Never hike alone in Hong Kong. That's what more than one Hong Kong hiking book and experienced hiker told me. This is because Hong Kong's countryside -- with its many snakes (including pythons and cobras), wild dogs, monkeys, IIs (illegal immigrants who rob!), etc. -- can be a hazardous place for the solitary hiker.
Fortunately, I've found my share of friends to go out hiking with since moving to Hong Kong and usually can find at least one to go off walking with. Still, one beautiful Sunday last December, I had a yearning to go on a hike but no friend available to do so with me. At which point, I decided to risk going it alone on a walk that was closer to civilization than usual -- one that took me from The Peak down to Admiralty, largely along the Chatham Path and Central Green Trail that criss-crosses the Peak Tram's route:-
The Peak Tower -- not the usual kind of structureone expects to see near the beginning of a hike, right? ;b
The Peak Tower from another angle --this time with a tram also in the picture
A classic view from the Peak
A less usual view -- from one of theintermediate tram stations that the Peak tram
never seems to stop at anymore
Part of the paved (and multi-stepped) trailthat's "green" more for the environmental information
to be found on signs along the way than anything else
A view from a lower elevation than previouslyof portions of the skycraper city below
A shrine spotted along the way, complete with hanging ornament partially constructed
out of a common plastic bowl!
Near journey's end -- under a bridge not far from the Peak tram terminus at the bottom of Hong Kong
Island's highest hill/mountain
6 comments:
Neat series! The construction of that building is very unique and the common plastic bowl, lol... that would hold a good amount of Cheerios! ;-)
Hi ytsl,
The red plastic bowl should receive some type of award like "most creative use of a big dish pan".
Like the terminus photo a lot too. Is that a black garbage on the left side between the pillars?
Lovely eye for detail--as usual in your photos. The Peak Tower must have been a real construction challenge (or nightmare). The link gives some indication of it but just getting the building materials and equipment--many, many tons of stuff--to the top of the peak would be difficult.
I can understand why a companion or two could be helpful if confronted by robbers or a wild dog but less so with a poisonous snake--are cobras common in the wild areas of Hong Kong?
Hi JC --
Oh, sorry, maybe I should have used the word "basin" rather than "bowl" -- though I could see that tub-thingy being used to hold food along with water and other items! And yes, it's very common to see something like that in households in this part of the world... :D
Hi sbk --
Oh my, did you enlarge the photo? Didn't spot that garbage bag until you pointed it out but yes, that is indeed what that is. :)
Hi ewaffle --
Thanks for your compliments re my photo-taking. As to your question(s): if you get bitten by a poisonous snake, it'd be good to have a friend around to go get help for you. And cobras are fairly common in the Hong Kong countryside: Okay, I've only seen them once in more than 30 hikes but once can be too many for many people! :D
Illegal immigrants who rob? I thought that's something of the past? Today the Mainlanders are rich.
Hi Khengsiong --
Not all Mainlanders are rich. And I know it might sound like racism or paranoia but I actually know two hiker friends who were robbed while hiking by a Mandarin-speaking guy robbing a "chopper"!
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