“I sell my basket of golf balls at my little stall in front of my house every day. The golf balls often fly all the way over here from that big golf course in Clearwater Bay! Back in the day, I would wander around and pick them up. You need to be careful because there are snakes around here. But I’m 80 years old, so I don’t go around looking for golf balls anymore. The young people will find them and bring them to me and I will resell them for a few dollars. I don’t know anything about golf and I’ve never been on a golf course, but it looks nice and very big! I haven’t always been selling golf balls. I grew up on a boat at the Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter. I started working when I was a kid and would fish with my family all day - it was a tough life!”

「我每日都喺屋前面開個檔仔賣呢籃高爾夫球。清水灣高爾夫球場嗰度周不時就會有啲波飛咗過嚟﹗以前我會周圍去執啲波返嚟。要好小心㗎，因為附近會有蛇。不過我今年80歲喇，唔會再周圍去執波。啲後生仔執到之後會拎俾我，我就喺度賣返出去賺幾蚊。我唔識打高爾夫球㗎，都未去過高爾夫球場，但係嗰度望落幾大幾靚吖！我唔係一直賣高爾夫球嘅。我細個喺油麻地避風塘啲艇度大。好細個就開始做嘢，跟屋企一齊去打撈魚，嗰時嘅生活好艱難！」 

“I moved out to Po Toi O in my twenties when I got married. I met my husband through family friends, as you do back in those days. I’ve been here for six decades now, so I know everyone around here. My husband passed away a few years ago and I now live alone, so it’s nice to have neighbours to chit chat with sometimes. All my kids are grown up and have moved to the city to make a living. They come visit me once in a while. Apart from selling golf balls, I also have a little motor boat that I use to take tourists around the area to keep busy. A lot of foreigners and city people like to come here. The air is fresh and the village is charming. They also come for the excellent seafood, of course! Have you tried the salt and pepper calamari?” 

“My days are pretty quiet. I’m old so nobody invites me to events anymore! I sometimes still play Mahjong with my neighbours. Po Toi O used to be a lot busier, but in recent years we have had far fewer tourists. We’ve also not been able to organise Cantonese opera shows or festival celebrations because of the pandemic. Those days were always a lot of fun - with the bamboo theatre and lively music and colourful decorations. Hopefully those will return soon, but in the meantime I will just relax, and take it easy!”

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「我廿幾歲嗰時結婚就搬咗嚟布袋澳。我經啲親戚識到我老公，我哋嗰個年代都係咁㗎喇。我喺度住咗60年啦，所以呢度我個個都識。我先生幾年前過咗身，而家我自己一個住，所以有時有啲隔離鄰舍同我傾吓計都幾好呀。我啲囝囡全部大晒囉，搬咗出市區搵食。佢哋耐唔耐就會返嚟探我。除咗賣高爾夫球之外，我仲有一隻艇仔，以前會載啲遊客四周圍睇吓，等我過吓日辰。好多外國人同市區啲人鍾意嚟呢度㗎。呢度空氣清新呀，條村又舒服。佢哋當然都係嚟食海鮮啦！你有冇試過呢度嘅椒鹽鮮魷呀？」

「我啲生活都幾平靜嘅。我年紀大喇，冇人會搵我去玩！有時我都會同鄰居打吓麻雀。布袋澳以前熱鬧好多，但係近幾年少咗啲遊客。因為個疫情，我哋都冇得搞唱大戲或者節慶活動啦。嗰陣時熱鬧好多，有戲棚啦、打鑼打鼓同埋五顏六色嘅花牌。希望快啲有得搞返呢啲活動啦，而家我就抖吓，放鬆啲囉！」