Pokfulam Village

Pokfulam Village is a strange place. It is both a housing site and a tourist sight (see what I did there? Nice!), an included in the Unesco list of heritage sites of the world.
Sure, it is one of HK’s last surviving village sites, and it is upholding a great tradition that is fast being obliterated by the likes of Swire, Cheung Kong, and Jardine, but is it that interesting? Hmmmm, perhaps as a curiosity, a glimpse into old village life, but probably not much else, as it is a bit of a slum and there is not that much to do there.
If you go onto Google or Wiki, you can find a lot of information about the traditional dragon makers, the dairy farm and other bits and pieces, but be warned, these sights are not so open to the public or tourists. These fun activities and historical tours have been put on for journalists to write about. It is unlikely that you or I will ever get to see them making the dragon «costumes».
However, do go there for a different look at HK, and make sure you take you camera. Around every corner, the mood and image of the village changes. From the «rich side of town», where the houses are clad in tile, through to the outskirts, which seem to collect an inordinate amount of old washing machines, you’ll probably catch a glimpse of an old dear cooking a family feast on a single gas ring, the off duty cabbies playing mah jong, the urban farmers watering their crops from the waterfall that runs through the village, or the locals burning incense and offerings in giant drums. It’s really quite enlightening, to see so many diverse «images» and aspects in one single patch of land only a few hundred metres across.
If, during your trek through the winding streets, you get thirsty (the wind never gets through there so it feels stifling), head back to the «main central road» where there are a few mom and pop stores selling cold drinks and snacks.
Make sure you take a lot of mozzie repellant, they are a beast there. Also, be wary if, like me, you don’t like dogs. There are a lot in the village, and granted they are all behind fences and in private gardens, but do have a tendency to throw themselves against the fences and give you a startle. Oh, and they never stop barking, yap yap yap all day long!