A Walk in the Hills

At last the sunshine and clear blue sky has settled on Hong Kong. After last weekend's rain and climatological misery where my mood was the same as a caged animal, I was free to explore the hills and at the same time see the horizons without getting wet. Yesterday was a public holiday and I was early to rise to catch the ferry to Mui Wo a small bay on Lantau Island.

This small village has a different atmosphere from the flesh pots of Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. There is a freshness and a more casual approach, far fewer people and feeling that there are not the same rules and regulations to abide by. Perfect for a welcome day off. My plan was to walk up Sunset Peak followed by Lantau Peak and eventually arrive at the site of the Buddha Dollar, the subject of a previous blog where Khamma created the much better phrase 'car on string' to describe a cable car. The day didn't quite turn out like that, but first things first.

After stocking up at the Wellcome supermarket, which has a much better choice than my local at Gold Coast, I set off up the steep road towards the Nam Shan picnic area. It is a fairly monotonous road but I was briefly side tracked by the cemetery. The Chinese are extremely respectful of the deceased with festivals and offerings regularly made in the temples. But in this unusual cemetery the authorities were combining the burial of the dead with slope management. During the heavy rains in the summer there is a considerable risk of land slip and mud falls. Where this is a danger the Government Department for Slopey Land (?), will stabilise and more or less eliminate the risk of land slip. They strengthen the soil and then pour cement on the slope so that the rain washes off and is channeled into water catchment areas. All these slopes are numbered so that if there is a problem the slope is quickly identified and repaired. In this small cemetery it appeared they were re-burying the bodies into mini mausoleums and then creating a cement slope so the bodies don't wash away onto the beach!

The trail started in a woodland paradise, perfect for walking with sun dappled glades and tantalising views of the villages and deserted beaches through the trees. It was a steep path because the walk starts at sea level and rises to 869 metres (2,851 feet). But this tranquil and deserted path tricked the mind and the hard slog in the heat soon transformed into, well, a hard slog in the heat! But time passed by quickly enough.

The trees started to thin and the hills opened out into a rolling and folding landscape. I thought of the Peak District without the peat bogs, I thought of Scotland's Munros with similar walks from sea level to over 3,000 feet without the midges, I thought a lot about my climbing friends past and present. The views opened up and to the south I could see the bays and inviting beaches and to the north the airport with aircraft landing and taking off. In the far distance towards the north I could just make out the Gold Coast and the apartment block where I live. I met several groups of people but otherwise I could enjoy the solitude, although the peacefulness was constantly interrupted by the distant roar of aircraft. It was nice to hear the birds sing and see butterflies in aerobatic combat with each other.

The Office!

Eventually the route leveled out and the rolling mountainside opened up onto a windy plateau. Here I found several mountain huts that were constructed about fifty or sixty years ago as retreats for missionaries working in China. Nowadays they are apparently available to hire, but there was little evidence of a high occupancy rate. The summit of Sunset Peak was close but for some reason the path did not lead up to it, but rather circumvented the round cone shaped peak. I wasn't going to let this get in the way of standing on the third highest point in Hong Kong, so I 'pirated' my way upwards through tufted grass and across boulders, watching for snakes at the same time.

The view was good. There was a trig point which immediately reminded me of England. All of the trig points in England have been retired now and only a handful are cared for by voluntary groups driven by a nostalgic necessity to keep alive a monument in memory of someone or something. I would be surprised if Hong Kong's trig points are used with all the GPS and radar technology dotted all over the islands, but it was in excellent condition.

Sunset Peak Trig Point with Lantau Peak in the background

My pirate route across the grass almost back fired as I moved towards my next target, the Lantau Peak standing, no looming, at 934 metres (3064 feet). The path I should be on was far below me and slowly going in a different direction to mine. Some serious pirating was needed and I found a faint path which after about thirty minutes stumbling brought me back to the straight and narrow, except on this occasion it was winding steeply downhill in a series of steps.

I had been warned the descent was tough on the legs and it certainly was. I couldn't decide if it was easier to walk at the side of the steps or to use the steps themselves. Both were heavy on my thighs which at times trembled under the pressure of transferring body weight. My thoughts turned to who constructed this path and how long it took them, it is a remarkable achievement. But my attempts to make my mind wander did nothing to stop the muscle burn and eventually even my toes were hurting from the constant bumping in my shoes. My spirits were not lifted by the sight of Lantau in front of me and the thought that every foot descended on Sunset Peak represented a foot ascending on that monster of a hill. Whereas at first I could see the mass of Lantau set against a hinterland of other smaller mountains, including the Buddha Dollar, after half an hour on this searing descent all I could see Lantau, big and awesome.

There was an escape! In between my rapidly demoralising state of mind and the Lantau Peak was a bus back to Mui Wo. I succumbed and decided Lantau summit will have wait for another day, it isn't going anywhere, even if the Government Department for Slopy Land hasn't registered it yet!!!!

On the beach

Back in Mui Wo I wandered amongst the local houses with the usual stores selling fresh fruit and veg, the men playing Jahong, and the women looking after the babies. On the beach was the temporary influx of townies but there was little to keep my interest. I returned to Central and enjoyed a few moments looking at the cityscape in the twilight before wandering around Tsim Sha Tsui and returning home, tired and almost beaten.

On my way back I sneezed and then grunted like a pig. I hope I haven't got swine flu.