Breakfast at the border

For the third time in a week, I got up in the wee hours of the morning to ride in the passenger seat of a convertible, camera in hand. It was a gathering of car enthusiasts, and the convoy of cars (5 Porsches, 2 Ferraris, 1 Mazda and 1 Acura) set off before dawn in search of a bowl of noodles for breakfast.

Before starting off from the gas station in Happy Valley - which is right next to the police station - we received a visit from Mr. Occifer. Mr. Occifer took a quick look at the group of cars and, while standing next to the red convertible Ferrari 355 Spider, told us that he preferred for us to go slow in the city and not create too much noise. Of course everyone nodded their heads in agreement. But what do you think happened next?
  We drove out to the New Territories, past Tai Po, Tolo Harbour and the reservoirs, and finally end up at a store on Bride's Pool Road in Luk Keng. The store is located on the waterfront, facing Starling Inlet to the north. We are now at the border with China, since the Closed Area Boundary actually extends to the mangrove trees at the water's edge. Shenzhen is just beyond the hills in the picture.

We arrived early but were soon joined by lots of other drivers, and the parking lot filled up quickly. It seems that lots of people were hungry for noodles and sandwiches that the store had to offer. I myself took a bowl of instant noodles with egg and luncheon meat (餐蛋麵). While the noodles themselves were not of the local favorite Demae-Itcho (出前一丁) brand, the egg was fried very nicely and the piece of luncheon meat was seared to perfection (if there is such a thing...) It seems like a helluva long way to drive for a morning coffee and a bowl of noodles...

But the view was spectacular. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and the wetland near the border was populated with white egrets looking for food. The drive on the way in along Bride's Pool Road, hugging the shores of the reservoirs, was also fantastic. One could not have asked for better weather for a drive in the country. I'm glad I went out with the gang today, even though I was dragged out of bed with a phone call when it was still dark...