My first hike of 2016 :)

A scenic view from the western section of 

the 18.5 kilometer-long Chi Ma Wan Country Trail

Maybe it was a reflection of my feeling quite tired at that point 

in the hike but the large rock by the side of the trail 

looked to me like it had stopped for a rest! ;b

A friend with whom I usually go hiking on Sundays and I spent a few hours trekking along scenic coastal and wooded sections of trail on Lantau Island's Chi Ma Wan Peninsula earlier today.  Because the weather forecast for yesterday had been for some rain to fall, like it had been the case for much of last week, we postponed what would be the first hike of 2016 for both of us to today instead.

Although today was less sunnier than it had been forecasted to be, the weather conditions were otherwise very pleasant indeed; being on the dry and also cool side.  Most importantly for our purposes, the temperature was low (around 12-17 degrees Celsius) enough that we felt that we'd be safe from the bees and wasps that famously buzz about the Chi Ma Wan Peninsula during warmer months. 

Kilometers away from the nearest bus stop (over at Pui O) and served by a ferry that only five stops a day by a pier near the no longer operational Chi Sun Correctional Institution, the Chi Ma Wan Peninsula is off the beaten track for most people pretty much every day of the week.  And this afternoon, my friend and I felt for the most part as though we not only had the hiking trail to ourselves but pretty much all of this often visually enjoyable section of Hong Kong!

Incidentally, some of the hiking trails on the Chi Ma Wan Peninsula double up as mountain bike trails.  However, I've yet to see a cyclist in the area -- unlike in, say, Tai Lam Country Park -- and actually am not all that surprised upon seeing how narrow and otherwise challenging many sections of the area's trails are!