Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Hiking from Tai Po Kau to Shing Mun (Photo-essay)

Have you ever looked at a map and wondered what certain sections of it actually looked like in real life -- then decided to go there just for because of that curiosity?  For me, that's the impetus behind quite a few hikes I've gone on in Hong Kong in the past few years -- including one that started at the northeastern entrance to the Tai Po Kau Special Area, a 440 hectare nature reserve located near Tai Po town, all the way across to the southern edge of Shing Mun Country Park.

And if you're wondering about the hike length: I'm not exactly sure -- but reckon that it was easily over 10 kilometers, and definitely know that my pedometer recorded my having taken over 28,500 steps when I finally got home later that day... ;b

It was overcast for much of that day but the liquid on the
flower and leaves is actually dew, not rain drops!
 
 Fallen leaves of different hues lay strewn on the path

I like seeing a variety of leave shapes and 
shades of green and brown in nature

During the rainy season, one comes across
many cascading hill streams in hilly Hong Kong
 
 I reckon these signs can confuse more easily 
than they can enlighten!
 
 I don't know about you but a concrete tepee is not
the kind of thing I'd expect to see in the middle of 
a Hong Kong country park! :D
 
 This flower may be on the small side but
its bright yellow color made it really eye-catching :)

The kind of landscape that is easily recognizable to me
as being that of the Shing Mun Reservoir area
favored by many filmmakers, including King Hu! :)

6 comments:

peppylady (Dora) said...

What cool pictures...Working on getting the internet back.
Hope all is going well for you.

Coffee is on

YTSL said...

Hi peppylady --

Thanks, all is okay, thanks for asking -- and was wondering what had happened to you the past one or two Photo Hunts!

Anonymous said...

Hello Yvonne,

This Tai Po Kau to Shing Mun looks like a hike to remember. It may have been an overcast day, but the colors look rich and well saturated. The "hilly streams" photo of water over rocks is enough to put me into a meditation on the Daoist watercourse way.

The luminescent yellow flower is a real eye-catcher. It is the bottom photo, however, which fittingly completes this photo-essay. Rock gardens are good, but they don't quite equal the experience of seeing rocks in their natural environment...

Thanks for the mention of master director King Hu, a director with a true painter's eye, who always did justice to the scenery (including the mountains of Taiwan).

BTW, have you passed by the Guan Yin statue at Tung Tsz Tai Po? I've read a lot of negative online comments, mostly because of the development (parking lot, etc) it is bringing to the area.

Regards,
Bill
Florida

YTSL said...

Hi Bill --

Thanks for your extensive comments!

It was a good hike -- and I definitely remember it. Am not sure it'd be worth going on again though...

Re King Hu: Have you seen his "The Valiant Ones"? Parts of it was shot on the Sai Kung Peninsula but other parts were shot in the Shing Mun reservoir area... :)

Re the Guan Yin statue at Tung Tsz Tai Po: I've passed by it but never took photos as I was in a speeding minibus each time I did so. It's very large and is visible from pretty far away (e.g., sections of the Tolo Harbour). Have to say though that I'm more impressed by its size than aesthetic qualities.

Anonymous said...

Hello Yvonne,

Yes, I have a copy of The Valiant Ones and have watched it a few times. Thanks for informing me it was filmed on Sai Kung and Shing Mun. I'll have to watch it again because the locale will have
added significance now.

BTW, I recently watched an interesting You Tube documentary on Sha Lo Tung, Back to Nature. I searched for this area on WOS and your entry on abandoned Sha Lo Tung was interesting.

Regards,
Bill
Florida

YTSL said...

Hi again Bill --

More re "The Valiant Ones": the weird thing with that is how amazingly the scenes involving Sai Kung and Shing Mun were edited together. Basically, when you see the areas with water, beaches, etc., it's Sai Kung -- when you see the rocks and trees whose barks look white/like they're peeling off, that's Shing Mun. :)

Re "Sha Lo Tung": it's an interesting area alright. Have been there three times now. I think the first time was the best because I had no idea how that it'd look that idyllic until I got there... :)