Showing posts with label AWA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AWA. Show all posts

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Hiking: Tai Tam Country Trail

A couple of weeks ago I went with the AWA hiking group to hike Tai Tam Country Trail on Hong Kong Island. This 6km loop is a good hike for beginners looking to jump into trails that are a little more challenging and it also combines nature with Hong Kong history.


The good news is that the most challenging part, climbing 436 meters to Violet Hill, is in the beginning of the hike. Once you get to the top you can celebrate a little knowing the hard part is out of the way.


It was an overcast day, but we could still see down into Deep Water Bay and out to Lamma Island.


The second part of the hike merges into Wong Nai Chung Gap Trail, one of Hong Kong's battlefield trails. Along this trail you will see remnants of the battle between Hong Kong and Japan in 1941.

There are nine stations marking the 18 day battle that ended when the British surrendered on Christmas Day. At each station you will find information boards describing the battlefield relics that have survived: battery, pillboxes, underground bunkers and anti-aircraft positions.


This part of the hike also connects to part of Sir Cecil's Ride, namesake of British colonial administrator who served as Hong Kong Govenor,  Cecil Clementi  ---> I think it was his favorite place to walk with his wife (there is another section called Lady Clementi's Ride).


I saw my first porcupine in the catchwater (that had sadly met its demise). Even though I've walked hundreds on kilometers on the trails, through country parks and up and down mountains, I still forget that wild animals do exist in Hong Kong. The East Asian Porcupine is one of them. I have to say, I'm glad that they are nocturnal and prefer to avoid the urban areas, usually.


At the end of the our loop hike, we caught bus #6 to Three Pacific Place for a rooftop lunch at Beef and Liberty.



Other easy to medium hikes on Hong Kong Island:


What wild animals have you seen on your outdoor activities?





Sunday, November 26, 2017

Weekly Wrap - Independent and Keeping Busy

For some reason it has been almost a month since I wrote a Weekly Wrap post and linked up with Tricia and Holly. Wow! I've either been super busy or super lazy. Honestly, it's been a little of both. mrC has been on a trip for about ten days now and my I can do it on my own attitude is faltering.

I actually learned that there is a term for this situation in the expat community: orphan spouse. It refers to spouses that spend a large chunk of time apart thus creating a living separate lives feeling. Yes, we have friends/coworkers to fill the void, but it is not the same as having your spouse there to share the day-to-day stuff. Thank goodness it is temporary and mrC only has these longer trips once in a while.

A big part of my survival when he's out of town is to keep busy. Besides all the normal day-to-day stuff that needs to get done, I try to wear myself out with as much fitness as I can. That way I'm too tired to start feeling sorry for myself (this works most of the time).

Monday - AWA hike and rooftop lunch at Beef and Liberty ---> this will be a great place to take the kids when they visit next month.


Tuesday - REST day. My new exercise bands came and I'm super excited to use them.


Wednesday - I went to a NGO Workshop at the AWA office to learn more about what the American Women's Association does and then ran some errands.


Thursday - My very own Turkey Day 5k and GRIT class


Friday - I finally made it back to Bodystep class after about a month of conflicts on the calendar.


Saturday - More GRIT ---> this class is so challenging but that is why I love it.


Sunday - Walk to plaza for some shopping. After three fitness classes in three days plus running a 5K, my body was ready for a rest. I did some foam rolling and stretches, but really gave my muscles a day off.

And just like that, another week is done!

Don't forget to check out the Weekly Wrap link up with Tricia and Holly.


Friday, November 10, 2017

Hiking: Lantau Trail Stages 3 and 4 (Lantau Peak)

It was time to cross more Lantau Trail sections off my to-do list and this time it was going to be some hard hiking.


My most recent hike on the Lantau Trail (stages 9 & 10) was long but easy. No real climbing involved. My very first hike (stages 1 & 2) was a mix ---> one stage involved climbing Sunset Peak, the second highest peak in Hong Kong, but the other was an easy walk.

I wasn't sure if I was ready for stages 3 & 4, but I also knew I would suffer from FOMO if I didn't go for it. I hadn't done a hard hike in a few months, so I didn't know how my body would react. It's a lot like returning to the long run: you have a solid base, but it's been awhile since you upped the mileage.

Anyway, I went for it and here's what happened:

1) There were three solid climbs. THREE. Every time I looked up, I thought we only have a little more to go, it's straight UP, but we're almost there. Then another climb would appear. Actually, having the 600 meter climb from Pak Kung Au broken into parts like that gave us built in walking breaks along the way.



2) I stood on the second highest peak (934 meters or 3064 feet) in Hong Kong, Lantau Peak. The views from the top are just breathtaking. Even the overcast, slightly hazy day didn't take away the magnificence of what my eyes could see.


And behind us, was Sunset Peak (the third highest peak in Hong Kong) on stage 2 of Lantau Trail. Been there, done that, I thought to myself. I could also see the airport from the top, so I texted mrC since he was there doing some database work in the airplane.


3) Making our way down toward Ngong Ping and the end of stage 3 was easier on the quads, but harder on the knees. The challenge is that the man-made rock steps are not the same distance apart. As we got further down the mountain, we started passing large groups of hikers making their way up from the other side (the harder side if you ask me).


The archway marks the end of stage 3.


4) At the start of stage 4 is the Wisdom Path (right past the large archway). 38 wooden columns line a path forming the symbol for infinity. Each column is inscribed with a verse from the Heart Sutra prayer. We took a short rest/snack break here.



The trail continues to Ngong Ping cultural village where the Tian Tan Buddha Statue sits. The village was crowded with visitors, which is probably why we found a lone buffalo hiding out in a quiet spot. I don't know why these big creatures fascinate me, but they do.



The rest of stage 4 has been diverted a couple of times by landslides, so the end of the hike is simply following Ngong Ping Road to Sham Wan Road. Nothing picture worthy from there, so here's one of the group that stood on Lantau Peak that day.



This post is part of the Friday Five 2.0 link up with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel. Head over to check out some more awesome posts.


If you're a hiker, what is the highest peak you've climbed? I think my highest peak is Mt. Batur in Bali.



Thursday, November 9, 2017

My Dragon Boat Paddling Lesson

Dragon boat racing is a big deal in Hong Kong.

When we first moved to China, we learned (and celebrated) about the traditional Chinese holiday - Dragon Boat Festival ---> commemorates the drowning of Chinese poet Qu Yuan, who, according to popular legend, drowned himself in Hunan province 2,000 years ago in protest to what he saw as corrupt rule. As local residents rushed to rescue him, they loudly beat drums and threw dumplings in the river to drive away hungry fish. Eventually, dragon boat racing, with its pounding of drums and flurry of paddles, became a traditional activity on this day.

Then after moving to Hong Kong, we saw dragon boat racing for the first time in Discovery Bay.

Last weekend mrC and I tried dragon boat paddling for ourselves. We attended a Dragon Boat Fun Day (Spousal Edition) hosted by the American Women's Association's Dragon Boat Team.


First I have to say, that I love the passion that these ladies have for dragon boating. Their energy was definitely contagious and set the tone for a great event.

The event was held at Stanley Beach (on the south side on Hong Kong Island) where the team holds practices. After a brief explanation, we were handed paddles, divided up into three boats and pushed out onto the water.


The first part of our lesson, was learning the proper paddling technique. It didn't take long for the amateurs to get wet during this part!


After some paddling practice, we had some fun races against the other boats. The race went like this: everyone would paddle a set number of strokes (say 50) and the winner was the boat who went the farthest.


We had a ton of fun learning how to paddle dragon boats. It's too bad that Stanley Beach is such a long haul from Discovery Bay. I think it would take me longer to get there, than the length of the practice sessions!

After the paddling session, about half of the people in the top photo walked to Stanley Market for a little Mexican food and post-paddling drinks. It was a great night!

Have you ever gone dragon boat paddling or watched a dragon boat race?


Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Hiking: South Lantau Country Trail (Pak Kung Au to Mui Wo)

I love seeing waterfalls on the hiking trail. I read somewhere that the South Lantau Country Trail is known for its waterfalls. I didn't think much about the weather going into the hike, but we hadn't had a lot of rain lately. That made finding good waterfalls a little harder, but I did find some. Small ones.




I didn't have to search for the sea views. They were plentiful and gorgeous as always. I don't think I'll ever get tired of views like this.


The hiking part was relatively easy. The trail was a combo of dirt and rocks ---> meaning you have to pay attention. There weren't any big climbs but there were some spots where it felt like we were doing a bit of light bouldering.



We took a little snack break at Nam Shan (there are also toilets). Then we picked up the Lantau Trail (stage 1) and followed it (backwards) to Mui Wo. It was only about 2.5 more kilometers into the village. We had a large group, but the The Kitchen was able to accommodate us for a shared lunch.


Getting there: I took the DB01R bus from Discovery Bay to Tung Chung where I met the AWA group at Starbucks. We caught a bus (3M, 23 or 11) to Pak Kung Au where we jumped on the trail.

Want more Lantau Island hikes?



What do you like to see when you're out the trail?



Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Kaiping, China: Two Days Exploring Diaolous

Throughout the year (September to June), the American Women's Association plans and offers several trips to Asian destinations. For my first AWA Asian Tour, I traveled to Kaiping, China to spend two days exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Diaolous.


Getting to Kaiping:

We took a bus from Sheung Wan to Shenzhen Bay border crossing. After passing through Hong Kong and China immigration, we boarded another bus for the long journey (4 hours) to Kaiping. At the Kaiping bus station, we transferred to hired vans for our trip.

Background:

Diaolous are multi-story residences built by returning wealthy merchants at the turn of the 20th Century that rise high above the traditional low-rise Chinese landscape. They were built to protect the wealthy owners from attacks by bandits. The exterior design of the homes reflect a distinctly western influence while (almost) everything on the inside is traditional Chinese.

We visited three diaolou clusters (or villages), each one becoming more upscale than the last. The diaolous themselves are all very similar: multi-storied so that multiple family members could live there, each floor basically set up for each family (parents on the main floor, first wife and children on the second floor, etc...), rooftops served as lookouts.

Majianglong Diaolou Cluster: 

We learned about watch towers here - built to protect the village from approaching bandits with holes for guns, pouring hot water or stabbing with large knives. Residents shared the duty of looking out for the village.

Our tour guide, Stanley

We saw many low rise buildings before actually seeing the first Diaolou. Many of these are still lived in and a couple have been converted into small restaurants.


Each Diaolou that we visited was uniquely different both outside and inside. The wealthier the owner the more levels and more elaborate the architecture.


We were able to walk through some of the diaolous (some are still owned by the descendants of the original owners). Most of the furniture we saw in this cluster was pretty simple and very typical Chinese.


Pictures of owners and descendants filled the walls. It is very hard to tell, but the images below are hand drawn.


The diaolous in this cluster were separated by bamboo forest which was absolutely stunning to walk through.


Mountains and rice fields made a beautiful backdrop to the Majianlong Diaolou cluster.


Accommodations: Country Garden Jade Bay Phoenix Hotel, Kaiping

We arrived in the night (and I was suffering from major motion sickness after traveling in the van), so to wake up to this view was quite surprising after spending the previous day in very rural areas. This hotel felt straight out of Las Vegas - everything was large, splendid, and over-the-top. The breakfast buffet was typical Chinese spread and the coffee was very good.


*Our original accommodations were changed because the government effectively closed old town Chikan where we were supposed to stay (this is common in China - when the government decides to do an overhaul, the local residents are offered a relocation deal with the opportunity to return when the renovation of the town is compete).

Zili Village Diaolou Cluster:

There was an instant notable difference to the diaolous we had seen at Majianglong. After crossing some wooden bridges and stopping for a quick coffee at a little cafe, we reached the towers.



The furniture inside was more ornate with grandiose details.


The rooftop terraces were also grand with large pavilions on the top and plenty of space to enjoy the 360 degree views.


The village and diaolou properties felt like a park. There were ponds with geese and many places to sit and enjoy the beauty of the countryside.




There were many locals working on the rice harvest.


Jinjangli Diaolou Cluster:

The entrance to this village felt like we were entering a walled fortress.



After browsing a small museum, we walked through the tight alleys of the village to reach the featured diaolou: Ruishilou. At nine-stories, this was the tallest diaolou that we visited.



Inside, the furniture was yet another bar above the previous houses. It wasn't flashy, but definitely more substantial.


We saw windows with glass panes for the first time, although there were still bars on the windows. To open, the glass panes slid left or right like a barn door.


The top of this tower was very ornamental, but not open like the towers with pavilions. The top floors had more covered common areas with watchtower features on the outside.


We stopped quickly to view Zhongjianlou and Bianchouzhulou, China's leaning tower of Pisa!


A special treat was having lunch in a diaolou turned into a restaurant, AMO's ---> and it was the best Chinese food I've had. After lunch the owner gave a grand tour. I highly recommend this spot for a meal if you are touring the Diaolous in Kaiping.




Our last stop was to Chikan Old Town, built on a river. This is where we were supposed to have accommodations before the government closed it down.


Normally Chikan would be bustling with markets, but we only saw buildings deserted and barricaded with bamboo scaffolding. Even the pedestrian bridge was closed.



Despite being closed, we were still able to meet some of the locals who still come and set up tables to sell their homemade food. I bought some peanut brittle that was so delicious.



Chikan Old Town is so historically picturesque that it has often been the set of many movies. Part of the town was officially turned into Chikan Studio City and it's nickname became Chikan Movie Town.



My visit to Kaiping was just what I expected: historical, authentic and educational, but most of all fun (well, minus the van sick part). Now that I'm getting the hang of the AWA website, I'm looking forward to signing up for more trips.



Have you ever been to a UNESCO site?



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