HONG KONG 7
The Nan Lian Garden is situated at Diamond Hill in Kowloon. This garden was created in the style of the Tang dynasty (618AD to 906AD) and features unique timber structures, water ponds, various odd shaped rocks and lots of old and valuable trees. Carol and I followed its one way circular route watching its splendor unfold with every step. In this garden we encountered other tourists from around the world, but again it was a garden that didn’t appear to be used by the local Hong Kong population.
Odd shaped rocks
This was a garden that lacked shady areas and I quickly began to sunburn in a new blue top I had bought – it had no collar. This was our hottest day in Hong Kong and we quickly felt parched. The garden was kept moist by irrigation systems spraying a constant mist into the foliage of the trees and shrubs.
A hot day
The Nan Lian Garden is situated in a bowl surrounded by high rise buildings. Many Asian gardens are developed within a depression thus allowing for the construction of ponds in the lower portion. This garden possessed two large ponds – The Lotus Pond surrounding the golden pagoda and the The Blue Pond.
Bougainvillea
These shaped trees were a labeled as Bougainvillea Glabra Variegata. Obviously they had been cultivated and pruned for the decorative foliage, not flowers. At the time that we visited the garden there were no flowers to be seen, other than water lilies in The Lotus Pond.
Golden structure
There were red arched bridges across The Lotus Pond to this golden pagoda but they were closed to tourists. The team of gardeners wore yellow jackets and straw hats, but did not appear to be doing any serious work on the day that we were there other than keeping the shrubbery moist.
Garden workers
The Blue Pond was stocked with fish and would have been a beautiful sight in the early spring when weeping wisteria and cherry trees, green in this view, were flowering.
The Blue Pond
On the opposite side of The Blue Pond was The Pine Tree teahouse overlooking this lovely green oasis. It would have been a perfect spot to relax in the cool shade of the deck fronting the water, but cameras were not allowed and entry onto the deck overlooking the pond was denied unless one was willing to partake in a tea drinking ceremony within the teahouse. We wandered on.
Blue Pond rocks
Cascading water and waterfalls are frequently a feature of Asian gardens and the site of so much water splashing down this wall on a hot day drew our attention to the Long Men Lou restaurant hidden behind the glass window over which the water washed.
The Long Men Lou restaurant
Once more cameras were forbidden but Carol and I were given a table on the other side of this screen of water, which provides privacy for the large dining room discreetly hidden in this section of the garden. Once more only vegetarian cuisine was offered and we again chose a set menu. We are both adventurous eaters with few food dislikes so being presented with an assortment of new dishes is an opportunity we relish.
Rather reluctantly we left the cool interior of the restaurant to proceed towards The Nunnery.
Bright sunlight
This parapet, as we climbed steps towards The Nunnery provided a great overview of the garden and Carol took the opportunity to video the scene.
Carol
We discovered a series of formal water lily ponds situated immediately in front of The Nunnery.
Water lilies
The Nunnery
We walked across this courtyard admiring the topiary and the water lily ponds to the shade of the overhanging roofs, from which we could look down over the ponds.
Water lily ponds
Our day ended on a comical note when we arrived back at our hotel to find a film crew in the driveway. They were filming men in a Chinese lion suit leaping about on tall poles.
The Chinese lion
Prancing lion
Das Helwig Haus B&B owned by Eberhard and Fay Helwig is situated at Glen Aplin, near Stanthorpe on the Granite Belt of southern Queensland, Australia.
This is a region noted for summer stone-fruit, autumn apples, winter Christmas in July dinners and a spring Remembrance Field of red Flanders poppies.
Fay has published a book called Wildflowers, wilderness and wine.
It is available on the Amazon.com website. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ACXQ0M/sr=8-1/qid=1244294755/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1244294755&sr=8-1&seller=
http://stores.lulu.com/strictlyliterary
http://books.google.co.uk/
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