The Twins

Last Saturday my friends and I set out on another hike- Twin Peaks in Stanley.  We had heard it had some of the best views in HK but none of us really knew where it was or what it was like.  I did some research and many people called it one of the harder hikes in Hong  Kong but a few people used a phrase that, in my mind at least, was open for interpretation. One hiker said they use this hike as a good “weekend workout”. Now in my sporadically fit opinion a weekend workout is easier than a regular workout– it’s the weekend.  For my whole life weekend has implied relaxing. With this in mind I convinced my friends that even though there were multiple peaks  and a section called One Thousand Steps it wouldn’t be that hard… I think my exact words were “it’s only one thousand stairs, that’s not even that many”.  To be clear I work on the second floor and I take the elevator.

So with my encouragement we set out for our hike.  In hindsight we were given many signs that this maybe was not really the best plan.  The fact that we had to walk uphill for 20 minutes to get to the start of the hike, the fact that the start of the hike was a fairly steep set of stairs (not the one thousand  steps part), the fact that the weather was shit before we even started, and you know- the actual sign at that start warning away inexperienced and unequipped hikers…

Of course we ignored all of that and continued on our hike! Now I’m not gonna say don’t do this hike, clearly I made it, but maybe do some stair-master training first. Essentially the whole hike is steep stairs up the side of a mountain and THEN you get to the One Thousand Steps and surprise it’s actually 1209 steps! Also if you didn’t guess I was absolutely wrong, 1000 stairs really is that bad.

But you know at least we had that really nice view to make it all worth it……. yeah we were essentially inside a cloud of fog and saw nothing, like it was like looking at a wall instead of a window. And the wind really picked up which made climbing somewhat treacherous stairs just that much worse.

I have really mixed feelings about this hike. It was kind of awful but at the same time the experience was pretty hilarious… although if you ask if I’ll do it again to get the view I’m really not sure about it.

Devil’s Peak

Last weekend my friends and I hike Devil’s Peak.  I don’t know how it got that moniker though because it was a relatively short and easy hike.  On the way up we passed the remains of British redoubt barriers that were built in 1914 to garrison the peak in order to control the Lei Yue Mun which is a key passage to the South China Sea.

The hike provided some good views of HK and the harbour from an unusual angle and there were swings at the top! I will admit that we knew this was going to provide good photo opportunities so we had a planned impromptu photoshoot at the top… including outfit changes…

 

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Hiking the Dragon’s Back

Last Sunday a group of friends and I hiked Dragon’s Back.  I spent much of the fall trying to plan a hike there and having it rain every weekend we wanted to go, but now I finally made it!! It is a very easy hike with some awesome views.  It’s called Dragon’s Back because the rises look like the bumps of a dragon’s back as it lies down (seen in first picture).

Wisdom and Heart

Easily reached from the Big Buddha is the Wisdom Path.  This is a short hike that is lined by upright logs with the parts of the Heart Sutra carved into them.  The Heart Sutra is one of the best-known sutras and summarizes the essence of the Buddha’s thoughts and the secrets of life and the universe. It explains the philosophy of “emptiness”.  I have never studied the Heart Sutra and I have been told that while one of the shortest it is also the densest.  Here is how it was explained to me:

“When one acquires the wisdom of “emptiness”, he will realize the relationship between the physical world and mental world. The physical world is just a reflection of the mental world and the mental world consists of every detail of the physical world. There is actually no boundary between these two worlds. Understanding everything is in a constant process of change can prevent one from being irrationally attached to things. After being free from mental obstructions and emotions, one can think more clearly and logically, and make good use of the conditions that are available.”

The wooden columns represent the wooden bamboo tiles used for writing in ancient China and are arranged in a figure eight to symbolize infinity.  The wooden column at the top of the path is left purposefully blank to represent the emptiness it describes.

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While I may not understand the intricacies of the Heart Sutra the path is beautiful and surrounded by amazing mountain views. Even without being able to read the inscriptions I think you can leave with a greater sense of peace and understanding of your smallness in the universe.

 

 

 

“A Really Big Buddha”

Last weekend I went on an adventure to Lantau Island.  The main attraction is the Tian Tan Buddha or Big Buddha as it is called, at the Po Lin Monastery. This statue is 112ft tall and weighs over 250 tons and it is supposed to symbolize the harmonious relationship between man and nature and people and faith.

To get to the statue usually you take the Ngong Ping cable cars over water and up the mountain, but as luck would have it we chose a day that the cable cars were under maintenance so we rode a bus on tiny winding roads up the mountain instead.  One thing about buses in Hong Kong, you are always on the edge of your seat…

 

You can see the Buddha in the distance as you get closer and it is a really impressive sight!  To get up to the base you climb 268 steps (and it feels like more) and it is amazing, but I think it is most impressive from below where you can take in the sheer size of the statue.

 

 

Cliff Jumping in Sai Kung

This past weekend I went with a group of friends to Sai Kung to go cliff jumping.  From where we are we had to take three mtr’s (the subway system here), three buses, and hike for about an hour to get there… it was completely worth it! There are multiple beaches in Sai Kung that you pass on your way hiking to the cliffs, and they are all beautiful and great fro camping, surfing, and swimming, but if you go I definitely suggest you just keep walking past them.  The whole hike is up and down through the mountains and the last bit is somewhat treacherous to be honest, but tons of people make the trip so it is definitely possible… I even saw people carrying children with them (although I definitely would not recommend it).  The cliffs, and the whole hiking trail, are actually just amazing to see and even if you aren’t onboard for the adrenaline rush of actually jumping you can just swim around in the pools at the base.  It definitely wasn’t the highest cliff I have jumped from, but it was probably the hardest to get to. Once you make it to the cliffs you have to do a bit of rock climbing to get up to the top where you can jump from and it is certainly not for the faint of heart.  The rocks are very slippery when wet and you are actually climbing them not just walking over a path. Overall though I would absolutely recommend a trip to Sai Kung if you are ever in HK!

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Ling To Tsz Temple

This weekend a local friend took us to a very old and rather remote temple/ monastery: Ling To Tsz.  This temple is said to have been on this location for 1500 years and was originally at a different location a little further up the mountain side for even longer.  It is unlike other Buddhist Monasteries in its small size and lack of a compound.  It is really just the temple building itself that stands on the land.  Ling To Tsz is no longer actively functioning as a monastery according to the caretaker we met, but is still kept up very well. One of the strangest features of this temple is the placement of the door.  It is not on the front of the building, but rather it was moved to the side because the local people at the time felt it had better Feng shui that way. 

The temple itself has beautiful detailing and artwork (apart from the statues inside).  The fish on the side are actually water spouts that when it rains act essentially as gutters and the ridge along the center of the roof depicts the story of the first monk arriving to the site in a teacup down a river. 

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The location of the temple in my opinion adds a great deal of serenity to the whole experience of being there. To get to the site we took a taxi up winding roads, through rural villages, and past industrial plants to the very base of the mountains.  But standing around the outside of the temple all you hear is the quiet babbling of the nearby stream and all you feel is a light breeze. Everything else is pure silence.     As we exited the temple we saw a white heron take flight from the stream, which is a very auspicious symbol meaning (as I understood it) good luck and honor from ancestors and/or it’s a good sign for your journey/path (in life). Regardless of the exact meaning I’m told it is a spiritual occurrence and it honestly felt that way.

Run away to Shek O

This Sunday my friends and I went to Shek O and had a great time at the beach and hiking in the area.  It’s a bit of a trip from the New Territories to the far end of the HK Island, but it was completely worth it.  One of my local friends lives in Shek O Village (2 minute walk to the beach) and it is such an amazing place.  The beach area is a bit touristy of course, but the village itself has retained its beach town vibe.  It has narrow winding streets with crisscrossing alleyways and small houses that are full of character. Some parts have definitely been gentrified and have grandiose homes with multiple fancy cars in the driveway, but I fell in love with the small homes wedged between restaurants and the locals sitting in between the houses enjoying the weather and the company.  If I was going to become an expat in HK I think this is where I would want to live.  The atmosphere is great and so is the view!

 

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Cheung Chau

So this post is a bit delayed and I really have no excuse to offer except that being an adult is apparently very tiring so sometimes I just would rather go to bed at 10pm instead of writing….

Last weekend my friend and I took the ferry to one of Hong Kong’s outlying islands Cheung Chau.  It’s a somewhat smaller island but they have amazing street food.  Needless to say we spent a great deal of our time on the island eating.  There was fresh juices, mango shaved ice, potato spirals (think chips not fries), baked clams in the shell, and steaming ice cream that we bought specifically for the steaming part. And all of it was delicious.  Although the one downside is that since food and seafood in particular is such a big thing there you are hit with many, strong, overlapping scents that can be a bit off putting while you’re eating…. there’s also the fact that people are selling dead sea creatures all along the road in the hot sun (I’ll let you imagine that particular scent).

 

Another really cool thing about Cheung Chau is that no one on the island has cars.  There are police cars and such, but all the regular people ride bikes only.  And I do mean everyone from tiny children to grandparents and even the occasional dog!  It makes it really easy to walk in the roads and stuff without worrying about getting hit (although in my experience bikes can also be a menace).

One of the popular tourist attractions in Cheung Chau is the pirate cave which of course I had to go to even though it required a rather arduous hike to get to.  This cave is said to have been a stash place/hideout for the famous Hong  Kong pirate Cheung Po Tsai in the 19th century, an today visitors can have the experience of climbing down into it and walking/crawling through the VERY small and VERY dark tunnel (keep in mind my previous mentions of the humidity in this part of the world as well)… which of course we did!