Down South

With the coronavirus restrictions back in full force in Hong Kong, we were also back to our weekly hiking.  We discussed our next destination and we all quickly decided to go to Po Toi Island.  This was a place on everyone's list of "must visit" so this seemed like as good as any time for us to all head there.

We all woke up early and gathered down in Stanley.  Po Toi Island is sparsely populated and so there are only a few ferries to and from the island on the weekend.  We weren't the only ones with the idea either and there was a long line to board the boat.  We got our seats and the boat quickly filled up.

Po Toi Island is one of the southern-most islands in Hong Kong.  Of the small islands around Hong Kong, it's probably considered middle sized, with not enough space for it to have been developed, but apparently it was home to more than a thousand people at one point.  Not too many people remain these days other than those there to run the small shops and restaurants catering the visitors like us.

Once we were off the ferry, it was fairly simple to follow the trails straight up.  As always, a group of the guys were on their hunt for "peaks" and so they had already pre-planned some of the key locations that we needed to reach.  It was a bit mechanical at times to be chasing the peaks with these boys, but on the flip side, it did mean that there was always a motivation to go out and explore some of the further out parts of Hong Kong.  On the whole, it was definitely a positive thing.  It also didn't mean that all we did was just run towards peaks and nothing else.  On this hike, as we made our slow ascent up towards the first peak, we made a slight detour off towards "Mo's Mansion".

The crumbling ruins of Mo's Mansion were what was left of what would have once been an impressive and large house.  We walked through what was left of this home.  It was built in the 1930s and survived several decades until Mr Mo apparently fled after a failed kidnapping attempt.  Now, it is slowly returning to nature, with signs everywhere of people exploring the site and possibly camping in it as well.

We kept walking and eventually reached the first peak we needed.  There was nothing particularly special about it and the views from the top were not memorable.  We looked at our map and noticed that there was a large peninsula if we kept walking.  We had time, so we decided to push on for a bit.

This decision to keep going further was a good one.  As we continued over the crest of the hill, the large peninsula came into sight and it was something spectacular.  It was a wind swept and barren piece of land that sat isolated from the rest of the island.  On this area, we could also see dozens of small tents, with what must have been more than a hundred people who had decided that this was the perfect place to do some camping.  We walked closer and we found a set of stairs.  With over 1000 steps leading to the bottom, this rivaled the infamous "Twins", but the scenery was infinitely better (the Twins is easily the most overrated hike in Hong Kong).  This little peninsula was as windswept and isolated as any part of Hong Kong I had been on.  There are many stark and barren parts of Hong Kong that make you feel like you're in another part of the world, but standing on this spot, my friends were generally of the view that this felt like Scotland (I'll trust their word as I've never been).

We turned back after doing a loop and went straight back up the stairs we had descended.  All 1,000 steps without stop.  I thought back to all the times I had done the Twins before and how much more enjoyable this had been.  The wind was strong and there wasn't anything impeding our view.  Everytime I turned around and looked out, all I saw was the enormous sky.  I was an inspiring view.

We looped back towards the fork in the road that we had encountered on the way up to the first peak and headed in the other direction towards the next peak.  Along one of the ridges overlooking the main bay where all the ferries and boats stopped, there were hundreds of little cairns built up by visitors over the years.  It was a little bit surreal to see all of these little structures, but we had no time to stop so we kept moving.

Eventually, we reached the second peak.  There wasn't much of a view at all.  Looking at the map, there was a THIRD peak not too far away that was on a separate list that the guys were considering.  A couple of us laughed and thought that this was more than we wanted to do.  So the group split in two, with some of the boys heading off towards another peak and the rest of us heading back towards the bay and the comfort of the restaurants.

Along the way back, we decided to stop for a longer look at all the little cairns which had been erected.  Walking amongst them gave us an opportunity to make some of our own and to take some photos.  The breeze hadn't slackened and standing exposed on the edge of this ridge, there was an amazing "refreshing" feeling.  You could feel your lungs clearing as you looked out towards the distance and we all happily agreed that skipping the last peak had been a good idea. 

We ended up at one of the restaurants in the bay.  Sitting, eating and drinking, the other boys eventually joined us having run to and from the final peak.  They looked exhausted, having gone through thick bush to get to that last peak.

North West New Territories

The northwestern parts of the New Territories don't seem to get much love from hikers and visitors to Hong Kong generally.  It doesn't have any of the fame of the Eastern or Northern parts of the New Territories which give stunning views into China and to the islands out to the East of Hong Kong.

It doesn't make a huge amount of sense to me that this is the case.  There are some great hikes out in this region and it's actually far easier to get out to this region in comparison to the areas based in the East.  There are good MTR links and the buses in and out of the region benefit from highways that a generally fast flowing.

One major thing that is lacking though are the beaches and boating opportunities that exist out to the East, so that definitely removes some of the glamour appeal.  The waters out here are the heavily trafficked waters of the Pearl River Delta.  A brisk trade of shipping is constantly flowing up and down from Guangzhou and the numerous cities along the way, making the waters murkier and dirtier in comparison to out East.

The weather was overcast and cooler.  It made the hike far easier and with the lack of any shade, I'm not sure if this would have even been possible during the hotter months.  Maybe this was another reason for this area being less popular with the hikers   We were hiking in a big group and we slowly started to split up as the stronger hikers forged ahead.  It was a bit strange to see our group snaking across the long distance of the trail.  With no cover, you could see everyone far ahead and behind.  I felt strangely connected with everyone, even though there were hundreds of metres between each of us.

At different points, we would group back together.  The jack rabbits at the front would slow and wait for the rest of the group.  We were a loose spring that seemed to stretch and snap back from time to time.  All connected, but only barely.

The arid environment and lack of cover made it easy to look out into the distance.  In any other situation, I would feel far more alone during such a hike, but any time I looked forward or back I could see hikers coming to and fro.  None of them were necessarily close, but it made it feel like we were all in the same room or all together at some common event.  Any loneliness was gone.

As we neared the end, we realised we were running out of time and we wouldn't make it to our final challenge of Castle Peak.  Some of the boys were hoping to get this peak ticked off on their list of challenges, but for the rest of us it wasn't worth the time.  We needed to get back to the city.

The convenience of hiking in Hong Kong is such that even with this last moment change in decision, there wasn't too much of an impact.  We just took the next closest turn instead of continuing on the trail and within thirty minutes or so we were all approaching the main roads and civilisation again.

We all took out our phones and started the search for cars to take us back to the city.  The simplicity and ease of it all never ceases to amaze me. 

Mount Stenhouse

Eamon wanted to climb the highest peak on Lamma Island, so I found myself back on the island after less than a week.

He thought it would be a fairly simple hike and that most of it would be paved, so I didn't bother bringing my water bladder or wearing any more specific hiking clothes.  Shorts with cotton t shirt and a backpack with a few bottles of water.  That all seemed to be enough.

As usual, I was foolish for believing my friends.

Rather than a simple walk up a paved path, I found myself in dense scrub, fighting up paths which were barely cut through the vegetation.  My legs were scratched, my arms slightly bloodied.  Thankfully, I had decided to wear proper hiking shoes instead of some runners, so I was able to at least bound up the path without slipping and hurting myself.

Still, it was fun all the same.  A good whack through the bushes in the Hong Kong jungles and paths is usually an enjoyable day out and you get all the benefits of the exercise as well.  The hike ultimately wasn't that long, but it definitely had some trickier and more taxing sections.  When the scrub closed in, there were sections where you could feel the air thickening and breathing became more difficult with the humidity.

The views were as you would expect, stunning once you reached the highest points.

At various points in the distance, I could see back to where Veronica and I had stayed only the week past.  Further off once you were higher, you could see all the way back to Hong Kong.

It's always one of the stranger feelings you get when you go on these hikes in Hong Kong.  You feel like you have fought through the wilderness, through parts which are remote to others and isolated from civilisation.  Then you look up a bit and you realise you are just on the neighbouring doorsteps of on of the most densely populated metropolises in the world.

The opening of something grand

I like modern art.  I like it a lot.  I grew up thinking that it was something silly and pointless, but I still remember my first trip to London and my visit to the Tate Modern.  Being introduced to the deeper meaning of it all changed my mind and I was opened up to an incredible world that still inspires me to this day.

Living in Hong Kong has been interesting from the perspective of my personal interest in art and culture more generally.  It hasn't been "bad" per se, but it certainly hasn't been amazing.  I had expected there to be more galleries and locations to satisfy this itch, but I had sadly found myself in a fairly similar situation to Sydney.  There was stuff around, but I definitely wasn't in a centre for arts and culture.

All of this seemed to be slowly changing though.  Hong Kong is making a big push to become the centre for culture within the region with major development of the West Kowloon Cultural District.  This huge park area is going to contain parks, restaurants, galleries, museums and theatres.  Some of this is already open, but must of it continues to be under construction.

However, one of the shining jewels of this new area has now opened! 

M+ is hoping to be the world's next great modern art museum.  It is an enormous new complex which has floor space which puts it on par with the Tate Modern and MOMA (which are two of my favourite galleries in the world).  The idea that we in Hong Kong now having something of this size and scale is truly exciting.

In anticipation of this opening, Veronica and I decided to become members.  Everything was going to be "free" in the first year, but we wanted to support the gallery and we also thought that there might be some benefits to getting in early.  This proved to be the case when we received invitations to attend the private members opening of the gallery!  Instead of having to fight with the throngs of people who would be queuing to get in when it actually opened, the gallery was opened for all members to attend a few evenings earlier.  We took the opportunity to go to work dressed a little bit better than usual, then headed over with all the others to see this brand new gallery.

It was amazing to see.

The space is enormous, and it is filled with wonderful and strange exhibits.  The focus was on art within Asia, and it was a pleasure to be able to see the various types of expression from the region all within the same space.

One particular highlight was the large gallery inside which had been set aside for one of the more unique works from Antony Gormley.  Hundreds of thousands of clay figures, each unique, each hand crafted by the inhabitants of a village in China, each of them silently looking up.  Standing in front of this crowd of figures was a strangely humbling and awe inspiring experience.

The rest of the gallery was no less intriguing, with installations, paintings, sculptures and other oddities designed to make you think and ponder.

It didn't feel quite like I was in Hong Kong.  Veronica even mentioned that she felt like she was back in New York again.

It was a privilege to be able to attend this opening.  As a members event, the space was far more open and we didn't feel any of the crowds that would normally be at a new location like this.  Instead, we were able to walk calmly from exhibit to exhibit, calmly taking in everything and enjoying it without any bother.

A change of art

I have never been an expert in art, but it's been an important part of my adult life.  It's been an interest (or possibly even a passion) which has driven me to travel more and seek or more things to see.

I've enjoyed visiting modern art galleries in particular, seeing how art has developed and changed over the last century.  But even that art now seems far less on the edge with the growing digital art trend.

It shouldn't be surprising.

What is art after all?  It is merely something sitting within a gallery?  Something which someone with a degree in art history has deemed to be "art"? 

Or is it simply just an expression of thought and ideas?  Something intangible that someone, somewhere had tried to capture in some form, whatever that may be?

Walking through the different displays, I couldn't say I liked everything.  But at the very least, I could appreciate that this was a new medium with which to appreciate something a bit different.  For me, that was more than enough.
 

When everyone else is working

I remember back when I used to live in Coogee, there would those days when I wouldn't be working and would head to the beach.  It would always be lovely.  The sun would be out, the breeze would be cool and I would just spend the day lazing on the sands.  One thing that always confused me was what all the people also on the beach "did".  As in what did they actually do for a living?  For food?  For rent?  How was it possible that there were so many people who were able to be so free with their lives?

I had a day off so I found myself in the position of one of those people at the beach with nothing to do.  Eamon and John were also free, so we all went together.

The weather was perfect for a day at the beach.  The sun was shining and the temperatures were warm without being overbearing.

Shek O is a lovely place to visit.  It is one of the iconic beaches to visit on Hong Kong island.  The sands are white, the bay is well protected and there are shops just behind the beach where you can buy food and drinks.  I thought back to my Coogee days and wondered why I didn't take more time off to enjoy the beach on these more quiet days without the crowds.

Melting into nature

As I get to know a city more, I like to take short cuts everywhere.  Maybe it's just a personal quirk or maybe it's my own desire to feel like I know a place more intimately.  Whatever the reason, it means I often find myself walking down random alleys or through less than normal paths to get to where I need to go.

I walked past an old motorcycle that had definitely seen better days.  It had clearly been abandoned and it was slowly falling apart piece by piece.

It seemed odd that this motorcycle would just be sitting by itself in this alley.  It didn't look too shabby given where it was and the motor appeared intact.

Futher along, I found something in a far more advanced state of decay.

This was an old Vespa that had started to melt into the surroundings.  It was a shame.  Old Vespas are collectors items now, and if this had been saved a little bit earlier, it probably would have been worth a bit.

Seeing this got me thinking about what it was like when I lived in Singapore.  The intense heat and humidity seemed to eat into everything.  I had a watch that was sitting in a drawer for a while and I remember forgetting about it for a couple of years.  When I went to pick it up, the plastic strap crumbled in my hands. 

This old scooter was going through that same process.  Nothing seems to last too long here without a bit of protection and maintenance.

Quiet streams and secret waterfalls

With the constant work from home these days, there's a bit more time in the mornings.  Without having to make the journey into work, it seems that you effectively get an extra 30-45 minutes in your morning if you are able to manage the timing.  This doesn't seem like much, but if you are able to wake up a bit earlier, it means you really can fit in some extra activities that would normally be much harder to accomplish.

So the last few weeks, I made it a habit to catch up with my friend Candy.  She lived not too far from Quarry Bay and had been doing short morning hikes in the hills in the area.  The hikes up didn't take long, only about half an hour, but what was special was a little turn off that we would take to a secret little waterfall in the area.  It was a serene and idyllic location. The water formed into a small pool before flowing further down and it was nice to be able to sit and dip your feet in whilst relaxing.

On this weekend, I thought it would nice to bring Veronica up to see where I had been hiking.

On some of the walks up and down, we would also find ourselves meeting some of the neighbours.  There were several families of wild pigs in the area.  Completely fearless, they would sometimes be fast asleep on the ground, snoring and farting after having eaten their fill.

Every now and again, you would see the skyline of the city through the canopy of the forests. 

It was a reminder that even in these natural surroundings, we were still in the city.

Stilted village

Living in Hong Kong, everyone always talks about Tai O as a place to visit.  It's meant to be incredible, beautiful, unique... choose an adjective.

It had been on my list of places to visit since I had first arrived, and yet somehow I had managed to miss it.  It was now more than five years since I had arrived in Hong Kong and I had still never visited.

That was finally to change.

There wasn't that much else to do with the travel restrictions in place, so this now seemed to be a perfect opportunity to explore this local tourist spots which so many had spoken of.

Early one morning, Ron and I started our trip out to visit.  First we went to the MTR station in Hong Kong.  We sat on the MTR for about 40 minutes until we got to Tung Chung in Lantau Island.  From there we walked to the bus station and waited in the long lines (there were many others who had the same idea as us) for the bus across the middle of the island to Tai O.  That bus trip took another 40 minutes.  It was certainly not a quick trip to get to Tai O, particularly given how close everything else in Hong Kong normally is.

When we finally arrived, we found something unique for Hong Kong.

Not only was still a town full of canals, it was a stilted village, with homes and shops protruding out into the water.

We walked around as much as we could.  We didn't feel at all like we were in Hong Kong anymore.  There was a strange feeling that this was much more like a developing world location.  There was a level of disrepair to everything which seemed to be part of the culture of this place.

After doing a couple of loops along the paths that we could find.  We jumped on one of the tourist boats that took visitors on a loop of the area.

Each bend we turned, we were brought into ever more intricately interlocked buildings.  There didn't seem to be any pattern or standard approach to how anything was built, but it all still seemed to match up and fade together like some bizarre patchwork.

After the boat, we did some more walking.  It became clear to me that many of these buildings were only being occupied on a limited basis.  This seemed to be more like a place that people would come on a weekend or when they had time off.  More than likely, the owners of the places had long ago moved to the city areas and only returned when they wanted some more space to relax.

Tai O isn't too easy to get to.  From a Hong Kong point of view, it's probably one of the more annoying places to get to when you take into account the number of transport changes needed and the long commute time in some uncomfortable buses on winding roads.  However, when you compare it to some of the treks I've done in the past in other places, it's really not that bad at all.  It all just goes to show how lazy you can become in Hong Kong.

Eggs and tomato

I was watching YouTube one night, not looking for anything in particular when a short story was featured from the SCMP.  It was about an old Hong Kong cha chaan teng inside one of the old buildings in TST.  This old cha chaan teng had been in the location for decades and was famous for serving a tomato and egg noodle that looked "like vomit".  It didn't seem all that appealing, but I thought I would go and see what it was like in person.

Walking through the intensely busy streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, we found ourselves at the building.  Even then, it wasn't immediately clear how we would get to the restaurant itself.  After circling the hallways for a bit, we realised we needed to find the staircases in the corner to go down into the basement area. 

Once in the basement, we were surprised to find what felt like an entire street that had been transported into the basement of a building.  The shop front genuinely looked like what you would normally expect at street level.  This feeling was made stronger when someone drove a scooter by (how did he get down to the basement?) and the people who were all sitting around smoking.

We sat down and ordered some tea and the famous "vomit noodles".  What came out to us matched up with the description.  It was a egg and tomato soup noodle, but the way in which everything had been prepared really didn't create the most appealing of appearances.  The eggs and tomato were blended into a slurry in the soup which made it all look a bit like it had already been partly digested.... like vomit.

Appearances can be deceiving though.  We each tucked into the noodles and we all found it to be quite tasty.  In fact, it was was tastier than many of the other cha chaan teng instant noodles I had tried before.  For some reason which is unknown to me, instant noodles are one of the beloved staples of cha chaan tengs and small street food vendors (the ones that remain) all over Hong Kong.  People talk about the "quality" of the soup and the "skill" of the cooks, with some of the famous places even having long lines of people waiting for their turn to try the noodles.  I've never quite understood the appeal.  There isn't anything particularly special about any of these stalls I've tried over the years and it's often seemed to be more of a case of reputation over substance.  This was a bit different though.  The soup and the noodles were genuinely very tasty and the entire approach to its preparation was unique.

Besides the food, the location itself was what made this place something worth visiting.  Sitting in this fake street frontage cha chaan teng in the bowels of a large industrial building felt like something out of a sci fi story.  It was like a scene which had been plucked from a description of a hive city, or some other story of an over-industrialised world in which people no longer see sunlight.  I wondered whether this had in fact been in the inspiration for some writers over the years.  Probably wouldn't be surprising at all if it was.

Distant hills

I was having dinner with Veronica's friends at their apartment in Science Park.  It's a strange area of Hong Kong.  It feels modern and well developed, but it definitely lacks a lot of the bustle and heart in other places.  For families, it does seem like a good living option with the bigger spaces and modern facilities.

Off in the distance were rolling hills and mountains, all connected along a long ridge.  It looked perfect for a long hike and exploration. It was another example of the stark contrasts of Hong Kong.  Lush forests and jungles surrounding modernity and human endeavours.

Outdoor cinema

There has been a lot of work over the last few years on the Hong Kong waterfront.  Since I arrived in Hong Kong, the area near the Star Ferry terminal has felt a bit under-utilised.  Lately though, there's been a bigger push to use it more and it seems that it's now been determined to be an ideal location for rotating through temporary activities.  One of these was a big outdoor cinema.  I was very keen, but sadly couldn't get tickets.... no matter though, as we had some friends who managed to get some tickets and had a couple of spares for myself and Veronica!

The set up was far fancier than I expected.  Everyone group was given its own cordoned off area with deck chairs and a little table.  There was even a QR code on each table so that you could order food and drink to be delivered to your area. 

The movie itself was terrible.  It was the first Transformers.  It wasn't good the first time I saw it, and it certainly hadn't improved with age.

Still, sitting outside and watching this movie with friends as food and drinks were brought to us was a lovely experience.

At times, living in Hong Kong, it's easy to forget just how spectacular the surroundings can be.  There is a scale and size to everything that is impressive when you remind yourself to have a look.