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Based on real-life encounters across many of China’s holiest sites, Seeking Immortals: A Modern Daoist Travelogue explores myths and uncovers realities. Elizabeth Kerr sits down with the DB-based author Brock Silvers Brock Silvers, AK A Lu Xiuquan, would never call himself a Daoist in the purest sense of the word, and he cer tainly wouldn’t claim to be an immortal – in Daoism, a saintlike person of high moral character, who can exhibit seemingly magical abilities. Most of us probably think of Daoist immor tals as old guys with long grey beards and flowing robes as seen in movies by Ronny Yu or Ricky Lau. There’s a great deal of myth rolled into Daoism, or from it, and it remains one of the world’s most misunderstood religions, star ting, Brock says, with who can actually claim to be a Daoist. “The question of who is a Daoist, at least in English circles, has been a bit of a controversy for many years. People in the West are under the impression that if they appreciate or somehow follow cer tain aspects of Daoism, they can then live their lives in a way that can be called Daoist, whereas the traditional Daoist conception requires initiation into a zi,” Brock opens. “Even the masses of normal folks who may be practising Daoism in China wouldn’t claim a membership. In the West, we want to say I’m Catholic, I’m Protestant, I’m a Jew. In China, knowing that would be presumptuous. It would only be a priest or a monk who might say ‘I am a Daoist’. The lay practitioner would say, ‘This is what I believe or what I follow.’” A native of Chicago, Brock has lived in Hong Kong just about six years, all of them in Discover y Bay. Before that, he worked in Beijing and Shanghai for 20 years, at the front of the countr y’s investment wave and has become a regular media presence: he can often be found chatting about financial markets with outlets like Financial Times, the Associated Press, Bloomberg and RTHK. With the sheen coming off China in the last few years, Brock was relocated to Hong Kong, which is where he’s staying for now despite the lustre of Tokyo or Seoul. “I’ll go where my career calls,” he says. “It could be Hong Kong. It could be other destinations. “I came directly to Discover y Bay. It was a great choice. I enjoy it here quite a bit, but it was also beneficial to be here during COVID. I think it was a bit easier in DB than in Mid-Levels or something similar. I’d been visiting Hong Kong for 20 years, when DB was much smaller. In those days, I didn’t really appreciate it, but when I finally moved down from the mainland it seemed to fit the bill for me. In retrospect it was a wonderful choice.” A VIVID PICTURE OF MODERN DAOISM But we’re here to talk about Brock’s writing through which he paints a vivid, intimate and often entertaining picture of religious life in China today. Brock was inspired to become an author after partially stumbling into, partially seeking out knowledge of Daoism. As a student of Chinese (where he picked up the name Lu Xiuquan), Brock got a healthy dose of culture, history and theology during the course of his undergraduate and grad studies. Arriving in China as a finance pro, with a solid foundation in its culture, led to a deeper exploration of religion as the years went on. “I was aware of the places I was travelling to, but a lot of my travels and living were dictated by my career choices,” he notes. “For a good number of years, I coordinated my Daoist travels with work travels – and for work, I’ve been almost everywhere in China.” These travels ultimately led, first, to The Taoist Manual: An Illustrated Guide Applying Taoism to Daily Life, back in 2016, which Brock describes as a generalised explanation of what Daoism is. Then, this past July, came Seeking Immortals: A Modern Daoist Travelogue, published by Sacred Mountain Press, a collection of essays penned over two decades dealing with “the nature of immortality”. Brock pushes back on critics who might accuse him of being another white guy exploiting Asian culture to whatever ends. “I’m not wearing Daoism as a costume. I trying to see what I could see and what I could learn, and I tried to do it in a respectful manner,” he says. “It was an earnest attempt to get close to a local tradition in a culturally relevant and appropriate manner, so that I could express that tradition to others who were less close.” That’s most of us, or so you’d think. Brock notes that entry points to Daoism are in fact all around us, and many of us have tapped into them in passing: traditional Chinese medicine, tai chi and other martial arts, meditation and even vegetarianism have ties to Daoism. “I’m just trying to take that initial view, which may have been romanticised somehow, and provide a bit of reality to it,” he says. “Chinese tradition is replete with stories of immortals who exhibit tremendous magical power,” Brock adds. “Someone will reveal himself in a crowded marketplace as an immortal and float up to heaven on the clarion call of Chinese traditional music… That’s the romantic vision of what immortality would look and feel like. I’m trying to provide the counterpoint, the realistic vision. I thought, all right, let’s put that to the test; let’s see if these people that are omnipresent in literature and culture and tradition, really exist. THE JOURNEYS OF A TRUE DAOIST DEVOTEE To research Seeking Immortals, Brock visited – and climbed – five of the major Daoist mountain sites, dozens of secondary mountains and innumerable tertiary peaks. He explored caves, monasteries and temples, among them Man Mo Temple (on Hollywood Road) and Ching Chung Koon, or Green Pine Monastery (New Territories). The book chronicles the places and the people he encountered along the way, including a junkie at the Hanging Monastery near Heng Mountain in Shanxi, and a political-religious abbot leader at Hubei’s Wudang Mountain. Detailed notes and selected translations of traditional and canonical texts provide religious, cultural and historical context. Through his encounters and findings at Daoism’s holiest sites, Brock sought to understand the nature of immortality – it’s potential reality and meaning in a modern world. Can rarified spiritual masters be found refining elixirs on remote mountains or meditating in mysterious temples? Do they in fact walk among us? At the very least, Brock occasionally found his perceptions challenged, an aspect of himself he was happy to explore as he demystified Daoism. “The goal of the book was really to find a way to express a more accurate and realistic picture of Daoism to the vast majority of Westerners and even Asians who are less familiar with it. And part of that reality is that Daoism does have contradictions and some questionable aspects as well.” Brock isn’t ruling out a third book (he didn’t think he had a first one) but he’s adamant he’ll have to be truly inspired to do it, and at present he has no more to say on the subject. Except that he encourages those of us exploring Daoism to “approach on its own terms”. Before signing off, Brock gets one last question: Is Seeking Immortals a travel guide or a spiritual one? “It depends on how the reader wants to take the materials,” he says. A response that lives forever.

There’s more to Halloween than a candy fest with kids dressing up as ghouls and goblins. Trisha Hughes gets ready to celebrate the Day of the Dead When we think of Halloween our minds conjure up images of ghosts, witches, vampires and monsters. On October 31, you can hardly walk through the plazas or along Headland Drive without bumping into a blood-sucking vampire, a zombie or a witch riding a broomstick. Hollywood and literature have crafted versions of these creatures for us but like many fantastic characters of myth and lore, they have a basis in reality. Halloween has been called many names through the centuries. The original word “Hallowe’en” actually means “hallowed evening” and the last day of October has also been called All Hallows’ Eve, Day of the Dead, All Saints’ Eve and Samhain (Summer’s End). For centuries it’s been considered one of the most magical nights of the year. It’s a night of supernatural power when we are meant to believe the veil that separates our world from the otherworld is at its thinnest and I, for one, have always been more than a little wary about celebrating the Day of the Dead. Even the air feels different on Halloween. DAY OF THE DEAD The Celts believed that the normal laws of space and time were held in abeyance at Samhain, allowing a window to open where the spirit world could intermingle with the living. Many believed it was a night when the dead could cross the veils and physically return to the land of the living to celebrate with their family or clan. As such, burial mounds were lit at midnight, with torches lining crumbling walls, so that the spirits of the dead could find their way in the darkness. Out of this ancient tradition comes one of our most famous icons of the holiday: the Jack-O-Lantern. The Jack-O-Lantern was used as a light for the lost soul of Jack, a notorious trickster, stuck between worlds. Jack is said to have tricked the devil into the trunk of a tree by carving an image of a cross on it. He successfully trapped the devil but having already been denied access to Heaven, and then having also angered the devil in Hell, Jack became a lost soul. As a consolation, the devil gave him a sole ember to light his way through the darkness between worlds. Originally, Celts placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to help guide Jack’s lost spirit back home. Hence the term: Jack-O-Lantern. Later, when immigrants came to the new world, pumpkins were more readily available, and so carved- out pumpkins holding a lit candle served the same function. SUMMER’S END In one sense, Halloween was a celebration of plenty and homecoming. It was harvest-time and people would have been well fed and they would have gathered in their homes after long days spent working in the fields. Traders, sailors and people with skills to offer journeyed home for the celebrations. There was, however, the other face of the festival. It ushered in winter, the most frightening, uncomfortable and inconvenient of all the seasons. Even in modern Britain, it is the time when the clocks go back and the night rushes early into the afternoon. Halloween was the feast that prefaced months of darkness, cold, hunger and the physical illnesses consequent of all of those. What was coming was the season of death – not just of leaves, flowers and light, but of humans, as more would perish in the winter and early spring than at any other time of year. That was why Halloween was widely regarded as the time when the spirits of darkness and fear, the evil and malevolent forces of nature, were let loose upon the earth. People reacted to this forbidding prospect in two different ways. In ancient times, Halloween was the festival of prophecy in which people gathered together and most frequently tried to predict the future. The prediction most often sought was who would live through the winter. Another reaction was to mock darkness and fear by singing songs about spirits and lighting candles on the graves of the dead. In the 16th century, people began going from house to house impersonating the souls of the dead. They recited verses or songs and received offerings on their behalf, usually a small round cake called a soul cake. For me, there is magic in a night when pumpkins glow by moonlight. Instead of a terrifying night spent watching fearfully out of windows for movement while bonfires burned brightly, Halloween has become a joyous holiday for families to get together and have a bit of fun by dressing up as ghosts and goblins and wandering the streets with friends. See you on Headland Drive!

Eat pumpkin: delectable ideas for when you finish carving your Jack-O-Lantern! PUMPKIN SOUP Serves 4 1 vegetable stock cube 1 large onion, chopped 250g pumpkin, peeled and chopped 75g red lentils 400g canned tomatoes 1tbsp tomato purée 4 slices bread Yoghurt to serve Combine the stock cube with 800ml boiling water, and stir well. Next, cook the onion gently in a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil until it starts to brown. Add the stock, pumpkin, lentils, tomatoes and tomato purée, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add a good pinch of pepper, then whizz with a blender until smooth. Meanwhile, toast the bread and cut each slice into the shape of a spider. Put the soup into bowls. Add the yoghurt to a piping bag with a really small nozzle, and quickly pipe a thin spiral onto the soup. Take a chopstick and draw through the spiral from the centre outwards to create a spider’s web. Serve with the toast. PUMPKIN PASTA Serves 4 1 onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 500g pumpkin, peeled and chopped 50-100ml whole milk 2tbsp tomato purée 2tbsp mascarpone 350g short pasta 40g grated parmesan Gently fry the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil until softened. Next, cook the pumpkin in a pan of boiling salted water for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain and tip into a blender. Blend with 50ml milk, the onions and garlic until completely smooth, gradually adding more milk until the mixture is thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon. Tip into a large frying pan with the tomato purée and mascarpone, then bring to a simmer over a low heat. Cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain, reserving 100ml of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the pumpkin sauce, parmesan and 50 to 100ml of the reserved water to loosen. Season and scatter with extra parmesan to serve.

Whether you’re new to wine or well into it and want to know more, here are some traditions debunked and best practices worth following You may remember the scene in Brideshead Revisited where Charles and Sebastian get hold of a wine-tasting book and decide to make a “serious acquaintance with wine”. “…We warmed the glass slightly at a candle, filled it a third high, swirled the wine round, nursed it in our hands, held it to the light, breathed it, sipped it, filled our mouths with it, and rolled it over the tongue, ringing it on the palate like a coin on a counter, tilted our heads back and let it trickle down the throat.” Our heroes aspire to be oenophiles, wine connoisseurs, which is all well and good, but you don’t need to follow a guidebook to know how to enjoy wine. There’s a lot of snobbery and etiquette surrounding the drinking of wine, which can be intimidating and off-putting. For an experience that ought to be entirely pleasurable, many people spend far too much time worrying that they are doing it wrong. When it comes down to it, there are no rules. Here’s the reality: over many years, wine experts have developed a set of best practices. These are based on experience and tradition. Yet, none of them are so meaningful that they should diminish the simple enjoyment of pouring wine into a glass and drinking it. There are no serious consequences if you choose not to do as the experts do, but it’s worth taking a look at the rewards you can reap if you follow at least some of their suggestions. DESCRIBING WINE Back to Brideshead. As Charles and Sebastian get increasingly drunk, the way they describe the wines they are tasting gets more and more exaggerated. “…It is a little shy wine like a gazelle.” “Like a leprechaun.” “Dappled, in a tapestry meadow.” “…And this is a wise old wine.” “A prophet in a cave.” “…And this is a necklace of pearls on a white neck.” “Like a swan.” “Like the last unicorn.” Anyone who’s ever heard a true oenophile talk about wine will see the irony in this exchange. At a wine-tasting the other day, I heard wines described as racy, flamboyant, jammy, flabby and cigar box. Tannins weren’t just tannins they were either chewy or grippy; I was asked to discuss primary, secondary and tertiary aromas, and “mouthfeel”. It’s fine to use that kind of lingo of course, but you don’t have to sound pretentious to talk about wine. You don’t have to possess an abstract, sommelierlevel vocabulary or encyclopaedic knowledge of vineyard names. You just have to be able to tell someone what it is that you like to drink. Stick to basic terms like sweet, off-dry (slightly sweet), dry (all the sugar in the fruit has been fermented into alcohol), fruity and savoury (floral, herbal, stony or saline). Know your tannin levels (naturally occurring molecules in wine that make your mouth feel dried out after you take a sip) and body (whether the wine feels light or silky in your mouth). Telling your wine server or merchant that you love tannic, full-bodied red wines will get you further than saying you prefer wines that taste like cherries and over-steeped tea.\ SERVING WINE The old adage “red wine with red meat, and white wine with white meat and fish” might seem outdated – these days, we drink what we like, and eat what we like – but there’s some truth in it. Dry red wines work with steak: light wines pair up with leaner cuts of meat, while high-tannin wines pair up with richer, fattier cuts because they can cut through the fat. Meanwhile, white wine is a superb complement to fish because of its higher acidity; it sharpens the flavour, like a squirt of lemon juice. Another “tradition” to investigate concerns wine temperature: red wine is served warm, and white wine is served cold, right? Yes, but go carefully. Most people serve red wine too warm. All reds should be at least slightly cool, and reds that are simple thirst-quenchers can be served colder than that. In general, medium- and full-bodied reds, and reds that are complex or high in tannin should be served cool (14 to 18°C), while light-bodied reds should be served lightly chilled (10 to 14°C). As for white: oaked, complex white wine should be lightly chilled (10 to 14°C); light- and mediumbodied white wine and rosé should be chilled (8 to 10°C). Sweet and/ or sparkling wines (red or white) should be well chilled (6 to 8°C). And what about decanting? Is it worth doing? Yes, for two reasons. First, to aerate good, young wines, making them more enjoyable to drink. Second, to separate an aged wine from the sediment that naturally develops in the bottle. Drinking sediment is not harmful but it is unpleasant, like having a mouthful of grit. To decant, stand the unopened bottle upright for 24 hours or more, so the sediment can slide to the bottom of the bottle, making it easier to separate. Pour the wine into the decanter slowly and steadily, without stopping; when you get to the bottom half of the bottle, pour even more slowly. Stop as soon as you see the sediment reach the neck of the bottle. Sediment isn’t always chunky and obvious; stop pouring if the wine’s colour becomes cloudy, or if you spot what looks like specks of dust in the neck of the bottle. DRINKING WINE Of course, any vessel that holds liquids can be used to drink wine. Tumblers and juice glasses are fine, if you are enjoying simple wines at home or with friends. Expensive wines will still taste good in them too, though they taste even better in dedicated stemmed glasses. Often used as a universal red wine glass, cabernet glasses have a large bowl and tall stem. The large bowl gives the wine more surface area, allowing it to oxidise or breathe. Oxidising softens the tannins found in reds, improving the overall flavour and releasing the wine’s natural aromas. For most whites, you need a glass with a narrow bowl, which limits oxidation – too much air can compromise the bright flavours characteristic of white wine. The narrow bowl combined with a narrow opening also helps keep the wine chilled. But for heavier, oaky whites, like chardonnay, you need a large bowl; the greater surface area exposed to air lets the wine open up to reveal other tastes. All wine glasses need a stem – this allows you to swirl the wine to aerate it and help release the aromas, and it prevents you from warming the wine in the glass with the heat from your hand. The glass at the rim should be fairly thin, to encourage you to sip, and really savour the wine. Now, how much to pour? Experts say, you fill a wine glass a third of the way, never more than half. This gives the wine plenty of room to breathe (as the widest point of a wine glass is about one-third up), maximises aromas and allows you to swirl your glass without spilling. Once you’ve swirled the glass, there’s one more step before you get to take that first sip: smelling the wine. Sticking your nose all the way into the glass, closing your eyes and breathing deeply before taking a sip (as the oenophiles do) may make you feel a little silly, but it will win you respect in fancy restaurants and, more importantly, it will increase your enjoyment. Our sense of smell has a profound effect on the way our brain processes flavour: when you smell a wine, you’re preparing your brain for what you’re about to taste. Cheers!

CATCH A KABUKI SHOW at Kabuki-za, the go-to theatre in Tokyo for fans of the bizarre Japanese dance-drama. Known for its highly stylised action and the elaborate make-up worn by performers, kabuki is as popular now as it was in the 17th century. Expect a series of innovative stage effects, which allow the actors to revolve on the spot, fly and even disappear. FIND YOUR ZEN at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Ask for a map in English so you can be sure to hit the three major gardens: English Landscape, French Formal and Japanese Traditional. This spacious imperial park also houses two traditional teahouses where you can get your fill of matcha and wagashi. BID FOR TUNA at Tsukiji Fish Market which delivers over 2,000 tons of marine products per day, including 450 varieties of fish. One of the largest wholesale fish markets in the world, it’s busiest right before dawn and starts to wind down by 9am. Book ahead to attend the famous 5am live tuna auctions – limited to 120 people, they’re held seven days a week. MIX WITH THE AVANT-GARDE at Yayoi Kusama Museum, which features many of the zany Japanese artist’s major installations, sculptures and paintings. A graduate of Kyoto School of Arts and Crafts, Kusama was a big part of the avant-garde scene in 1960s New York, and is best known for a series of happenings in which she painted naked participants with brightly coloured polka dots. GET LUCKY at Sensoji Temple, the oldest and most visited place of worship in Tokyo. It’s dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon (goddess of mercy and pets) and the incense that billows from the main entrance is said to bestow good luck on those who “bathe” in it. Festivals and events are held on the temple grounds throughout the year. MINGLE WITH THE ANIME , manga and idol crowd at Yoyogi Park’s Harajuku Bridge, where the gothic Lolitas and Cosplay kids bring the world-renowned heroes of popular Japanese animation to life. The park also draws all sorts of obsessive otaku talent, from horn players to rockabilly gangs, complete with poodle skirts and Elvisinspired pompadours. HOP ON A SHINKANSEN headed to Osaka to get up close and personal with Mount Fuji. You get a spectacular view of the volcano on the right-hand side of the train, about 40 minutes into the journey. If you have time to spare, stay a night at Hakone hot spring resort at the foot of the mountain (100 kilometres south-west of Tokyo).

How to socialise if you’re shy, socially awkward or an out-and-out introvert. Take it from Ray Robertson, she should know Like me you struggle with socialising, or you wouldn’t be reading this article. The idea of going to a party, particularly one where you will be required to meet new people, fills you with dread. Shy, or introverted people, like us, are depleted by social interaction: we are the wallflowers at a party, the walking wounded afterward. Self-protective measures must be deployed if we are to get through a get-together intact. The first and most valuable of these is to turn down as many invitations as you can get away with. Use fake excuses or be honest, depending on who’s asking. But there are always events you can’t get out of, whether family-, friend- or office-related – for these you need to be armed with dependable opening gambits, unbeatable conversation strategies and expert verbal manoeuvres. ENGAGE Ask any Brit, the non-conversation of small talk is close to a ceremony or a traditional dance – and you have to play by the rules. If someone you have just met asks you how you are, the correct answer really is, “Very well thank you, and you?” Do not launch into a long and detailed story about your sick dog and his ailments, or even your leaking washing machine: a “real” answer is neither required nor sought. Keep it light, light, light. Small talk has to be “small”, or you’ll scare people. It’s genuinely hard to make a connection with a stranger, and small talk is the grey, safe no man’s land of spending five minutes standing next to someone at a party before the person you actually know comes back from the kitchen. Any deviation from the form – “So… did you have to come far?” “How did you meet the host?” – is unacceptable. That being said, the best way to make people feel at ease (and to stop them asking you questions, and to fill awkward pauses) is to ask them about themselves. “What brought you to Hong Kong” usually does the trick, unless, of course, you are talking to a fellow introvert. People don’t get asked direct questions about themselves very often and many seem to appreciate it – wind them up, like a wind-up doll, and they’ll talk for hours. Another important tip is to let the person you’re talking to feel listened to. Everyone wants to feel affirmed: “It’s so nice to meet you, I understand that you’re a pilot/ teacher/ rock jock. How exciting!” No matter what follows, affirm the person, fix a look of interest on your face, and let them know you appreciate hearing what they have to say. (No need to let on that you’d much rather be rewatching One Day, on your own at home.) QUESTION That being said, the best way to make people feel at ease (and to stop them asking you questions, and to fill awkward pauses) is to ask them about themselves. “What brought you to Hong Kong” usually does the trick, unless, of course, you are talking to a fellow introvert. People don’t get asked direct questions about themselves very often and many seem to appreciate it – wind them up, like a wind-up doll, and they’ll talk for hours. Another important tip is to let the person you’re talking to feel listened to. Everyone wants to feel affirmed: “It’s so nice to meet you, I understand that you’re a pilot/ teacher/ rock jock. How exciting!” No matter what follows, affirm the person, fix a look of interest on your face, and let them know you appreciate hearing what they have to say. (No need to let on that you’d much rather be rewatching One Day, on your own at home.) Open-ended questions (“If you had to come back as an animal, which one would it be, and why?”) are obviously better than closed ones (“Do you believe in reincarnation?”). Likewise, “What is your go-to order at McDonald’s?” is a more promising opening gambit than “Do you like chicken nuggets?” Don’t try too hard, this is small talk remember, and don’t make the person you’re talking to have to try too hard either. Avoid niche questions about something they likely know nothing about and have no interest in. You might get lucky with “How does your pendulum answer yes,” – you might spark up a real conversation with a fellow Wiccan. But then again you might crash and burn – only a select few share your passion for modern paganism and the occult. Importantly too, your pre-prepared questions shouldn’t be too probing; you are not seeking intimacy, nor are you looking to open a conversation that goes beyond polite chitchat. “What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?” “What’s your attachment style?” “Which of your siblings do you like least?” This conversational style should foster connection, but it feels too high stakes. Like I said, keep it light. RESPOND There’s no getting round it, conversation is a twoway street. It’s about you receiving information, but it’s also about giving it, so you need to talk about yourself a bit too. If you’re an introvert, there’s nothing you dislike more. Questions like “What do you do?” or “Tell me about yourself” make you want to run for the door. But if you refuse to play the game, you make everyone you meet feel uncomfortable; and you came across as arrogant and boorish, rude rather than retiring. So how do introverts, like us, make ourselves digestible to strangers? It’s simple: we brace ourselves to give direct answers to direct questions, we smile as much as possible and, in case “sharing about ourselves” is required, we come to the party with a pre-prepared spiel. Make time one Sunday afternoon, to write your “party speech,” one that amplifies your flattering traits, reveals your best thoughts, allows you to tell a joke or two, and includes some of your favourite stories. Your spiel doesn’t have to be long: think of it as a highlights reel, a precis of personal bests that doesn’t involve swearing, or references to sex. Bottomline: you can get through a party without speaking your mind, or revealing that much about yourself. Don’t bring up war, religion, politics, or anything that’s likely to cause mass hysteria. Stick to topics that other people feel comfortable discussing and tailor your conversation to suit the situation you’re in. Stuck with a group of parents who you know you’ll never see again, feel free to talk about the children you don’t actually have; mingling with a golfer, feign interest in her handicap. Lie to please the crowd, you won’t be the first. And when it comes to getting the hell out? A time-bound commitment is the appropriate way to politely extricate yourself. “I have to dash off to yoga class,” that’s time-bound. “I have to go because I need to catch a plane to Greenland, population density 0.14,” that’s time-bound too. Good luck, and be careful out there.

Green city in the sun KNOWN AS THE “GREEN CITY in the sun” and “place of cool waters,” the Kenyan capital sprawls some 700 square-kilometres along the banks of Nairobi River, at the foot of the Ngong Hills. A frenetic and bustling concrete jungle, it’s surprisingly temperate with dense treecover, and plenty of parks and open spaces to explore. STEP INTO THE PAGES OF HISTORY at the Karen Blixen Museum, which is located in the farmhouse where the renowned Danish author lived between 1914 and 1931. The museum offers a captivating glimpse into Blixen’s world, and is a mustsee for fans of her famous memoir, Out of Africa. KENYA’S GLORIOUS COUNTRYSIDE opens up on a visit to the Maasai Ostrich Farm located in savannah grasslands on the outskirts of town. Take a walking tour to learn about ostrich farming practices and feed the adult breeder stock. You may or may not want to end your trip by sampling some ostrich meat at the on-site restaurant. INDULGE YOUR TASTE BUDS on the streets of Nairobi, sampling an array of mouthwatering dishes from local food vendors, including sizzling nyama choma (grilled meat), flavourful samosas and aromatic chai. Along the way, you’ll discover hidden gems and bustling markets, gaining insight into Kenya’s diverse culinary traditions and vibrant street culture. ESCAPE THE HOT AFRICAN SUN in Karua Forest, a 1,000-hectare urban-forest reserve dotted with caves, waterfalls and scenic picnic spots. Myriad activities are on offer from leisurely nature walks along well-shaded trails to adrenaline-pumping mountain biking adventures. There’s a café, children’s obstacle course, bike rental and yoga platform at the entrance. HOME TO THE WORLD’S DENSEST CONCENTRATION of black rhinos, Nairobi National Park is uniquely positioned right on the city’s southern edge. Here you can view an array of wildlife – including The Big Five – roaming freely across a 117 square-kilometre wilderness with skyscrapers and planes coming into land in the distance. HOME TO THE WORLD’S DENSEST CONCENTRATION of black rhinos, Nairobi National Park is uniquely positioned right on the city’s southern edge. Here you can view an array of wildlife – including The Big Five – roaming freely across a 117 square-kilometre wilderness with skyscrapers and planes coming into land in the distance.

This dessert is uniquely known for its light and airy texture. Here are two different takes on the French delight, mousse MOUSSE Á LA LIMONE Serves 6 300g lemon curd 1 lemon, zested 300ml double cream 25g lemon shortbread Put two-thirds of the lemon curd into a large bowl with the zest and cream, then beat with an electric whisk until it just holds its shape. Dribble over the rest of the lemon curd and divide between 6 small glasses, marbling the curd through as you go. Cover and freeze for 30 to 40 minutes. Put the shortbread in a strong plastic bag and bash with the end of a rolling pin to form crumbs. When you’re ready for pudding, remove the pots from the freezer (they should be ice cold but still soft and creamy) and garnish with the shortbread crumbs. Add a sprinkling of pistachios to serve. MOUSSE Á LA FRAISE Serves 4 250g fresh strawberries, halved 25g caster sugar 140g mini marshmallows 200ml double cream Put all but two strawberries into a pan along with 100ml water and the sugar. Over a medium heat, cook the strawberries until soft enough to mash, about 3 minutes. Take off the heat and squash the berries, using a fork, until pulpy. Add the marshmallows, stirring them into the hot strawberries until they dissolve. Leave to cool. Whip the cream until it holds its shape. Fold the cream into the cooled strawberry mix, then divide between 4 small glasses and chill for about 2 hours, or until set. Garnish with the reserved strawberries.

Neil Jensen and Claire O’Neill are taking advantage of the one-two punch of DBDB and HYROX to be fabulous at 50+. Elizabeth Kerr reports Neil Jensen and Claire O’Neill are easy to spot among those taking an afternoon caffeine shot at Uncle Russ at DB Nor th Plaza. They’re obviously not the uniformed kids cutting class, and it’s unlikely they’re the solo sippers glued to a laptop screen, earbuds firmly in place. No, they’re the duo sitting on the patio kitted out in athletic gear. Not athleisure, mind, proper running shor ts and shir ts. They’ve been posing for photographs on DB Nor th Pitch and they’re dressed for the par t. Neil and Claire are 50+ HYROX champs, and they’re getting ready to defend their titles. DB LIVING “We actually got mucky on the photoshoot. We ended up getting a tire out and flipping it over. It was full of water. It wasn’t intentional, but there you go,” Neil opens with a cheeky grin. The two banter back and forth about training in Hong Kong’s blazing heat – “Seriously, the heat never bothers me. But in winter, it’s hard work and it reminds me why I’m here and not in the UK,” cracks Neil – and going back to work after a lengthy hiatus, which Claire is considering: “I’m not the start my own business type, so I’m in the process of reassessing my CV,” she says. “I’ve been helping out at schools, done a bit of supply teaching, and now I’m leading the parents’ committee so that helps. But it’s been 15 years. It’s a challenge.” Neil and Claire took similar paths to DB: both had friends who lived here at the time they were relocating, Neil just about 20 years ago from Dubai and Claire from Edinburgh in 2016. Neil arrived with a two-year-old and a four-year-old, stayed in DB during an orientation visit and has lived here ever since. Following a divorce and founding his own mortgage brokerage, he met the woman who would become his second wife in DB. A lawyer by trade, Claire came to Hong Kong when her husband was transferred. “We thought we were coming for two to three years, and here we are. Still here. Different job,” she quips. “We started with five weeks in the Auberge, and then moved into the apartment we’re still in. I’m not a creature of change.” But she admits there’s no place she’d rather live. “DB’s great socially. I’m three minutes from Tiger’s Head. I’m literally in the middle of mountains in about three minutes. It’s not for everybody, but it’s brilliant if you’ve got kids. I can see if you’re in your 20s not wanting to be so far from Central but from about 30 onwards, and particularly for young families and people like me, in their 50s, you get the best of both worlds.” DBDB TRAINING DB residents of over a decade, Claire and Neil are also elite HYROX athletes. For the uninitiated, the all-indoor running-and-workout-station combo got off the ground in 2017, and in some ways can be seen as a companion to the more high-profile Ironman, CrossFit or Spartan races. Already a hit in Europe and North America, HYROX started with personal fitness tests in Asia as a way to gain traction. To find out how Neil (and his partner in HYROX Trevor Smith) placed first among over-50s at the first HYROX race in Hong Kong in 2023 (clocking in at 1:21:35) and Claire came in almost 15 minutes ahead of second place (with a time of 1:28:49) in the women’s 50-54 category, you have to rewind to COVID. The pair met at Andrew Tasker’s DBDB – alias Discovery Bay Dad Bods, find them on Facebook – a lockdown inspired workout group where they both opted into the 7am session. For HYROX, the idea was to affiliate with gyms but the HYROX Hong Kong director, Richard Cowley, was friendly with Andrew, and so DBDB was dubbed a “social club” and went from there. “I saw a friend’s husband, and I said, ‘Oh, you’re in good shape.’ And he said ‘I go to DB Dad Bods.’ That was the first time it was planted in my mind. I think it was one of those New Year’s resolutions,” recalls Neil. Remarried and father to a seven-yearold, Neil admits to thinking he was fairly fit – until he started going to regular DBDB workouts. Neil made his way to HYROX at the prodding of 71-year-old DB HYROXer Jeff Booth, and once he did, he realised it would be a “real game-changer… I couldn’t wing it in terms of just turning up and doing it. Unlike football, you have to train.” He pauses. “My greatest fear wasn’t the race, it was actually getting to the start line.” Originally a trail runner, Claire came to DBDB from Ladies Who Lift of DB (find them on Instagram) because she was looking for a more comprehensive fitness routine that she could work around her own children, now 11 and 15. She made the leap to HYROX with a personal fitness trainer after returning from Belfast post-COVID. Claire, like Neil, qualified for the HYROX Worlds in Nice this past May (“Who doesn’t want to go to the south of France?”) but she’s probably skipping the regional races in Singapore and Korea ahead of the HYROX Asian Open Championships in Hong Kong this November at AsiaWorld-Expo. She’s actually worried a bum leg is going to keep her out of the competition, but she hasn’t given it a hard ‘No’. Whether they make their way to the Asian Open podium or not is almost irrelevant. Neil and Claire are both confident that without their DBDB training, they’d never have made it to HYROX, never mind winning their respective categories on home turf last year. “Andrew has a different session every day, so your body’s challenged every day. Then there’s the social gatherings and stuff, and people are really nice,” says Neil. “Andrew hasn’t paid us to say that. Has he?” “Not yet,” jokes Claire. DBDB and HYROX training is part of everyday life now. “I have to show up,” Neil finishes. “I’ve got a seven-year-old. I’ve always been competitive, but I don’t want to be that dad, with the big belly and the drink in his hand. I need to live longer.” Claire is a little more magnanimous. “For me it’s more about having the kids watch, and I do think it’s great for them to see. It’s nice to have, you know, a badass for a mom.”

Lantau’s water-sport providers have plenty on offer for beachgoers keen for more than just a sedate wade. Let’s take a look When you think Discovery Bay, it’s not often, if ever, you think water sports, with other parts of Lantau more renowned for their beaches. But there is more happening here than you think, with sailing, paddling and rowing all based out of Lantau Boat Club, and more and more kiteboarders seen in the bay. The reality is, though, if you’re looking for a day at the beach with a kayak, stand-up paddle board (SUP), kiteboard or surfboard, you will be well served to look to Lantau’s southern beaches. GENTLY DOES IT Some of Hong Kong’s best beaches are in South Lantau and a mixture of locals, expats and tourists converge there to get out on the water. There is nothing like a day at the beach during the balmy autumn months and there’s plenty to do besides wallow in the shallows. SUP has been one activity to increase in popularity on Lantau over the past couple of summers and one of the reasons it has garnered such a following is its simplicity and convenience: all you need is a long board and paddle. As far as relaxing water sports go, it is at the top of the list, and at this time of year, Lantau’s calm waters lend themselves to the occasion. Lengthy with relatively few swimmers, Pui O Beach is the first port of call for water-sports enthusiasts of all types. You can go it alone by bringing your own equipment or head to Treasure Island (www.treasureislandhk.com) to hire surfboards, SUPs, bodyboards and kayaks. The staff will show you how to use them, or you can sign up for a couple of courses. Lower Cheung Sha Beach is another water-sports hub, and the long-time home of Long Coast Seasports (www.longcoast.hk). While windsurfing is the forté, Long Coast also facilitates wakeboarding, SUP and kayaking. Alternatively, you might consider hopping on a boat to Cheung Chau: the waters off Tung Wan and Kwun Yam Wan are popular among water-sports enthusiasts, paddlers in particular. A-Team Edventures (www.ateamedventures.com) offers a range of exciting kayaking and paddling experiences, including a Cheung Chau Night Paddle. WET AND WILD If the adrenalin rush of kiteboarding is what you’re after, there’s fun to be had for beginners and intermediates alike on Lantau, with Kiteboarding Association of Hong Kong (www.kiteboarding.org.hk) and Hong Kong Kiteboarding School (www.facebook.com/HongkongKiteboardingSchool) offering all sor ts of options out of Shui Hau Wan and Pui O Beach. A range of training courses are on offer including beginner-friendly classes, refresher courses and intensive two-day bootcamps for beginners. Shui Hau Wan and Pui O Beach are both perfect places to learn to kiteboard, with Kiteboarding Association of Hong Kong even providing a jet ski to ensure beginners can access the right areas to get just the winds they need. Not many people use these beaches for swimming and there is no ferry to worry about; what’s more, the water is relatively shallow. Shui Hau Wan in particular is a learner’s paradise, while the choppier waters off Pui O Beach offer a little more action for those starting to find their feet. The sport is continually growing in Hong Kong and the waters of Discovery Bay are proving to be the perfect playground for expert-level kiteboarders. Beginners, though, should beware of the DB waters – and winds. You need east directional winds and the wind speeds must be high, around 13 knots constantly, and static, not dropping out. If the wind changes a little bit to the south, the mountain will block the wind, and you will need to swim back to the beach. For these reasons, only the experts kiteboard off DB and there is the notion that they would like it to stay that way, keen as they are to keep their space just for themselves. SURF'S UP While Lantau is a hub of water-based activities, one thing it does lack is consistent waves for the surfing community. That’s not to say that you can never catch a wave, but you do have to be patient and seize the moment when it comes. Local surfers stand by for a storm or a tropical depression inside the South China Sea: a typhoon that comes across from the Philippines will also generally push waves on to Lantau. During surf season (winter), you can hope for six to eight good surf sessions, where often the lifeguards pull the nets out and you can get some good waves. One thing’s for sure, Lantau is neither Hawaii nor New South Wales, which is actually a plus for first-time surfers. If you are looking to improve your surfing skills, nothing beats the waters off Pui O and Cheung Sha beaches. The southeast swell gives waves some solid force and although not massive, their inconsistency makes them challenging enough to surf. Before heading out with a buddy (it’s inadvisable to surf alone even if you’ve got plenty of experience), be sure to check the weather and local surf report ( www.surf-forecast.com ). Classes are available for beginner to intermediate surfers on Lower Cheung Sha Beach at Hong Kong Surfing Lesson (www.hongkongsurfinglesson.com), and also on Pui O Beach through Treasure Island. Parents should note that wannabe surfers aged five years and up can get a piece of the action. At Treasure Island, the Surf Camps for kids are separated into two age groups, five to nine years (grommets) and nine to 12 years (intermediates). Each week-long camp runs from Monday to Friday, and includes three hours of surfing lessons daily, with an hour dedicated to beach safety and ocean education. There are also Surf and Adventure Camps, for youth aged five to nine years, nine to 13 years and 13 to 17 years, which include activities like kayaking, gorging and coastal exploration, in Social responsibility being a key component of Treasure Island’s ethos, all the camps give children the opportunity to learn about sustainability practices and why caring for the environment is crucial to their future. Over at Lower Cheung Sha Beach, Hong Kong Surfing Lesson provides daily classes (individual or group), as well as three-day Surf Camps for children, aged five years and up. Kids who are new to the game learn basic surf safety and rules, how to stand up on a board and how to ride a wave. Intermediates get to improve their skills – paddling technique, wave selection, positioning, how to generate speed, pumping and carving. Ready to dive in?

Paella Serves 4 10 prawns in their shells Small bunch parsley, chopped 100ml white wine 500g mussels Pinch saffron strands 150g chorizo, diced 300g squid, chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped 250g paella rice 100g peas 1 lemon In a large pan, fry the prawn heads and chopped parsley stalks until the prawn heads turn pink. Add the wine and 300ml of water; season and simmer for 10 minutes, mashing the prawn heads with a potato masher as they cook. Add the mussels; cover the pan, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until just open. Stir to release the mussel juices, then pour the contents of the pan into a colander set over a large bowl containing the saffron. Let the saffron steep into the stock. Remove the mussels and set aside. Wipe out the pan and fry the chorizo, squid, onion and garlic until softened. Add the tomatoes and cook down for a minute, then pour over most of the stock, and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir well, then boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes without stirring until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Add the prawn tails, mussels and peas. Once the rice is just cooked, garnish with chopped parsley leaves, lemon zest and lemon wedges.

Welcome To The Games FÊTES FOR THE PARIS 2024 Olympic Games began on May 8 with the Olympic Torch Relay and will culminate at the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games on September 8. The Organising Committee’s motto is “Games Wide Open,” and celebration sites have been set up throughout France enabling people to come together to enjoy the greatest sporting competition on earth. In August, Paris is the place to be… THE SEINE AND ITS CANALS connect all of the Parisian celebration sites and sports arenas, particularly via the Canal SaintDenis, which has been completely renovated for the Games. The major connector between the Olympic and Paralympic venues starts from Club France at La Villette, then moves to the Stade de France, Aquatics Centre and Olympic Village. AS THE CENTRAL DEPARTMENT HOSTING the Games, Seine-Saint-Denis has dedicated two of its parks to the occasion. Three hundred hours of live broadcasts are on offer at Club France at La Villette, and at La Courneuve’s Georges Valbon, sports fans can enjoy free concerts, workshops and sports activities, plus spectacular views from an 80-metre-high skyliner. STADE DE FRANCE HAS TRANSFORMED into the Olympic Stadium after three decades of hosting France’s biggest sports events. Created for the FIFA World Cup in 1998, the multisports arena can host 77,083 spectators and is still the country’s largest stadium. During the Games, it is staging the athletics, paraathletics and Rugby Sevens. THE ONLY PERMANENT SPORTS FACILITY built for the Games, the Aquatic Centre is hosting the world’s greatest athletes for the artistic swimming, water polo and diving events. A low-carbon build, and one of France’s largest urban solar farms, it will switch from a 5,000-seat venue during the Games to a 2,500-seat facility afterwards, hosting the biggest national and international competitions. PARIS 2024 IS FOLLOWING A NEW MODEL: most venues are existing ones, spread across the heart of the French capital. The masterplan includes a number of spectacular venues with openwater swimming in the river Seine, gymnastics in the Grand Palais, equestrian sports in Versailles and hockey in Stade Yves-du-Manoir; the old Olympic Stadium of 1924. FACING THE EIFFEL TOWER , which has been stripped back to its original golden-brown shade for the Games, Champions Park at the Trocadéro is providing fans with a groundbreaking opportunity to meet medal-winning athletes. More than 1,000 athletes have been invited to Champions Park to celebrate their achievements with their friends, families and fans following their competitions.