Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Scenic beauty on view along the South Lantau Country Trail (photo-essay)


For those of you who are wondering: yes, I did venture outside of Hong Kong between my first photo-essay of my December hike along the eastern portion of the South Lantau Country Trail and this one. But rather than cover my most recent vacation today, I'd like to focus some more on the kind of day excursion out in the Hong Kong countryside that a fellow hiker remarked can make one feel like one is on holiday outside of Asia's World City -- so different are the scenic surroundings one finds oneself in from stereotypical urban views of Hong Kong, even though the super high density sections of the territory actually aren't all that far away, especially as the crow flies!

Adding to the sense of being in a foreign land even though one actually is still in the Big Lychee: many a time while out hiking, including on the South Lantau Country Trail, one's mobile phone will suddenly receive "Welcome to China" messages to signal that services have (temporarily) switched to "China roaming"... And for those reading this and thinking "wait, isn't Hong Kong part of China?", well, yes, it is and yet... in many small as well as big ways, it really still doesn't feel like it is...

Still, rather than get (over(t)ly) political, here's turning back to the subject at hand and this blog entry's intent: that of showing how certain parts of the Big Lychee are filled with scenic beauty that is simply glorious to catch sight of while out on a nice hike in good weather with a good friend. :)

If I didn't tell you, would you think that
this was/is a Hong Kong landscape?


In the dry season, some thrill seekers -- guided by
signs in the form of colored ribbons showing which
side of the path to go along (click to enlarge this photo
and see) -- hike on these mountain stream paths

Me -- I'm content to just follow the official trail
from where I catch sight of scenes
of natural beauty like this one! ;b

A hiker pauses to catch some shut eye in what
some others might not deem a safe place, apparently
oblivious to others and a helicopter passing by! ;O

A walk on the wild (Hong Kong) side :)

For those (like me) who suffer a bit
from vertigo, this flattish but rugged trail
serves up a few hairy moments

...but I actually think those moments are more than
balanced out by the copious amounts of scenic beauty
on view on this particular Hong Kong hiking trail :)

And while I love the sight of a great landscaped garden,
I find that I really do often appreciate natural beauty more

7 comments:

baroness radon said...

Beautiful. Your posts always make me feel like HK isn't going totally down the toilet.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, the views and clean air that you enjoyed will be ruined if the Hong Kong government succeeds in building the world's largest incinerator on Shek Kwu Chau, the island visible in photographs 4, 5 and 6.

Anonymous said...

visit www.livingislands.org.hk to sign the e-petition against the building of an incinerator on Shek Kwu Chau, just off the coast of South Lantau.

just me said...

Hi Hi... sorry this isn't about your post... I've been too busy to even blog much :( ... but I just saw this and thought about u. :)

Check this out:
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/01/13/we-ride-hello-kitty-jet-from-tokyo-to-taipei-melts-our-hearts-even-before-takeoff/

YTSL said...

Hi baroness radon --

Be assured, Hong Kong may not be perfect -- just like anywhere else on earth -- but it is *not* going totally down the toilet! :D

Hi Anonymous (and am going to assume that both of you are one of the same) --

Thanks for pointing out where Shek Kwu Chau is in the photos. I've of course read about the plans but seeing where the island actually is really helps.

Hi "just me" --

Hmmm... did you lose my e-mail address? Still, I forgive you for the comments -- because the linked blog post about Hello Kitty is so cute it got me squealing with delight! ;D

just me said...

Hahahaha.... No I didn't lose your email address... I was just lazy to log into my email acct at work. :)

I'm glad you enjoyed that Hello Kitty blog post... it's so cute... even I would like to have flown on that flight. :)

YTSL said...

Hi again "just me" --

Aiyah re the laziness... but thanks again for the link. Re the flight: I definitely wouldn't mind going on it... but have to say that I don't want to eat Hello Kitty or food made to look like her (or her face)! ;O