Can't See the Wood for the Trees.

Yesterday I tried to do the Tsz Lo Lan Shan Trail again. I got a bit closer. The queue for the number 6 bus was moderate when I arrived. I couldn't get on the first bus. I would have got on the second. I waited and waited for a driver and the queue behind me grew and grew. I must admit I had woken up in a grumpy impatient mood and standing there breathing in the exhaust fumes from the other buses and thinking about travelling on a bus that was sure to be packed solid in the midst of a pandemic just did not appeal to me, so I ducked under the fence and quit the line-up and headed off to do the Quarry Bay Tree Walk instead.

Getting to this walk is extremely easy. I just got on the MTR and got off at Quarry Bay, took exit A and turned right along King's Road. Within a couple of minutes there was a sign pointing up Mount Parker Road. This is the starting point for several different walks. The Quarry Bay Tree Walk is probably the easiest one, but it's still beautiful and historically very interesting, too.

Inside Quarry Bay MTR Station.

The first sight on this road is a colourful, little shrine on Mount Parker Road itself.

Mount Parker Road Shrine.

Mount Parker Road Shrine.

I continued up the road and after five or ten minutes arrived at Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre. This beautiful old building was originally built as a residence for senior staff of the Taikoo Sugar Refinery in the 1920's. Taikoo is the Chinese name for Swire, a huge conglomerate, that owns the land around here. Historically this area was the site of the Taikoo Dockyards, Taikoo Sugar Refinery and Swire Coca-Cola plant. When the sugar refinery ceased operations, Woodside House firstly became a space for exhibitions and concerts, then in 2012 it became the Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre, which teaches about wildlife in Hong Kong. I'd have loved to go in, mainly to see the inside of the building, but unfortunately it is shut due to covid, well isn't everything? There were some beautiful orange trees in the gardens here.

Woodside Biodiversity Centre.

Woodside Biodiversity Centre.

Woodside Biodiversity Centre.

Woodside Biodiversity Centre.

Orange Trees.

Orange Trees.

A little past Woodside, on the left, I saw the entrance to the Quarry Bay Tree Walk, so I left everyone else to continue their long struggles on the uphill walks and entered a level, shaded paradise. At once my bleak spirits were lifted and I felt happy once more.

Quarry Bay Tree Walk.

The Quarry Bay Tree Walk obviously has lots of trees, but it also has much more. It has little streams, small waterfalls, flowers, interesting rock formations and lots of historical remains from World War II.

A couple of minutes into the trail I saw a ruined building covered with tree roots. There was no information about it, but due to its location it is bound to be something to do with the war.

Ruined Building.

Ruined Building.

Ruined Building.

Just past that, on the right hand side, I saw the mouth of a cave. This was probably one of the caves used as a storage area for food supplies during the war.

Cave.

Cave.

Cave.

Then, a little further along I came to the first of four areas here which are lined with rows of wartime stoves.

When Japan captured Guangzhou on Mainland China in 1938, Hong Kong began to prepare for a possible invasion of its territory. One of the many preparations was to create lines of stone stoves, stockpiles of provisions and air-raid shelters in the hills above Quarry Bay, as the area around Quarry Bay and Shau Kei Wan was at that time one of the most densely populated in Hong Kong. The Japanese eventually attacked Hong Kong in December 1941 and captured the city after an extremely bloody eighteen day battle. Hong Kong surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army on Christmas Day 1941. The stoves dotted around my walk were never used in the end and now they lie forgotten, neglected and filled with weeds.

Wartime Stoves.

Wartime Stoves.

Wartime Stoves.

After looking at the first set of stoves, I walked on through shady tree lined paths, stopping to admire the occasional flower or plant and the odd view of the mountains through a gap in the trees and then I came to a second area, similar to the first, and covered in wartime stoves.

Wandering the path.

Wandering the path.

Mountain View.

Beautiful Flowers. These are called Chinese New Year Flowers.

Beautiful Flowers.

The Second Set of Stoves.

The Second Set of Stoves.

The Second Set of Stoves.

The Second Set of Stoves.

Close up look inside a Stove.

After viewing these stoves, I kept on following signs for Quarry Bay Tree Route and came to a little bridge across a stream. I noticed another sign leading off to a morning walkers' trail. Sensing I was nearing the end of my walk and unwilling to finish so soon, I decided to head on up there and, guess what? I came to a third set of wartime stoves! After looking at these, I walked down to the stream. It was lined with concrete walkways. I strolled along these till I came to an amazingly peaceful area littered with rocks and huge boulders and filled with little trickling waterfalls. There were several people lazing around chilling here and some children splashing around in the water.

Sign posts.

Continuing on the Trail.

It's a Jungle Out There.

Berries.

Colourful Plants.

Flowers.

Moss Covered Rock.

Bridge Over Stream.

Bridge Over Stream.

Top of the Bridge.

Morning Walkers' Trail.

Looking inside at third set of stoves.

Third Set of Ovens.

Rocky Stream.

Rocky Stream.

Walking along the Sides of the Stream.

The Stream.

Huge Boulders in the Stream.

Boulder Strewn Stream.

Stream.

Boulder Strewn Stream.

After wandering along the stream, I returned to the bridge and headed across it. On the other side there was a barbecue site, naturally it was closed at the moment. At this site there were additional ovens, though only two survived at this spot. The best thing about the barbecue site though was there was a massive sleeping wild boar here and not far from it roamed its more active companion who was scavenging for food. People were nervously photographing it and it was blissfully ignoring all of us. Every now and then it would step a little closer to us in its search for food and we would all gasp and take a step backwards.

Barbecue Site.

Only two stoves remain here.

Wild Boar.

Wild Boar.

Wild Boar.

Wild Boar.

After watching the boars for some time, I wandered on. I was nearing the end of the walk now, but saw a couple more overgrown remains which again I'm assuming date from war time, though I really don't know. I also saw a cute little bird and lots of beautiful, colourful flowers. Some of the flowers were wild flowers on the walk and some were in the residential areas around Kornhill where the walk ends

More root covered remains.

Bird, possibly an oriental magpie robin.

Hibiscus.

Hibiscus.

Hibiscus.

Flowers.

Flowers.

Bauhinia.

Flowers.

Flowers.

More Remains.

Back in civilisation I was greeted with the sight of graffiti, shiny glass buildings, residential blocks and a colourful school.

Colourful School.

Walk Finished OK.

Shiny Buildings.

I got on the MTR and headed towards Tung Chung to do some shopping before going home. At Tung Chung I noted a couple of stained glass decorations that I liked the look of.

Tung Chung.

Tung Chung.

Tung Chung.