21/02/10 - A day trip to Guangzhou
We have been out and around exploring our extended neighbourhood. The first weekend after Chinese New Year saw us realise that we both sill had an outstanding entry remaining on our Chinese visas and that they would imminently expire if they weren't used. So we decided that we would pop up to Guangzhou for the day. There is a direct train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou which takes under 2 hours with expedite border formalities at each terminus which makes the trip feasible.
The journey from Hong Kong to Guangzhou takes you north through Kowloon and the New Territories of HK and into the mainland border city of Shenzhen. There is time to admire Shenzehn's skyscrapers, outlying factories (less admiration) and warehousing (even less) before the delta flatland of the Guangdong countryside opens around our progress.
We had travelled through Guangzhou on our way to HK back in November and headed for the legendary (to us, anyway) clay rice pot place for lunch but much to our disappointment it was closed so we consoled ourselves with some very tasty beef noodles (Cost of meal; £1.40)
Guangzhou is one of the most prosperous cities in China. The wealth being generated is reflected in the amount of building work in progress across the city. If you look up you will see multiple high-rise developments that will house future urbanites as they flow in from the rural Chinese interior. To see rapid urbanisation in action, a process that occurred in the West more than 100 years ago, is fascinating. The juxtaposition is at times stark with low-rise traditional Chinese housing and shops on one side of the road and 50 storey skyscrapers on the other.
28/02/10 - Lantau Island - Trapplist Monastery Hike
On a hot (27deg) and misty day (check out the patchy fog in the photo taken on the way to the ferry), we enjoyed a nice hike along the coast of Lantau Island from Discovery Bay to Silver Mine Bay. The journey took us past a Trappist monastery which stands high on the coast of Lantau overlooking the Western Harbour. Again, the views from the top of Tai Shui Hang (the mountain/big hill which boasts said monastery) should have been spectacular, but it was a misty day, as it seems to be regularly at the moment, so we just had to imagine!
27/02/10 - Kowloon Hike: Tseng Lan Shue to Sha Tin Pass
(Wilson Trail Stage 4 - 8.0km - 3hrs)
The previous day we took on stage 4 of the Wilson Trail. The Wilson trail in its entirety runs from the very South of Hong Kong Island to the North of the New Territories near the border with mainland China. The stage that we attempted is described as 'strenuous hiking' in our hiking in HK guide book. It is also described as 'extremely knackering' in my book. It was a good hike though, an atmospheric forested section at the start followed by a climb to the top of One Rise More.
06/03/10 - New Territories Hike: Pak Tam Au to Sai Sha
(MacLehose Trail Stage 3 - 10.2km - 4hrs)
Saturday has officially become hiking day for us. With hundreds of miles of trails criss-crossing Hong Kong's varied terrain there are many hikes from which to choose. Saturday is also mental in Hong Kong as seemingly all 7 million people decide to go shopping at the same time in pretty much the same place. So its nice to escape the throng on the Island and explore the beautiful countryside. This Saturday we took on Stage 3 of the MacLehose trail way out west in the New Territories. There were several climbs, the largest being 399m Kai Kung Shan, once again we were promised 360degree panoramic views of the Sai Kung countryside but the view disappeared into the mist half-way up the mountain. The views were still good and I think we saw about 6 people along the way...
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