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. 

Saying goodbye

Everyone will leave us.  That is just the part of life and living that we need to accept and understand.  It's still hard when it happens though.  Just before Christmas, my grandmother passed away.  She was very old and her passing was peaceful, but it doesn't make it less sad.

It had only been a few months prior that one of my uncles had passed away so I was now better versed in some of the rituals and practices for a Buddhist funeral.  Throughout the wake, a vigil was kept next to a small furnace and someone would keep continually burn the offerings of paper "money", "silver" and "gold" for her to use in the afterlife.  These aren't beliefs which I hold, so I respectfully kept them company whilst watching on.

To the side, a group of Buddhist adherents chanted as the monks went about their processions and read out prayers.  To my side, the family all sat and chatted quietly, all the while folding bags and bags worth of the "gold" and "silver" to give my grandmother the send off she deserved.  The number of mourners was far less than I had expected.  In fact, it felt quite empty compared to the funeral I had attended late last year.  Many people sadly couldn't attend as they were overseas.  Others were still concerned about the rise in local cases and didn't want to gather in larger groups.  It was sad looking around and seeing the empty seats, but there was nothing to be done about it.  

The year of coronavirus had taken a huge toll on myself and my family.  The passing of my grandmother seemed to be a fitting end to it all.  She had definitely been very lonely in the days leading up to her passing.  Many of the family had wanted to visit her more and yet at the same time, no one wanted to be an accidental carrier of a disease which would then take her in a painful and untimely manner.  It was a strange and cruel conflict that we had found ourselves in and ultimately one of the two sides had won.  

Standing in the hall where the mourners came to say their goodbyes, I felt a strange sense of distance.  I felt sad, but I didn't necessarily feel the depths of despair and grief that many of the others who attended clearly did.  I thought about whether I should have visited her more, whether I should have called more, but then I thought that was probably something that I could have always done "more" of no matter how much more I did visit her.  As the proceedings continued into the evening, an exhaustion started to creep over me.  What I did feel for certain was older, much older than I had previously felt.

Night time hiking

The weather was starting to warm up, so hiking season in Hong Kong was slowly coming to a close.  It didn't mean that people would now stop hiking, it just meant that the prime period for hiking was coming to an end.  With this warmer weather, one of the boys suggested we go for a night time hike.  I had never been hiking at night before, so I was very eager to give it a try.  It was CNY eve as well, so given I wouldn't be celebrating this CNY because of my grandmother's passing, it seemed like an excellent alternative.

We took the MTR to Choi Hong MTR station to get as close as possible to the start of the hike.  We had decided to climb up to Suicide Cliff, along the ridge and then go up to the top of Lion Rock all in one night.  I had been up to Suicide Cliff before during the day, albeit from a different direction, so I was quite keen to take this different and steeper route to get to the top.  The views from the top during the day were incredible and so I was looking forward to the evening views.  

The hike up was fun.  It was steep, but it wasn't anything overly taxing or uncomfortable.  At the start of the hike, some friendly and helpful hikers had actually set up a series of ropes to help people get up the steepest section.  We pushed through the dense vegetation for a little bit, but it didn't last long.  Soon it cleared and there was nothing but fully open and panoramic views back towards Kowloon and Hong Kong.

It was entirely as advertised.  The views were stunning. 

Certain sections of the hike were a bit narrow, but with our head lamps, it wasn't anything too difficult or dangerous.  At the top of Suicide Cliff, we stood around for a while, looking out into the distance.  The sheer brightness of Hong Kong against the dark backdrop is something to behold and this steep cliff created an additional sense of drama.

After that stop, we continued on our way.  It was a few kilometres hike to get over to Lion Rock.

The views along that walk continued to be as spectacular.

Eventually we reached the bottom of Lion Rock.  Looking up at the signs, we were a bit undecided as to whether we should continue to the top or to call it a night and go get some food and drinks.  Our decision was made for us as Eamon started to walk up.  We all slowly started following after him as he disappeared off into the distance and then around a corner.

I had hiked Lion Rock before as well, it wasn't too long a hike, but this felt much harder given we had already come up from Suicide Cliff.  It was a silent hike up.  There weren't any others on the trail and after a little while, all of us got lost from one another.  I found myself hiking along trails without anyone near me, I would jog ahead a little bit, wait a little bit, and no matter what I couldn't seem to find anyone.  It didn't matter too much as we all knew our final destination so I pressed on.  At the final turn before reaching the top, I found a couple of the guys waiting, with others still to follow.  The final steps up were a pain on the legs, but we made it up.

The views were good.  Very similar to those as Suicide Cliff, so from that perspective it may not have been necessary to do both of these peaks in the same night.  But it was still lovely to be here.  To stand in the quiet, looking out at the lights of one of the busiest cities in the world.