Episode 169 - Scarecrows

These photos were taken during our recent visit to the KFBG. The boys were happy to see these beautiful and well dressed scarecrows.

These scarecrows were set up more for educational purpose than to frighten birds away.

Episode 168 - Honey Bee

This photo was taken during my visit to the KFBG.

The flowers were blossoming, and there were a large number of honey bees.

This was the first time I tried to take a close-up photo of a bee. It was not easy to capture the motion of a bee as it would not stay on a spot for a long time. I took a number of photos but most of them were not satisfactory. It would have been a wastage if I were still using a traditional film camera. Thanks to the digital camera, an amateur like me can take a large number of photos at any time without the need to consider the issue of costs.

Episode 167 - Da Hua Bai

We visited Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden ("KFBG") earlier today.

KFBG is situated at Tai Mo Shan and spreads over 148 hectares of land. It was set up by the Kadoorie brothers in the 1950's, with a view to assisting the local farmers to develop and improve the qualities of their produce and livestock.

As there is no canteen inside KFBG, we first had our lunch at Yuen Long before taking the 64K bus bound for Taipo. After a 15-minutes' drive, we got off the bus at the stop opposite the entrance of KFBG.

The sleepy animals in the photo are the famous "Da Hua Bai" pigs. These purebred pigs are originated from Guangdong . It is said that due to the low commercial value of these pigs (too much fat in the meat- which was a big selling point in the past), very few farmers are rearing them and there are not many of them remain. The pigs are given plenty of space and area for exercise. Hence they are in very good forms. Franky speaking, this visit has changed my wrong pre-conception that pigs are ugly and dirty. These "Da Hua Bai" pigs are beautiful, healthy and clean.

KFBG said that they intend to demonstrate a better and kinder alternative compare to the existing practices in most intensive farms where animals are confined to crowded conditions.

These "Da Hua Bai" pigs are probably the luckiest pigs in Hong Kong.