Hikes, more visitors, and a Passover Seder

Before we moved to HK, I thought we would be heading to a densely crowded, polluted metropolis with no green space except "The Peak".  What a wonderful surprise to discover that over 60% of the territory is national park - mountainous, green, less polluted, and full of hiking trails for all levels of exercise (yes, the other 40% is densely crowded and polluted, but full of character).

Jeff and I have tackled some of the easier trails - Lamma Island, Aberdeen Reservoir, and parts of the Wilson Trail.  I've also started joining the AWA adventure hikes (for those who like a real challenge).  Unfortunately, the AWA hikes are always scheduled on Wednesdays, when I have my English conversation volunteer commitment at King's College.  However, at the end of February, we had a break from tutoring, so I quickly registered for the biweekly hike.

That day, I donned my hiking boots and zip-off pants, and joined the hike up Sunset Peak (Tai Tung Shan) on Lantau.  I was a bit intimidated to start, since Kathy, our fearless leader, had grilled me the day before to make sure I was fit enough to climb. Of course I was the oldest in our group (Charlotte is 9 years younger!), but that didn't faze me - I managed to keep up with everyone, and stayed as close to the leaders as I possibly could.  We began the climb somewhere in the middle of Lantau Island.  Sunset is the second tallest peak on that island - 869 metres high.

There are 2,300 steep steps leading up to the top, where the 360 degree views are spectacular.  The hardest part of the hike was the descent, since the path was uneven, and I resolved to buy a walking stick for my future hikes.  The reward at the end of the 3.5 hour hike was lunch at Bahce, a yummy restaurant along the ferry pier in  Mui Wo.  One of those "pinch me" moments - I couldn't believe that I was in HK, had just completed one of the hardest climbs, and was sipping a lime soda in a Turkish restaurant by the beach!

On Sunday, April 3rd, Jeff and I hiked from Discovery Bay (DB) to Mui Wo with the Y girls.  DB is a residential community on Lantau Island that reminds me of Aventura Florida (minus the Mall!).  It is mainly an expat enclave, and caters to young families.  Rather too Western for my tastes, but I do see the appeal of the open spaces, no cars (only golf carts), and larger apartments/town houses.  We were a fairly diverse group - Sarah and Justin (and three-year-old Jemima and 6-month-old Olivia in the baby pouch), their Swiss friends (with two children of roughly the same age), Claire, Lindsey, Jeff and me.  Because of the little ones, we walked slowly, savouring the flowers, the views, and the scenery.

As soon as we left DB, we walked along the beach road - lots of garbage (flotsam from the harbour) had washed up along this beach.  We passed a ramshackle village where live-out Filipino domestics reside.  There were also organic vegetable gardens, and lots of papaya and banana trees.  Not sure how effective this makeshift scarecrow was!






As we started climbing away from the beach, we passed an historic relic - a British army jeep circa WWII!  I am still puzzling over a) why it is there and b) how it got there (although a jeep can climb up anything).  A few minutes later we reached the Trappist monastery - a quiet, shaded respite, where we stopped to wait for the little ones and their parents to catch up.  The welcome sign, Pax Intrantibus, means Peace To Those Who Enter.  Jeff is posing with Lindsey near the blue bridge entrance to the monastery.

Jeff and I were very impressed that Jemima, the three-year-old, walked the entire 6 kilometres without whining!  (A lesson for our grandson, Kyle, the notorious daycare whiner).  Baby Olivia slept the whole way, with one or two bottle stops to avoid dehydrations.  (She's pictured on the left with Sarah, her mom, and Claire).  In the photo on the right you can see the bottom part of the trail leading down to the water, with Mui Wo in the distance across the bay.

We met Lysette, David, and baby Tycho at Silvermine Beach in Mui Wo.  Our "Y girls" family has really grown in the short time we've all been here.  FYI - this is the group of women I met at the YWCA "at home" course in January 2010.  Since then, Lysette, Sarah, and Nesrine have all had babies, Lindsey has gotten married, and Nesrine and family have moved back to Oslo.  Our next milestones will be Monique's thirtieth birthday next week (best wishes Mo), and our new grandchild (due in three weeks - most probably on Uncle Andrew/Great Uncle Shelly's birthday, the 21st)

My good friend, Doug, arrived for a week's visit on April 9.  He had spent the previous three weeks in Cambodia, and was templed-out.  Since Doug has been to HK many times, we spent the week doing things that expats do.  On Sunday, Jeff, Doug, and I walked the Lamma trail (about 4 km), ending up at Yung Shue Wan, the main population centre on the island (6,000 inhabitants).  Doug couldn't resist wading in the South China Sea.  The next day (30C, no clouds), we walked through the zoo to HK Park, the teaware museum, and Wan Chai, stopping to meet my friend, Susan, for lunch.

We spent the following day at the Chi Lin Nunnery.  I hadn't been there since January, 2010 (blog Feb. 3, 2010).  There is piped-in chanting throughout the temples - really adds to the atmosphere!  No monks or nuns roaming around.  We had a decent (but unexciting) lunch at the Buddhist vegetarian restaurant on the grounds - a very popular spot.

Doug and I ferried to Macau.  We walked through the UNESCO heritage sites, and had the very best egg tarts on the main street near the ruins of St. Paul's.  Unfortunately, there were thousands of tourists (mainly from the Mainland) congesting the town.  We breathed a sigh of relief as we left the crowds and walked through quiet, historic streets on our way to the old Ah Mah temple.  The main stress of the otherwise interesting day was hailing a taxi to take us back to the ferry dock.  After waiting patiently on the sidewalk, we ended up running into the middle of the very busy road to wave down the only available cab.  Living in HK, I take the availability of taxis for granted.

The DB to Mui Wo walk has become one of my favourites.  Ursula, Doug, and I tackled it the day after Macau.  The day was very hot, and Ursula used her umbrella to keep the rays at bay.  Lunch at Bahce was our reward before taking the ferry back to Central.

Bill and Bill overlapped with Doug for one day.  Jeff asked if I was planning a library convention, since Doug, Bill, and I are all members of that noble profession!  The Bills arrived at our apartment at 6:30 a.m.  No rest for the weary!  We shlepped them through Central, Sheung Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Park, and the flower and bird markets, before they started looking cross-eyed with fatigue!  After their naps, we took the gang to Wan Chai for a good Thai meal, and then walked all the way home, checking out the night scene in Soho.

I'm always discovering something new - on Sunday, after Doug left for the airport and Jeff headed to the office to catch up on paperwork, the Bills and I took the bus to Stanley.  We discovered a newly opened walkway leading to the Pak Tin temple, and wonderful views of the water!  Bill looked very professional lying on the rocks with his camera - I wonder how his photos turned out!  We had a good walk, and made it back to Central just before the storm (amber alert) hit!

This year's Passover seder was a disappointment.  It was held at the same beautiful venue as last year (blog, Mar. 30, 2010), but somehow it didn't gel.  We really missed Hanora and Ed, the New York friends we made at last year's event (they returned to Manhattan in February).  Our table was great - Joan and Ronnie, Barbara, and five others, but unfortunately, the children were running wild and screaming throughout the seder and the meal.  Speaking of the meal ... it was absolutely awful.  The chicken soup was clear water with some herbs, the matzoh balls tasted and looked like they were made of buckwheat, the gefilte fish had the texture of crushed bones, the chicken was overcooked with no salt and pepper whatsoever, and the dessert tasted three-days-old.  Oy vey!  I got bored midway through the Haggadah, and started taking "still life" photos:

Jeff reminisced how his grandmother used to keep live fish in their bathtub in preparation for making the gefilte fish.  None of us believed him, so midway through the meal he called his mother in Montreal to confirm his memories!  Ah, the good old days.
I've decided that if we are here for Passover next year, I will try to make my own seder.  If Ellen can find a brisket in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan, then I should be able to get all of the necessary ingredients (or reasonable facsimiles) in HK.

Thought I'd end this blog the way it began - with my second AWA adventure hike (Wed., Apr. 27).  We ferried to Mui Wo and climbed and climbed (up and down) for 2.5 hours until we reached Pui O.  I met two other Canadians (from Oakville and Calgary), a few Americans, and a (very lucky) couple who split their year between HK and Davos, Switzerland.  Although the hike wasn't as strenuous as Sunset Peak, I found it harder because of the 30 degree weather.  I did remember to coat myself with 45 sunblock, and also with bug repellent.

While waiting for the bus in Pui O, one of the wild water buffalo moseyed across the main street.  These animals are harmless and non-agressive.  However, a few weeks ago, a group of kids was taunting one of the herd, and the buffalo attacked a man who was passing by.  The HK police responded by killing three of the animals.  (The article in the paper didn't say if the mischievous boys were punished.)



AWA hiking season is now officially over until the fall.  Time for us all to slow down in the heat, and to enjoy the beaches.