A Nice Lunch Hour - 20100108

As an ordinary minnow working in a usual office, the chance of exercise is not easily available. Thus, during the lunch break, I always opt for some walks, on my own, in order to wake up from the sedentary work life.

During lunch hour, most of the colleagues would jostle in the busy area in Kwun Tong to fill up their stomachs. However, I usually walk to the opposite direction, towards Ngau Tau Kok, where on one hand, the restaurants are less compact and on the other hand, the serene path to Lok Wah Estate always provides me the refuge for revival.

Walking past the Ngau Tau Kok MTR station and across the Ngau Tau Kok road, the unique Garden Estate is over there. Garden Estate is an old public housing estate, of at least 30 years of history, maybe. Those single-digit-storey apartments, with balconies which are spacious for residents to read, were built for living rather than profit. At the ground floor, there are several lovely HK-styled restaurants. In winter time, those preserved sausages and ducks are hung out of the old-styled siu mei restaurant.

Turning right, the uphill On Sin Road, an entrance to Lok Wah Estate, unravels a different landscape in the concrete forest. Under a 20-metre granite cliff, a cafe built by metal sheets which legal status was gained by adverse possession, I suspect, is another viewpoint. Embraced by self-planted vegetation, the cafe should be a nice place to rest. The owner's pet, a Peking dog, is always the focal point. It would lie on the middle of the road for sunbathing, lazily, without paying much attention to any passer-by. Beside the stairway to Lok Wah Estate, there is a primary school with many South Asia students. I could have a glance of a real melting pot of culture there, somehow.

Walking up the 100-step stairway could help shed sweat, and its amount depends on the temperature. Like today, a chilly winter, my body was just warm enough for my neckerchief to be put off when my feet left the final stairstep. By then a large playground, with balls courts, bicycle training ground and a feet-massage path, emerges. Sauntering towards the arcade, some hairdressers, probably mainland immigrants, do their business under trees. Obviously illegal, however, the cheap price, around $20 for a hair cut, could still solicit some elderlys. I would end up having my lunch in the so-so Cafe de Coral.

After the getaway, with the 30 minutes walk, I am fully revitalized for the afternoon shift.