Trapped in the concrete jungle that is the Central-Wanchai-Causeway Bay corridor and without a harbour view, it’s often easy to forget as you travel from concrete box via concrete tube to concrete and glass box and vice-versa that the SAR has an abundance of beautiful countryside, green tree (and concrete) covered hills, lakes, waterfalls… It just needs a little effort – maybe as little as a five-minute walk; Ok, it may be slightly uphill which might put some people off – to experience it. The botanical gardens are gorgeous and smell beautiful, fresh and alive. A welcome change to stale air-con and bus fumes. And be sure to take your shoes and socks off to feel the grass between your toes as you enjoy lunch in Victoria Park, it feels wonderful. There is greenery and beauty all around; just as there is – au contraire to comments I heard in a bar recently that Hong Kong is a cultural desert – performance art and culture in the SAR. We may not yet have a West End or a Broadway and we’re unlikely to until the Government encourages its friends in the property business to get involved. But groups and individuals here are creating and putting on shows – go take a look, try something new. Clichés are apparently a symptom of bad writing, but from little acorns big trees grow. Ten years ago, as we became the SAR, there were very few local bands and even fewer were writing their own material. Now hundreds of bands are writing songs across all genres of music, we have indie record labels releasing CDs, festivals… a solid and vibrant music scene attracting a lot of commercial sponsorship – surely the local sign success. We may live in a concrete playground, but it’s vibrant and full of life, just like a desert if you know where to look.

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