Lamma-zine #27 - Dec 2003 - Christmas Shopping on Lamma

Christmas Shopping Photo Gallery

Got any last-minute shopping left to do? Dreading to go to town and face the mad crowds of fellow last-minute shoppers? Don't! Stay on Lamma and check out the local shops along Main and Back Street. There are a lot of great products on sale, often for much better prices than you could find in town.

Patronise local businesses and help to revive the island's economy. Enjoy the friendly, personal service and make new local friends at the same time.

Click here for the Christmas Shopping Photo Gallery to put you into the right shopping mood.

Lamma Fun Day - Best Snapshots

Wasn't it a great day out on Power Station Beach? Beautiful weather, cool breeze, shady trees, lots of people determined to have fun and loads of money being donated for the Child Welfare Scheme!

Doggy, Lamma Fun Day Organiser:

"Hi Everybody,

Adding it all up, I've worked out a total of $40,597.7 raised at the Lamma Fun Day!!!! How cool is that?

That's 15 grand more than we raised in previous years. Some amazing contributions went into that, like $11,000 raised from sale of bric-a-brac and $10,000 from sale of food.

Loads of people put heaps of effort into making fun day such a success, so I want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all of them (and I'm sure Child Welfare Scheme would as well). And thanks to everyone who attended and had fun in the sun with us last Sunday.

Sean's photos are up online at www.LammaFunDay.com and Lamma-Gung's extensive Multimedia Gallery (incl. video & sound) is at: Fun-Day-2003 Photo Gallery."

(from Doggy, 2 days later): "I did the final audit yesterday, and discovered that there were a couple of amounts I hadn't factored in, so the total is actually $45,335.3."

Steve Cray's great photos of the YSWankers gig (see left) are at homepage.mac.com/steve.cray/...

Papa Jack gig photo by bbChris (see right).

Photo collages by Bob Davis: click for Page 1 & Page 2.

A few more from Steve Cray, who's also just added great new photos (Harbour Fest, etc.) to his website:

Follow-ups: Elections, Helipad, Loy Krathong

• District Council Elections:

A sweeping victory for Ms Yu Lai Fan of the so-called "Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong", 69% of Lammaites voted for her.

Congratulations are in order, she won fair & square by a vast majority, no serious foul play, as far as I know. That's what democracy is all about, the majority wins, if the individual likes the results or not...

Alex Chan has won a very respectable number of votes for a fresh candidate like him, capturing a lot of hearts and minds and votes during his relentless, tireless campaigning. A natural, democratic, environmentally aware & personable politician like him will get his chance for elected office very soon, I'm sure. Below, there's his message to voters, stuck on campaign posters.

Early in the morning on voting day, there was a long line outside the town hall! The average age of these voters was well beyond 60, I'd guess. The DAB knows how to mobilise their supporters... Ms Yu's message to voters:

"Ms Yu Lai Fan appreciates Lamma and Po Toi residents' support

Dear residents,

In condition of being voted as a district council member for Lamma and Po toi district, I would like to send my deep appreciation for your faithful support. I would try my best to achieve my commitments and listen to your voice. Let us to contribute a better community for the coming future. Once again thanks for you support."

But the DAB has suffered badly in these elections all over HK, only about 30% of their candidates were elected, losing almost 40% of their former seats, overtaken so far by the Democrats. It'll take a bit longer on the islands for democratic ideas to take hold, but it'll get there someday...

Ms Yu didn't respond to my repeated requests for an interview or answer the questions of members of Lamma.com.hk I sent her. But now with the election pressure over, she's more open for an interview. Being introduced to her just today (Dec 19) for the very first time, she personally agreed to an exclusive feature story & interview for the Lamma-zine next year, after Chin. New Year! Watch out for it!

• Temporary Helipad:

Things are finally starting to move on the temporary & permanent helipad issues, moving the medical emergency helipad from the Power Station to the existing Yung Shue Wan reclamation.

A temporary helipad is scheduled to be completed this month and the permanent one, scheduled for 2006, to be built on a platform in the harbour for over $16 million, connected by bridge on pre-bored pilings to the existing reclamation area (see above and right)

Alex Chan, Chairman of Citizens Party:

Dear Lamma Friends,

First, THANK YOU for your support!! The 1123 District Council Election was fun and very exciting. I did not win a seat in the DC but with your help, but I did WIN 361 votes or 31% of all votes (Ms Yu Lai Fan won 794 votes).

The voter turnout on Lamma was remarkably impressive: 54%, among the highest in Hong Kong. I think it was a very good result, considering I was a new face to a very small village community where clanships traditionally dominate all local politics and a couple of powerful local groups backed Yu up in this election. In addition, just simply too many of our supporters did not register to vote.

I know that all of you are very concerned about the status of our new helipad: (1) when the temporary helipad will be available & (2) the construction noise of the eventual permanent helipad. Below is the reply from Jimmy Chan, Senior Engineer at the Civil Engineering Department. If you should have any further questions or comments, please let me know.

Lamma is now my constituency & see you around!

Jimmy Chan, Civil Engineering Dept.:

Dear Alex,

Regarding your two questions concerning the helipad project at Yung Shue Wan:

(1) Firstly, I feel sorry for the patient who passed away. As for the temporary helipad at Yung Shue Wan, the Home Affairs Department (HAD) is responsible for its construction. Civil Engineering Department is assisting with the application for an Environmental Permit which requires the preparation of a Project Profile containing assessment of the environmental impact of the temporary helipad.

You may like to note that an Environmental Permit is required for the construction and operation of the helipad irrespective of whether it is of temporary or permanent nature. The Environmental Protection Department issued the Permit on 16.10.2003.

As the temporary helipad site is a bare ground without any surfacing at present, the Government Flying Services would require some minimum paving to be constructed to prevent loose particles from being stirred up by the helicopter turbulence.

A cart path is also needed for the ambulance to reach the landing area. HAD had already engaged a contractor on 17.10.2003 and construction works are underway with a scheduled completion date of end December 2003.

(2) An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study is being conducted for the permanent helipad. Noise impact is one of the areas for assessment which covers both the construction phase and the operation phase.

a) I would like to clarify that we are planning to adopt the "pre-bored" type of piling method and the construction noise would be lower than percussive piling.

b) All piling works would be carried out between 0700 to 1900 hours. It is estimated that the piling activities would take about 6 months to complete.

c) The draft EIA study report, which is being passed to relevant parties including the Environmental Protection Department for comment, has recommended that the Contract should adopt good working practices to minimize construction noise as far as possible such as minimizing the number of powered mechanical equipment, turning off unused equipment and providing maintenance to all plant and equipment.

However, as mentioned above, the pre-bore piling method would be used and the predicted construction noise levels would comply with the noise standard laid down in the EIAO. The piling works should not cause unacceptable impact to nearby residents and businesses.

We'll believe it when we see it. Completion date end of this month? According to recent reports, some men and machinery are on the site now. But little accomplished so far...

• Loy Krathong:

After seeing my "Floating Lantern Festival at the ferry pier photo gallery in the last Lamma-zine, Roz Keep, the famous local watercolourist who recently moved to Chiang Mai, sent me this personal story:

Roz Keep, still young Lamma Oldster:

It was interesting to see your fine photos of the Loy Krathon Festival in the Lamma-zine. Thanks a lot. I wanted to write a bit in response. I am a Lamma Oldster, as you like to call anyone who has lived there 10 years or more, currently living in Chiang Mai, North Thailand. I will try to describe my first Loy Krathon Festival in Thailand for Lamma readers.

About two or three weeks before the full moon, while making dinner in my new home, there was a huge and deafening explosion outside my kitchen window... I dropped what I was doing and ran outside believing it to be an American invasion or something equally terrifying only to see a group of young boys and a few old men setting off the thickest, longest, biggest fireworks I'd ever seen.

My ears were still ringing from the first explosion but these enthusiastic Thai males weren't done yet... Over and over again this ritual of detonation continued, accompanied by loud and cheerful shouting and laughter. They were having a "who's got the biggest?" competition obviously... This behaviour seemed to become an epidemic as full moon approached and on the night itself one was thankful not to have been in any real war zones in one's life as I can imagine war traumas coming back to haunt...

Now the best bit of the festival is the floaty offerings. We had been invited to join a new friend and her party at the river's edge to release our Krathon and to make our wishes for the new year, cleansed of sin. I'll never forget for the rest of my life how beautiful the river and also the sky looked as thousands of candles floated in the water and lanterns ascended into the clear night sky. Truly an incredible sight.

The lanterns are a clever combination of ancient and modern technology, using a fireproof paper and bamboo hoop, supporting at the bottom a candle made of paraffin-soaked wick. The thing is set light to, the balloon fills with hot air and up it goes. As the balloons are large, they take a couple of people to coordinate the launch successfully.

Once up, the balloons gain such height that we feared for anyone traveling in a jumbo jet about to land at Chiang Mai's busy airport at the height of tourist season! Phil was relieved he wasn't traveling that week at all as the balloons are a favourite every night of the week around the full moon.

I enjoyed a lesson in making the floats at my son's school the previous afternoon. In the junior school, a large floor space had been prepared for students, teachers and parents to sit and make their own Krathons.

Materials had all been provided and we could sit with Thai staff to learn the intricate folding of the banana leaf and attaching them around the base of the float. These floats were all made of banana stems by the way, no environmentally unfriendly polystyrene for these kids...

Mine ended up looking like a lotus flower that had a blight or which had been in a typhoon. But they were very polite and said "Very beautiful, Miss Loz (Roz)." I was impressed with the school's extensive gardens which provided all the flowers free of charge and made our krathons pretty.

The River Ping is near our new home and since the festival of love and light I have begun to visit it almost daily for peace, reflection and inspiration for my drawing. So it is with gratitude and relief that I got to know this river as a result of the very special Loy Krathon full moon festival.

Peace be to you all on Lamma.

Restaurant & Bar News - December

What's new in the local dining & drinking (& falling-down) scene during the month of Christmas/ Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/...? Lots of food promotions, obviously! After the recent re-surfacing of most of Main Street between Spicy and Deli, plus new flush water piping (after an embarrassing break-down recently, see below left), the scene is set for the holiday crowds descending on our fair village, hopefully patronising the local businesses and reviving their sales.

Thai Thai on Back Street has moved across the street, opening a proper Thai Restaurant on Dec 7. Lamma Gourmet, part of the Dan Kwai Fong empire, has moved next door to bigger & better premises.

10 year anniversary of the Deli Lamma on Dec 10, which was full of loyal & happy long-time patrons that night. Big Christmas Day dinners coming up in Lamma Bistro and Aroy Thai. Diesel's has been serving Indian & Western food for a few weeks now, all prepared in-house, and it's becoming pretty popular.

Breaking news: Kumar (of Spicy Island fame) is taking over Y2K as Bar Manager on Jan 1st!

Click for Restaurant & Bar News Photo Gallery

Loads of events in the Island Bar this month (see all the Harry posters above), several of them in favour of Operation Santa Claus: Quiz Night, Treasure Hunt, Christmas Carols singing, "Gangsters & Molls" New Year's Eve party...

Yummy Sunday roasts in Lamma Bistro and Bookworm Café.

Holiday Mood lets groups rent the entire place for a weeknight and offers party catering, similar to the Chinese bakery opposite the Bistro (which catered the Western food at the LAP Centre opening, to my big surprise).

Finally, the formerly famous Waterfront restaurant & bar is rumoured to re-open "soon", but I won't believe it till I see it.

Here are the photos and descriptions of the promotions above: click on Restaurants & Bars - Dec 2003. Check out the frequently updated Lamma Events Calendar for promotion dates, plus all the restaurant & bar ads at the beginning of this issue.

Last but not least: Just in case you're wondering what these two funny guys above right are up to: Steve Cray sent me these photos and I put them into a little animated slide show. Steve called it:

SATISFACTION: Here's an amusing picture sequence of Richard 'Word Asia' Cook and Harry 'Cartoonist' Harrison acting up to Rolling Stones records in the Deli Lamma after watching the Stones at Harbour Fest.

LAP Opens Animal Welfare Center

Lamma Animal Protection:

"You are cordially invited to the Opening Ceremony of our LAP Animal Welfare Centre to be held this Sat, 13th December 2003 at 3 pm. The Centre is situated behind the Spicy Island Rest. at G/F, A, 25B Main Street, Yung Shue Wan."

Click for the Photo Gallery of the Animal Welfare Centre Opening

Sheila, LAP: LAP is opening a Centre to promote the special world of Lamma’s animals - a world of care made possible through the kindness and generosity of people like you who support LAP in many ways.

Many of our rescued cats and dogs are quickly ready to go to good new homes with loving families, there are also those who are the outcasts of society - unwanted, lame, too traumatized by past abuse, or too old, handicapped, or ill. Once they're with LAP we do everything we can to make sure nothing bad ever happens to them again.

Photo left (Goldie, foster dog) by LAP; photo
below by Bob Davis, proving that e loves dogs, too.

Whether they find homes quickly or stay with us for the long-term the loving families of Lamma Animal Protection’s network provide havens for these innocent creatures. Our new centre gives you the opportunity to meet our fostered animals in a pleasant and friendly environment. There will be daily guest appearances of animals for adoption and for fostering.

The Centre will be a friendly meeting place for anyone interested in LAP’s work. It will promote the important issues of responsible pet ownership, spay and neuter, and information on the rewards of fostering. The Centre will also help raise funds to help with medical bills, spay and neuter and general survival. Local schools will have access to interesting Humane Education resources and be offered short courses. We will sell a wide variety of quality donated goods and hold talks on a wide range of topics such as neonatal care, responsible pet ownership, natural food diets, aromatherapy, and training. Please join us at the Center and enjoy being a Lamma animal protector. For details, call 2982 4018; email: info@lap.org.hk;

http://www.lap.org.hk"

The Poisoned Pets photo gallery (see left) has also been updated, with several more victims, very sadly.

Also, check out the personal home page of Grommit, a vivacious young dog (click right), who has just been adopted via LAP on the Fun Day!

Corner Bar Closing - 10^th Anniversary

Some of our readers have very fond memories of the Corner Bar, which was closed down ten years ago, Dec 11, 1993. It lost its license because of frequent fights and drug dealing in the premises. Nicknamed "The Dog and Hippy" and located where the Lamma Bistro is now, it had devoted and loyal customers. So loyal in fact, that they got together for TWO reunion parties, one in the Bistro, of course. But the other one was held in London's SOHO quarter by ex-Lammaites!

While doing my background research and collecting input for this story, these ex-Lammaites were the main contributors. Most of the local old-timers either claimed amnesia about those days, were "too busy" or just didn't care about the anniversary.

"Who can remember?", "If only I had memories of the Corner Bar - it is all a haze", "With regard to the Corner Bar, I think it is a little like the 60s. If you remember you weren't there!" were typical responses from local people who WERE there. One of the 88 Signs that you've lived on Lamma for too long is "When you still go on about the Corner Bar", according to MissB. Let's go on about it one last time!

click above to enlarge

Daniel Gline
("My Island" story, Lamma Gazette, Dec 1989):

...the newer Corner Bar, where Brits and other eminent members of beer drinking expat community meet to scratch their bums and tell lies..."

Janemermaid, ex-Lammaite:

I saw someone walking down Colchester (Yes, COLCHESTER, IN ESSEX) the other day sporting an old Corner Bar T shirt......I nearly ran up to him & mugged him for it, as I never managed to acquire one!

Has anyone else seen any others of these antique & priceless clothing items anywhere other than Hong Kong yet? Or am I the only one?

David Hayhurst, Lamma Oldster:

I think the closing of the Lamma Bar really represented the end of a certain era for those of us like me who'd been there, say, a year or two and seen the population expanding exponentially.

The main reason behind its shutting was just so pathetically lame. A couple of twats barely out of their teens decided that they wanted to become big-time hash dealers. They then got sucked into a sting operation, which led to them getting collared by undercover cops in a Mongkok McDonalds.

They'd been lured in beginning at the CB, so the SCMP and Standard had these lovely News of The World, circa-1966-style "Lamma Pot Pushers/scourge of degenerate youth" articles.

The rossers had the excuse they'd been looking for, and the CB's license was pulled pretty sharpish. That a couple of mongoloid wank-stains could devastate Xanadu so easily...

It was a bit of a bitch for me, personally, as well. The undercover had been a Canadian, posing as a freelance journalist (my own profile). A few people thought it must have been me! But the consensus appeared that I was too much of a nutter ever to be any sort of effective grass.

The Deli Lamma opened immediately after; a pleasant, but quite up-market eatery with a totally different vibe. To me, this epitomised that the professionals were beginning to outnumber the crusties and ravers and laid-back deadbeats that had held sway 'til then.

I think it's hard to convey any sense of just how totally the CB was the nucleus of Lamma socialising for most of my age group there. Just stroll in, you'd hear about a party or barbeque son enough, or just get invited round someone's for a chillum and a video.

Some of that sense of bon vivant communality dissipated a bit with its loss, at least for me.

There really is no where on earth I know of quite like Lamma. Although. I wouldn't trade Paris for Hong Kong in a hurry again, many of the very best memories I have of the place revolve around the ol' Dog and Hippy.

Best to all,

Psycho Dave
Lamma inmate 1992-96

Click here for photos of the face painting party in the Corner Bar,

find out how some of your friends looked more than ten years ago!

Anonymous Lamma Oldster:

One of my fondest memories of the Corner Bar is from a cool, misty December Sunday dawn a dozen or so years ago.

After an evening of reckless overindulgence down at the Corner Bar, a few of us headed home to continue the carnage. As the sky lightened, one of our number, newly arrived in Hong Kong, was sent off, pointlessly but amusingly, into Yung Shue Wan to look for dim sum.

Within 30 seconds, as we watched from the balcony, he stood, cartoon-like, on the teeth of an abandoned farmer’s rake, which slammed viciously into his skull. We retrieved him, tried vaguely to mop up the blood, and called the dinky Lamma ambulance, whose distinctly disapproving crew decided he needed to be helicoptered to hospital on Hong Kong Island. Not wanting to wake everyone on Lamma at dawn, I suggested that he take a police patrol boat instead, and offered to accompany him to the hospital.

As the ambulance trundled down Main Street towards the pier, Rake-Boy bloodied and concussed, me smeared with blood and starting to come down, we passed the Corner Bar, which was, incredibly, still blearily going. I saw my opportunity.

I leaped from the back of the ambulance, wove my way through the knots of idly interested drinkers, and ordered a large bourbon. I knocked it back, and, thoroughly refreshed, strode through the bodies, waved to a familiar face or two and climbed back into the ambulance, only some seventy-five yards further down Main Street. And no one in the bar even raised an eyebrow.

That was what was so great about the Corner Bar - it was rarely judgmental, and there was nothing it hadn’t seen before. A man in an ambulance at dawn covered with blood probably needed a drink, right? I think it was then I decided that I really really liked Lamma. In fact, they eventually had to pry me out with a crowbar. I remember one time… (cont. p.96)

Jane Mermaid, ex-Lammaite:

Gravity pocket alerts seemed to be in effect most often after a good session in the Corner Bar (number 44 Main St).

I think it was the size of hole that an inebriated person had fallen into, injuries sustained..., etc., etc. I'm sure you catch my drift.

For those Lamma Oldies who think I've got it wrong, please put me straight on it, I only really remember a few months of the Corner Bar before it closed.

Desmond Quilty, Lamma Oldster:

Hi there,

I think that I may have a photo of Jackie with her neck in a brace having a pint in the CB. The story behind it is that she broke it the night before after a particularly heavy session. Full marks for her perserverance.

Other particularly memorable moments, the time when a guy (fast eddie?) vowed to drink 24/26 pints in a row. I remember sitting on the terrace on a bright sunny afternoon as he staggered around, about three pints short of the finish.

Friendly people were helping him along by placing new pints in front of him as old ones went astray. He did manage it in the end I think.

And when the German guy (can't remember his name but he used to be an artist of some repute if I remember correctly) and a couple of other people were drinking all night in the CB, they heard news that a typhoon was approaching so they decided that it was vital to nip over to Central to get a McDonalds in before the storm really hit.

Unfortunately the storm was coming in quicker than anticipated so they were caught on the first ferry of the morning, absolutely pie-eyed, with waves as big as mountains crashing through the boat. The German guy, taken with the insanity of it all, was lurching round the boat screaming "We are all going to die". Which probably didn't do the nerves of the assembled, terrified schoolchildren any good.

Those are a couple of memories, guys can you fill in the names?

I'll try and marshal photos & videos for the big night and can send over some stuff afterwards for the site.

Anonymous Lamma Oldster:

Corner Bar Memories

What was the Lantern Society?

The "Lantern Society" was the first Gwailo bar on Lamma. It was bought by Brummie carpenters Keith Flint and "Irving" Rudd who changed the name to the Island Bar and re designed it. When the Corner Bar opened many disgruntled Island bar customers moved to the new bar which was not at first known as Lamma's hot bed of radicalism. Only after the arrival of the second wave of UK riff-raff on the run from Maggie Thatcher did it become the Corner Bar of legend, and the largest "Gravity Pocket" for several miles.

Why Mark and the carpet?

Mark Wong was the owner of the Corner Bar. His only previous experience in bar work, was as a carpet seller (which was his real job). He sold a carpet to the Press Club bar in Lockhart road. Subsequently, he asked for a lot of advice from resident "Gwailos" on how he should design it and got his leg pulled a bit by some of the naughty ones.

The awful truth about David Bowie and the Corner Bar:

David Bowie (not the singer superstar, the resident ex-journalist now living in France) was one of the naughty ones.

He decided it would be a great joke to talk Mark into fitting large fish tanks to the back wall behind the bar. This he did and Mark paid an arm and a leg for two large tanks of tropical fish which died within weeks of opening.

Why the Egg Cartons?

Mark was very worried about getting noise complaints after he opened and "David Bowie" humourously sent him down to the big Phillips showroom that used to be in Ocean Terminal to buy an enormous number of very expensive acoustic soundproofing tiles (hk$65 per square foot) to put all over the walls and ceiling. This would have been next to useless. Fortunately, some kind soul (me) took pity on him and told him to put empty egg cartons on the ceiling instead. The egg cartons puzzled many a Corner Bar visitor.

Desmond Quilty's pics from the London CB reunion party,

(Red Lion on Kingly Street, London, W1, Dec 11, 2003):

"Here's the six best ones, happy to say that the night went very well, loads of old Corner Bar residents turned up and I'd dare say that we might make it into an annual event!"

Click here for photos of the London party.

Jeff Wise: "Is there life on Lamma?"
(SCMP, 1993):

...To get a true taste of Lamma it is necessary to visit the Corner Bar, informally known as "The Dog and Hippie". This is Lamma's Potala, the cultural and spiritual heart of it all. Friends quaff beer, chat and joke about how, despite press accounts, there aren't any prostitutes available.

Somebody slips me a document which reveals a two-stage plan to declare the island's independence and then launch a surprise bid for the 2004 Olympics. A section reads:

Why Lamma?

- A literate population.

- Unlimited power supply.

- Housing in Olympic Village of charming Spanish three-storey sprawl construction.

- All facilities within walking distance (no roads).

- No outlying island has ever hosted an Olympics.

- Plenty of Poms to pull in the British vote.

Beneath the veneer of tropical-island bonhomie, a palpable disgruntlement can be felt. A traditional way of life is under threat: from the increasing number of "suits" moving to the island; from the ever-more persistent police and immigration authorities; and from a government which provides only toy-sized public services.

More ominously, the Corner Bar is scheduled to be closed, in December 11, because of the raucous and allegedly illicit behaviour of its patrons. Those are not the only threats. There are plans for a high-speed ferry service, a move which will make Lamma's commuting time as short as that to Discovery Bay.

"We want worse ferry services, not better," one resident says.

"We hate suits," says another...

Attending the party, this ex-wannabe-hippie, who has only resided on Lamma for two years, has to admit to feeling some nostalgia, even a bit of disappointment.

Some of the former Corner Bar residents actually wore suits, nobody had long hair, nobody shared their Corner Bar memories, only two wore the new, reprinted CB T-shirts (still available from Frank Paul), even though they got drink discounts by wearing it. I got a name card from a sharp-suited Regional Director who actually worked in the CB before! No dogs are allowed any more in the place formerly known as "The Hippy and Dog". The contrast to the face-painted crowd ten years ago (see left) couldn't have been more stark.

None of the promised entertainment had even started at 11pm, when I left. The announced Lamma Male Voice Choir and the Random Twiddlers didn't perform at all. I'm still not sure if there was any Bastard Poetry reading, but Dan-the-Man was intensively composing on the ferry back from HK Island a few hours earlier. Sorry, no photos due to lack of subjects. (Click any photo in this story to enlarge)

Checking out all the other bars after 11pm on a Thursday night, I could only find one or two handfuls of regulars in three places, but all the other bars were totally deserted that night!

The time of the hippies on Lamma has really ended with the close-down of the Corner Bar 10 years ago, the true end of an era. The hippies have either left long ago and went home, or have grown older, cut their hair, founded families, some dressed in suits and turned into successful yuppies, managers, even directors. But the old reputation of Lamma Island lingers on in the minds of the rest of Hong Kong...

Photos by Jerry Sousa

Squinty Backbone @ Bookworm

Saturday, Nov 29, 8pm, Bookworm Café:

Squinty Backbone: Live Unplugged & Sober:

Announcement: "This classic Lamma band has briefly regrouped after many years... and will be playing their last gig in their original line up tonight. They are great fun and very talented musicians/entertainers."

According to Squinty John (left), they hope to have a reunion every year as it has been 7 years since the last one. Listening to them live is a very rare pleasure and great fun, indeed!

Squinty John: "I can tell you that it was "Squinty Backbone and the Hemorrhoids", till the manager of the bar we had our first gig in made us change it. The bass is called a Tea Chest Bass (see right) and was prolific in the 50s with cheap skate skiffle Lonnie Donegan wannabe boy bands. Pain in the ass to amplify, but great for busking and acoustic gigs such as the Bookworm."

Click the photos above for the Photo Gallery of their first live gig in SEVEN years!

Lamma Cricket Club - Santa Arrives Early

John Fox: "Santa came early as Lamma Cricket Club marked the final game of their 10th anniversary year with a narrow one run victory over HKCC Gap Ramblers on December 20. The result sees the Saturday League defending champions move to within just one point of last season’s main rivals, St George’s. Batting first, LCC set an imposing target of 268 for 7, with Sher Lama (54) and Ian Beck (62) both having a good day with the bat, while the opposition could only manage 267 in a nail-biting finish."

STOP PRESS: Due to disappointing ticket sales, the Lamma Cricketers’ 11th Anniversary Ball on Dec 6 was POSTPONED, probably to January. Any questions, call Brad (8422 5907) or Ian (2521 8081). Click on poster below right for details of the original event.

John Fox, Lamma Cricket Club:

Santa arrives early as LCC mark anniversary with narrow win

The result followed an emphatic thrashing of a strong KCC Saracens side by 9 wickets on December 13. Chasing the Saracen’s score of 176 for 8, with Sher Lama having taken 4 wickets for 38 runs, Terry Pontikos (63 not out) and Toby White (88) hit most of the total, to lead Lamma 177 for 1 to see off the Saracens. That result moved Lamma into second place in the Saturday league on 101 points, just behind leaders St Georges.

On November 29^th, Lamma thrashed hapless rivals Centaurs by 130 runs, thanks in no small part to a club record innings of 192 by current Hong Kong Player of the Year, Butt Hussain.

“Hussain was superb and very unlucky not to get his first double century for Lamma,” said Club Secretary Ian Harling. “The opening partnership of 169 with Terry Pontikos was also a club record,” he added.

Harling, who was Lamma’s captain on the day in the absence of regular skipper Mark Burns, was inspirational with the ball, taking two wickets for just 5 runs, to help skittle Centaurs all out for 209 in just 30 overs.

The win against Gap Ramblers brought Lamma’s tally for the season to eight wins out of a possible 12 with one cancellation due to rain, giving a total of 113, just one point adrift of the current league leaders, St George’s, on 114. Lamma therefore have a fair chance of retaining their championship title against some stiff opposition.

“This despite losing six regular players from last year's title winning team have departed for pastures new, but have been ably replaced by return of Toby White plus new boys Sher Lama (HK International), Terry Pontikos and Ian Beck,” said Captain Mark Burns.

Lamma beat Craigengower CC on December 6th, with Lamma winning thanks to their superior run rate after rain stopped play in the second half. They had hit a commanding score of 308 for 5 (Hussain 149, Leigh Powell 57, Lama 65 not out), with Craigengower scoring 182 for 4 before the heavens opened.

Balancing out this breaking-news report & update, see below some old stuff about the LCC I found on the Internet a while back. I've added it to my ever-growing collection of materials, ideas and stories for future Lamma-zines, where it was waiting for the right opportunity to be used. It's a Star Wars-style match report on a similar game quite a few years ago, also between the LCC and the Saracens, obviously written by a member of the Saracens. Enjoy!

Match Reports of Kowloon Cricket Club,
Round 8 - 1^st November 1997:

Saracens v. Lamma at DBS Result:
Saracens won by two runs.

The Umpire Strikes Back

The story so far...........

The Starship Saracen has been marooned on the Death Planet DBS for several eons. There they have been subjected to humiliating defeats and fatalities at the hands of marauding bands, The Mercheats and St. Grunge. Now they face the might of the feared Lammas who only last week had put the Crusaders to the sword. Could they defeat them and escape to continue their journey? Now read on.

Youthful opener Princess Burgia and his partner Darth Grumper decided that they had to lead the way. This they did by hammering the Lammaite openers into submission by refusing to take any runs off them and stoutly defending their wickets. "We'll show them how to play Test match Cricket," you could almost hear them say. Having seen them off they then decided to let the rest of the crew take up the battle. The battle weary Princess and the menacing Darth had shown the way by rattling up some 20 runs in the first ten overs.

Darth succumbed to a killer blow from the evil Lammaites who used the deadly wide, wide, no ball, weapon to induce him to self destruct. He came off cursing the gods at these underhand tricks of making him play the ball straight to fielders hands deliberately placed for such a shot.

The rest of the starship weighed in with contributions. Shiroy the Hutt was cruelly given out by the Evil Umpire caught off an above the waist full toss. In mitigation though the Hutt does not have a discernible waist which makes the job a bit hard. The Two Headed One Brain Jamshed flourished briefly as did the Vookie, Zube Skyer Upper and, I'm the Captain Hans Gillo. But as the crew succumbed to the deadly missiles of the Lammaites it was left to Oh No Ben Cannot Bowl and CP3OB to end the innings in a blaze of mediocrity. 14 hits for Ben and 3 for the CP. Time would tell how important those 3 runs would be. 171 hits in total.

The Saracens began their counter attack and the One brain Jamshed started to create havoc. Starship Trooper Angry Atko taking a superb catch that everyone saw except him. However this drained his energy pack and he couldn't lay a hand on the ball again. The Lammites were reeling. But then the Giant "When is my contract with the KCC up" Hutch fought back as well as he had earlier attacked. The Saracens in despair. "Would the curse of the planet DBS never lift?"

It was left to Oh No Ben and CP3OB to return to the attack after an absence of several eons to make vital breakthroughs. Then in the gathering gloom Darth Grumper and the two headed Jamshed did their utmost. Closer and closer the Lammites got to the target. Then with two runs left to win the Head Straight out of the Shoulders Jamshed did the trick. The Lammites dismissed for 169.

And so the Starship Saracen loosened the grip of the Evil Planet and flies off to another Mission Road to face the might of the Deadly Kai Takkers and their awesome weapon - the stale sandwiches from the club lounge.

At DBS: Saracens 171-9 (R Sharma 34; J Traynor 3-45) beat Lamma CC 169 (D Winstle 51; J Khan 4-37, J Mohammed 3-46) by two runs."

Lamma's "Confluence King of China"!

Did you know that the "undisputed confluence king of China" - as he was called by the SCMP recently - is a longtime Lamma resident? Take a bow, Mr Targ Parsons, newly appointed Laudable Lamma Luminary! If you can't believe it, look at the story and the recent feature on CNN Asia, also if you want to find out what the heck confluencing is:

Lu Stout lauds Lamma locals:

CNN International correspondent Kristie LuStout interviewed three local Lamma residents for two of her Tech Watch segments this week: Tue, Nov 25, 2003: Chris Watts in "Spa-worthy sensations"

Thu, Nov 27, 2003: Richard Jones and Targ Parsons in "Geek sport gaining followers". Above: Targ, Mr DickStock, Kristie, Kevin, Tony

Click here for the original SCMP story "Where worlds collude"

Click here to view the CNN video clip:

Click here for the full story & links:

Click here for photos of their latest great achievement

Click below to zoom out

Did you find out now what Confluencing is? No? Well, basically it's a new adventure sport, all about visiting places anywhere in the world where major lines of latitude and longitude intersect as whole numbers - known as confluences. Once arrived, take pictures, including your Global Positioning System's display, and post details & photos on a special website (Degree Confluence Project) as proof. Then feel proud of your achievement. That's it! No financial reward, no benefits, just your 15 minutes of fame on a website. Sounds like a sport worthy of a true Lammaite, or does it?

Targ, "Confluence King of China":

There is a total of 977 confluence points that the Degree Confluence Project has indexed in China (including a handful of water confluences like the one we did south of Lamma). The bulk of these, 965 to be exact, are deemed "primary" confluences.

Of those 965 are primary confluences and 105 have been successfully visited, and a further 10 have been attempted. That leaves a total of 860 primary and 12 secondary Chinese confluences yet to be done.

For me personally, I have successfully visited 75 Chinese confluences. That includes all the points in Guangdong, Chongqing, Hunan and Jiangxi, as well as all the land-based points in Fujian. Next targets are: Guangxi, Guizhou, Zhejiang, Anhui, Shanghai and Jiangsu. Should keep me going for a while. :)

Anyone silly enough to want to join me is more than welcome. (Richard (Mr DickStock) is the only local to fit that bill so far.) Warning: It's not for the faint-hearted. One has to be prepared to chi ku ("eat bitter"). I'm planning a four-day trip leaving in the evening of 31 December 2003, back on Sunday 4 January 2004."

Why go confluence hunting?

There probably are as many different answers to this question as there are confluence hunters, but here are a few reasons (see below).

Lamma-Gung emailing Targ:

Sorry for mixing up the number of confluence points in China with the ones on the whole planet! ;-)

If that were true (16K+ points in China) you'd really have your work cut out for yourself!

Photos, photos! Of the successful team setting off from Lamma ferry pier and at the point, including the reporter, plus a photo of the GPS at the confluence point as proof, of course!

Lamma is honoured to have such a celebrity living in our midst, a true Laudable Lamma Luminary, as seen on CNN, together with another Laudable Lamma Luminary, who's been featured all too often in the Lamma-zine already: Mr DickStock! A true confluence of Lamma Luminaries, who are fluently confluencing together!

One last question for my story:

How to, umm, err, EXPLAIN to a layperson the attraction of confluencing? Some ignorant soul not in the know who might dare to ask the insolent question of WHY, WHY???

Tim Vasquez, Confluence Hunter:

"Confluences are interesting to me because they represent randomness that emerges from strict order. It goes far beyond a silly quest for invisible man-made boundaries. The confluence latticework is an open defiance of the order our culture imposes on us, which frowns on tourists who abandon the traveled roads, the sanitized vistas, and the stops designed to conjure up dollars for empty memories.

Confluences are in curious places that embrace you in their history, character, and ecology, surrounded by people who are locals in every sense of the word. You simply haven't experienced a region unless you've tried seeking out its confluences."

Luis Felipe Trigo Boix, Confluence Hunter:

"One thing that I like a lot about Confluence hunting is that this is a place that you have never seen (and many times will never see again), that you know exactly where it is, you do not how to get there but will find a way and, no matter how it turns out to be you will be so glad and satisfied to have been there!"

Dave Patton, Confluence Hunter:

"For me, it combines a variety of interests, such as the outdoors, hiking, and photography. Also, I tend to be a "details guy", so I also like the planning/preparation that is often needed for a successful confluence visit (at least in BC). I go hunting for edible mushrooms (Morels in the spring, Chanterelles in the fall), which I have described to people as a sort of "grown-up Easter-Egg hunt" - you're out there in the woods walking around, looking and hoping to find 'treasures' - sometimes you do, other times you don't, but the 'thrill of the hunt' is always there.

Confluence hunting has a similar 'feel' to it - there may only be one 'treasure' to find, and, at least in theory you "know where it's hidden", but the difference is that you don't really have a choice of where to look, but you certainly do have a choice as to how to look, and the 'thrill of the hunt' is still there, just in a different way.

Certainly when one sees the distance to a confluence 'counting down' on the GPS the excitement level rises, but even when you're "at the spot", there is often that final little bit of 'hunting' while doing the 'confluence dance' to try for 'all zeros'."

Clamma for Glamma on Lamma (Groan!)

Remember the story in the last Lamma-zine, Completely Off-the-Wall Barminess, written by tourist Chris before visiting Lamma? Well, he's been enjoying Lamma for two full days recently, then returned home to Wales. I've been chasing him ever since for his promised follow-up story. Finally, he gave in reluctantly, sighed loudly and wrote the following:

Chris from Wales:

Well, that was Lamma! What a funny place! A three-hour trip a couple of years ago had told me that Lamma needed to be re-visited, and so I did. And I was not disappointed. November in Hong Kong means huddling together for winter warmth for Hong Kongers, but me, I enjoyed what for me (a Brit) was nice warm sunshine and some really good sea bathing. How serendipitous that it was only after coming out of the water that I saw the notice apologising for the inconvenience caused by the shark nets being taken in for winter maintenance! Had I been dicing with death? I doubt it – unless I had got in the backflow of some unseemly Hong Kong Island discharge!

And the scenery. Well, yes, there is that power-station, but you really really don’t notice it after a bit, if you cross your fingers behind your back as you say “really really”. The walking is great, too. The trek to Sok Kwu Wan – hardly a lonely trail – solitude for the masses, more like. Nearly got trampled to death by the earnest troups of Grade 6 school-children on their educational day out. We’re all clamouring for beautiful scenery and getting away from it all, I suppose. The clamma for glamma on Lamma? (groan!).

The bonus of meeting up with Lamma-Gung and his delightful ~~boss~~ wife gave a really local flavour to my trip. I was no longer just another holiday-maker but someone who was welcomed to the island, and what a difference that makes. My stay at the Man Lai Wah Hotel was a pleasure, although I mustn’t say how reasonable the rates were, in case the owner reads this and puts them up for next time I visit. Very nice to sit on the balcony and survey the town. And a scrummy lunch at the Deli Lamma (see photo below).

Proper Brit-style breakfasts at Aroy Thai, and a delicious evening meal of fish and chips (and not just on a Monday, Mr. Aroy Thai!!) at the Lamma Bistro. No wonder I weighed a few pounds more at the end of my trip than I did when I first stepped off the ferry.

One mystery remains. Why on earth does anyone in Hong Kong live anywhere else? Beats me. Farewell for now, Lammalites – I shall return!

But to get these preciously few lines out of Chris, I had to swear an oath to publish a photo of his first grand-daughter, Sofie, born a few days ago in Prague (see right, click if you dare to see even more cute-baby pics). Chris (left in the Deli) is off to Prague now...

I also had to publish the photos (above) of him visiting & speaking at the Tai Po Rotary Club and link to the Rotarian newsletter he's editing. But he does NOT mention his Lamma visit in his Dec issue, failing to promote the ultimate highlight of his Hong Kong visit! Unbelievable & unforgivable!

Reclamation Update

(click to enlarge)

The Save Lamma campaign:

Dear Friends of Lamma,

On Friday, October 24th, members of the Save Lamma Campaign met with the Planning Department and Civil Engineering Department to further discuss the revised proposal for the Yung Shue Wan harbour and the way forward.

THE GOOD NEWS is that the departments continue to support a much reduced project focused on enhancing rather than radically changing Yung Shue Wan.

An indicative map of the current concept is shown on the left. Click to enlarge.

THE BAD NEWS, depending on how you look at it, is that this will be a long process. With the scrapping of the original reclamation, the entire project has to back through the government planning process from the beginning. This could be a long wait - up to five years - with several hurdles to pass, including the need to access funding. However, the advantage of this process is that the technical feasibility study, the detailed design, etc. will all be up for review, and that means more opportunity to come up with a plan that truly serves the long term interests of the community.

For example, the government continues to insist that wave reflectors will be needed to protect the village from the raging sea. The Save Lamma Campaign believes that these unnecessary structures are damaging to the local character and inappropriate for a sensitive tourist area. But the reopened planning process means that if the technical feasibility study indicates that extensive reflectors are needed, then we will still have an opportunity to push for alternatives such as a breakwater at the entrance to the harbour.

Thanks for your support.

Seriously Silly Signs

Wandering around Lamma, it's always amazing what kind of signs and posters you can encounter. Serious ones, silly ones, and the ones trying to be serious, but ending up sounding silly, my favourites, the ones that cause a little smile, smirk or even a giggle.

Find below a little collection from the last 1.5 years, demonstrating that it really pays off to have your camera always with you wherever you go. Lamma is full of little surprises and unexpected, short-lived discoveries, often gone forever within a day.

This gallery is also kind of a memorial for the Democracy Wall at the ferry pier, before it was repainted white and all posters being ripped down now within a day. The former, unique, weathered texture of the Wall will be preserved as the wallpaper of all Lamma-zines.

Click for the Photo Gallery of Seriously Silly Signs.