View from a Lamma rooftop last century.
Same unchanged view nowadays!

A really great story by James Wren who lived on Lamma in 1997 for half a year only. It's made deep and lasting impressions on him as he's still writing about them on social media nowadays!
He's trying to get a book published with his many HK stories from last century, maybe there might be people out there who could help with that? Read some of his stories on Facebook and contact him on his website.

Heading Home to Lamma, 1997

"Work is done, and the city sounds fade away. A Discovery Bay ferry glides past us, but we're not rushing. We take it slow and steady. Seated at the back of the ferry with friends, we tuck into noodles and enjoy a beer or two, passing the Lippo towers and Kennedy Town as the sun sets.

A warm breeze, a pink and amber sky. 25 minutes to go, but there's no hurry—every journey home feels magical. A slow turn to port as we say goodbye to the last of the city. A cooler breeze and smoother seas.

In the distance, the power station chimneys reach to the heavens telling us we're nearly home. As we edge slowly into Yung Shue Wan, it feels a thousand miles from Central. The air carries a fragrant warmth and smells of the harbour. Water laps against the shore, as small boats gently bob, reflecting a slower pace of life.

We walk along the pier at twilight, listening to the soft sound of conversations from nearby restaurants. Lobsters and crabs in tanks climb over one another, and the aroma of evening meals fills the air. Customers chat, plates of food and dim sum steamers are carried across the path to hungry patrons. Cantopop from the kitchen, and the sound of a giant wok full of noodles being tossed and turned.

The sound of flip-flops slapping against soles, as conversations in Cantonese, English, and Filipino fill the air. A stray dog patrols the pathway, its nose twitching as it looks longingly for scraps.

We greet Nick the Bookman, he's packing up his books near the bank. Children on bicycles ring their bells, weaving in and out of the crowd. Lizards scurry across the narrow pathways that lead up to apartment blocks, shaded by lush vegetation and the sweet scent of frangipani and jasmine.

Thoughts turn to the Friday night ahead—a barbecue on our rooftop in Tai Peng. Just a few friends and memories to last a lifetime."

More Lamma stories by James in the Hong Kong Posse 1995-1996 Facebook group. So many current and former Lammaites commented on his most recent HK memories:
"It was one muggy morning on Lamma when it finally hit me."

Jan 10:  Top 5 Posts of HK Electric's Facebook

HK Electric's Chinese Facebook page 堅尼地道44號 (44 Kennedy Road, their HQ on HK Island. Click 'See Translation') had 149 posts last year.
These are the top 5 most popular posts and what was #1? A coral survey of the Lamma Powerstation's surrounding ocean!

Well, without delay, here are their top 5 posts with the most reactions in 2024:

1. The secret of the Lamma Powerstation - Coexisting with the ocean: https://shorturl.at/Fmls4

2. Tales of looking for their origin country - Night Tour in Tai Tam: https://shorturl.at/EgtWy

3. The whole city goes plastic: https://shorturl.at/4K0T0

4. Street lights photo spot: https://shorturl.at/ghSuu

5. The green dragon and kian are a second blessing: https://shorturl.at/lfPSl

The page's editor talked about the green life, energy saving & carbon reduction tips, promotion of street lights & a green dragon...

Jan 9:  Get a Lamma Tattoo?

A new tattoo shop opened close to the end of YSW Main Street, next house after the former Bookworm Cafe, offering Lamma-shaped tattoos, see above.

Quite a few of Lamma's teenagers and even adults are sporting these, proud of growing up or living on Lamma for a long time. Or get another amazing design from Tash's extensive collection in her Tiny Tattoo Shop:

Contact via her Instagram page (if you dare!):

Jan 8:  1 Village House/Family

So many new village houses are going up, but Lamma's overall population has been stagnant for many years.
One explanation for this might be that more and more well-off families occupy 2-3 floors, often the entire village house which means much more space/person. 5 of our 6 nearest neighbours are single-family village houses.

Lamma's got a population of 6,500 officially, according to the 5-yealy census data, remaining quite stable for the last 20 years. But the makeup of the population has changed a lot. YSW is becoming more of an increasingly affluent suburb of HK Island where more and more Lammaites commute to daily, plus more people working from home, like myself.

Jan 7:  Stingray Sighting

I've shot these photos today from the Lamma ferry at the Aberdeen pier. Such a rare sighting, it even got the ferry staff excited. My photos above received almost 200 reactions of Facebook, a new personal record as most of my Friends are Lammaites or people interested in Lamma-related matters.

Jan 1:  Happy New Year!