Thank you, Asia "Just walking the Dog. . . in Hong Kong" (rewarmed) (29 days until Green Bay)

Almost five years ago to the day, I posted this blog about my hikes with Rigby.  Rigby now has a new home and is not 6 but 11 years old.  The sentiments expressed here about these places remain unchanged. 

 In Hong Kong there are a few places I can walk our dog Rigby.  The most frequent route is a 25-30 minute walk around Red Hill Peninsula, a one-mile road that is one big circle.  The sidewalks shift from narrow to wide and the view shifts from sloped and maintained mountain, to beautiful distant mountains with inlet ocean water dotted with bobbing yachts, to 20 story blond brick apartments with a view of the mountains and water where some colleagues live, to 5 story pastel condos that cost $10,000 per month to rent, minimum.  On this route we meet many other dogs being walked on leash by their owner's helpers, mostly Philippina women who are likely to greet us "Hello, Mum."  The dogs range in size from golden retriever to jack russell and are either guided to the opposite side or take a moment to sniff each other in choice areas.  The women pick up droppings with newspaper and put it in the bins along the road designated specifically for dog poo.  Rigby, a milk-chocolate chow mongrel rescued from Hong Kong Dog Rescue, walks with a spring in his 6 year-old step and sniffs as often as I will let him.  He likes to back up against the slope on grassy areas to do his business.  Depending on the time of year we may come home wet from the humidity even though the route is leisurely.

Another, and even more breath-taking route I like to take, but less often, goes down to Tai Tam village.  First Rigby and I take the elevator from 7th to the 5th floor exit of our building, then down a series of four flights of stairs past the middle school campus, the track, the landscaped flowers, and the guard off of the grounds.  From there we wind down a paved country-road until we reach the water's edge.  This is a bay off of the ocean.  It is dotted with yachts to fishing boats floating equidistance from one another on the dark blue, quiet water.  We go left on the road with the sea inlet on our right and jungle underbrush and trees and a bit of trash on our left.  After a few more minutes we will hit the edge of Tai Tam village.  When I am alone I like to walk through the village and look at the gardens, the banana trees, the stone homes stacked up into the hillside with cemented in windows on the street level and signs of interesting water sports gear like kayaks and paddle boards.  But when I'm with Rigby we turn back here because there are a few street dogs that are quite territorial and Rigby is afraid of them.  They bark too loud and tend to growl or follow you, making you uncomfortable.

A third route is to take Country Road Park. This is the most beautiful of all.  This one begins just a few minutes past the middle school guarded gate where the guard always smiles and says hello.  We walk up an incline past drivers in Mercedes and Cadillac vans waiting for school kids when the day is done.  They are parked all along and on the sidewalk so that we are forced to walk on the road instead.  After crossing busy Tai Tam Road we reach the entrance of the Park.  Here there is a waterfall on the left, (really it's the run-off from rain and mountain water cascading down a cement stair from the catchment above).  On the right there is an amazing view of a 100 year old one-and-a-half lane bridge straddling a freshwater reservoir which begins where we are and ends below a dam just on the other side of Tai Tam village.  The reservoir reminds me of a Wisconsin lake, except because it is a reservoir the capacity ebbs and flows with seasonal rain and runoff and there are humans allows on or in the water.  Recently, with all the rain, the reservoir is filling again, so there is maybe only one meter of exposed red clay sloped beneath the jungle trees which line the water and seem to go on forever, turning into misty mountains stacked on top one another.    On a very ambitious day, Rigby and I could walk all the way over the mountain and into the city of Hong Kong.  The entire route would be paved black and wide and we would see dozens of people along the way making the long trek up or down the mountain.  But usually we just walk one hour; this takes us past three different BBQ picnic areas, over several bridges with the view of the pristine reservoir, and through the tree-lined, spider infested jungle.  Here large dogs are usually off leash, well-behaved as they greet each other and Rigby.  Singles, couples, families, expats, Cantonese, Chinese all come here to enjoy the walk, the hike, the picnic spots, or the view.  We might run into a bride and groom on a wedding shoot.  If we are ambitious there are many off-shoot trails we could take, some paved, some not.

Finally, there is the catchment trail.  This is a trail that takes about 5 minutes to reach.  It's entrance lies across Tai Tam Road just past our public bus stop.  One must climb up like a child (and on the return, jump down) to get to the long narrow stairs which take you to the catchment.  Turn left and you will eventually arrive at Stanley, our nearest town.  Turn right, and you will reach a stair leading down to Country Road Park and next to that waterfall I spoke of.  The catchment is a concrete ditch designed to catch the water run-off from the mountain.  Along one side is the sloped mountain rising twice to three times as high as the Southwestern hills of Wisconsin.  On the other side the concrete continues as a narrow sidewalk meant for repair workers to easily reach the catchment.  We use it to walk.  The views are beautiful up there.  At points the view overlooks the ocean and our nearby local Turtle Cove beach.  At points it overlooks the school and nearby Red Hill Plaza.  At points all you see is bushes, trees, flowers, butterflies, and huge spiders pressing in on you.  Much of the time there are metal railings, sometimes there are not.  Such a trail is perfect for letting your dog off leash to sniff and walk or trot as he pleases.  Here we spend about 30 minutes walking and enjoying the smells and the view, but NOT the spiderwebs that invisibly crisscross the trail and which cling to my arms and legs as I pass by.

Photos by © Brenda Brayko. All rights reserved. 

Thank you, Asia "Sai Kung Adventure" (36 days until Wisconsin)

 Yesterday I checked off another bucket list item, hiking in Sai Kung.  It was a lovely adventure!  I was invited by Kylie whose wife Jo was our guide.  Tanya, a friend of theirs joined us.  We were a happy hiking group of 4.  From Sai Kung we took a taxi to Sai Kung Country Park entrance and then drove another 20 minutes out toward the Hong Kong UNESCO Geopark (East Sai Kung Country Park)>   On the way to our drop off we drove across a long bridge that spans High Island Reservoir  (similar to the one in Tai Tam) so that you are flanked on both sides by beautiful water.  From our drop off it was an easy 15 minute walk to a little hidden village - Pak Lap - with stucco brightly painted, a lavender and sunflower patch, and long stretch of grass.  

Everything seems geared toward weddings to be held in this area.  Just a short walk away and we arrived at a hidden beach where you can rent tents and anything you need for overnight camping.  Restroom nearby.  From there we headed up through scrub brush and on packed clay until we hit the rocks.  The whole time we chatted away, enjoying the high 70s and overcast day - not nearly as unbearable for hiking as it could be this time of year.

  Then you come to the rocks - brown, jagged, deeply lined rocks to walk across, climb up or down upon while you see the magnificent view of the South China Sea and the outlaying islands.  The color of the water is simply an amazing deep aqua blue.  And as the tide was coming in, the waves were crashing quite heavily upon the shore line rock.  We hiked to a high spot to see everything we could.  

Then we hiked to a flat, high overlook of an inlet.  No railing and easily a 100 foot drop.  But I was brave and confident (moreso that usual with heights) and managed to sit and enjoy the water crashing in from the bird's eye view. Then later we clamoured down the face of a the mountain to get close enough to see a hidden cave.  

Later, we climbed up again to head back home the way we came, and the overcast clouds thinned so that we got to see the water under more direct sunlight, too.  A perfect adventure.

The evening, too, was quite lovely as friends gathered at Kylie's and Jo's for dinner on the patio.  

What a lovely, joyous memory to take from my time in Hong Kong. 

Photos by © Brenda Brayko. All rights reserved. 

Thank you, Asia series, "Hiking" (90 days left)

 Thank you, Asia series.  90 days left.  March 2, 2021

Hiking.  I guess when I was a kid we would hike out to our family's cabin.  Hike the trail from the road to Isbushka (about a 25 minute hike, if I am correct) - or later from the valley cabin Serendipidy up the hill to Isbushka. And from time to time as an adult I would hike a trail through a state park or two.  And as a dog owner I would walk Bucky and Roscoe through the woods or down a wooded lane, but it wasn't until moving to Korea that I really encountered "hiking" culture.  

Grandpa with the grandkids at Isbushka II.

Hiking in Korea always fascinated me.  The trails were somewhat steep because the mountains were higher than the hills in Wisconsin.  

The trails we hiked on were close by our apartment initiating with a steep staircase and then proceeding to wind up and down rocky, dry leafy, dirt trails.  You could easily walk thirty minutes on a trail to suddenly come across a "work out station".  

a workout station about 25 min from the trailhead

More workout equipment in the middle of nowhere

Inevitably there would be people working out in the middle of the woods and they were alway old!  For some reason the hiking culture in Korea appealed most to the grandmas and grandpas or the expats.  While one would find families with small children, it was rare to see teens hiking the trails there.

On the hike behind Ramien near Goodmorning Hill 

Another thing that fascinated me about Korea was the lack of wildlife when hiking - no squirrels or rabbits. Some butterflies but few insects accompanied us.  Oh, but Asian bees - you know, the murder bees that have now found their way to the US?  We had those. It seemed there were only a few species of birds, as well - magpies being rather populous.  

Hiking became a ritual for Brent and others of our staff at KIS; I joined in occasionally.  It could be gruelling but fun to hike for 1.5 - 4 hours with friends in Korea, always looking for the next good view and munching on energy balls during a break.

KIS hiking group.  Photo credit: Steve Katz

from the summit of Dragon's Back in HK

I was pleasantly surprised to find a hiking culture in Hong Kong, as well.  As a matter of fact, our hiking trails are even closer to home than they were in Korea.  

The catchment to Stanley from Tai Tam

There are no workout stations in the middle of the mountains here, but there are lots of people who hike, and once again, they seem to be the grandparents, families with small children and the expats.  Most weekends we hike somewhere for at least and hour as a family.  

Again, we enjoy finding the views.  

Brent (left) at The Peak overlooking Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong

And, we enjoy far more birdsong and always butterflies - lots of butterflies.  During the humid times of the year we must also endure the gigantic spiders along the trails, nearly as big as a female hand.  Strangely, this has actually helped me to conquer my arachnophobia.  

Giant Golden Orb spider.  Photo credit: Meaghan Odell

Hiking alone is meditative and glorious and something I do with regularity. 

Sunrise over Turtle Cove

Overlooking Turtle Cove, near our home

Rigby on the catchment to Stanley

Hiking alone at Tai Tam Country Park

 Hiking with friends is fun and communal - especially when a meal and a beer await at the other end!

Hiking with colleagues at Lamma Island, Hong Kong

Brent and I hiking at Po Toi Island, Hong Kong

If it is a holiday, you can be assured everyone will be out hiking.  This means the trails can be full of people.  During Covid-19 shutdowns the only activity left to do has been hiking, actually (no beaches or BBQs or playgrounds).  

I had considered myself a "walker" for decades.  After spending seven years out on the trails, I now almost consider myself a hiker, too.

Thank you, Asia, for the beautiful hikes and views.  What fun it has been. 

Brenda and Brent at the Peak overlooking Victoria Harbor, HK

Photo credits: © Brenda Brayko. All rights reserved.