Over the Weekend: The Helena May

I was looking for new places to have afternoon tea and found a blog which introduced me to The Helena May.  Though we didn't get around to the afternoon tea, as the tour began at 11:15 am, I thought it might be nice to just check out this tour and see what it was all about.  

The Helena May Info:

35 Garden Road

Central

2522-6766

reception@helenamay.com

Free guided tours are given once a month and need to be booked at least a month in advance.

The tour was quite limited (see below of the tour stops), but the guide told us that the entire historical building would be open on Open Day, which wasn't set in stone as of this past weekend.  The guide told us that the building was undergoing renovations for the upcoming 100th year anniversary, which would be celebrated throughout next year. 

None the less, the ground floor and garden were gorgeous to wander through.  We took the tour more of fodder for sketches than as a tour of collecting any historical factoids.  The tour guide was just one of the long standing members of The Helena May and basically just told us facts from the website.

The Blue Room (above) is the grand showcase of the tour.  It's also where we all gathered in the beginning to be introduced to the history of The Helena May.

Of what our guide told us, Lady Helena May (pictured below), wife of former Hong Kong Governor Sir Henry May, noticed that there weren't any appropriate accommodations for young ladies who ventured over to Hong Kong back in the early 1900s.  So, she was the key person who pushed to have this building built to house any young woman who needed temporary accomodations.

The Blue Room, as the guide told us, was not as beautifully ornate as it is today.  He said that a few decades ago, it was quite drab.  He told us that a wealthy Chinese woman decided to renovate the space to what we see it as today.

The tour took us out to the gardens, which were lovely and had quite a bit of shade to protect the members of The Helena May from the scorching Hong Kong sun!  This was probably my favorite part of the tour because it was so quiet and peaceful.  The Peak Tram also ran along the backside of the garden, so that was nice to see those tram riders!

Another great spot, which I think most of the tour guests enjoyed was perusing the library.  The guide told us that the space for the current library was once the ball room of The Helena May.  It was then deemed too small, so it was converted into a library.  He said that it was the largest private library in Hong Kong, housing around 26, 000 English books.

I guess that's one of the perks of becoming a member of this woman's club!

The tour ended about half an hour later at the main lobby area, next to the restaurant.  From here, we were given the wonderful option to wander around at our leisure and revisit The Blue Room.

Afterwards, we hiked over to Hong Kong Park to have lunch at L16, which is one of our favorite Thai/Japanese restaurants.  Plus, it was the closest place we could think of to find food.

Thinking back, this was a great way to spend the weekend.  We trekked all the way into Central, which is quite the distance from Yuen Long, and spent the afternoon relaxing in Hong Kong Park.  Though it's quite hot these days, it just seems cooler (temperature-wise) in the park.  Someone told me that plants give off a cooling affect…

But, the weekend was great!  We got to view one of Hong Kong's historical buildings and also people watch at the park.

Forsgate Conservatory

Up on the hill in Hong Kong Park sits the Forsgate Conservatory.  The Conservatory is open daily from 9am -  5pm and the admission is free.  

In my humble opinion, this Conservatory is what makes Hong Kong Park so special to visit.  It's like how visiting the orangutans at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens gives me a special sentimental feeling.  Or how riding the Trams gives me a special sentimental feeling.  I guess it's just nice to see how I can revisit my past and hopefully take my children to see these same places in the future.

It's nice to have some consistency in this every changing/updating city.

The entry way

The first area is known as the Display Plant House.  Here are displayed orchids, anthuriums, and little terrariums.  The theme for this early Fall was Aquatic Plants, but I feel like the flower displays were more prominent than the thematic exhibition of the season.

For the plant lovers, all the plants in the Conservatory are labeled, so it's quite interesting to learn the names of some of the local plants.  If you have someone who can read Chinese, it's even better to spend the afternoon with them comparing the English/Chinese names of the plants.

Plant displays

The second area is known as the Dry Plant House, where you can find cactus and a very arid climate.  Throughout the Conservatory, you'll be able to see the giant temperature/environment controlling apparatuses in each area (below).  These are a wonderment in themselves.  Before these were invented, I really am curious to find out how conservatories regulated their climates.

Climate control apparatuses on the right of the image

The third section (which is my favorite area of the Conservatory) is the Humid Plant House.  Just walking into this place reminds me of going to a tropical island.  In this space, I found a lot of plants that I could find in Hawaii:  Bird of paradise, ginger plants, banana trees, and even rubber trees...And the ferns!  It was just such a wonderfully landscaped space.

Hopefully, when I get older and wiser, this place will still be around.

Strolling Hong Kong Park

I used to really be into Jane Austen novels when I was a kid.  And when the Pride and Prejudice mini-series came out, the one with Colin Firth, all the women in my family were glued to the television set.  AAAND when the DVD came out, we bought it.  AAAAANNNND I have since watched this mini-series a handful of times.  

One impression that Austen novels left on me was the fact that everyone strolls.  Elizabeth strolls the gardens with her sisters.  She strolls a sitting room with Mr. Bingley.   And she strolls around Mr. Darcy's grounds.  

I bring this up because, I'm quite the stroller.  We used to take walks all over the Islands when I was younger, which is probably why I also am into hiking.  

Hong Kong has many a great hiking trails and also many a great places to stroll.  I thought I would snap some shots of our stroll through Hong Kong Park. 

Museum of Teaware

Restaurant

Lippo Centre

Coy pond

Hippo topiaries

Giraffe topiary

Turtle pond

Frog falls!!!

HSBC building through the waterfall

I cannot emphasize how amazing the weather in the Hong Kong autumn is!  The weather is cooler in the evenings and the humidity has dropped severely.  The season is about to change and I am ready for some layering and more strolls outdoors.

I hope you enjoyed the walking mini tour.

Picnic in Hong Kong Park

Over the weekend, my husband and I opted for a picnic in Hong Kong Park.  The weather is mighty fine these days and the kids are all back in school, so the world seems so bright, shiny, and new again!

The awesome thing about Hong Kong Park is that it is literally connected to Pacific Place Mall by a set of escalators.  Because it is connected to Pacific Place, it's quite convenient to just grab something to eat down at the Great Supermarket and something to drink at the Starbucks under the escalators.  

Being a tourist (which I feel I still am even after living here for five years) with a camera, I thought I would share the food selection at Great.  It's always a luxury for me to stop off here because my local Park N Shop doesn't carry the selection that this supermarket does.

The deli 

The salad bar

The diet cherry coke 

The cake bar

The pizzeria

The italian 

The meats

A ride up the escalators to Hong Kong Park

I've been asking my friends recently if they still felt like a tourist.  Even though I have been working and living here for so long, I still feel like I'm just visiting.  I do like calling Hong Kong my home, but I also call Honolulu and Seattle my hometowns (depending on my mood and if I want to talk about family moves).

I think it's because I'm still exploring and can LITERALLY travel this city!

I'll leave this blog post with a great picnic spot that is:
1.  shady,
2.  overlooking a little fountain,
3.  and made us feel like we were in Rome.

I love the simple things in life!