdividing.

Just the ticket

There are very few privileges for Mui Wo locals compared to the day trippers.

We pay the same ferry fares. And even the monthly tickets (which give you two returns on the ordinary ferry a day) are not that good value - being roughly the same price as two ordinary ferry tickets anyway.

But I am forever indebted to my Mui Wo guru who let me in on a secret: On Sundays and public holidays, when the ferry fares are a whopping HK$12.40 more each way, Mui Wo residents can buy the Holiday Return Ticket.

The ticket allows you to take two trips on the ferry for weekday prices. It costs HK$42.90 and you top up the difference if you return on a fast ferry.

But it saves you almost HK$25 if you, like me, sometimes have to work on Sundays and public holidays. That's enough for a pair of bermudas at the Salvation Army store.

The trick is to remember to use it on the way back. I have paid double a few times because I went into reflex action and immediately used my Octopus for the return journey. Ouch!