Abuzz in the New Territories

When we left Minnesota to come to Hong Kong, we left our two beehives in the capable hands of the University of Minnesota Bee Squad.  Last November we prepared our hives for the arctic Minnesota winter by ensuring they had plenty of stored nectar and pollen, covering them with moisture boards and wax-coated boxes and arranging bales of straw around them to act as a wind break.  The Bee Squad did their first check of our hives in March, and unfortunately, had to report that one of our hives did not survive the winter.  But our other hive was alive, hungry and happy to see them.  Since then we have been getting periodic reports from the Bee Squad about how our hive is doing as spring progresses in Minnesota.  With each report, we realize we miss our bees and the anticipation of heading into summer and the honey season.  Hearing about our bees back home got us wondering about where and how people keep honey bees in Hong Kong.

 

Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm

Edmund Leung at Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm

Asian bees guard a nest in a hollow tree

Although there is growing interest in keeping honey bees in Hong Kong, the hobby is constrained by space limitations throughout the city.  Nevertheless, there are hives scattered about on rooftops and in some green areas.  North of Hong Kong Island is the New Territories, the largest of Hong Kong's three regions.  Space constraints are less of an issue there; the region is home to two bee farms, so we decided to visit one.  The Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm is a short train ride north of Central Hong Kong.  After a five minute walk from the train station, we found it and met Edmund Leung who is the General Manager and grandson of the founder.  Edmund kindly showed us around and told us about his business.  The Bee Farm has over two thousand hives and is in business solely for the production of honey.  Their bees are Asian honey bees or Apis Cerana which are smaller and more docile than the western honey bees (or Apis Mellifera) that we keep in Minnesota.  In addition to their hives in the New Territories, the Bee Farm also has hives scattered around mainland China and in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

Jars of Buckwheat and Lungan honey

Placing hives in different locations enables Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm to produce different types of honey because the variety of flowers and trees produce different nectars and pollens.  We recognized some of their honey varieties, like Buckwheat, but others, such as Lychee and Lungan were new to us.  Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm harvests comb honey from their hives in the New Territories, while honey is extracted and bottled from their hives in mainland China and Chiang Mai.

Bee hives at Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm

 
The honey season in Hong Kong is very different than what we're used to in Minnesota.  Because of the relatively mild climate, honey can be harvested a few times per year.  But Edmund explained that the biggest harvest is usually in early April.  Hives are just one box deep.  During the nectar flow, only one super is added to each hive to collect excess honey for harvesting, and it is usually on the hive for about three weeks.  Because the climate is so humid in Hong Kong, the nectar would not cure sufficiently to become honey if more supers were stacked on top of the hive.  In Minnesota by comparison, our hives are two or three boxes deep, and we might have four or even more supers on our hives for two months or even longer. 

Inside one of the hives at Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm

Like many bee keepers, Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm has had challenges with their bees.  Last year, they lost a significant number of their hives due to unusually cold and wet weather, a problem shared by other bee keepers in Hong Kong.  When they lose hives, they try to re-build by dividing the surviving hives and re-queening.

We are grateful for the time that Edmund spent with us to tell us about his bees and his business.  We wish him and Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm much luck and good fortune!

Founder of Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm

Poster at Po Sang Yuen Bee Farm

A new respect for rice

The rice terraces near Ubud

It's no secret that rice is a staple of the Asian diet.  We've certainly eaten our share of it since we arrived in Hong Kong, but we hadn't thought about where it comes from or how it grows until we visited the rice terraces in Bali.

The rice terraces near Ubud

For our anniversary, Jeff surprised me with a trip to Bali.  Coincidentally, we share our anniversary date (May 6) with a Hong Kong public holiday celebrating the Birth of the Buddha, so we were able to spend a long weekend away while only missing one day at the office.  Neither of us had been to Indonesia before, so I did a little advance research to help us decide where to spend our time. 

A Dutch colony until after World War II, Indonesia is made up of around 17,000 islands (about 1,000 are inhabited), and its population of almost 240 million people is spread across many ethnic groups.

Our driver Gusti

Since corruption is an unfortunate fact of life, the average citizen doesn't always see the full benefit of the country's vast natural resources, such as oil.  The island of Bali sits just south of the equator on the east end of Java.  Most of Bali's population of four million is Hindu, in contrast to the rest of Indonesia, which is primarily Muslim.  Bali's craft industry is highly developed, specializing in textiles and wood and stone carving.  The arts, along with the beaches, draw more tourism to Bali than anywhere else in Indonesia.  Agriculture is the other major component of Bali's economy, serving as the main employer on the island.  The climate and rich, volcanic soil are ideal for growing rice and coffee, the two main crops on the island. 

I was very excited about seeing the rice terraces.  Since much of the southern part of Bali is devoted to resorts and tourism, I knew we would enjoy getting out into the countryside to explore.  Cars are driven on the left in Indonesia, so in deference to our sanity, as well as our marriage, we hired a driver named "Gusti" who expertly

Pura Desa in Batuan

navigated through all conditions imaginable, from city streets teeming with motor scooters, to remote roads too small for two vehicles to pass.

The rice terraces were breathtaking, greener and lusher than we imagined. No photo could ever do them justice. Gusti explained that three crops per year can be produced, although farmers are increasingly practicing crop rotation.  The water used to irrigate the fields comes from springs in the surrounding mountains.  The farmers rely on gravity and a system of pipes, ditches and valves to direct it to the fields.  Rice farming in Bali is almost entirely manual, and it must be exhausting to haul the harvest up to the top of the terraces for drying or sale to the wholesalers.

Gusti also took us to see a Balinese Hindu temple in the village of Batuan, which dates to 1020 A.D.  The temple or "Pura" in Balinese is the center of the community, so nearly every village has at least one. 

Pura Gunung Kawi

Gusti explained that in the Balinese Hindu faith, temples are reserved for ceremonies that  worship the gods.  Therefore "human ceremonies," such as weddings and funerals are conducted elsewhere.  Visitors are asked to don a sarong during visits, and we gladly complied (even Jeff).

Our last stop was another temple - the Pura Guning Kawi or Holy Springs Water Temple, featuring beautiful water gardens.  Once again, we donned our sarongs and walked through the verdant grounds to view the elaborate pools, fountains and statuary. 

A statue at Pura Gunung Kawi

The pools are open to the devoted who come and wash themselves as part of their religious rituals.

Our weekend getaway was a great way to celebrate fourteen years.  In the four months we've been in Hong Kong, we had started to begin to appreciate the breadth and diversity of Asia.  Our time in Bali reinforced that the diversity is even greater than we imagined.   Our visit to the rice terraces has given us a new appreciation for a food often overlooked.  We will never again eat rice without reflecting on the beauty of the rice terraces and the hard work that goes with harvesting them.

No llamas on Lamma

Only 20 minutes by ferry from bustling Central Hong Kong is a casual, laid-back island community with a population of under 10,000.  Lamma Island is Hong Kong's third largest island with a total area of about five square miles and situated to the southwest of Hong Kong island. 

Lamma is a short ferry ride southwest of Hong Kong Island

View of Yung Shue Wan village on Lamma Island

Lamma is a hiker's dream, with marked trails that start in its small villages, wind through its rugged terrain and lead up its mountains to reveal vast views of its beaches, the ocean and other Hong Kong islands.  This automobile-free island attracts a relatively large number of expatriates -- many of whom are artists and musicians -- drawn by Lamma's tranquility and lower cost of living compared to Hong Kong Island.

Taking a breather from our bicycle ride

Jeff and I visited Lamma on a warm Sunday.  One of the things that got our attention almost immediately is the lack of skyscrapers: Lamma limits building height to three stories, except for a lone wind turbine at the top of one of its peaks.  We rented a pair of dilapidated bicycles and rode through Yung Shue Wan village, dodging and weaving around large groups of tourists from mainland China.  We rode (actually we walked) our bicycles up a steep hill to a hilltop pavilion with amazing views in every direction.  At the top of this hill is the Kamikaze Cave where the occupying Japanese forces stored speedboats and launched suicide missions against Allied ships during World War II. The trail took us past Hung Shing Yeh beach, where large families enjoyed picnics and a swim at the beach where a sign in English urged swimmers to stay inside the shark protection net.

Once we recovered from the steep climb, we coasted back down the hill to Yung Shue Wan village and returned our bicycles (damage for 2 hours: the equivalent of about $9 US Dollars).   Our next stop was Tin Hau Temple, one of three so named on the island.  Tin Hau is the goddess of the sea, and she is traditionally honored by fishermen and others whose livelihood depends on the sea.  As such, Tin Hau Temples are typically found in coastal towns throughout China.  Burning coils of incense hang in front of the temple's entrance, and a look through the doorway reveals an elaborate interior.  We were invited to light incense sticks in front of the temple, but discouraged from taking any photos inside.

Incense coils burn in front of Tin Hau Temple

We finished our visit to Lamma with a leisurely stroll through the village, stopping for a seafood lunch and a little shopping before catching the short ferry ride back to Central Hong Kong.