Happy Valley

"Happy Valley" is the gorgeous little name of the gorgeous little town that I now live in.

It's nestled up against Hong Kong's famous shopping hub Causeway Bay, home to a world famous racecourse, and ironically, named after the total devastation and death that festered here when it was nothing more than a Malaria-ridden swamp.

You see, Happy Valley wasn't always so, well, happy.

In the early 19th century, Happy Valley (then known as Wong Nai Chung Valley) was home to a British army camp. That abruptly closed down after a series of soldiers mysteriously died after coming down with a sudden fever (later discovered to be Malaria).

After incredibly high death rates that, at that time, wasn't attributed to deadly mosquitos, the township then became known as a ground for the dead.

Which is when it received a shiny new name card: Happy Valley.

Which is all a bit creepy, really.

Luckily, they've cleaned it up a bit, since nowadays it's quite a posh area sweetie, and home to oodles of Canton-celebrities... sometimes I share a lift in my building with attractive, well dressed, pouty-lipped, perfume-saturated princesses, and I wonder they're "famous'.

But anyhoo, here are a few random pics I snapped yesterday and even a few oldies, of the place I now call home.

No Malaria this time.

The Happy Valley tram: less than one Australian dollar a ride, no matter how far you travel. You might want to take a year off to get there though.

Main Street, Happy Valley. (Otherwise known as Sing Woo Road).

Looking back through the Valley towards downtown.

View of the racecourse from my friend's balcony.

Wall art on Tsui Man Street, which is pronounced Choy-Man-Guy (the street, not the wall art).

That Chinese thing where they hang raw meat outside all day long. Smells fragrant.

B wanted to live on Kwing Kong Street. I think he's seen to many King Kwong movies.

Otto's local.

My local.

It's not good, it's not great, it's just a fine mansion.

And a view of the valley itself from my bedroom: