Roger Ho Yao-sang paces back and forth in his dining room. He packs a sandwich, a bottle of hot water and some medicine in a shopping bag as if preparing for a major hike.
Ho is about to go for his daily walk, a ritual since being discharged from hospital after an operation nearly two months ago. But although he lives in one of the most coveted areas of Hong Kong - Mid-Levels - he refuses to take that walk along his own Caine Road.
He wants to get away from the dust and noise, the traffic jams caused by trucks loading and unloading, the footpaths narrowed by construction material that take up half the walkway.
There is a building boom in Mid-Levels. And for the first time in 30 years, Ho feels deprived of a liveable environment.
'It is impossible to take a proper rest at home,' says Ho, a 40-something author of books on heritage conservation. 'It is too noisy here. Apart from the noise, the whole building is shaken by piling work. The park is a bit further away from the construction work. It is the only place where I can have peace.
'Whenever I am at home I feel like I am experiencing a minor earthquake.'
