Hike down the mountain.
Lantau is a huge island near the Airport. It is largely undeveloped compared to the rest of Hong Kong and is a hikers paradise for many. A friend of mine lives there and I have had a chance to visit there a few times.
Today I decided I wanted to do a bit of a hike from the big Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery to the town of Tong Fuk. The hike is all downhill and took about 3 hours to do. This hike was a lot different from the ones I have been doing thus far. Most of the ones I have been doing have been done on paved roads and there have been a lot of amenities such as vending machines for drinks and such. On this hike, it was a bit rougher, with only a path and not paved and there were no vending machines along the way. I didn’t bring water or appropriate hiking gear so it was a bit tougher.
I started at the huge Buddha on the hill. It overlooks the mountain and is near Lantau Peak, the highest point on the island and I think the highest peak in Hong Kong. The view along the hike was stunning. There was lots of green trees and a nice view of the ocean beyond. It was very hot out but the best thing was there were no people. In the whole 3 hours I encountered 2 people on the hike. I took my time and just enjoyed the atmosphere. It had been a stressful day and I wanted to be alone. I did send too many messages via the Whatsapp? messenger on my phone.
After the hike I was out of breath and too hot. I was sweating bricks. I took a bus to the local beach called Cheung Sha Beach.. I had brought my swim suit and jumped into the ocean for a couple of hours to swim around and enjoy the cooling sensation of the water too bad I didn’t bring a change of clothing or a towel. I will have to remember next time. I walked to a small Thai restaurant on the beach where a friend had taken me. The food was good but the view was spectacular. Such a great day.
Cheung Sha Beach