Vignettes of the World
Po Toi Island is known locally as the “South Pole of Hong Kong.” For Po Toi Island is the southernmost inhabited island within Hong Kong’s waters. The History of Po Toi Island According to the Wikipedia, the Chinese word “po” means “floating,” and therefore the …
The trail of the day is a 5km walk on the Smugglers’ Ridge. I decided to head from the Kam Shan Country Park (also known as Golden Hill Country Park), then to Smugglers’ Ridge via the Smugglers’ Pass. I exited through the Shing Mun Reservoir. …
A busy schedule has prevented me from regular hiking during the first two months of 2022. I took some time from the busy schedule to walk the Pik Shan Path with a friend for a quick and easy stroll in Hong Kong Island.
The plan for the day was to have lunch close to the University of Hong Kong and then take a bus to the Pokfield Road Bus Terminus. There is a long flight of stairs right by the gas station there. It leads hikers onto the trail system of Pok Fu Lam. You can reach the Peak via these trails, as I have done so on a previous occasion.
Once you finish climbing these stairs, the heavy lifting is already over. Keep on going, and soon you will arrive at a crossroads. Take the path on your right and it is the Pik Shan Path. The path on the left, with stairs up further, will lead you up to Hatton Road and the Peak.
The path is well-paved throughout and it is quite nice.
The Pik Shan Path is very short and this walk will only take about an hour to an hour and a half. There is no climbing throughout, with the exception of some gentle stairs at the waterfall.
At this intersection right by the bridge, the path on your left leads you to the waterfall.
Photos Below: The Waterfalls along the Pik Shan Path
After visiting the waterfall, we headed back on Pik Shan Path. We walked on for maybe another ten minutes, until we reached the end of the path at Pok Fu Lam Road.
We decided to walk back the same way. Finally, to end this wonderful afternoon, we found a quaint coffee shop close to the University of Hong Kong for more chats.
Buses 970, 973, 37A, 91, 4, 40, 23, 103 etc stop at the Pokfield Road bus stop.
A review of the stage performance 100% Hong Kong is long overdue. We booked the tickets to the 100% Hong Kong show back in June for a showtime in late October. And it was worth the long wait. 100% Hong Kong was going to make …
It was due to the Covid-19 pandemic that Chestnut Writers had to take on a new direction for Chestnut Journal. When Chestnut Journal began its first chapter, we have meant this blog to be mostly about international travels. Although we did intend to write about …
The plan of the day was first a walk in Shek O’s Tai Tau Chau (also known as Urn Island), then head over to Big Wave Bay and ascend the Pottinger Peak via the Pottinger Peak Country Trail. The walk ended in Chai Wan, when I found my way (a long way) to the Chai Wan MTR station to go home. Because there are two distinct parts in this walk, I will discuss the Shek O part and the Big Wave Bay part separately.
The whole journey between Shek O and the northern entrance of Pottinger Peak Country Trail took me four and a half hours, excluding a half hour when I ate a snack at Ho Lok Store in Big Wave Bay.
The official name of Tai Tau Chau is the Shek O Headland Picnic Area. It is an islet off of the Shek O Headland, with rocky shores and all-around views of the seas and the hilly terrain in northeast Shek O.
Photos: Very gentle inclines of the paths in Tai Tau Chau (Urn Island)
It takes only about 20 minutes to walk from the Shek O bus stop to reach the islet. I spent about an hour walking leisurely on all the paths in the islet. I even sipped takeout coffee on a high point overlooking Ng Fun Chau (see below). The islet is indeed perfect for picnic.
Photos: A panoramic view of Shek O’s northeastern waters
I do not know why the Blue Bridge of Tai Tau Chau is known locally as the Lover’s Bridge. The descriptions on-site suggest that because the blue color (it does seems like baby blue) is romantic, and that the bridge is only wide enough for two people, it came to be known as the Lovers’ Bridge. In any event, the Blue Bridge is very photogenic, as it sets a bright human touch upon the nature-themed colors of Urn Island.
The Blue Bridge connects the Shek O Headland area to Tai Tau Chau. In 2018, super typhoon Mangkut destroyed the bridge. It was only finally and functionally restored in 2021. I am very glad that I get to visit Tai Tau Chau and walk through this bridge on this visit.
As I walked around the islet, I noticed beautiful rock formations everywhere. The rocks that make up Tai Tau Chau are granites. Granites are a kind of volcanic rock. Their formation begins with volcanic eruptions.
The lava cools slowly within the land, perhaps several kilometers beneath the surface. As such, granites belong to the category of igneous intrusive rocks. This is different from igneous extrusive rocks, which also originate from the cooling of lava. However, they cool on the surface of the land instead. Tuffs are an example of igneous extrusive rocks. The geology of the islands in the northeastern waters of Hong Kong provides the living sample of igneous extrusive rocks. Please see my entry on Chek Chau (Port Island).
Due to millions of years of landform changes and weathering, the granite that formed within the terrain became exposed, and therefore we are able to observe them now. The crevices on these granites are sometimes the result of the contractions in the cooling process. Some of them are the result of weathering after they became exposed on the terrain.
Because I did not observe the granites at Urn Island closely, I did not see a key feature of granite that perhaps only trained eyes can find. Quartz veins in milky white often line at the foundational sections of the granites. The transparent segments are the distinctive feature of quartz veins. When mined, they are what we know commonly as crystals.
According to an online source on Tai Tau Chau, the granites there are actually young even as Hong Kong rocks, with 140 million years behind them.
The power of wave erosion is evident throughout the islet. One observable phenomenon of wave erosion is the wave-cut platform. There are sections in Urn Island that show cliffs. They are formed when the sea waves continuously erode the granites on the coast. When the granites are chipped away, they fall and form a platform beneath.
Also of interest is the Ng Fun Chau of Shek O. At Shek O Beach, one can see another aspect of Ng Fun Chau clearly, but the view at Urn Island is more interesting. As you can see in the photograph on the right, the island shows a few sea-eroded fissures. It looks like a cut loaf of bread.
Photos: Ng Fun Chau viewed from Shek O Beach (left) and Tai Tau Chau (right).
The source I found online explains that the Ng Fun Chau used to be connected to the inland of Shek O. Years and years of sea erosion ended up splitting the landform from the inland.
It being a touristy spot, Shek O is no lacking in food choices. I have dined in three restaurants in Shek O and they are worthy of mention here. The first is the Happy Garden right by the beach. It serves wonderful Thai food in big portions.
A more humble noodle place is the Hung Kei Store, inside the Shek O Village. It serves wonderful soup noodles and we liked our roast duck noodles very much.
Across from Hung Kei is the Daphne, a higher-end establishment serving western style cuisine. We had coffee and tiramisu there after our sit-out at the beach.
Finally, on my way out via the Shek O Village, I noticed many pleasing views of the houses there. Shek O is just overall a very pleasant place to be.
Bus Route 9 goes from Shau Kei Wan to Shek O. You may also consider taking the red top minibus Shau Shek Line for the same. The minibus stop is across from the Shau Kei Wan Bus Terminus.
On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, Bus Route X9 runs between Central (Ferry Pier) and Shek O on a rather limited schedule. Please look up the schedule before you decide to take this route.
Once getting off at the bus stop, walk toward the roundabout and the Shek O Village is on your left. Make your way through in Shek O Village, and keep going to the very end of Shek O Headland Road. You will see a beautiful structure on your left. The stairs down will lead you to Tai Tau Chau.
Photos: Views at the end of Shek O Headland Road with stairs leading down to Tai Tau Chau
Historic descriptions on-site.
Shek O Tai Tau Chau (Chin), mediachinese.com, February 27, 2010.
Igenous Rocks, Geology.com.
What is Granite and How Is It Formed? Geologyin.com.
The plan of the day was first a walk in Shek O’s Tai Tau Chau (Urn Island), then head over to Big Wave Bay and ascend the Pottinger Peak via the Pottinger Peak Country Trail. The walk ended in Chai Wan, when I found my …
I have previously written on the Tai Fu Tai and Tung Shan Temple. Both are landmarks that stand testament to the Man’s history in San Tin, Yuen Long. Since there are more such heritage sites, I decided to visit San Tin again to seek out …
Tsing Yi lies on northwestern side of Hong Kong Island. It is an island just west of Kwai Tsing. I learned from a few sources on the internet that there are exceptional views of the Tsing Ma Bridge along a system of hiking trails in Tsing Yi. I decided to have a walk there.
However, the views turned out to be disappointing, though the hike itself was quite good.
There is a large system of hiking paths in the northwestern quarter of Tsing Yi. I think it will take all afternoon to walk them all. This day I spent two hours and forty-five minutes on this hike.
My walk proceeded as follows: Tsing Yi Nature Trail → Kwai Tsing Celebration of Reunification Education Trail → Pavilion 4 → Ching Hom Path → Pavilion 5 → Ching Hom Path → Pavilion 3 → Ching Hom Path → Ching Wan Path → Pavilion 2 → Pavilion 1 → Kwai Tsing Celebration of Reunification Health Trail → Tsing Shan Road West (the southern entrance of the Tsing Yi Nature Trail).
I entered the Tsing Yi Nature Trail on Liu To Road, right next to the Mount Haven bus stop. The very first bit of this trail was actually going down. Then on gentle incline I made my way to Pavilion 4. Afterwards I explored this system of trails. Having visited all five pavilions hoping for views, I walked to the end at Tsing Yi Road West.
I am very disappointed in reporting that of all the five pavilions that I took pains to visit and explore, only at Pavilions 5 and 1 were there the views of the Tsing Ma Bridge.
Photo: View of the Tsing Ma Bridge at Pavilion 5
Photo: View of the Tsing Ma Bridge at Pavilion 1
Besides the fact that these views were far from unobstructed, the weather of the day was also not favorable to photo-taking. Despite my best efforts and high hopes, these photos would have to do for this hike.
Photos: The pavilions on the trails.
However, I must note that this trail system in Tsing Yi is overall well-kept and very pleasant to hike in. The trails themselves are beautiful with tall pine and fir lining the sides. They are also well-paved throughout. I would say these trails are one of the most beautiful I have seen in Hong Kong. The following are some of the views on the trails.
There were quite a bit of stairs if you are to visit all five pavilions as I did. However, the flights were short each time and the hike was easy throughout.
The name Tsing Yi brings forth the sweet memory of a sea fish that my family used to make often for dinner when I was young. As its name suggests, the fish has green fin (“tsing” in Cantonese refers to a yellowish green color; “yi” in Cantonese means clothes). In fact, this fish might have been a reason why this area of Hong Kong is called Tsing Yi. They lived abundantly once, during the Qing Dynasty, in the waters of Tsing Yi.
Another explanation for Tsing Yi’s name is historical. The area was once a thriving trading port. Early inhabitants visited the Tsing Yi Port to trade textiles. The word “Tsing” is similar to the word “weighing” in Cantonese. And “yi” means clothes. As such, Tsing Yi might have acquired its name meaning “the weighing of clothes,” having roots in the textile trade of ancient times.
The beautiful suspension bridge, Tsing Ma Bridge, acquired its name from the two locations that the bridge connects: Tsing Yi and Ma Wan. It began services in 1997 and provides express throughway to the Hong Kong International Airport in Lantau Island.
Since the 1960s, the island had heavy industries and trading ports due to its favorable location at sea. There were oil depot and shipyards in Tsing Yi. Now, the heavy industries have moved to southern Tsing Yi. The northern quarter of Tsing Yi has developed into residential use.
The closest residential development to the northern entrances of the trails is Cheung Hang Estate. Look up buses that stop at Cheung Hang Estate. I took 42C and it has stops on Liu To Road.
Historical descriptions on-site.
Ki Lun Shan is quite a popular trail in my neighborhood. I have lived here for ten years and I finally mustered up enough courage to go. As it turned out, it did take some courage to take down this trail, which is along the …