Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Mark & Aisling's MTR Challenge

In a break from my usual blogging, here's a little snippet from our Hong Kong life. I have all of the photos up on Facebook anyway, so it only makes sense to throw them all together in one big entry. There are 83 stations in the HK metro system. I don't know if anyone has visited them all, and I'm even less sure if anyway has taken a picture at each one. But I do know there are at least two people that have done both - us! 


(Thanks to Nacho & Thanda for putting them together into this lovely poster for us!)

We started this whole thing in January 2013 and just under a year later, we made it to our final station. I doubt we realised at the very beginning how many there actually were, and in fact, they're building more as we speak, so we have an excuse to come back and visit again some time in the future. We lived in Hong Kong for three years and it will always hold a special place in our hearts, which is why I'm extra glad we took on this task and snapped all of these pictures - the perfect memento from our time here.

And, as an added bonus, I'll try to give any stories or explanations behind each photo (if indeed, there is one). So, without further ado, it's Mark & Aisling's MTR Challenge!

Tung Chung Line


What better place to start than Hong Kong itself! Emmm... for this one... I'm eating rice with chopsticks, because... that's what they do here... (Wow, I'm struggling already).



The milk here comes from Kowloon Dairy, so here we have Aisling drinking milk, with the added bonus of our little, black and white friend, Frankie! (Kow-loon, right?!)



One of the few stations that's in English so that made things a lot easier. And what better opportunity to show off my 'Ka Fuk Wing Chun school sports day 2013 - Parent/Teacher Relay silver medal'? There's also a little homage in there to athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos from the 1968 games (Olympic games that is, not the Ka Fuk Wing Chun school sports).



Ok, the first in a long string of stations that really don't have any rhyme or reason. Here's Aisling reading the Pyongyang Times after our recent trip to North Korea. Can anyone think of a particularly good play on words for Nam Cheong?



With a hairbrush in hand, having a bit of a sing-song (tsing tsong) in Tsing Yi. Fun fact: I taught in Tsing Yi during our last 4 months here. It was not enjoyable...



Here's Aisling again adding some much needed colour to the otherwise quite dull sign for Sunny Bay. Fun fact: we bought that umbrella in Mongolia! (These fun facts probably won't be very fun, or factual...)



Getting my tongue out for Tung Chung.



And the last stop from the Tung Chung Line (even though it's technically on its own special line) is Disneyland! We actually did spend the day in Disneyland itself after taking this photo, so don't worry, it wasn't just a passing business trip.


Kwun Tong Line


Having a little kip at Shek Kip Mei. Incidentally, this is one of my favourite stops colour-wise. Isn't that just a lovely shade of green?!



Definitely up there with one of the most embarrassing photos to pose for, never mind the obvious physical discomfort! Whipping a thong out in public is never easy at the best of times, and it didn't help that this is one of the busiest stations in Hong Kong! On reflection, I probably should've used this idea for Kwun Tong or Yau Tong, somewhere a bit quieter.



Lok Fu, you know, like Kung Fu...?



One station that was more based on what's in the immediate vicinity, rather than a poor play on words. So, this one goes out to Wong Tai Sin Temple.



Aisling showing off her bling bling at Diamond Hill.



Choi Hung is one of the few words I actually know in Cantonese, all because of this station. And unsurprisingly, it means rainbow!



Goggles at the ready for a swim in Kowloon Bay. I'm not actually sure if there's a beach in Kowloon Bay. We maybe should have researched this whole thing a bit better...



In some places, we had a play on words or some landmark to work with. For some, we had nothing so we just did a funny pose or used random props. Here, we had nothing at all. Even the colour is horrible!



And speaking of random props that have nothing to do with the station - Aisling in her Red Riding Hood cape!



Here's my little lamb impression. It would probably have been better if we could actually find a tin of lamb, if such a thing even exists.


Tsuen Wan Line


This one is hopefully obvious for people in HK. Here I am selling some jewellery and trinkets in TST.



This one is actually based on a photo of our friend, Jordan, who was visiting HK over Hallowe'en, and the funny image of him having a smoke, dressed as the pope. It was either that or getting Aisling to 'black up' as Michael Jordan. (So much potential wasted...)



This is actually one of the first photos taken in the series, you can tell by the lack of props and the vague posing. Here I'm drinking a little 'cupán tae', to borrow the Irish phrasing.



This one was quite fun to make, snapping a pic of Ais as she whipped her hair back and forth. Check out the relating pic from Mongkok East!



Giving my best Edward Scissorhands impression. Again, you can tell it's an early photo by the lack of scissors or any sort of real effort!



Sham Shui Po is kind of like an electronics district, so here I'm boogieing down with my headphones and ipod.



Don't worry, you're not missing any clever word play here. We made fajitas for dinner the night before and had one tortilla wrap left over, so we cut out a face, and used that... That's it.



Our original idea for this one was to buy a few lychees, and manufacture them into some sort of cock shape. It could have been spectacular, but it turned out that lychees were out of season at the time! Instead, you'll just have to use your imagination that my cock is indeed made of lychee.



Another station where we didn't have much to go on, so Aisling just wrapped some cling film around her head. It seems like there should be better for Mei Foo... something to do with the Foo Fighters, maybe...?



Here I am, taking a Facebook selfie in the hopes of people 'Lai King' it! (Even when we do have an actual idea, it doesn't mean it's a good one!)



I don't think I'm alone in always mixing up Kwai Fong and Kwai Hing, so to reflect that, we've paired them up for this set of photos. Here's Aisling putting on her lipstick...



...and me on the receiving end of said lipstick! This was also another quite embarrassing one to take.



There are a lot of "Tai" stations in HK, so we had to use some ties for at least one of them. It even works with all three characters - Tie? Woah! How?!



I know I should also be embarrassed by this one, but I think I actually pull off the look pretty well! This wig was left over from Hallowe'en when 5 of us dressed up as the Scooby Doo gang. I was not Daphne that night, but looking at the picture now, I definitely could've been!


Island Line


The first picture ever taken! And that's the only reason it stayed in, compared to a few other early snaps that we decided to redo. The logic behind this one was that the Macau ferry leaves from Sheung Wan, so I think I'm doing a kind of 'motion of the ocean' kinda move...?



In honour of Lan Kwai Fong, here's Aisling getting shitfaced in Central.



I actually looked up an online tutorial on how to make a paper boat for this one. Look at all the fun you can have with a sheet of A4 and a roll of cling film!



Our lovely home, Wan Chai. And what better way to represent it, than by saluting the place where we ate about 40% of our meals in Hong Kong - Subway! Fun fact: In this picture, the cup was empty and the wrapper is just filled with bits of rubbish. We were going to do it for real, but didn't want the food to get cold, so we ate it...




Here I am reading, in honour of Central Library where we used to stock up on books. Fun fact: It's not actually a book, just my day planner as it was the only book-like thing we had on us at the time.



Another temple related pic, this time for Tin Hau. Hopefully you can just about make out the incense that Ais has stuffed in her hair.



The trouble we went to for some of these pictures. In HK, there's a chain of kitchen appliance shops called Fortress, so I carried our oven all the way to Fortress Hill just for the sake of this one photo!




North Point, get it?! Fun Fact: For interchange stations, we were originally going to take two photos, with each of us in different poses, so there actually exists two photos from some of the early interchange stations.



Another from the original batch. I'm working in a quarry. That's all.



Yes, those are real $500 bills. We're just that loaded! Doesn't it look like the cover of a rap album or something? This picture actually has a reason too, Tai Koo - like Tycoon...!



One of the many stations where we had to wait about 10 minutes, until there was nobody around. We almost got it a couple of times, then someone would walk around the corner at the vital moment and I'd have to quickly throw my clothes back on, which probably looked even more suspicious. Looking back on these now, I'm not really coming off very masculine...



Another station that has a great colour to it! For this one... K for Shau Kei Wan. Hmmm.... I'm not really sure...



Heng Fa Chuen - where even is it?! Who knows, and quite frankly, who cares!



And to round off the Island Line, here's Aisling with her super cool and super real tattoos!


Ma On Shan Line


This line was so far away, and at the very end of it, Wu Kai Sha. Again, we had no idea, so we just raided our kitchen drawers and used up the end of our Christmas wrapping.



This was one of the final lines we did, so at this stage we had friends donating props and getting their own little shout-outs. This one was for our Irish contingent who previously lived out in Ma On Shan. Ais even has a tiny shamrock painted on her face.



Another donated prop (thanks to Andy, Shaun and Imo!), and another less-than-masculine pose. Those don't even look like my hands!



Another rare moment where we actually used the entire station name, as we see Aisling 'tie' her 'shoe', letting another pair 'hang' around her neck.



This one had no motive, other than we thought it would be a good picture if I could do a handstand. But afterwards we realised that the second character in the name, so the "Mun" part, actually looks like a pair of legs in the air! I should've just said that was our idea all along... Fun Fact: I'm actually not doing a handstand at all, I'm just lying on the ground with my legs in the air.



Here's Aisling wearing my Lo Gwai United jersey. It's the same colours as Man City, so our thinking behind City One was a sort of scoreline, you know like, Man City 1 - Aston Villa 2 (and yes, I am an Aston Villa fan).



Potentially another 3 syllable success, although there's no pride to be taken here. I was going for a kind of 'Shat in, why?'. Yeah, maybe the less said about this one, the better.



So, that's another line complete, and another temple to portray. Fun Fact: We got those lanterns in Hoi An, Vietnam, which is where I also got the suit jacket I'm wearing for the Tsim Sha Tsui pic!


East Rail Line


This line goes all the way up to the border with mainland China, where it connects up with the Shenzhen Metro. This was the only Lo Wu sign in the whole station too, so it's not as colourful as some of the other pics. We got a fair few stares while taking this one...



The other border station, so here I am with passport in hand. You can also see Aisling's reflection in the blue of the sign!



Nothing really to note from this one, but have you noticed our positioning in the pictures so far? Aisling always stands on the left, and I, on the right. Fun fact!



Fanling is where I taught for two years, and where I won the medal as seen in the Olympic photo. So, here I am doing my best teacher pose.



Another shout out here, this time to our friend Shirley who lives in Tai Wo and who owns the panda hat pictured.



Stocking up with fruit and veg from Tai Po Market. Again, I'm not sure if there are actual fruit and veg stalls in Tai Po Market, I've never been. Fun Fact: We just bought the eggplant in the picture because it looked colourful and exotic, we never actually ate it afterwards.



We had no graduation cap to throw in the air here, and even if we did, it would never fit into the frame, so just pretend there is one.



Here I am lathering myself in sun screen, because after all, why should you wear sun screen? Fo' tan! Fun Fact: We had no tissue to wipe it off afterwards so I had to use the broccoli from the Tai Po Market picture. It was not a good idea.



There's a racecourse in Sha Tin, hence the Gangnam-esque horse riding pose. There is actually a special Racecourse MTR stop, but it's only open on race days, so we couldn't go there. Another reason to return to HK again.



People in Hong Kong say "Wai" when they answer the phone. I don't know if it's the same Wai as this Wai, but it makes a lot more sense than some of our previous picture rationales!



If you can cast your mind back to Mongkok, where Aisling had her hair flung into the air, we now have Mongkok East, where it's delightfully positioned over her face, so there was some thought process there. Fun Fact: In Mongkok East, the two train platforms are facing each other, so everyone on the opposite side was looking straight at us while we took this photo. 



Pfft! No idea!


Tseung Kwan O Line


You'd rarely see a bench on a station platform, so seeing as we had no other ideas, we had to use it in some way. Funny story: There was an old woman parked on this bench when we sat down, so we said we'd take the picture as soon as she leaves on the next train. The train came and went, and she was still on the bench! We wondered why she didn't get on, as the trains were only going one way, so we just waited for the next one, hoping that she'd get on that. She didn't. We couldn't wait around all day for this woman, so we thought how could we make her move? How could we make a Hong Konger not want to sit next to us? So, we started coughing violently. You've never seen an old lady run so fast!



Trying to hang up some washing, with a sock in hand and pegs clipped onto my face, as if to ask - "Hang, how?". Fun Fact: Those pegs hurt. A lot.



Aisling with mini footballs in her hair, because you play football in the park... maybe...?



Using bubbles to put the "O" in Tseung Kwan O!



A contender for station with the worst colour scheme. We had no plan for this one either, so we just put a bag over Aisling's face. The end.



Again, no ideas for this one. I should've really worn a thong here instead...


West Rail Line


We were going for a kind of 'Tuen Mun' - 'Two-in-One', sort of idea here. It's probably the station that took the most preparation. I hope you can see all of the little details.



We bought a bib especially for this one and smeared Nutella over it. The plan was to then do the same to my face when we got to the station but we forgot to bring the Nutella! Instead, I had to buy a Cadbury's Caramel and mash it up in my pocket. It didn't really work as planned so in the end I just stuck bits of it to my face!



Playing the tin whistle in Tin Shui Wai. Fun Fact: I brought that tin whistle over from Ireland so I could learn to play it. I gave up after one song.



Ping, they're a brand of golf clubs aren't they? Well, let's say they are for the sake of this picture as I get ready for a Long Ping.



Our plan for this one was to get a jumping shot, but the pictures kept coming out blurry. So, in a tactical ruse, Aisling just sat on the edge of the railing and pretended that she was in mid-air. Clever, no?



Kam Sheung Road... pillow fight... blindfold... I'm sure you can fill in the blanks yourself... (please?)



Seeing as we had a little link between Mongkok and Mongkok East, we probably should have done the same for Tsuen Wan and Tsuen Wan West... But, we didn't. So, here's Aisling with a face mask and some hand sanitiser.



It felt like there was so much potential here, but nothing really worked. Austin Powers? Jane Austen? Stone Cold Steve Austin?! In the end, Austin Texas, led to Texas Holdem, which led to me holding cards with cards stuck to my head. Should've gone all out on a Stone Cold costume...



There's a mosque here, although it's actually a lot closer to Tsim Sha Tsui... still, 83 stations! It's hard work!


Airport Express Line


AsiaWorld-Expo is where a lot of concerts and performances are held, so here I am showing off my mad juggling skills.



And this is the end! Taken as we flew out of Hong Kong, a fitting finale to the series and the only photo we appear in together.

We're back in Ireland now, with plans afoot to visit all of the 32 counties in a similar fashion. As for Hong Kong, I'm just looking it up now, and there are an awful lot of new stations opening up in the next few years, so hopefully the MTR manager will see these pictures and pay for us to fly back over for each new grand opening! Sound like a plan?

170 comments:

  1. Really enjoy the pictures. Well done !

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this idea! You guys did a great job :) I can never look at my station Sai Wan Ho the same way again. http://thinkitdream.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. You missed the Racecourse station, so come back again and complete the task!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is at least 1 race day a week
      Sundays are always a member of it!

      Delete
    2. Great n Excellent introduction of all rail stations.

      Delete
  4. Nam Cheong - after Nam Cheong Estate near it, and the state named after Nam Cheong Street, the street named after the city of the same name in China.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love it! They're all brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  6. this is absolutely amazing and also giving an idea of how i can try to explore this city, think i will try to take a MTR adventure one day myself and taking these amazing shots! Love ur blog <3

    ReplyDelete
  7. You should come back when the new lines open, and of course take a photo with Racecourse station which you have missed.

    Well FYI, actually the MTR does not allow food and drinks.

    Lastly, try figuring out the meaning of the Chinese words, you would have much more actions to do!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Just want to say thank you, you make me know there is still something interesting in HK

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow amazing. i've lived in hong kong all my life and so many of these stations i've never been to. but you guys should've stood next to the calligraphy when you took your photos for the Island Line. that would be so cool

    ReplyDelete
  10. You guys are awesome, thank you for doing this! As someone who grew up in HK, I don't think I've been to all of the stations and didn't know until today how beautiful our stations are!

    Thanks again, I hope you have a great time in other parts of the world, and bring us something ever more amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Absolutely amazing work you guys!!! I can tell you have a great time in HK and do come back!

    ReplyDelete
  12. hey! you miss Racecourse Station!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for sharing these funny and beautiful pictures! It is really a good idea to do so :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. You love Hong Kong, we love you!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Like Like Like! Do some more interesting artwork in the busy city!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I did that when I was a kid, but only to visit all the stops. One day in summer I dragged my mom to do so with me. It turns out back then you cannot stay in the station without going out the gates for one and a half hour. It's been like 10 years or so and I'm 16 now... ahhh those were some good times

    ReplyDelete
  17. Absolutely amazing and let Hong Kong people know how interesting that foreigner (Gwai Lo) interpret Chinese Character pronunciation in English.
    Thanks for the work and I wonder I would try the similar manner.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Heng Fa Chuen literally means Almond Flower Village. It's just a name and has nothing to do with almond flowers anyway. And it's quite true that it is the most remote region along the Island line.

    ReplyDelete
  19. you guys are awesome!!! and welcome back to Hong Kong one day ~~~!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Awesome! I live in fo tan and like your idea !

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you very much for doing that, you guys are really creative, do come back, hong kong will miss you :D

    ReplyDelete
  22. HI MARK!! this is Ronald from Da Vinci, just wanna let you know many local ppl including me r so proud of u n aisling, this blog is highly promoted n shared in fb, n thats y i can talk to u here. u guys r awesome!!! wt a pity that u dun enjoy the time in tsing yi (well, actually i can feel that LOL, its a tough n boring job), hope i m not the one who trigger this feeling LOL, anyways, miss u so much n luv u!

    ReplyDelete
  23. As a Hong Kong resident, I never have this thought of taking picture of every MTR station

    ReplyDelete
  24. frm hkg..u guys awesome n pls come back again!!
    the name of the place in hong kong always own an unique story..chk it up before next adventure..u will hv much more fun!! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  25. You guys are great..come back soon!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great job! I really enjoy it as a Hong Kong resident.
    Hope you enjoy the time here :D

    ReplyDelete
  27. it's fantastic!!
    especially when I see the station where I live nearby! :D
    and there're a lot of the stations I have never been to as a local resident..
    welcome back!!

    from Tai Po, Hong Kong :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. its such a great idea, you two are so cute :)
    lovely pictures

    ReplyDelete
  29. Interesting:)
    But as I live in Hong Kong, some of them I don't quite get it. I love the sunny bay one btw

    ReplyDelete
  30. good stuff. I'm from HK and living overseas now. You've certainly been to more stations I knew of. Only if half the people in HK have your sense humour; no, if only half the people on this planet have your passion for life, the world will be a better place! Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  31. WOW , I 'm a local hongkonger
    I have also try it before !! but the MTR stuff stop us /___\ !
    here are some of the photo haha
    https://www.facebook.com/ChansonZaper/media_set?set=a.10152053895962687.1073741842.664242686&type=1

    ReplyDelete
  32. Actually there is a story about Tiu King Ling...A factory owner commited suicide there.So people call there "Hanging" which is similar to Tiu King in Cantonese. Not quite sure, but I heard it when I was a kid.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Wow, that's cute though! For Mei Foo station, you can bring your handsome husband there:) Mei means beautiful and Foo means husband in Cantonese .... Come visit HK soon !

    ReplyDelete
  34. Awesome! would love to visit hong kong soon!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Love the pics. Pure genuisness! X

    ReplyDelete
  36. your story is very interesting.The photos made me feel life should be very enjoyable even though i have been living in HK for 16 years. May I ask where are you from, so now both of you have left HK, could you tell me a little bit of your background?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Great Effort guys! Hope u guys had fun in HK as well !

    ReplyDelete
  38. lt's amazing. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thank you to give Hong Kong more Fun!!

    ReplyDelete
  40. i am a hong kong people who live in Tin Shui Wai and take West rail line to urban usually. The photos was incredible. as i hong kong people, i had never thought our stations can be played like this. Wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  41. amazing! I am Hong Kong people and I really like to take photos too. I think I will to the same thing as you if I can go to other countries.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Very creative and interesting one! Having been living in HK for many years, it is interesting to know the meanings of each MTR subway stations from another perspective. Thanks for the great work!! Really enjoy reading it!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Creative and amazing! I'm local and I enjoyed your photos.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Thank you for doing this .... You get all the love from Hong Kong!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  45. hey Mark I'm a web designer based in Hong Kong and I have to say you two really made my day!! Thanks to the project you've done a brilliant job to put in more fun to the city.

    I just had this idea of creating a mini-site for this project so as to make it more accessible and let others know about your great work. If you're interested please let me know!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thanks for posting.. Really enjoyed reading this

    ReplyDelete
  47. Haha so cute and very creative!!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Brilliant !! Hong Kong will always welcome you and Aisling back !!

    ReplyDelete
  49. LIKE & LIke & LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke& LIke

    ReplyDelete
  50. You two are AWESOMEEEEEE!!!!!
    I'm sure that most of the hongkongers haven't been to every MTR station ( at least i haven't ) but you guys did!!!
    Supporttttt!!!! :D

    ReplyDelete
  51. You guys are so lovely!!! I don't believe I've actually gone through all 83 photos and their captions!!! Interesting!!!

    ReplyDelete
  52. You two have made a great run!
    There're some more lines under construction, remember to collect them the next time visiting HK again, cheers~

    ReplyDelete
  53. I have to admit that metro stations from other big cities like London, Paris, Moscow, and Bangkok are more interesting. These buddies tried their best to make our metro stations more funny. Thanks anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  54. This is very cool!! Im from hk and when i see all these photos i thought.. you guys are so creative! I wouldnt have thought of all these ideas.. so cleverly done!!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Definitely awesome!!
    I am a HKer and I'm so touch with this!
    Thz for bringing us joy and power :D
    Hope u two would also have amazing trips in other countries!

    ReplyDelete
  56. thanks for sharing, real good job & well done.Guess, you will miss HK. All the best.

    ReplyDelete
  57. As a HFC-er I gotta say that I have to hate your comment about Heng Fa Chuen. But other than that, this collection is AWESOME!!! Thumbs up for the creativity!!

    ReplyDelete
  58. Great Job! i m from HK, i only visit almost 10 stations only, haha

    ReplyDelete
  59. welldone you have visited mre station than most Hong Kong resident, including me ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  60. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 太強了0 0 這要花多少時間同耐心。歡迎你們在有一天回到香港來~

      Delete
  61. Hi, just want to tell you that you did a great job for "Fortress Hill".
    As Fortress first chain store was located in Fortress Hill indeed!!! So it called "Fortress" in english, and you can see the logo is a Fortress as well!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  62. Thank u for this interesting project! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  63. unbelievable, even I have been living here since the commencement of MTR operation have never thought of doing it, let alone really did it. Marvelous.

    ReplyDelete
  64. That's really cool...
    We even did not think in this way...
    Thank you for showing a brand new MTR image to our Hong Kone citizens.. T^T

    ReplyDelete
  65. Your photos are great! Do visit Hong Kong next next! I'm from a coming new station of Island South line - lei tung, tung mean east, lei tung is the east estate of Ap Lei Chau, ap lei means the tongue of a duck and chau means island. Hope you guys will take another photo here when the station is ready :)

    ReplyDelete
  66. Great work!!!

    Actually, your portraits for Tiu Keng Leng station match the historical idea of the location. The original name of the place means someone suicide by hanging himself.

    From TKL

    ReplyDelete
  67. wow u sweet sweet couple r funny and creative to think out of this fantastic funny thing, ur photos r nice and memorable, seeking any other funny things now in ur blog

    ReplyDelete
  68. That's part of their life? They can carry on to do so in other cities in the world

    ReplyDelete
  69. Great Job! I bet most Hong Kong People (including me) would not try to interpret MTR station in this way, as MTR only gives us impression of out-of-service and overcharging

    ReplyDelete
  70. Hey Mark and Aisling,

    Me and my friends did our version 4 years ago, we had a lot of fun too, but you have not take every single station. Happy to share our photo with you :DD

    https://www.facebook.com/oranji.is.oranji/photos/a.149946458400239.30892.149748155086736/149947191733499/?type=1&theater

    ReplyDelete
  71. "Tai "
    as an adj. it means "big / Large "
    as a noun, it means "someone's name"
    hv u ever heard "Chan Tai Ming"??
    juz like "Wong Tai Sin" stataion

    ReplyDelete
  72. From now on every journey from Tai Po Market (where I live in) to Tai Wai (where I work) I will remember how fun you make for every station. As a Hongkonger myself, train stations are just too tedious to play with but you just made it - That's "Ging" and "Ho Sai Lay"!(meaning awesome and excellent in English, I persume)

    I know it's just a funny interpretation, but I got some info for Mei Foo just for you.
    Mei Foo (美孚) is the Chinese name of the oil company, Mobil. As you may know, Mei Foo Sun Cheun, the housing estate having the largest number of 99 blocks of buildings in the world, is there. Before the 70s, Mobil had oil tanks in the very place and it was a part of Lai Chi Kok. Later, those oil tanks were relocated and became Mei Foo Sun Chuen today. (btw the Foo Fighters idea made my day!)

    ReplyDelete
  73. Super awesome! Great work, guys!! Your pictures made me miss HK that much more :(

    ReplyDelete
  74. Wow!That's cool ever. For Po Lam Station, "po" means 'treasure' and "Lam" means 'forest' in Cantonese
    Welcome Back to Hongkong!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Thanks guys! Used to live in HK and didn't even notice all those beautiful colors in the MRT stations! Guess shouldn't take things for granted! :D

    ReplyDelete
  76. A great work that i won't do that even I'm a Hong Konger, not sure its sad or fair..

    ReplyDelete
  77. The pictures are so nice!!! Hope to c the new pictures when the new stations are done!!

    From Ma On Shan

    ReplyDelete
  78. lol dude this is actually pretty awesome :) though some of the pun are a bit on the week side lol, like Hung Hau... Good effort none the less!!!

    ReplyDelete
  79. There's actually a huge sports auditorium in Hung Hom and you seem to be doing stretches, so I guess there's your "idea".

    ReplyDelete
  80. I love you too! You are really hk guys, more than many hk peolpe!

    ReplyDelete
  81. THis is pretty amazing..u guys probably visited more stations than some of my fellow Hong Kongese and myself! Hopefully MTR would see this blog and offer u guys two return tickets :)

    ReplyDelete
  82. That was very nice. I'm a hongkonger but i wont really do that as i live in hong kong for the past 20 years and we take MTR services for granted. MTR is just like a transportation for my daily life. i dont give a shit about the outlook of each station as long as it takes me wherever i want. Thank you guys so much to brighten our eyes. I really enjoy those pictures. cheers

    ReplyDelete
  83. in fact you missed the Racecourse Station haha it just opens when there is horse racing on that day (usually Sat/Sun afternoon). about 20mins there is a train through racecourse but skipping Fo Tan Station... so maybe you can try it next time when you are back :D

    ReplyDelete
  84. Nice photos.. actually there are many stn have actually meaning in chinese. Like sau kei means corriander. Tseung kwan means General. U may come up more idea if u understand them.. but they are very fun. Tks for ya imagination.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Greetings from Hong Kong.
    I love your photos & can't even think about can take photos from all metro stations (I had only took some of the stations i had visited abroad).
    If you had asked the meaning of each station from a local Hongkongers before taking these photos, it would be more funny. Great job, hope you & Aisling will visit HK again in future. :D

    ReplyDelete
  86. Nice try. But missed one station!! You guys have to come back again for sure !! hehe.

    ReplyDelete
  87. i love the pics!!!
    even i'm a hong konger, i'd not visited all stations......
    Seems like diff idea for the station meaning between us....very funny pics!

    ReplyDelete
  88. Thank you for visiting n creating so many interesting pics.
    We do need more travelers like u guys! ��♥

    ReplyDelete
  89. Brilliant! MTR should use your photos as calendar, poster or something! Enjoy your next trip!!

    ReplyDelete
  90. I have never left any comments on any blogs, but you guys have done a great job and I am glad you enjoyed your time here. Please come back visit us. We will miss you! All the best! :-) xxx

    ReplyDelete
  91. Great effort.

    Even as a hongkonger, I have never come up such a creative plan.

    ReplyDelete
  92. It's really cool and way more interesting than those boring promotions made by MTR itself.
    Even a HongKonger like me would probably not understand the meaning and origins of each and every station names.
    Nice to see them in your eyes ^^

    ReplyDelete
  93. Hey, thanks! This has made my day - you two have absolutely entertained my lunchtime. Have great fun on the other side of the planet! Alvin@Quarry Bay

    ReplyDelete
  94. Next time try the Light Rail stations---another set of 68 stations!
    It may be more difficult though......
    Some of them are West Rail Line Interchange Stations.
    http://www.mtr.com.hk/chi/getting_around/images/LR_routemap.pdf

    ReplyDelete
  95. Hi Guys,
    You miss a Racecourse Station. It is between Shatin and Fo Tan
    stations. It opens only during horse race days, usually Wed and Sat/Sun during horse race season (Sept to June next year). So welcome back to Hong Kong to extend what your have accomplished. We will have 5 more rail lines to be finished in 10 years' time.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Good Effort, Looks like you guys having a good time. =D

    ReplyDelete
  97. You may take something related to bull's head with horn for Ngau Tau Kok, which simply means "Horn on the bull's head"!

    ReplyDelete
  98. U are missing one station called "Racecourse Station" which is opening on the racing date normally Sunday or Saturday XD

    ReplyDelete
  99. just fyi, your blogs made it to the hk local newspaper and going viral :)

    ReplyDelete
  100. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Hi Ashling and Mark, I'm Danny from SCMP News. Can we copy and publish your pictures, and you'll receive a photo copyright credit for all of them?

    danny.lee@scmp.com

    ReplyDelete
  102. It's cool, next time you may try to challenge Tokyo's rail station..Which is much complexity XD

    ReplyDelete
  103. nice n creative pictures!

    hello this is crystal from now tv.
    Can you please help me to click in the link below and give a "like" to my page
    https://www.facebook.com/nowtvpromo
    n we are having promotions for sports
    like the fifa world cup n Premier League
    or kids channels, hbo, fox
    Please recommend my page to your friends=)
    And if you have any enquires,
    please contact+852 51650534 crystal
    thanks so much

    ReplyDelete
  104. Great JOB!!!
    Welcome back to Hong Kong and take more photos again!!!

    ReplyDelete
  105. Really nice! You two must make lot of fun when taking the photo! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  106. This reminds me about someone renaming all the English names of MTR stations. See here:

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ohH9Bj9Whqk/U0KvxR3KSJI/AAAAAAAACyE/qczXD7DCB6A/s1600/mtrmap.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the translation doesn't make sense anyway :P

      Delete
  107. Learn more about hong kong ... :-)
    http://albertlawkk.blogspot.hk/2014/04/the-19-things.html

    ReplyDelete
  108. Cool!What a special photos taking!
    Great Job!

    ReplyDelete
  109. Oh wow! That's cool. Hope you have enjoyed your stay in HK as we have enjoyed your pictures! :)

    ReplyDelete
  110. Mei Foo is where I grow up, perhaps you can post as Canon, or act like an aeroplane, two hands stretch out - horizontally. As before 20 years ago, there were two canon put outside the mtr station. I pose with canon when I was a kid.

    ReplyDelete
  111. QUICKLY PUT GOOGLE ADSENSE AND EARN SOME MONEY, AS THERE IS TRAFFIC TO YOUR SITE NOW!!! IM GUESSING U WILL HAVE HALF A MIL HITS.

    ReplyDelete
  112. awesome and cool!! i find my station - city one !!!XD welcome come back again!

    there are more fun places for u to expore)

    ReplyDelete
  113. Made me love my home town even more. thank you guys!

    ReplyDelete
  114. this is AMAZINGGGG, you guys kinda inspired me to explore hk more ahahahha well donee andd havee funn for your next trip! xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  115. Superb. I witnessed the opening of the MTR in 1979 while so far I haven't visited all the stations. But you did it!! Welcome back to your missing Racecourse station, you will also see new stations probably in 2 years. There is a thousand-year-old water well found in one of the stations under construction!

    ReplyDelete
  116. You took an iron to Shaukiwan and a MICROWAVE to Fortress Hill??!! Amazing, but excellent jobs. We enjoyed the photo, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  117. lol
    Great Job and please come to HK to take more funny photo again:)

    ReplyDelete
  118. Hey.......actually I did something similar to yours, would you mind checking it out a little bit below too? btw Your work is awesome
    https://www.facebook.com/RikoSaru/media_set?set=a.643472712352230.1073741854.100000685222074&type=3

    ReplyDelete
  119. Love your great photos very much. Great job..please visit Hong Kong again. kiss kiss

    ReplyDelete
  120. haha... You guys are amazing !!
    When I first saw your pic, I remembered that we lived in the same building since you guys in HK :P
    We met several times before :)
    Looking forward you guys coming bk to HK & enjoy more great foods in WanChai ;)

    ReplyDelete
  121. hey you are on the newspaper!
    http://hkm.appledaily.com/detail.php?guid=52499476&category_guid=6996647&category=instant&issue=20140522

    ReplyDelete
  122. Support! (p.s Hong Kong People) Some of the station were misunderstood but your photos showed imagination of the places and your photos are interesting!
    Where is the photo of Racecourse Station ? Haha!

    ReplyDelete
  123. Amazing idea! I shall try this on trams.
    Welcome to HK again!
    Joseph

    ReplyDelete
  124. Amazing trip!!!
    I'd never been all of those station even I am a Hongkonger
    Seeing your pictures is inspiring me a lot
    Thank you for your interesting and amazing pictures.!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  125. LOVE IT! and I am "Lai King" it!!
    Love the way u interpret our station names.
    thanks for sharing your love, creativity and happiness to Hong Kong~ :)
    Hong Kong miss you~
    keep making amazing trips and adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  126. very interesting!u guys should get paid from mtr corp :-D

    ReplyDelete
  127. Lovely pics. They are cute. And they make me feel warm and fun to travel with mtr everyday now (even though still too crowded in peak hous..sighs...) Lol just realize 83 stations do provide quite a lot of fun~ really appreciate this fun album and please do come back when we have another line build up probably in 2 years...(thinger cross) hahah XD

    ReplyDelete
  128. If the Hong Kong Tourism Board can bring the "BRING ME TO" couple to shoot Hong Kong, you both deserve a paid visit to shoot the new stations too. Of course our problem is how soon can the new lines be opened !! Love you pics and creativity. Thank you for letting the world to know we have one of the best metro systems around the globe !!

    ReplyDelete
  129. I like it so much! The photos are so cool!:D
    I live in Fo Tan! actually, 'Fo' means fire, and 'tan' means 'charcoal'!:)
    and even I live in Hong Kong for 20 years, I never get off at Racecourse station as well,,,hahahah

    ReplyDelete
  130. Hello! you guys are awesome!

    Actually, I live in Wu Kai Sha
    little fun fact for you guys

    Wu Kai Sha was once called Wu Kwai Sha
    and "Wu Kwai" means turtle in Chinese

    There's also some people said that the sand in the river at that place is black. So they call the place as Wu(black) Kai(river, but more like small stream) Sha (sand) !

    ReplyDelete
  131. nice pics.
    now u guys are famous

    ReplyDelete
  132. Thanks a lot! I am Hongkonger and you help me to remind that Hong Kong is a lovely place. Hope you come Hong Kong again when the new MTR station had built^^

    ReplyDelete
  133. Thanks for your share
    Hope you visit us again.

    LC2047

    ReplyDelete
  134. very funny and creative~~help me to remind lots of things in HK~!!!

    ReplyDelete
  135. Wonderful!! Hope you will come back to Hong Kong again :)

    ReplyDelete
  136. Enjoy your photos very much and it is very interesting to see how foreigner represent chinese character.

    ReplyDelete
  137. Haha! What a cool photo project! Do come back to capture the new stations :)

    ReplyDelete
  138. hello I saw your creative photo from blog, Because I really love HK so much. Going to HK for working is my dream, I use your photo to remind me of my dream.So do you mind downloading your photo be my cover photo??thanks

    ReplyDelete
  139. Inspired by yours, my son did a similar for his summer project:
    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152698937252640&type=1&l=8bfa8be72d

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh wow! You both did a great a job! Thanks for sharing your pictures with us :)

      Delete
  140. These photos are awesome!
    Can I use it as cover of non-profit educational magazine?
    You can email edmond.hkuggas@gmail.com more details.
    Thank you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  141. It is a brilliant idea to take photos at each HK MTR stations!
    I admire your perseverance and creativity :)
    Please do come to HK again :) Lots of love xx!

    ReplyDelete
  142. Great Work!!!
    I am pretty sure you were the first one to do this!
    Living in Hong Kong for almost 18 years, I don't even know there are 83 stations in total.

    In response to the last paragraph, three new mtr stations have opened earlier this year (if I recall correctly). They are Kennedy Town, HKU (stands for the University of Hong Kong) and Sai Ying Pun. Perhaps you could do an impression of John F. Kennedy for Kennedy Town !

    Also, MTR fares increase significantly every year. So, please talk to the MTR manager as all the additional income should be used to pay for you to fly back!!!

    ReplyDelete
  143. Very Nice!

    Also, I didn't know that Airport Station has platform signs (probably because I go to Platform 2 rather than platform 1or 3!

    ReplyDelete
  144. Such a joy to look at your photos. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete