Keeping Safe on Public Transit

Are the transit police around enough to make people feel safe?

Whenever I need to go downtown I like to take the bus. It's relatively on time, I can spend the time reading, and it takes away the hassle of driving and paying for parking.

Taking the bus back home though is another issue; usually there are drug-addicted homeless people who just get on without paying. Some keep to themselves, but others make you feel unsafe. 

Like yesterday.

I got on the bus around 3.30pm and immediately could feel something was wrong. At the back of the bus all by himself was a guy struggling to get a yellow hoodie on, but because he was not sober, he didn't realise he had put his head in the hood. 

Buses are great for getting downtown

After I sat down, he shouted several times that it was cold and someone needed to close the window.

Except nobody answered him.

Luckily at the next stop three transit police got onboard and in a friendly tone tried to persuade the guy to get off the bus. He still struggled with his hoodie for a few more minutes and then one of the transit police decided time was up, as the rest of us were waiting, and he had to be removed.

The rest of us stood or sat there in silence, staring at the situation unfolding. The guy was completely dishevelled, he had blood on his forehead and face, was bare chested and his pants hanging loosely over his hips. 

We were relieved when they escorted him off the bus and he sat in the bus shelter. 

But then the transit police noted there was blood stains on the floor. The bus driver announced to passengers the bus would cross the Granville Street Bridge and then let everyone off because the vehicle would be out of commission (to be cleaned up).

The transit police only work at the Granville and Georgia stop. Sometimes they come on board to make sure everyone has paid the fare, or in this case, remove someone who is causing a disturbance.

While I appreciate the transit police being there, could they not be stationed in the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown to deter these people from getting on the bus in the first place? It would make things safer for everyone, the drivers and passengers.

I have sent the suggestion to Translink and am waiting to hear back...

Public transit should not be an uncomfortable ride for anyone.

Hong Kong to Try Seat Belt Rules Again

Government re-examines seat belt implementation

After a spectacular fail, the Hong Kong government is going to try the seatbelts on buses thing again.

But this time it will take a more methodical approach instead of imposing it on passengers without any consultation and research.

The new rule, which was implemented last month, only to be repealed days later, only applied to buses that were registered from late January. In other words, none of the existing buses.

The public outrage and criticism that government officials haven't taken public transport in recent years or ever so they don't understand what it's like riding a bus was warranted.

Chan says this time it will be more methodical

No one did a comprehensive study to discover some buses had seat belts, or not all seats had seat belts.

But now the government is going for seatbelts on buses 2.0.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan has said the government will take a four-pronged approach by working with the bus operators to improve on the installation, design and maintenance of seatbelts to ensure safety and convenience.

The government will also commission experts to examine the risks associated with different seating layouts and route types, as well as increase public education on the importance of passenger safety.

Chan also said the authorities would re-examine policy details regarding implementation, exemptions and penalties to ensure balanced law, reason and empathy.

"Regarding the requirement to wear seat belts on buses, we will conduct a fresh and comprehensive review and widely consult the community before drawing up an optimised proposal," she said.

Shouldn't all this have been done the first time around?

It'll be interesting to see when seat belts on buses 2.0 is implemented...

MTR Trying to Catch Fare Evaders

Only seniors can use this card on Hong Kong transport!

In Hong Kong there are people who try to evade paying full fare when going on the MTR.

By using a green Octopus card for seniors, they can ride for much cheaper.

Last year it was reported more than 4,200 people were abusing the system.

My aunt, who is in her early 70s, looks young for her age as she exercises a lot.

During our recent trip to Hong Kong, she used the green Octopus card to get around on the MTR, and one time when she was exiting the turnstile, a female MTR staffer came up to her and asked her if she knew she was using a senior's card.

"Yes, because I'm a senior," my aunt replied.

"Can I see your HKID?" asked the staff member.

My aunt had her Hong Kong passport on hand as she had just renewed it.

When the staffer looked at my aunt's birthdate, she was disappointed at being unable to catch a fare evader.

After my aunt told me this story, I told her it was a compliment!

Turquoise-Coloured Budget for Hong Kong

Chan walking into LegCo to deliver his budget speech

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po unveiled his budget today and it reflects the tough economic climate the city is in.

Chan reported the deficit is at HK$87.2 billion for financial year 2024-45, with the aim to get Hong Kong into the black by 2028-29. Meanwhile the city's reserves continue to dwindle, from HK$734.5 billion (US$94.5 billion) to HK$647.3 billion, and is expected to decrease further to HK$580.3 billion in 2025-26. 

In order to tighten the government's belt, he announced pay freezes for civil servants and cutting some 10,000 posts. That clearly reveals a very bloated operation.

Ip wearing sunglasses and leather top

Other ways to bring in more money is to charge HK$200 instead of the current HK$120 for departure tax, allow betting on basketball games through the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and to make seniors shell out more for public transportation.

The elderly have had a great time taking advantage of the HK$2 fare on most public transit, and the government has had to subsidise the rest of the fares. But now there will be a cap on 240 trips per month, and seniors will have to pay 20 percent more on those routes costing over HK$10. 

It's controversial because it's mean to take away what was a privilege for the elderly, though 240 trips is more than reasonable.  

Chan's address clocked in at one hour and 48 minutes, and some lawmakers lost interest and looked at their smartphones.

However, it was hard to tell with Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who wore dark sunglasses inside the Legislative Council chamber. Lau claimed she had an eye inflammation, but she looked grumpy; she did comply with the dress code of wearing something turquoise to match the colour of the budget's cover.

John Lee Sacks 2 Ministers in Surprise Announcement

Chan (left) and Law (right) are Lee's new ministers

Looks like Hong Kong officials who don't perform actually get sacked.

This morning in a surprise move, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced that "after a period of observation" he had removed his tourism and transport ministers, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung and Lam Sai-hung respectively.

However, he repeatedly evaded questions from the media as to why the two were given the sack.

Yeung could not lure big acts to Hong Kong

Director of housing Rosanna Law Shuk-pui replaces Yeung, while Mable Chan takes over the transport portfolio from her boss, Lam.

Lee said Law and Chan would deliver better results with their ability to communicate their policies, and that both had shown they were proactive as senior civil servants.

"I see the strengths of the two new appointed secretaries," Lee said in a press conference on Thursday.

"They will be assisting me more to realise my goal of ensuring results and also doing as much work as possible in the coming years."

He said he needed a team to help Hong Kong catch up after the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2019 protests, and believed both Chan and Law supported his policy direction and could take up more responsibilities.

Sounds like Lee is getting pressure from above to belatedly kick-start Hong Kong's economy and so far it's been quite the struggle. It's been really hard to lure tourists to the city when their governments are warning them not to go because of the national security law.

Lam failed to improve taxi services, regulate Uber

There's also the logistics of planning remote night markets in public spaces didn't go so well, superstar footballer Lionel Messi dissing the crowd and refusing to play in a friendly match, and the Hong Kong Tourism Board hasn't been able to lure big acts to the city, except for Coldplay, which will perform four nights at the new Kai Tak stadium.

The HKTB's goal of having 46 million visitors in 2024 is far from achievable with less than a month to go. Someone on Bluesky calculated they would need an average of 189,000 visitors per day to meet that number.

Meanwhile Lam was unable to rein in the taxi industry, and the idea of encouraging taxi drivers to learn Arabic to cater to passengers from the Middle East was far-fetched, and he still hadn't come up with a way to regular ride-hailing apps like Uber.

Now that Lee has actually sacked two ministers for poor performance, who's next? Some are speculating it could be Secretary for Environment Tse Chin-wan for his failure to implement the waste tax that was so convoluted that it was axed at the last minute.

Anticipating the Swiftie Invasion

The VPD are gearing up for the Eras Tour

The countdown has begun with Taylor Swift coming in days -- days! to Vancouver.

However it's going to be pandemonium in the downtown area with Swifties descending into BC Place.

Early next week a fence will be erected around the stadium so only the 160,000 ticket holders can enter the area, and concertgoers are encouraged to walk, ride bikes or take public transportation downtown.

The horses have necklaces too

What complicates things is that nearby is Cirque du Soleil performing, and a Canucks game at Rogers Arena.

Unlike Toronto where an unofficial Taylorgate party was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre near the Rogers Centre venue for Swifties who do or don't have tickets, there isn't any such meeting place for them in Vancouver.

Fans are disappointed to hear this, but some think they will find a way to congregate somewhere nearby anyway. Come on! It's her last three shows of the entire tour! And the vast majority of the attendees will be women who just want to meet each other!

But Vancouver officials aren't taking any chances. They warned no overnight camping near the stadium would be allowed, and roads near BC Place would be closed from noon until midnight during concert days.

And aren't these police horses dressed for the occasion? The necklaces were gifted by the Toronto Police Service, and the giant inflatable bracelet that adorned other Eras Tour venues will be draped around BC Place too.

The Ongoing Challenges Downtown and Chinatown

Unusual to see a blue lion on display

Yesterday and today was the 22nd Chinatown Festival, with a mix of performances, food trucks, painting, calligraphy and Asian-related products out in 26-degree heat.

I got there this afternoon by bus and the ride was fine until we got downtown at the stop for Cordova and Homer when a disheveled passenger with mental issues had an argument with the bus driver over the route he was taking.

Giant mahjong, anyone?

The passenger didn't understand the route was correct and that it would eventually get to Hastings and Renfrew, but kept claiming the driver was going the wrong way. 

Thankfully the driver kept his cool and patiently waited for the man to collect his belongings and get off the bus, while other passengers murmured for him to stop wasting others' time. Luckily there was no incident, but there was the potential something could have happened. 

After getting off the bus at the next stop, Cordova and Carrall, I had to navigate blocks of homeless people and their belongings, and the putrid smells of urine and old sweat to get to a contrasting bright and cheery area of Chinatown. People were there to have a good time and police officers were also there to keep the peace.

A topless homeless man was hanging out on a grassy area until two officers came up to him and asked him to put on a shirt and move along. While he didn't provoke anyone, it was discomforting to see him there.

The Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association is trying hard to encourage people to come to the area to patronise shops and restaurants, but it's hard when there are drug addicts and homeless people wandering about, making people feel unsafe.

People curious about rice whisky

Wandering around the small bazaar was trouble-free after that. I visited the stalls of entrepreneurs I had written about before and was pleased to see they had a steady stream of customers. One sells various chilli oils made with local duck oil; another makes rice whisky as well as other products like ginger wine, honey wine and rice wine. 

While it was good to see a decent crowd of people there, interested in seeing traditional Chinese culture demonstrations and try some food and drinks, these festivals are only twice a year. But there is no definitive solution to the problems in the downtown east side and Chinatown, which is why they continue to fester and accumulate into bigger issues that cost more money and effort to solve... 

HK Taxis Still Attacking Popular Uber

When will the government finally decide on Uber in the city?

It is really quite amazing that the Hong Kong government STILL has not resolved the issue of having ride-hailing apps in the city ever since Uber entered the market in 2014.

How can it be that the so-called "world's international city" has made ride-hailing services like Uber illegal?

Residents prefer taking Uber over taxis

As a number of people take Uber, they like the service because the vehicles are clean, the drivers are courteous and get them from point A to point B without the smell of cigarettes, listening to taxi drivers' rants and uncomfortable seats. Oh and they have seatbelts that work too.

Everyone is also made accountable -- the customer can rate the driver and vice versa. And the rides are paid via credit cards. Only a few Hong Kong taxis are accepting Octopus cards...

When it comes to taxis, there is no outlet to complain effectively and in a timely manner. Nor is there any kind of punishment let alone motivation for taxi drivers to improve their behavour and the condition of their vehicles.

The biggest complaints of taxis are refusing to take a potential customer, and overcharging; and why is it that they all seem to be unavailable at 4pm?

And yet the authorities seem to be at the mercy of the taxi industry. Recently, some taxi drivers have posed as Uber customers and instructing them to drop them off where the police are to get the ride-hailing drivers into trouble.

The public finds this tactic reprehensible and more annoyed with taxi drivers in general, and yet the government has not stopped them, or found a viable solution.

Taxi drivers worry about value of licenses

For taxi drivers it boils down to how much they had to shell out to buy a taxi license, which is now valued at HK$3 million (US$384,490); there are concerns that legalising Uber would devalue the taxi license.

Some say there is enough room for everyone to co-exist, while others say the government is reluctant to affect the value of the taxi licenses. Why is it that a taxi license has become an investment commodity? And we're in 2024, taxis do not have the monopoly when it comes to getting around, with the MTR, bus, tram, Star Ferry and now Uber.

The other issue is that the government officials who need to decide on this issue have not taken either mode of transport -- they have their own chauffeured cars. If they have experienced what it's like to take a taxi and an Uber first hand, then they will see why people prefer the latter over the former...

Over 4K People Abusing Elderly Fare Transport Scheme

People 60 and over can ride public transport for HK$2

One of the perks of being a senior in Hong Kong is that taking public transportation is much cheaper. When people 60 years old and over take the MTR, bus, and ferry, it costs HK$2 (US$0.26) per ride. 

Naturally it's not surprising to see more elderly people riding 650 routes for buses and ferries, as well as the MTR railway network.

However, the authorities have found that over the past eight months, 4,260 rail passengers were fined for misusing the HK$2 fare concession scheme. 

The government has also found that over the last five years, 1,419 suspected cases of abuse of the scheme were uncovered during monitoring of buses, MTR, ferries, minibuses, trams and even buses to transport residents to and from their apartment blocks.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han even mentioned one passenger who was fined HK$14,000 (US$1,800) and had to pay around HK$2,000 in unpaid fares.

He said the Transport Department had asked operators to increase ticket checks and passenger identity verification, as well as strictly enforce penalties.

This is hard for frontline workers to enforce when there are lots of people getting on a bus or ferry, and also what can they do if someone doesn't pay up? 

The scheme costs the government around HK$6 billion in terms of reimbursement of costs to the transportation companies.

In order to make up for the shortfall, lawmaker Peter Koon Ho-ming suggests doubling the concession fare to HK$4 to keep the scheme sustainable. 

"Transportation fares have gone up by around 30 percent since the HK$2 scheme was rolled out. Is it feasible that we keep the concessionary fare at HK$2 and don't increase it? I think we should be more realistic when looking at this," he said.

Koon is the reverend who helped Chan Tong-kai who allegedly murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan and set off the anti-extradition protests in 2019...

Another lawmaker, Chan Siu-hung, suggested placing restrictions on the scheme, such as limiting the number of trips a person could make.

"Whatever it is going to be -- be it a fare discount, a limit on the number of rides or on the fare -- I hope the original purpose of the policy can be maintained, which is to encourage the elderly to go out more," Chan said.

Hong Kong's First "Patriots-Only" Election

As of 4.30pm the red line shows this year's vote versus 2019

In case you didn't know, Hong Kong is having its District Council elections in today. 

Everywhere there are constant reminders for people to vote, from posters and billboards to advertisements on radio, television and online. 

However, the Hong Kong government might have to conduct a post mortem to find out what happened because so far the turnout is significantly lower than in 2019.

As of 2.30pm, 15.47 percent of the 4.33 million registered voters have cast their ballots in the "patriots-only" race. Meanwhile at the same time four years ago,  71.2 percent of voters turned out, giving the pro-democratic camp a massive landslide victory.

But this year only those candidates who passed background checks and received nominations from pro-government committees were allowed to run this time.

Nevertheless, how to explain to Beijing the projected low voter turnout?

Was it because Hongkongers went across the border to Shenzhen for some rest and relaxation? Too busy stimulating the city's economy with Christmas shopping? Or got too caught up taking free public transit all over Hong Kong?

Oh update -- as of 4.30pm, 19.19 percent of registered voters have done their civic duty, compared to 71.23 percent in 2019. There are projections there could be a 26 percent turnout...

HK Police to Patrol Buses

Starting next week officers will board buses to prevent crime

The Hong Kong Police are flexing their muscles with a new trial to have officers on buses to catch any nefarious activities on public transport ahead of the District Council elections next month.

Officers will get on buses in the Kowloon West district free of charge, stand in the wheelchair area and monitor what's going on.

"They will board buses at different stops to patrol them, paying attention to passengers and identifying any suspicious objects," said a source familiar with the police operation.

Not many crimes are committed on buses

"If necessary, officers may ask the bus driver to pull over and request the person in question to leave the vehicle for further investigation," he added.

The officers will carry standard equipment such as firearms, a retractable baton and a body camera, as well as a mobile phone that can scan identity cards. Police officers will be deployed from divisions such as Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Hung Hom and Kowloon City.

"The objective of extending police presence to public buses is to deter criminal activity and respond promptly to any incidents that may occur," the source said.

However the person did admit not many criminal cases happen on buses, but that there had been cases of bus drivers facing abuse from passengers, though it wasn't too serious. They also won't board crowded buses, or during rush hour.

In a video posted on the Facebook page of the Mong Kok police district, an officer says: "In addition to street patrols, police will soon conduct bus patrols. The objective is to prevent crimes, maintain public order, and ensure public safety."

It is hoped police presence will deter crime

The video goes on to say: "If you see police officers on the bus, please don't be surprised."

Thanks for the warning.

But why bother patrolling buses when the crime rate is low on them? Seems a bit overboard, or a make-work project.

How about the officers do an exchange and come to Vancouver to patrol the buses here? There are many passengers who just walk on and don't even pay the bus fare. There are many incidents of people hurling abuses at others, or even assault passengers and bus drivers!

Seem to make more sense for the Hong Kong Police to conduct their trial here and make a real difference in public transit safety...

Superficial Taxi Reforms

Taxis are the target of numerous complaints in Hong Kong

It is difficult to understand why the Hong Kong taxi industry has been so bad for so long. It's as if it's dying a long slow death, though the only saving grace is that the fares are very inexpensive compared to other major cities in the world.

Nevertheless there are so many complaints about the service, from taxi drivers wearing shirts sticking out, taking drags on cigarettes, to mostly elderly men who in recent months have fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed into sidewalks and pedestrians. 

Others take advantage of naive mainland tourists and take them on outrageous joy rides or give a lot of attitude to customers, making the ride tense and awkward.

Many find the drivers' attitudes unbearable

When you get into a taxi, you immediately sink several inches into your seat because so many other bottoms have sat there for decades, and the vehicle has not been replaced because the license costs a fortune.

Is it no wonder that Hong Kong residents prefer taking other ride-hailing services like Uber? The driver comes to you, the vehicle is very clean, you can choose to have music or not and give well-deserved tips. 

But instead the taxi industry wants the government to shut down services like Uber because it makes its own business look really bad.

The Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association claims it will reform its drivers by introducing a demerit system. But the association claims only a small number of drivers behave poorly.

The scheme will fine cabbies with three, five or 10 demerit points if they violate any of the 11 offences. If drivers accumulate 15 or more points within a two-year period, he or she will be disqualified from operating a taxi for three months.

Some have a lot of distractions from the road...

What are the 11 offences? They include overcharging, wilfully refusing or neglecting to accept a hire , using a route that is not the most direct one, and refusing to carry the number of passengers requested as long as the vehicle has the capacity to do so.

However there is no sign of reforming the annoying 4pm switch -- when taxis all over the city are unavailable from around 3.30pm till after 4pm because they need to take the car to the next driver. Why not have this staggered throughout the day so that people can still get access to taxis? Do they all have to switch over at the exact same time?

When this rule is changed and vehicles are updated then yes Hong Kong's taxi service will be improved. But for now people should have a choice of how they want to get from A to B. Taxis have to do better. Way better.

The Astronomical Price of Living in Kelowna

Kelowna's downtown is right by the lake with clear water!

Uber launched its service in Kelowna on June 6 so I was keen to try it out while I was there. On the way to downtown Kelowna, the driver, a Caucasian man in his 60s said the city was growing so fast that infrastructure could not keep up, and so Uber met the need.

He said public transportation didn't help and not everyone has a car.

A shop window motto to live by

We changed the topic to the weather and he said the best weather is now, as May it's still rainy, but gets very hot in July and August. Two years ago where there was a heat dome and 619 people, mostly elderly died in British Columbia. 

The driver said temperatures in Kelowna shot up to over 40 degrees. I remarked that no one must have gone out those few days and he said it was pretty quiet.

On the way back, a South Asian man in his 30s picked me up in his Rav 4 hybrid and he said the city was becoming more and more unaffordable. He said he arrived in 2017 and rented a two-bedroom apartment for C$700 a month. Now the same place costs a whopping C$2,200 to lease.

He said a four-bedroom house six years ago would have cost C$800,000, but now is C$1.5 million.

I asked how people could afford to live, and he said they had to work. Although I pointed out that salaries weren't going up as fast, he didn't have an answer. Perhaps for him, driving for Uber helped pay his bills.

When I asked about the population in Kelowna he said it was 300,000 but officially it's 156,800... but one can see the construction of numerous condo buildings on main streets densifying the city.

Some giant inflatables for kids to play with

Highway 97 is the main highway that goes through the city and everything is about a 15-20 minute drive away which is very convenient. Our hotel is near Orchard Park, a very large shopping mall, and it took about 15 minutes to get there by foot. It seems daunting to cross the road, particularly the highway, but as long as you're patient to wait for the light, then it's safe to cross the intersections.

The summer sales were in full swing when we checked out the mall yesterday and did our part in buoying the economy. One store selling children's clothes were up to 75 percent off, another shop had T-shirts half off so they were C$6.99, while a pair of pants at Baby Gap were supposed to be C$30 and was now $8.99.

It was interesting people watching at the mall. The girls who hung out together wore similar styles of clothing so they looked like twins, but no one dressed particularly well... which is probably what happens when you live in a relatively small city.

Meanwhile the downtown core is not too big and easily walkable. It's also conveniently located right next to Okanagan Lake, where residents and visitors can walk around part of the lake for exercise, or kids can play on the numerous playgrounds, basketball courts, fountains and even the small strip of beach, and there are several washrooms around too!

Sails by R. Dow-Reid

There's a memorial for the soldiers who died in both World Wars and the Korean War, and further down the waterfront is a giant white sculpture called Sails by R. Dow-Reid, installed in 1977.

Near there is the main street downtown where there's a Lululemon, banks and many cafes, fast-food outlets, and restaurants. We tried one called Bohemian Cafe that served mostly healthy food like roast chicken sandwiches, soups and rice bowls. 

We had the soup of the day, Moroccan Stew that was hearty and had a slight kick, as well as a banh mi -- well their version which was a flattened baguette with roasted chicken, cilantro and lime, pickled carrot, onion and jalapeno. I asked if the jalapeno could be taken out, but they said it was already mixed in. Mixed in?

When the sandwich arrived, the filling was indeed all mixed together, not the individual ingredients placed in the baguette in layers. But it was still delicious, also with a fresh chilli finish. 

How did people afford to live in this city when prices were almost comparable to Vancouver? How do they afford Lululemon and pay their rent or mortgage? It was quite baffling.

 

It's Been a Year...

Miss this amazing view and walk along the harbourfront

In a few days it will be exactly a year since I had my last gourmet meal at Salisterra in the Upper House, a special treat from a good friend, who then escorted me to Hong Kong International Airport. I hugged him and an ex-colleague, thanking them for all their help, and entered the security line, then used my HKID to leave one last time.

The first leg of my trip was to Singapore and then a 10-hour layover (overnight) before flying to Vancouver.

A practically empty airport last April

My almost two years of planning for this exit came to fruition, and then what?

It's been quite the transition, from cleaning out my room to make room for my Hong Kong stuff, trying to get my driver's license sorted (it was a tedious ordeal), still having yet to find a family doctor like every other person in Canada, and reaching out to friends who were still traumatised by Covid.

All the while I have been watching what's been happening to Hong Kong on social media, feeling FOMO missing out on fabulous dinners and events I used to attend, but also feeling sad at watching the city I love being emptied out by migration or prosecution, while the authorities are claiming everything is fine.

I miss the 10K walks I did almost every evening from Kennedy Town to Wan Chai and back, the good friends I made over the years, the contacts I had built up over the years who trusted me to tell their stories, and the amazing food I ate, from hole-in-the-wall noodle shops to decadent Michelin-starred dining.

When I watch people's videos of Hong Kong streets on social media, I can imagine myself when I was there. 

Pureed potatoes with a giant dollop of caviar

Perhaps watching these videos and looking at people's pictures makes it harder to adjust to Vancouver? When I watched the documentary film, Revolution of Our Times, it immediately took me back to the 2019 protests, the massive turnout of people in the initial marches in June, and then after the July 1 march seeing videos of protesters with make-shift tools to barge their way into the Legislative Council.

It reminded me of spending my evenings scrolling through Twitter to see what was happening in the front lines and the next morning furrowing my brow at the government's response. I furrowed my brow everyday which has left a permanent wrinkle on my face.

"One country, two systems" came to a head, and Beijing decided something had to give, and it was two systems into one, as signalled by the implementation of the national security law at midnight, July 1, 2020.

Since then Hong Kong has irrevocably changed, from media organisations shuttering and civil society groups disbanding, to activists, lawyers and lawmakers fleeing abroad or risking arrest. Those left behind are currently behind bars, the vast majority remanded in custody. 

Protest scene from Revolution of Our Times

The likes of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and Joshua Wong Chi-fung have been silenced, the media only able to report what has happened to them in the legal system and not what they have said.

Rationally I know I did the right thing, but emotionally it's hard to reconcile.

Because of Covid it took me a while to reach out to people I know here. Some are still terrified to meet or aren't as interested in meeting up. Luckily I have wonderful relatives who are more than happy to meet, including one cute little puppy.

However I can't lie -- I miss the warm weather, the convenience of public transport and the ability to go out late at night by myself and not be worried about my safety. The increased random attacks in Vancouver on buses and trains and even on sidewalks is very scary, which makes me wonder why things have gone so downhill in the city.

But then I am reminded of the rights and freedoms I have here, and am definitely not going to take them for granted.

Costs More to Get Around in HK

Star Ferry fares are increasing by up to 56 percent in April

Inflation is hitting Hongkongers hard with the cost of food and necessities like electricity (up 5 percent), and now public transportation fares are going up. Way up.

The Star Ferry, which has been struggling for years, will raise its passenger fares by a whopping 56 percent. From April 3, The 125-year-old ferry operator will charge HK$5 on weekdays, up from HK$3.20, and on weekends HK$6.50, from HK$4.20, a 55 percent jump.

Bus companies asking government to raise fares

In its application to the government to raise fares, the Star Ferry explained it had suffered HK$85 million in losses since 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and owes HK$72 million to banks.

However, the reality is that the Star Ferry has been losing money since 2018, with fewer tourists especially in the second half of 2019 onward.

Now bus companies want to increase their fares too, by up to 50 percent. The bus companies, like KMB, Citybus, New World First Bus, and New Lantao Bus say they need to jack up fares because of higher operating costs and falling passenger numbers because of the pandemic.

Even tram fares have gone up 15.4 percent, where an adult fare is now HK$3, and taxi rides are up 13.8 percent.

Tram fares have gone up 13.4 percent

How seniors on their savings are going to survive is just going to lead to many more falling through the cracks... and now with civil societies forced to disband following the implementation of the national security law, there will be no one in these elderly people's corner to advocate for them...

HKG-YVR Mask Comparisons

Vancouver's mostly wide open spaces help avoid Covid-19

I've been in Vancouver for two weeks now and it's been weird transitioning from a place where masks are worn everywhere except in your own home or when eating, whereas here it's all over the map.

There are a lot of people who don't wear masks outside while walking or exercising, though there are some elderly Caucasian people who wear masks while out and about, as well as Asians. Then it's interesting seeing the odd young person wear masks, when one would think others would make fun of them wearing protection.

Earlier children at school had to wear masks 

On public transport, about half the commuters wear masks, others don't, and again the vast majority of Asians wear masks and some elderly. It's quite surprising that bus drivers don't wear masks at all considering they are interfacing with different people constantly during their shift.

In supermarkets and places like Costco, again about half the customers wear masks. Most staff wear them, but not all. One cashier was double masked and really afraid to touch things other than her cash register, while her colleague only a few metres away was completely unmasked and happily chatting with customers. 

Some stores or offices demand that all visitors must wear a mask, including law offices.

On public transport about half wear masks

Also the mask hygiene levels here are pretty lax. In Hong Kong people sanitise their hands and get out a fresh tissue paper before taking off their masks, while here people just fold it and put it in their pocket, or worse, lay it on the restaurant dining table with no tissue at all -- and the part touching the face is face down on the table!

There are hand sanitisers in shopping malls and a few shops, but overall there aren't many people using them, or any alcohol spray at all. Since I was in the habit of using an alcohol spray in Hong Kong, I bought a spray bottle the other day, which was only in the pharmacy section of the store, mostly to treat open wounds to prevent bacteria.

Is Hong Kong overly fanatic about keeping clean? Or do Vancouverites need to learn more from Hongkongers? 

To enter some shops, masks are required

Fastidious hygiene is a good habit to have, and Vancouver is lucky in that there are big spaces and many live in homes that allow for social distancing. However, would it hurt to pay a bit more attention to cleanliness? We're touching so many things all the time...