Hikes, villages and seafood

Clear Water Bay Country Park lies far to the West of Hong Kong.  It's not too hard to get to, but it seems like for the longest time to have been neglected as the rest of the Hong Kong continues to develop and grow.  Ed was going out for a hike and asked me to tag along.  I had nothing else to do that day so it seemed like a good chance to go and explore some more places I had never been.  Getting out there was fairly simple.  Like most of the hikes in Hong Kong, nothing is ever too far from some form of public transport or another.  A convenient ride on the MTR followed by a very short taxi was all that was needed and we were then walking through forests.  As we started the ascend, I started to smell an awful funk.  We all looked at one another with a bit of confusion and annoyance.  As we crested over a ridge, we saw the source of this foul smell, it was the remains of an old landfill that was still being dealt with for the new developments.  For the sake of the new residents, I hoped this would be dealt with before they moved in.

The hike was like most Hong Kong hikes.  The paths were well marked out, there was an abundance of views and lots of fellow hikers to pass on the trail.  At certain parts of this trail, there were some large rock formations perfect for climbing.  We both scrambled on top as some of the other older hikers laughed at our daring (or foolishness).  Most of the area we were hiking was quite narrow in a sense in that it was boarded by water on both sides.  It meant that with only a small amount of elevation, it became easy to look out far towards the water on both sides.  The weather wasn't amazing, but it still meant some lovely views.

As we finished up the hike, we started towards the old fishing village of Po Toi O.  It was a bit of a strange spot.  It seemed to be caught in the middle of competing worlds.  It was next to a golf course and some very expensive houses, so luxury cars seemed to be flying in and out the entire time.  Yet, this was also a traditional fishing village where locals were living a simpler life away from the intense and busy life of Hong Kong

We walked along the road and into the village itself.  We found ourselves a table at one of the local restaurants and we ordered some lunch.  The table was soon covered with different dishes and we ate our fill after the exertions of the hike.

It was a nice way to finish up.  It was a relaxing end to the day, out of the sun and comforted by the cool breeze.  The village felt dilapidated, but it all seemed to add to the vibe of the place, far away and cut off from the rest of Hong Kong.