Outlying islands and walled villages

Hong Kong - 04/01/10 - 17/01/10

Peng Chau (Outlying island: 14/01/10: 2hrs): Is a small outlying island with immense charm. You can walk around it in a couple of hours. The town is very quaint and the best part of the island is the lack of cars- it is so quiet and tranquil! At one point the island was home to the largest match-factory in the south of China.

Cheung Chau (Outlying island: 16/01/10: 2hrs): This is the most densely populated of the outlying islands. It is only 2km long and features a 'mini great wall', which is a coastal walkway around the island. The island also has very cool boulder rocks and a pirate cave you can crawl through!


and here you can see Ian crawling out of the cave:




Leung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail (New Territories: 17/01/10: 2hrs): During the 12th century a Tang Clan man rescued a young girl fleeing from the invading Mongols. She was later married to his son. After peace was restored she informed her husband that she was in fact related to royalty and the daughter of the Emperor. The Emperor looked favourably on the marriage, gave her husband a suitable title and a large estate. Most of the Tangs residents in the New Territories today are descendants from their five sons. The Tang clan established 11 villages, five of them walled:



Lei Yue Mun Village (Kowloon: 09/01/10: 2.5hrs): Lei Yue Mun is the narrowest stretch of Victoria Harbour. Sandwiched between high peaks, it is a natural defensive position and colonial forts and batteries were built on both sides. Lei Yue Mun village, in parts very dilapidated, provides a stark contrast to the towers across the harbour on Hong Kong island. Past the Tin Hau temple and the village is Kowloon's last remaining natural coastline.



Brides Pool & Plover Cove (New Territories: 10/01/10: 3hrs): A lovely walk from along the length of the reservoir. In the 1960's Hong Kong's water shortage was so acute that more innovative solutions were required. The major problem was that no land could be spared to build new reservoirs and so engineers blocked off a sea inlet with a giant dam (2km long), pumped out the trapped seawater and filled it with freshwater from a network of hillside conduits. The audacious plan succeeded and Plover Cove became the world's first 'reservoir-in-the-sea'.