There are easier ways to get a bun......

- still on our sightseeing mission...today we took the First Ferry to Cheung Chau which is the most densely populated of the outlying islands (22.000 residents) car-less and also known as an artist colony. It was still raining cats and dogs so we were surrounded by water all over literally. The arrival at the ferry terminal is always very picturesque because you sail through lines of bannered fishing & house boats. People usually go there on the weekends to get away from the hustle and bustle in Hong Kong - you can either enjoy the beaches, hike between the 2 hilly tips or stroll along the harbourfront and explore some pirate caves or ancient rock carvings, followed by a simple seafood meal.

The main reason we were there was to catch the decoration for the famous Bun Festival which will take place on thursday (Buddha's Birthday) in front of the Pak Tai Temple. "It's a three-day carneval with a procession of floats, lion dancers, chinese opera, etc. which attracts 1000s of visitors and was originated in the 18th century when an episode of bad luck and illness beset the island. In response, the islanders started offering lotus-paste buns to the spirits of the dead and since health and prosperity returned they decided to make the ceremony an annual event. As part of the event, three 13-metre-high (40feet) bamboo towers covered in 1000s of steamed buns (I was told 20.000 pieces in total) are erected in front of the temple and left out for three days. Taoist priests hold the requisite ceremonies to encourage the return of all the restless ghosts to the underworld. Before they come back, the spirits consume the 'essence' of the buns, while islanders and visitors eat the remains."

The most hyped event is the bun competition where people scramble to reach the luckiest buns at the top of the pile. Therefore they're climbing up a fourth, even higher bamboo tower, while throwing the collected buns in a basket which they carry on their back. This year this tower consists of 8.000 plastic buns which was considered more hygienic but lead to an uproar within the residents. When we passed by today everyone was busy cleaning and threading buns and re-attaching them to the towers. Due to heavy rainfalls during the last couple of days the bun decoration disintegrated and needed to be replaced - a real slavery job as we could watch, see for yourself...