Being uplifted by reminders of how wonderful Hong Kong is by way of a hike from Shui Long Wo to Sham Chung (Photo-essay)

More political oppression (e.g., threats to disqualify elected pro-democracy district councillors, guilty verdicts and prison sentences looming for pro-democracy figures like 82-year-old Martin Lee, 73-year old Margaret Ng along with fellow 73-year-old Jimmy Lai) is in the air again in Hong Kong. But spending hour upon hour doom-scrolling in my apartment (and getting agitated about such as the ridiculousness of the recently announced Hong Kong Annual Budget) is not going to help those being persecuted as well as me.

 

So off I went into the Hong Kong countryside once more to remind myself that the Big Lychee is a beautiful place and that I really f**king love it. And, honestly, when you get off the bus near a trailhead and pretty much almost immediately feel nature's embrace, one's spirit does quickly lift.  Call it living in the moment. Credit "forest bathing". But a hike out in the Hong Kong countryside really does do wonders for my psychological health -- and presumably also is beneficial for my physical well-being...

 

The view to be had a stone's throw away from 

the bus stop at Shui Long Wo

 

Floating fish farms in Three Fathoms Cove (Kei Ling Ha Hoi)

 

A reminder that this was a Chinese New Year hike :)

 

A view that takes in mangroves by the water's edge

as well as the surrounding green hills

 

Click on the above image for a panoramic view of sand, blue water,

blue-greenish hills and mountains, and a beautifully bright blue sky!

 

It never ceases to amaze me that one can round a corner in 

Hong Kong and suddenly enter an idyllic space like Sham Chung :) 

 

Another panoramic view to be had -- this one of the idyllic

spot that is Sham Chung

 

Rather than hike out of there, the friend I was with 

and I made sure to time our excursion so that we'd 

be able to catch the infrequent kaito from the nearby pier :)