From Hok Tau Road to Sha Lo Tung (Photo-essay)

Continuing from the previous hiking photo-essay: Rather than follow the Hok Tau Country Trail's circuit to its conclusion, on reaching Hok Tau Road for the second time, my two hiking companions and I turned east- rather than west-wards towards Hok Tau Reservoir along the hiking trail that bears its name. That decision was part intentional.

Later on, however, we effectively went "off trail" accidentally. More specifically, our plan to follow the Hok Tau Reservoir trail to its conclusion got derailed about two-thirds along the way through our not being able to find any of the mapped -- but seemingly over-grown -- trails that would take us westwards and back to our starting point.

Although this state was initially a bit stress-inducing, our "in the field' decision to alternatively follow at least one fairly well-trodden path due south ultimately paid dividends. For not only did we end up near a place before dark where we rather fortuitously found an available taxi to take us to the nearest MTR station but we also ended up going to Sha Lo Tung, a close to completely abandoned village in an area almost completely bordered by Pat Sin Leng Country Park that has been latterly designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its rich biodiversity and historical value.

Indeed, once back to civilisation and over dinner, we decided that it actually had been a pretty good hike all in all; one that was interesting to walk and also yielded quite a number of interesting sights -- some of which I can share with you courtesy of the following photos:-

Not only is Hong Kong a land without postcodes but
it seems that this is as far as the postman will go
as far as the northern New Territories village
of Tung Shan Ha is concerned! :O

A bank and the calm waters of Hok Tau Reservoir

If truth be told, I consider Hok Tau Reservoir
to be the least scenic of the reservoirs
I've been to thus far in Hong Kong...

In contrast, I think Sha Lo Tung actually is one of
the more photogenic of Hong Kong's abandoned villages

Once -- maybe not that long ago, in fact --
these buildings housed shops and people

These days, though, fellow hikers (like my
camera-toting hike companions) are the people
one is most likely to encounter in the vicinity

Or maybe not -- as at least one house in
the largely ruined village still seems to be occupied

And perhaps it's not overly romantic to think that
that the reason whoever has chosen to remain
living in this thus not completely forsaken place
is to take care of the village -- and ancestral? -- temple...