Hopefully uplifting memories of de-stressing December hikes in Hong Kong (Photo-essay)

It used to be that when I was feeling stressed, I would go for a hike up one of Hong Kong's many hills, peaks and mountains.  But while I've felt plenty stressed during the past six months, it was only one day last week that I finally ventured into Hong Kong's great outdoors for the first time since before June 9th due to such as my having spent many hours marching through sections of urban Hong Kong on more than one occasion in recent months.  And this week, the hiking bug bit once more -- so I ended up going hiking on consecutive weeks: the first time on Lantau; the second time around on Hong Kong Island. 

It also used to be that it would help lift up my spirits for me to look at my hiking photos and assemble them into photo-essays.  And I hope that doing again this evening will help to put me in a better mood tonight after I came across a Tweet with a link to a short but still horrible video clip showing the kind of disgusting behavior that seems to be par for the course in Xinjiang (the Communist Chinese-controlled region that Hong Kongers look at and don't ever want Hong Kong to become like)... :S 

Last week saw me on the South Lantau Country Trail once more

 

The views from this hiking trail are positively dreamy on a 

beautiful day, like so many have been the past few weeks

It should be easy to see why I have returned to this trail

quite a few times now in the past 12 years or so

 

 Lantau's famous feral cows spotted near hike's end

in the greater Mui Wo area

 

Critter spottings (specifically, a wild boar and four of its offspring)

from the bus I took to the trail head of this week's hike!

 

On Victoria Peak on another beautiful blue sky

December day

The biggest view bonanzas actually are from 

atop neighboring High West though!

 

Believe it or not, I could actually see further than what 

was depicted in the photo posted atop it 

on the afternoon of my High West excursion :)