'Hammock hero' plans to take antics to new heights

A sleepy train passenger whose audacious antics caught the unfriendly gaze of MTR staff has revealed he is eyeing up the city's rooftops for his next stunt.

The mystery man has become known as "hammock hero" since pictures of him emerged catching a few winks in a hammock strung between the seats on an Island Line train on Monday night. Yesterday he reappeared, spotted having a nap on the Mid-Levels escalator in his trademark hammock.

During a late-night walk around Central, writer Joe McGee met the man and his friend as he settled in for a snooze in that hammock. "I came across the Mid-Levels escalator and he was just sitting there in his hammock, and he was with his friend," McGee said. "I thought, 'Oh, it's you guys.' I'd seen the pictures online and I talked to them and, friendly enough, they just invited me to join them."

McGee said the man wanted to take his hammock to greater heights - including rooftops - but he did not reveal his motive. "They weren't really divulging or explaining why they were doing it," he said. "It adds to the enigma of the hammock guy."

In a photograph circulated online, a man is shown lying in a hammock strung between two rows of seats on a train. He apparently stayed in the hammock for several stops. A few passengers - including his accomplice in a straw hat - and a dozing man are pictured on seats.