Hike to Sheung Yiu with Senior Couples

Today was a gray, foggy, cool day. Perfect for a day out with the couples. We left early, this was a three bus ride day. And to start the day off right, the #671 bus passed us about a half block away from the stop. Even a large group of running American’s was not enough to get the driver to stop, and so we waited for the next bus. We rode to Diamond Hill which is always a nice ride. There we caught another bus to Sai Kung, where we caught another bus out to the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum and Nature Trail.

Left to right - Jacksons, Gibbons, Smiths, Halversens, Woolseys, Eriksons and Benchs

There were 14 of us today. We stopped at the visitors center of the country park and there in the round about in the middle of the road was 3 water buffaloes, a big bull with about 10 inch long horns, and a mother with a calf. They just lounged in the grass of this small round about, and the calf was cute, it jumped and frisked, but never left it’s mothers side.

Elder Smith taking photos

We viewed a movie about the area before we walked down the trail to the Folk Museum which is a small village which was abandoned in the 1960's and has been restored and now houses traditional Hakka furniture and farming implements. It was quite fun to see how they lived, they had a room for their cattle, and a pig pen right next to their homes. One interesting feature was the hole in the wall to allow their cats and dogs to enter and exit at night. An old village with a very up-to-date idea - doggie doors!

Furniture in museum

They even had dishes in their built in cupboards in the wall, and an old steamer that they did all their cooking in, and lots of old farm implements and jars. One jar had a three inch wide lip running around the top and the opening was in the center. Seems they filled the lip with water to keep ants from getting into the jar. Pretty ingenious.

Shirl and her walking stick

We continued on to the "family walk" and hiked up and over the hill. The temperature was perfect for a hike in the woods. Then back to the visitors center and the beginning of our re-tracing our steps back.

As we headed to the visitors center a few of the slower ones spotted an "elephant ear" plant with huge leaves. Sister Bench stepped down the hill to pose before it for some photo’s. Posing just didn’t seem to be enough so she sat down in the middle of the plant and held onto the two leaf stocks. Next thing we knew she was tipping over backwards, feet over head. Since she has had back surgery not long ago we all forgot to take our pictures and jumped down to save her. But all we heard was her giggling, seems that those huge stocks had just slowly lowered her and she just rolled easily to the ground. No bang, no quick stop, no injury! By this time we were all giggling out of control. After helping her up her first words were, "don’t anyone tell my husband." Which of course Elder Gibbons couldn’t resist doing!

Sister Bench's favorite plant

We stopped in Sai Kung for a late lunch. With all the fresh fish choices, all 14 of us ended up at McDonald’s! So much for broadening our food horizons.

Then back home, where almost all of us hit the grocery stores to stock up for the Sabbath tomorrow.

Eriksons at McDonalds

Hike from Discovery Bay to Mui Wo

View down to Mui Wo

Our days out are counting down. Today we took the ferry over to Discovery Bay or Dbay as it says on the ferries. We walked up over the hill from the ferry terminal down to a smaller ferry terminal where the inter-island ferries come in. There is a trail there that leads up to the Trappist Monastery. Years ago the Trappist Monks had a dairy there and you can still find bottles of Trappist Monastery Milk, although the cows are long gone now, probably off living in a much more hospitable place. When I think of a dairy and milk cows I think of beautiful lush green pastures, not steep semi-tropical islands. But I guess it worked for they sold milk for many years.

View of coastal area along the trail

It was a gradual climb with beautiful beach views around every turn in the trail. The monastery is reached by a very steep road, and along the trail is the wrecked body of a very ancient Landrover that they used to drive the milk down to their jetty to be shipped out.

Beautiful plants along the way

We walked on past the monastery and continued our gradual walk up hill. At one point we had a view looking down on the Discovery Bay Golf course, what a great place to play it is. Then all of a sudden you leave the trees and begin a serious climb to the top of a VERY steep hill. Finally, out of breath and a little wet around the collar we reached the top, with it’s great view of both the Discovery Bay side and the Mui Wo side.

Resting at Trappist jetty

After a short rest we started down the other side to Mui Wo. This side is much steeper and we were certainly glad that we were going down, not coming up (love those walking sticks). Stairs, stairs, and more stairs. The trail drops down to the beach on the opposite side from the Mui Wo Ferry terminal, and we walked around the circular bay, with it’s lovely beach and over into Mui Wo central. After a quick drink we caught the slow ferry back to Central and the end of our day out.

Another beautiful flower

Peng Chau Island

We are quickly running out of Saturdays to take all the hikes in Dew’s book. So today we tried one more. This was actually not a hike, but was island hopping. It was supposed to take the whole day, first stop - Peng Chau. After walking the tour route for an hour and waiting to catch the next ferry we soon decided that it was going to take ALL day, so we cut the hopping short. We next rode over to Mui Wo on Lantau Island and then caught the high speed ferry back to Central. By doing this we left out two of the islands and still we didn’t get home until after 3. It would have been a long day had we gone the whole route.

So after coming home and grabbing a bite to eat we decided to go to Stanley on a little last minute shopping trip. I have to admit that I am finally tired of shopping Stanley! Didn’t think I’d ever get to that point!

By the time we caught the bus back home it was getting dark, so we took the #6 bus back which goes up and over the mountain and not through the tunnel. The lights were spectacular!

Petunias in February

Bananas in February

Flowers in February

Looking from Peng Chau to Discovery Bay (Lantau)

Lion's Dance

At noon the Aki’s told us all that the police would be having their big shindig today. So we all went over, and were greeted as honored guests. As the police chief told me when I said, "do you mind if we crash your party?" He said, "heaven’s no, we are after all neighbors."

They had three lions and a dragon. But they were a little shorter this year than last, but still very entertaining. My favorite part this year had to be when they "ate" lettuce, and spit it out over the guests. They do put on a good show.

Dragon's Back with Sisters

Last weeks hike on the Dragon’s Back trail was such a success that it was decided to do it again, only this time with wives. And so at 9am we started out, walking sticks in hand. And speaking of walking sticks you have never seen a group with more, we all had one, except Sister Gibbons, and this will be a real test of them.

Group on Dragon's Back - left to right, Jacksons, Benches, Newells, Woolseys and Gibbons

We rode the MTR out to Shek E Wan and then caught a bus for the rest of the ride. The bus chugged up a steep hill and I thought, "un oh, we are in trouble, even the bus is having a hard time." We got off right at the trail and off we went. It was a nice trail, stairs and then a flat spot, then more uphill stairs, then a flat spot, nothing we couldn’t manage.

Lunch at Big Wave Beach

And as promised the views were amazing. And there was a cool breeze. In fact we all were amazed that it’s the first week of February and we were out hiking and working up a sweat. Unbelievably wonderful weather. Winter is the best time to visit Hong Kong.

Watching Surfers at Big Wave

We reached the top and then down the other side. At one point we came to a road and you can go down to Shek E Wan or down to Big Wave Beach. We went to Big Wave and it looked like paradise as we came down into the beach. White sand and blue water with big waves. In fact there were a lot of surfers there.
There is a little café right on the beach that had outside seating and ... Ta da...English fish and chips. Good, greasy, wonderful fish and chips. And there we had lunch. Then we spent sometime enjoying the beach and just enjoying the lovely day.

We caught the bus over to Shek O and the beach on the other side of the mountain. It also was lovely. Most of the couples took the bus on home, but the Bench’s and Jackson’s took a short trip through Shek O. There is a beautiful golf course there and as we walked down to take pictures of the beautiful bridges there several hang gliders drifted down and landed. They came too fast and before we had a chance to take pictures, but they were beautiful.

Then the bus ride home. We had to get a few groceries and now it’s just an evening to kick back and relax. And by the way the walking sticks were a hit. They made walking much easier and we are all sold on them!!!