Scenic and interesting sights along a hike to and from Cheung Sheung plateau (Photo-essay)

Years before I moved to Hong Kong, I already knew of the Ngong Ping plateau on Lantau Island which is home to the Po Lin Monastery and its Big Buddha.  But it was only after I started hiking around the Big Lychee that I got to know of the existence of the Ngong Ping plateau that lies within Ma On Shan Country Park, and still other cool plateaus at Luk Wu and Cheung Sheung.

On one summer's day that was cooler than many others can be in Hong Kong, a hiking buddy and I went again to Cheung Shung Plateau -- but this time via Section 3 of the Maclehose Trail rather than the Cheung Sheung Country Trail as had previously been the case. Rather than continue along the Maclehose Trail after reaching the plateau though, we headed back to Pak Tam Road via the Cheung Sheung Country Trail -- with our hike to and from the plateau being made interesting by the scenery along with several critter spottings made along the way! ;b

 Far from the urban jungle and yet 

still very much in Hong Kong :)

One does have to trek uphill a bit on trails 

like this one to get those kinds of scenic views!

 Vistas like this make it feel worthwhile to me though :)

A moth whose delicate white wings are so see-through

you can see the green of the leaves below them

 Cows and calves at rest on Cheung Sheung plateau

The front section of this bug has me thinking it's an ant but

 its back section doesn't look like that of most ants I've seen! :O

 One of the nice things about hiking during the humid parts 

of the year is seeing how green and lush the landscape becomes

 And one of the best things about hiking during the summer

is the sheer variety as well as number of interesting critters

one comes across out in the wild :b