The Hong Kong Hike



When most people think of Hong Kong they visualize all the skyscrapers. However, Hong Kong is surrounded by green hills and has many well developed trails. We haven't done a lot of hiking because it is usually too darn hot, but the weather was perfect this Sunday afternoon so with hiking book in hand off we went to do a 12k hike around the South China Sea headlands not far from Sai Kung.



The Hong Kong idea of a trail means that the whole thing is a concrete walkway. The trail we chose took us to what is known as the most beautiful beach in Hong Kong. And it is a darn good thing they were right, because we had no idea what the concrete path was gonna be like.



The trail book did not give us elevation information. Nor did it include in the total distance the part of the trail that you had to cover to get to the trail described, nor the distance to get to a road to get a ride home. All total we walked 20k and only about 2k of that was flat. There rest included going up and down 3 crests about 800 to 1000 feet each.



Much of the hinterland of Hong Kong is inhabited by feral cattle. Going up one crest we shared the trail with this cow. I'm happy to report I was brave enough to pass the cow and beat her up the hill.



Once we got down to the beach and had been on a concrete trail for 10k, the trail crossed the beach and this stream. The stream crossing was on this decrepit single-plank bridge. Guess they ran out of concrete.

Long Lost Friend

Way way back the first year that Denis & I were married we lived in South Lake Tahoe and got to be friends with one of the gals I worked with Margaret. About three years later Margaret moved back to her home town of San Diego, CA and we only saw her once again a couple years after she moved. For the past 20 years Margaret has stayed on my Christmas card list, but we hadn't been in touch other than the annual exchange in cards until this year.

After getting this years card, Margaret sent me an email saying she had vacation time and would love to see Hong Kong. Within 4 days she had a ticket. What fun to be waiting at the airport to greet her after 20 years. We recognized each other immediately and had a great visit.

I think one of the things Margaret enjoyed most was trying the different cuisines. Here you see us at a Korean BBQ and at the "Family Bar," our favorite bar at the Intercontinental Hotel lobby lounge.

Even though the weather was foggy we decided to make the trek to the Biggest Buddha in the world that is here on Lantau Island. They just opened the world's longest cable car ride that takes you there.

Taking in the Culture in Phuket, Thailand

We wanted to make sure the kids didn't get bored with all the temples, museums and such so we whisked them off to Phuket, Thailand where our friend Roger from the UK had just bought a condo.

Thai massage was a hit during a day on the beach. A one hour massage was about $12usd. We spent an evening wandering Patong Beach where we were entertained by these lovely men. Yes men. And the girls built a temple of their own in Roger's rooftop pool. They called it the Beeramid.

Fun Wherever We Went

Our Hong Kong son, Louis joined in the family fun in a local Sai Kung bar. Louis worked with Denis at SML and is my go-to person when I get stuck communicating. Laine picked dinner out of the tank at the seafood restaurant.

All the Durgin's Do Hong Kong

Chaz made his first visit to Hong Kong along with Laine and friend Lindsey to start off 2007. Daily we took the sampan across the harbour. We had a beautiful day to take the tram up to the peak on Hong Kong island.