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