If Paradise Is Half As Nice

The bridge at Ham Tin Beach.

This was a week of catching up with friends and doing a bit of hiking.

On Wednesday we met up with Jason in the Arcadia in Causeway Bay, where we had some beers and some fish and chips, as well as catching up on all our news.

Peter and I in Arcadia with Jason.

On Thursday we went to Figo's with Michael and had their set lunch. I had mushroom soup to start, then roast chicken and chips, followed by cheesecake. Michael had soup, steak and coffee. Peter had his usual four cheeses pizza. Later we headed off to The Chippy for more drinks, because Peter likes the cider there.

In Figo's with Michael.

In The Chippy with Michael.

On Friday I decided to go for a hike. Ever since I have started researching things to do in Hong Kong, I have wanted to go to Tai Long Wan in Sai Kung. Tai Long Wan translates into English as Big Wave Bay and it consists of a series of four remote white sand beaches that look like they would be more at home on a remote Pacific island than in Hong Kong.

The reason it has taken me so long to visit them is that they are quite tricky to get to. It's possible to take a speed boat there from Sai Kung. I'm not sure if this is available daily or just in summer or even just at weekends. It's also expensive.

Then it's also possible to get a number 29 residents bus from outside the McDonald's in Sai Kung to Sai Wan Pavilion and hike to the beaches from there. However, this bus is very infrequent and doesn't run to a fixed timetable. It doesn't even leave from a marked stop.

That just leaves hiking, and even this is problematic. It's possible to hike to two of the beaches by doing The Maclehose Trail Section One and Section Two. However, these trails are 23.2 kilometres long and take around six and a half to seven hours to complete and even if I could walk that, which I very much doubt, it takes me over two hours to get to the starting point and I would probably end up hiking in the dark.

Well, I finally came up with a solution. I took public transport to the end of The Maclehose Trail Section Two, hiked six and a half kilometres to one of the beaches on the trail. From there I also walked to a second nearby beach which isn't on the trail and then I turned round and hiked all the way back to my starting point. Thus I walked around fourteen kilometres, which is a hell of a lot easier than walking twenty-three kilometres.

My journey to my starting point went surprisingly smoothly. I left home a bit before 8am, caught a bus to Sunny Bay Station, took the MTR to Diamond Hill which involves travelling on three different lines, caught the 9am 92 bus to Sai Kung and fortunately made the 10am 94 bus to Wong Shek Pier. This service only runs about once every forty minutes.

Scenery from the 94 bus.

Scenery from the 94 bus.

Scenery from the 94 bus.

I got off the bus at Pak Tam Au. This is located at the end of Maclehose Section Two and the start of Maclehose Section Three. From the bus-stop I crossed the road and walked for a couple of minutes in the same direction the bus was going until I reached a pavilion, toilets and the start of the trail.

Pak Tam Au at the end of stage two.

The Maclehose Trail.

The first distance marker I came to.

The trail began easily enough. It was all on a concrete path that wound its way through a forest and started off either flat or downhill. There was an occasional view through the trees. First of all I could see Wong Shek Pier and then some coastal scenery. At certain points on the trail I could see the almost conical summit of Sharp Peak - now there's a hard climb I will not be doing. A great thing about this part of the hike was that there were no stairs. This is rare for Hong Kong.

Scenery on the forest trail.

Scenery on the forest trail.

Scenery on the forest trail.

Looking towards Wong Shek Pier.

Looking towards Sharp Peak.

Coastal scenery.

Stairs off the path to a youth hostel, but no stairs on the path I followed.

After a short time, the trail passed by the ruined village of Chek Keng. I think a few people still live in this two hundred year old former Hakka village. Wikipedia says its only resident was an eighty-four year old woman in 2003, but it actually has a little cafe. I think it probably only opens at weekends, but I doubt it is run by a lone one hundred and five year old!!!! What I did not know is that this little village is home to the nineteenth century Holy Family Chapel. This dates from 1874 and I think it is a ruin too, but if I had heard of it, I would have tried to find it nonetheless. Apparently during the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong this chapel was used as the secret base of the Hong Kong-Kowloon Independent Battalion of the East River Guerrillas, which makes me want to visit it even more.

I wonder how it feels to be one of the last residents of a remote Hong Kong village. I'm always pleased to hear if any of these villages are being restored.

Chek Keng.

Chek Keng.

Chek Keng.

Chek Keng.

Chek Keng.

Chek Keng doorway.

Doorway.

Doorway.

Main street.

Cafe, Chek Keng.

Canoes by the cafe, Chek Keng.

Chek Keng has a little pier and for a while the trail wandered along the coastline. This was the most beautiful part of the trail prior to the beaches in my opinion and it was so peaceful here, too.

Chek Keng Pier.

Chek Keng Pier.

Chek Keng Pier.

The coast at Chek Keng.

The coast at Chek Keng.

The coast at Chek Keng.

Looking back at Chek Keng.

Jetty at Chek Keng.

Chek Keng.

After Chek Keng the path moves away from the coast and begins to climb. I was puffing and panting, feeling sorry for myself, until I was passed by some people who walked by me with massive packs on their backs, probably containing tents and sleeping bags and provisions. I thought if they can do it laden down, surely I must be able to do it, too. Actually it was not too bad, though, having said that, I wouldn't be able to do it in the height of summer.

Eventually I came to a resting place from which it was all downhill. I was mentally preparing myself for going through the opposite on the way back. There was a viewpoint from which I got my first glimpse of the beaches. I couldn't photograph it though as it was straight into the sun and the heat haze was very bad.

Resting area.

Eventually I came to another village called Tai Long Wan. This one still had quite a few occupied houses, plus there was a lot of building work going on, which is hopeful.

Tai Long Wan Village has existed for around two hundred and fifty years. The villagers here earned their living by fishing or farming. They grew mainly rice and sugarcane. According to Wikipedia only about ten people still live here. I'm not sure if that is correct nowadays or not. I certainly passed at least three people who appeared to live there. Must have missed the other seven. Haha!

Tai Long Wan Village Sign.

Tai Long Wan Village.

Tai Long Wan Village Surfboard Sign.

Close-up.

Tai Long Wan Village.

Tai Long Wan Village.

In Tai Long Wan Village.

From this village it was just over a kilometre to the beach. I foolishly crossed a little bridge and kept following the trail, which took me through sandy tree filled fields which had a few wild cattle but no view of the beach. I should have stayed on the concrete path and my walk would have been easier. Anyway it wasn't much of a diversion and I got there in the end.

The little bridge.

In the sandy woodland with Sharp Peak in the distance.

Wild cattle.

As I said before, there are four beaches at the three kilometre long Big Wave Bay also known as Tai Long Wan. The first beach is Sai Wan, which I didn't visit; the second is Ham Tin, the third is Tai Wan and the fourth and most remote is Tung Wan. I visited Ham Tin and Tai Wan Beaches.

Ham Tin Beach is huge. It is covered in powdery white sand and edged with the breaking waves of a bright blue sea. There are little islands in the bay here. Apparently, although it looks like paradise, the beaches here are a bit dangerous for swimming due to powerful rip tides. However, they are very popular with surfers and with campers.

First view of the beach as I came out of the woods.

Hikers crossing the beach.

Hikers and campers.

Paradise.

I decided to walk to the far end of the beach near to the pathway that leads to Sai Wan. If I had climbed up the stairs, I could have walked across the mountain to Sai Wan Beach in about forty minutes. I decided not to do this due to lack of transport at the other end. The view was very hazy in this direction.

Walking to the end of the beach.

The View was hazy in the sun in this direction.

Looking out at the islands.

Looking out at the islands.

There was a large flotation device at one end of the beach. I had no idea what it was, but have since discovered it was a floating dock for boats to moor at.

Strange flotation device.

People investigating it.

I walked all the way to the cliffs at the end.

The end of the beach.

The end of the beach.

Then I walked all the way back.

Selfie on the beach.

The end of the beach nearest the village.

At the other end of the beach a river flows down into the sea and to cross it you have to walk across a very rickety old bridge. This was actually quite good fun. Apparently sometimes parts of the bridge are actually under water.

Watching Hikers cross the rickety bridge.

Rickety bridge.

The rickety bridge.

How the bridge looks when you are on it.

Looking back after crossing.

Looking back at the bridge.

The river.

Me with the bridge.

At the other side of the bridge is Ham Tin Village. There are a couple of nice looking restaurants here. I saw some chillies drying in the sun.

Ham Tin Village.

Red hot chillies.

Restaurant.

Restaurant.

Restaurant.

I walked past the restaurants as far as I could go on the path then photographed the view back.

The path at the end of the beach.

The View back across the beach.

Looking back across the beach.

The view back across the beach.

The bridge in the distance.

Another view across the the beach.

And another one.

Looking back across the river.

I walked through Ham Tin Village which has several houses and a little store.

Ham Tin Village.

Ham Tin Village.

On Kee Store.

I saw a sign for Tai Wai Beach and, knowing that it was only ten minutes walk away, decided to go there. On the way I passed some beautiful mountain scenery. Tai Wai Beach was even more beautiful than Ham Tin Beach and there was almost noone there

Mountain scenery.

Approaching Tai Wai Beach.

Tai Wai Beach.

Tai Wai Beach.

Selfie on the beach.

After enjoying the beach, I walked back to Ham Tin and followed the path along the river back to Tai Long Wan Village.

The river.

A boat on the river.

I then did my earlier hike in reverse. I actually took most of my photos on the way back as the light was better. I passed more wild cattle when I reached the coastal path.

Cattle on the walk back.

Although it was not a hard walk, as I neared the end a muscle at the top of my right leg began to ache. I was certainly glad I hadn't tried to do the really long walk. I was very pleased to see a sign indicating I was nearly back.

Nearly back.

The bus stop is on the same side of the road as the end of the walk.

Nearly at the bus stop.

I was very pleased to see seats at the bus stop. The bus only runs once every forty minutes. I was eighth in line. A number 9 minibus passed by. These are also rare. It had nine seats. I felt so lucky. Hong Kong minibus drivers are all frustrated formula one racing car drivers, so we were in Sai Kung in no time. Amazingly there was only a very short queue for the 1A minibus to Choi Hung MTR. I was able to get on the first one. Soon I was back on the MTR and transited three lines back to Sunny Bay. The sun was just beginning to set as I left Sunny Bay. I was back home by 5pm. My leg was killing me and I was starving, but apart from that, it had been a very enjoyable day.

Sunset.