Hiking is one of favorite activities in Hong Kong. I feel so accomplished when I can say that I climbed a couple of mountains before 9:30 a.m.! What I love more than that, however, is the comraderie of fellow hikers and escaping from ever-present noise of Hong Kong. I have yet to experience complete quiet anywhere other than on a hike (even our apartment is noisy with the air conditioners and dehumidifiers running). It's blissful to be without the noise and exhaust of buses and to have wide open space.On Friday mornings, I usually join a group of women to hike the Twin Peaks - two mountains with over 1200 stairs. Today the group couldn't get together, but I was able to recruit someone at the bus stop to go with hike me. (She was a stranger, but in HK that doesn't mean anything; you can ride an elevator with someone you've never seen before and wind up with dinner plans!)
We opted for the Violet Hill route instead of the Twins. It included just one mountain, but a ton of stairs. It was a hazy day, but I took a few photos along the way.
This photo looks back at the Twin Peaks. If you look carefully, you'll see a line that goes up the mountain-side - that's the trail and staircases.
A lovely view of the Tai Tam Reservoir:
Once over the peak of Violet Hill, there is a spectacular view of the city:
If you plan to visit, make sure to bring your hiking shoes. There are plenty of other hiking routes that don't include stairs or the peaks of mountains. It's a wonderful way to see Hong Kong from a different perspective.
Whoa, these almost make me dizzy! And look at you -- meeting a stranger on a bus and taking a hike! That's so cool!
ReplyDeleteNot that you weren't before, but you are going to be in incredible shape after all these hikes in the mountains. I have to say I a bit jealous. A friend of mine and I have been walking every morning but our scenery of suburban Lenexa doesn't quite compare.
ReplyDeleteKathleen