Sunday, May 23, 2010

Hiking again with my mom


My mother on the Lamma Island Family Walk

Sunset view on the ferry back to Central from Lamma

One week after my mother and I visited Cheung Chau, she was eager to check out another of Hong Kong's outlying islands. Up until this morning, I was thinking that we might not be able to until her next visit (she leaves tomorrow) because the weather forecast had been for rain but the heavens decided to cooperate and offer up generally cloudy but rainless skies this afternoon.

So off we went to Lamma Island and an easy hike that took us from Sok Kwu Wan northwards to Yung Shue Wan that yielded some pleasant views along with fresh air and breezes and a generally nice day out.

Still, what really made this hike special for me was that it was the first one that my mother and I went on since she underwent triple bypass surgery on her heart last July. And this despite her telling me a few months after that experience that the hike up in Sai Kung's Wan Tsai Peninsula that we went on the previous May may well be the last one that she would be able to go on in her life.

Instead, there hopefully -- touch wood! -- will be many more green walks that she and I can go on together on her future visits to Hong Kong. Now I just have to research and find more hikes in Hong Kong that are on the easy side and -- to be truly safe -- where there is mobile phone reception throughout... something that, as a couple of the PTU teams in Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms famously -- and amusingly to those of us who go hiking in Hong Kong -- were shocked to discover, one cannot assume to be the case in all parts of the Big Lychee! ;b

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear your mom is healthy enough to start hiking again! :D

And I absolutely love that sunset view. A beautiful and gratitude-inducing moment to cap off the day with your mom.

sarah bailey knight said...

hi ytsl,

Like duriandave I was so happy to hear your mother was well enough to go on another hike with you. Aner here's to many more hikes for the two of you!!!!

Again like duriandave the sunset view is sublime!!

Anonymous said...

well done YTSL senior!! It's great that people can still get out after major surgery like that. I don't know if it's an Asian thing but I find the oldies over here to be a lot more energetic than most seniors back in the UK (including my own mum and dad).

ewaffle said...

Lovely news about your mother and (I hope) a delight for you although the need for cell phone coverage might take a bit of the edge off the enjoyment.

A couple of things impress me about the sunset picture. First is that you were able to get that shot at that perfect time. It looks like slanting sunlight through rain clouds, perhaps through falling rain in the distance.

Also wooden mast or pole on the left side of the picture gives a sense of distance and depth to the clouds/sunset. I think the inclusion of a close to the camera but still in focus part of a structure is something that occurs often in your images or at least those I have seen here. It might be the edge of a building, a railing or, as here, part of the boat but it usually serves to frame and define the central image.

Glenn, kenixfan said...

Glad to hear about your mom doing a lot better. Having aging parents is not an easy task for anyone of our age bracket.

Lamma holds a special place in my heart. I recognize that path but never took it.

YTSL said...

First off, here's a message from my mom (who regularly visits my blog but still won't comment on it on her own!):-

"Please thank all those who commented on my health. I'm very happy that I enjoyed the hike and that I didn't feel tired after the hike. Hopefully, we will be able to go on more hikes when I go to HK." :)

Now back to "regular programming":-

Hi duriandave --

Yeah, that sunset was nice -- but the cap off the day was... believe it or not... a dinner all the way up north in Tai Po! (We went straight from Central Piers via MTR to Yat Lok to have roast goose and rice!)

Hi sbk --

Yes, I too am hoping for more hikes with my mom. :)

Hi Phil (orientalsweetlips) --

Funny but I thought I saw quite a few fit oldies when I was in the UK. But yes, I do think that Asia has its share too. :)

Hi ewaffle --

I actually shot a bunch of photos (the beauty of a digital camera) of the sunset yesterday -- some of which excluded something close to the camera. But yeah, agree with you that having that adds depth and something in general to photos. :)

Hi Glenn --

Re that path: if you're ever inclined, here's letting you know that the path is easier to go on from Sok Kwu Wan than Yung Shue Wan. Yesterday, as my mom and I were descending in the direction of Yung Shue Wan, we witnessed a fight between a tourist couple -- the female clearly upset at the man for having made her go hiking up a hill she considered too steep for her liking! :D

Brian Naas said...

Happy news in deed!

YTSL said...

Hi Brian --

Yes, indeedy! :)

s h a w said...

Yvonne, I am really happy for you and your mom. Enjoy more and more hikings!

YTSL said...

Hi Shaw --

Thanks! (And sorry, but do I know you by another name? ;b)