Hiking pictures are here.
The brave ones:
Despite Francis’ deadly threat of stripping down to his underpants for a swim, an unbelievably large number of psychologically strong Trampers (close to 40!) joined today, putting utmost faith in the powers of the Shui Lo Chu waters to cleanse their minds of any lasting impression of that sight.
In fact, I was so overwhelmed by the large turnout that I even forgot the customary check of Lutz’s backpack for explosives (he is known to carry Yau Ma Tei batteries that explode randomly). Winnie who rarely shows up was present, Peter was there carrying a handmade Chinese fan to cope with the heat, Chris who joins about 2 hikes in a year showed up, Wendy joined us sporting a stylish new backpack, heeding Francis’ advice of showing up for hiking with a backpack and not with shopping bags.
How we got there:
Given our large number, we had to take two buses to Tai O; 23 including me in one bus with Ringo, our Senior Vice President for navigation leading us in this bus and about 17 in the other bus with navigation-in-chief Alex in charge of them. Destination was Sham Wat road.
After a nice long 1-hour bus ride to Sham Wat road, we started to climb our first and highest hill for the day – Keung Shaan in Man Cheung Po (550m). Given the scorching heat, the pace of the walk was expectedly slow – in fact, so slow that its pace could be compared to the progress of the ongoing Nina Wang court case.
The waterfalls:
Fast-forward to 2PM and we were ready for our descent to Shui Lo Chu waterfalls. Excitement was building up and cameras started clicking. The path down was so steep that it mandated intermittent rock climbing and boulder hopping.
I could hear Amanda shouting to me from somewhere behind – “[this time] I am behind you Vince!” Of course, she was playing safe after remembering an occasion back in history where I “allegedly” set off a boulder that gathered momentum, sped downhill and hit her legs causing her to collapse to the ground instantly (she hasn’t been able to produce proof of this incident since).
The weather surprisingly turned cloudy in the afternoon providing much needed relief from the stinging rays of the sun. We were all captivated by the sheer beauty of the waterfalls. The climb was well worth the effort and the scenery was an absolute treat to our senses. Several of us couldn’t resist taking a dip in the water and enjoy the natural massaging feeling of mineralized water hitting against our backs from an altitude.
The “aha” moment:
Regular readers should know by now that Francis is pretty popular for his hiking wear. In fact, I have suggested to him several times that he should start his own brand called ‘Nature Wear’ and I am sure his products would sell so fast that shopkeepers in Mong Kok and Wanchai would beg him to manufacture more. Take for example, his ‘khaki’ shirt, the 100% natural cloth for which was bought in India and carefully designed and stitched in the middle of a jungle in Burma by a gifted lady known to live up to 200 years. His hat is nothing short of a true masterpiece. Something I like to call ‘Flap Cap’ (trademark) because of its eerie resemblance to a kangaroo’s long ear tied to a made-in-Bhutan strap and worn along his forehead.
Today, when everyone was wearing the usual boring cotton shorts and conventional swimmers, Francis put on his Indian/Chinese collaboration Green shorts AND a red headscarf (made in India). In fact, Lisa who is already familiar with his idiosyncrasies was more surprised than usual which prompted her to ask a question..
“Why do you have to wear that???!!!” she asked puzzled and chuckling, referring to the headscarf.
All eyes were on Francis as he jumped into the water, enjoyed a swim and climbed out of the water. There was a slight problem though – his trademark Green colored made-by-some-old-lady-in-some-remote-location shorts evidently didn’t do the best job of retaining its opaqueness once it started to absorb water. In fact, it became translucent and even bordered on being transparent. And thus came the headscarf to his rescue. It doubled as a made-in-Malaysia sarong that he spontaneously wore around his shorts to guard his privacy.
The finish:
After soaking up the beauty of the waterfalls, we were off to a nice downhill trek to Tai O where we boarded a speed boat to Tung Chung. Catherine, who lives life to the fullest, grabbed a front row seat on this thrilling high-speed ride back to civilization.
We departed our own ways upon reaching the MTR station, marking the end to another great Tramping weekend adventure to sink into the beginning of yet another long workweek.
Thanks go to Alex, Ringo, Nerissa, Francis, Lisa for all help with navigation.
Also, I can finally tell where we have been, thanks to my state-of-the-art GPS receiver. You can see a map of the route taken today on http://techotek.com.
Tags:
Everyday life,
Hiking walk reports,
Tung Chung,
Waterfalls
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2009-06-07, Shui Lo Chu Pools
Written by Vince,
*excludes traveling time
Shui Lo Chu
Hong Kong is probably best known for its high end (and freezing) shopping malls but few would know that it is also home to some spectacular waterfalls.
We will meet at 10.30 am at Tung Chung MTR outside the turnstile near the exit with the big map.
We’re going to relish the refreshing feeling of taking a “natural” dip in one such captivating waterfall on Sunday (7th June 2009). Rich in minerals and carefully carved out by nature over several decades, it beats spa treatments at swanky hotels by far – and it’s free!
If you are a reasonably fit individual who has prior hiking and/or stream trekking experience, come join us at 10.30AM HKT in Tung Chung MTR station. Although getting to Shui Lo Chu isn’t easy, we’ll spend quite some time relaxing in the pools. The hike won’t be too hard.
Bring lunch, swimmers, a sense of adventure and a torch (just in case).
All usual disclaimers apply to all human beings joining – even if you are President Barack Obama or Feng Shui master Tony Chan. In fact, the disclaimers apply to cats and dogs too.
FAQs
Q: Vince, you are leading??? No way! You sure you know the !@#$% way??
A: Yes, I am leading. No, I don’t know the way. But, don’t worry – The Trampers’ navigation-in-chief will be there to guide us!
Q: So Mr. Leader, how do we get to Shu Lo Chu from Tung Chung?
A: You (like me) will find out on Sunday
Q: I don’t believe all this junk about waterfalls in Hong Kong. Show me proof.
A: Sure Sherlock. Here: http://www.techotek.com/Travel/Hiking/Hiking,%202008-05-25,%20Shui%20Lo%20Chu/index3.php
Q: I am a busy guy. I have a series of appointments lined up in the evening and want to take an early exit. Can I skip the pool and take an early exit?
A: That’s like touring Paris and skipping the Eifel tower. But sure, Mr. Busybody, there’s an early exit to somewhere (you’ll find out on Sunday
Q: If I join the hike but decide not to swim (I am shy), would people think less of me?
A: Grow up. You can do as you please. This is a democracy (I mean the Trampers, not China)
Q: I can’t swim! Is it safe for me to still join?
A: That makes two of us. Sure, there’ll be some heroes to rescue you even if you drown. Just be nice to everyone on the hike (especially good swimmers)
Q: I am not really interested in the hike. I just want to join to meet some girls. Good idea to join?
A: Why not. You may try your luck on Sunday
Q: I really, really, really want to ask you a question but it’s not listed here. What do I do?!
A: Calm down. You can call the hotline 8209 0517.
Disclaimer:- People join this walk and any other walks organised by me at their own risks. I shall not be held responsible in any way for any injury or death incurred or any loss or damage to personal property caused due to whatever causes including, but not limited to, negligence, neglect, errors of judgement and inadequate orientation skills on my part. The fact that you show up at the time and place on the day to join the walk is an implication that you have agreed to and accepted unconditionally this disclaimer.
Tags:
Everyday life,
Hiking in Hong Kong,
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Fantastic hike. Pictures here.
Warning: The geographical names and locations mentioned in this report may not be accurate. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ll probably get lost if you use this as reference to duplicate the hike!
16 of us met at 11AM in Tsuen Wan MTR station for an Alex-led hike that promised a spectacular view of the largest waterfalls in Hong Kong.
After the 10-minute wait period, we took off in our chauffeur-driven vehicles (they were called ‘taxis’) to the starting point of our walk – the Shing Mung Country Trail.
After plenty of socializing in the cabs, we got off at Shing Mung trail and discovered even better company – monkeys! Abundant feral monkeys were cleverly demonstrating their monkey-business in the tall trees that surrounded the trail. One of the cleverer monkeys desperately tried to drink some juice from a bottle with the cap still screwed on. Lisa passed by this monkey but cruelly refused to help him despite pleas from other Trampers. She soon learnt the hard way that failing to help a monkey is indeed bad karma. As she continued on the trail, much to her shock, a snake with a yellow head suddenly slithered across her path! In fact, later on, we learnt that the snake was poisonous!
The trail eventually led to a stream where we stopped for lunch. It was a scenic spot and we immersed our feet in the gentle stream to cool off. Ringo, Vivian and Alex took turns at attracting a dragonfly that flew around landing on different hands for a moment’s rest.
Eventually, we crossed Tai Mo Shaan to arrive at the highlight of the day – the highest waterfalls in Hong Kong. The scenery was absolutely spectacular. The water was quite cold but that didn’t stop us macho men (Ringo, Alex and yours truly) from taking a dip and enjoying a soothing water massage. It was a nice ‘acupuncture’ feeling – heavy water dropping intermittently on our backs from a height of over 50M! We did some muscle flexing for the cameras and also took our group picture here. (you should check it out – the backdrop is enthralling).
We departed at around 4PM along a slippery yet beautiful trail with remnants of many landslides from the past. The vegetation and greenery was a treat to the senses. We eventually reached Tai Po at around 5.30PM.
This was a fantastic hike and the waterfalls is certainly going to be a contender for the best scenic-spot award in Hong Kong. Do check out the pictures! Thank you, Alex, for leading it.
Tags:
Everyday life,
Hiking in Hong Kong,
Hiking walk reports,
Stream,
Tai Po,
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Pictures here.
Appointed by Donald Tsang himself (really!), we went to inspect the landslides in Lantau. Pretty messy! The waterfalls were stronger than ever and many trees had been uprooted by the June 7th record rainfall. Having reached Ngong Ping after a 20KM walk, we discovered that the road connection between that part of Lantau and the rest of Hong Kong had been cut because of the storm. So, we had to walk back from Ngong Ping to Tung Chung..
Landslide
Weird looking nest. Is this a honeycomb?
Taken near Lantau peak. Excellent visibility at times and looming clouds a little later
Tags:
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Hiking in Hong Kong,
Lantau,
Rain,
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Tags: Lantau, Rain, Tung Chung, Waterfalls