This Sunday we hiked out and about on Lantau 5 & 6 after a very cold Saturday in HK. But the weather was nice, and "warmer" and - although I had to buy a pair of hiking pants - it was a good time, finishing with dinner on the beach.
I promised myself I'd be doing more HK hiking this year (as a break from research). And, last weekend, the first hike back with the Trampers - after a year and a half - was a nice treat. Many of the faces have changed. I miss Karl and Rose but I'll keep joining the hikes hoping to see what this new year brings. CHEERS! :)
As the countdown to a new school year continues, I joined the HK Trampers for an incredible stream-hike last Sunday.
For more pictures and memories, please see Vince's photos.
For more pictures and memories, please see Vince's photos.
Today is my 26th birthday! On Saturday I had a wonderful birthday party dinner in mid-levels at the Indian restaurant "Bombay Dreams" with eighteen other Trampers, followed, of course, by a day of Sunday hiking. As I'd been absent on the mainland for so long this summer, it was deeply touching to see so many show.
At 26, I'm still very young for this city called Hong Kong, where all the other foreigners seem transplants from five to ten years of work in their respective countries. In Shanghai, it was the same, but different.
Yet, on this birthday I'm filled with a spirit hope and that this year I'll be able to tap into possibilities unimaginable three years ago when I arrived in Shanghai or a year ago, here, in HK with my whole life packed into two suitcases and a carry-on bag.
Drink up everyone. And leave b-day wishes! ;)
Yesterday, the HK Trampers tackled Needle Hill between Shatin and Tai Po.
The sun shone breifly, but then hid itself away again as we found ourselves in the regular fog, wind and sporadic rain. We hiked past the Lutheran Seminary, took a group picture and then upward to Needle Hill.
Almost ten carried on to Caroline's place, where we were welcomed warmly and where we continued to drink Tsingdao and other beverages. Plans to arrive with several cut durians were vetoed, but Rebbecca bought some delicious fruit that nobody could give an English name. The evening waned with some philosophic ruminations about culture shock and coming to Hong Kong, until Caroline, our gracious host, tried to provoke me into speaking about star signs (in a manner fitting her Zodiac character). But, unbaited - and with the help of those surrounding "elders" - the conversation was again restored to a more lofty discourse.
It was a great hike! And the next morning I woke at five AM, with dreamy, cloud-like visions of fun still floating in my head, to work diligently at homework until my nine o'clock class: the life of a Chinese scholar never ceasing.
For more pictures and memories, please see Vince's photos.
Today the HK Trampers (okay, five of us) who were not occupied with family affairs during the Tuen Ng, or Dragon Boat Festival, hiked from Central to Aberdeen. Although it looked like it would rain, the weather held and fearless Francis led us through Mid-Levels, and along the Morning Trail above Hong Kong U, climbing along muddy trails to Victoria Peak and then along the reservoirs of Pok Fu Lam.
I enjoyed this hike! It is isn't often than one stops to hike the familiar, often we live our lives to quickly to stop and discover new parts about the world we rush past day to day. The urban setting provided a different backdrop to the usual escapades.
The fog drifted in hanging banyan trees and water kissed trails showed everything in new relief. The Hong Kong females were also lovely. Thank you, Francis! :)
For more pictures and memories, please see Vince's photos.
This weekend, 12 brave trampers set off into the pouring rain for an almost ten hour, Francis-led hike. Many didn't come, believing the hike must surely have been cancelled. And my own efforts to encourage HKU female students, even those espousing to be "adventurous", to join us met with failure. From the safety and comfort of her apartment, Caroline taunted us with short messages about "having a nice swim", being dry and limiting herself to one cup of coffee, but we pushed on along slippery steps, muddy slopes (I fell three times), mosquito-infested briers and rushing ravines, around the northern most part of Hong Kong, just below Shenzhen.
At five thirty, Francis led his weathered group into a "short-cut" of the thickest of prickly undergrowth, raising sharp objections from myself and Camilla, who then hiked the two-hour "long way", through rushing waterfalls and abandoned villages, to rejoin several other Trampers and catch the last minibus south for the evening.
Eating curry with a very-dry Caroline in Tai Po Market, we had a chance to conference-call with Francis, the fearless leader with his five followers still out in the field, who laughed gleefully about seeing "fireflies" at 9:30 PM.
Today the HK Trampers, went for a hot, hot, hot hike on Tung Lung Island! Some had camped out on the island the night before, although Chinese homework kept me back. After several hours of heat to make a head swim, I swam and took an early ferry home. A good afternoon for bratwurst, a cold beer, nice bread & AC.
Today Hong Kongers celebrated a single-day holiday for "Labour Day" - unlike five days on the mainland. Several HK Trampers hiked and swam in Sai Wan.
Today, we celebrated the birthday of Tramper Michael with an eight hour boat trip, food, beer, a small hike and swim. Hong Kong is wonderful as seen from the water!
This Saturday, we said goodbye to our beloved Karl and Rosie, the true "spirits of the Trampers". Without Karl, we are sure to be lost on the trails. Without Rosie, telling me I'm "still so young", I'm sure to feel old. They will return to Germany before India.
On Sunday, I rose late with a hangover and, calling Karl for directions, scurried across Hong Kong Isle, hiking fast to the end of the trail, where I laid for forty-five minutes on a rock, breathing cloud moisture, atop Dragon's Back. Soon after, the group came and we followed a dried stream-bed to Neil's "housewarming party" in Shek O. Neil, of course, is from Wales, but his wife is originally from St. Louis. I remarked that she'd created the most non-midwestern house possible. Excellent pumpkin pie though. :)
Tomorrow I look forward to a day without wine or beer (and Easter holidays).
Tonight in an "undisclosed mountain location", the HK Trampers said good-bye to "irreplaceable" Justin, who will continue his language studies in Japan. Justin never intended to live in HK, saying "I came for a week and ended up staying ten years."
The party was fun and Tsingtao flowed; as traditional, a drunken Caroline managed to send all my clothes back to the dry-cleaner. We'll miss you, Justin.
This weekend, I'll be hiking with the HK Trampers in northern Guangdong Province. Our itinerary is posted here.
This will represent my first return to the mainland since leaving for the US last July.
**It is not possible for Americans - in HK - who already have "two or more prior Z or F" PRC work VISAs in their passport to buy a six-month or multiple-entry VISA to the mainland (i.e., so $100 US a trip).
The following is a story written by Antonio Graceffo, the American travel and adventure writer, that hiked several times with the Trampers in late November. It can be found at ww.hktrampers.com.
Trekking up a steep knife-edged ridge, covered in late season grass, the slope gently dropped off on either side. To my right, the green rolling hills were expansive, filling the horizon with a never-ending panorama of undisturbed nature. To my left, an easy bluff eventually gave way to a sharp drop of approximately sixty meters, ending on a sandy beach. Lazy blue waves broke mildly against the dark jagged forms of age-old rocks. Further out, fishing boat and sampans sailed along the point where sky and earth meet, silently going about their business, as they had since time immemorial.
A warm wind blew across the soft peak, and with the exception of my mates, I was alone, in a peaceful world, recovering from the stresses of modern society. Just a few kilometers away lay the hyper-modern center of Hong Kong, with its busy financial district and high-rise bank buildings.
Most visitors to Hong Kong know the SAR as a shopping paradise, famous for fine dining, luxury accommodations, and spending money. But Hong Kong is also a tropical island, covered in green peaks and surrounded by a stunning ocean.
Continue reading ""Hills, Mountains and Sea - The Adventure Side of Hong Kong"" »
It's been awhile since I posted pictures of my weekend hikes. Karl, the group coordinator, has been pressuring me to upload some snaps to the HK Trampers photo galleries. We've been hiking the famous Maclehose Trail in stages. Next year, I hope to join a group and do the 100 kilometer hike. These are the photos from the weekends of November 20th, 27th and 4th. The Stage Three Hike included our embedded reporter from "Brooklyn" - not "America" - and Superboy took delight in the cows at our lunch area. We finished in Sai Kung, drinking beer and listening to Antonio tell jokes in three languages and making off-color remarks that even left a fun-loving Caroline speechless.
The MacLehose Stage 4 Hike contained the most difficult down-hill ascent of all my hikes with the Trampers. Me, Neil (55 and able to hike circles around me, Superboy and his Dad, Kai) climbed Beggars Peak, while the rest of the group moved ahead and drank beer at the end of the stage. The ascent was so steep and the ground so slick that I fell four times and Superboy had to literally be carried down by Neil and his father. We finished with a Thai meal. I met the boyfriend of a demonstrator in the HKU English Department. It'd be nice to get more HKU students involved. :)
This weekend's Stage 5 & 6 Hike was beautiful as the weather was cool. Superboy was absent - as his father was running a half marathon - although Neil had been sick all week with a possible "superboy-cold". At the end of the hike we walked through a forest of hundreds of feral monkeys that stole two pears from a fellow hiker. At the end of the hike some continued on, but I returned home to finish Chinese homework.
Continue reading "HK Trampers: MacLehose Trail Stages 3 to 6" »
Last week the HK Trampers hiked again near Sai Kung (as we will tomorrow). The wind was strong, but the heat caused us to sweat even when in the shelter of the mountain. We had a few slower hikers, making the trip longer than it had to be. Karl took this time to lecture me on new theories for the rise of German manufacturing after WWII.
The trip featured an American journalist/travel writer who said he was writing a piece on our hiking group on the Trampers for The Standard. Like myself, he had also taught in China for two years, yet spent the last year and a half living in Cambodia. Apparently, he studied Linguistics in college and claimed he could speak nine languages. It was good to have another American in the group for a change! :)
The hike ended with another dinner of Thai food. We (or I) drank too much beer for a class on Monday.
Last Sunday was another Tramper's hike to Sunset Peak on Lantau Island. The weather jumped to 29 degrees celsius and we were hot and sticky as our German group leader, Karl, sent us scampering straight up 869 meters to the Peak. Superboy was absent - although we later learned he went hiking with his father the day before.
Francis, a local police inspector - with 48 vacation days a year that can cumulate from year to year until reaching six months - managed to lose the trailing part of the group toward the end. But not before I picked his brain for my "Non-Recreation in Non-Space: Pier Fishing in modern Hong Kong" cultural semiotics paper.
I ended up eating two dinners and drinking a lot of beer. :)
As promised, here are some pictures from the HK Trampers hike last Sunday. We hiked 25 kilometers in about 9 hours and it was the longest that I've hiked in a long time (and I'm told this week will be harder)! It's been interesting getting to know the MacLehose Trail, which hosts the international trail running/hiking competition in November. The countryside is beautiful, but it's a lot of walking. :)
The next day I got up sore and early and flew to Singapore!
Went on another hike with the HK Trampers, starting on the far side of Hong Kong Island and ending in a dinner at an Irish Pub in Wan Chai. The hike lasted six hours and included heat, hills and steps.
Joining the group for the second week I've been present is a remarkable five-year-old boy of phenomenal strength and English ability. He hikes with his father. I can't imagine having a son who can hike for six hours up and down mountains at five. Next week, he'll be hiking 24 kilometers (along with me).
The South China Morning Post has been running a series of articles discussing the growing mainland pollution and its effect on Hong Kong's tourism, property values and population health. Below is a picture of Repulse Bay and the unusual autumn smog:
Today I went on a six-hour hike with the HK Trampers. The Trampers are one of twenty recreational hiking groups in Hong Kong.
Today we hiked through the New Territories. From the top of the hill we could look into China and see Shenzhen.
