Christmas Time Gatherings.

In and around Discovery Bay.

25.12.2021 - 28.12.2021

Christmas Day this year was a relaxing one, as I had cleaned our house and roasted our turkey on Christmas Eve. At lunchtime we went down to the North Plaza armed with a turkey sandwich picnic. I also took a stroll along to the nearby beach and it seemed to be party time down there as lots of people had brought their tents, music was playing and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Down in the Plaza.

At the beach.

Stream at the Beach.

Later we had a traditional Christmas dinner: turkey, roast potatoes, Brussel sprouts, roasted parsnip, carrots, sweet corn and gravy. Then we pulled our ultra-expensive, luxury Christmas crackers, which I had foolishly decided to buy at the last minute and had paid a ridiculously high price for as there was only one brand available. These turned out not to bang and to largely fall apart as soon as you looked at them. They were a dreadful purchase but made up for it in the amount of laughter they created. One contained a kazoo and I played Christmas carols on this making Peter guess what they were. Large amounts of wine helped make this game fun.

Christmas Dinner.

The day after Boxing Day my friend came to DB with her husband, her kids, plus her friends and their kids. After lunch the kids wanted to ice-skate in the new ice-skating rink in our main plaza. On the way back home, I took some photos of more Christmas decorations.

With my friend, Maggie.

With My Friend, Maggie.

The ice-skating rink.

Christmas decorations.

On Tuesday 28th December I met up with four friends and hiked with them from Mui Wo back to Discovery Bay where I live, so they could come round and visit Peter. We met up at pier six in Central and took the fast ferry to Mui Wo. When we arrived, we started off by grabbing some food in Macdonald's then wandered along the beach to the furthest end where we saw a sign pointing to Discovery Bay. The last time I visited this beach, it was closed due to covid. Now it's open and peaceful and beautiful again. There were many colourful flowers next to the beach, despite the fact it is winter here.

Old Postbox, Mui Wo.

Mui Wo Beach.

Boats on Mui Wo Beach.

Silvermine Bay Hotel.

Windmill Outside Silvermine Bay Hotel.

Sheena and Derek.

Jason and Phoebe.

The far end of Mui Wo Beach.

Beautiful Flowers.

I liked the colour of these buildings.

Houses at The far end of Mui Wo Beach.

At the sign for Discovery Bay, turn left, wander up a slope and then start climbing up a seemingly never ending stairway. Every so often have a rest and look back the way for spectacular views over Mui Wo. Eventually you will arrive at a little pavilion where you can have a seat if you need to get your breath back. Near here from the flat hilltop there are beautiful views over Lantau's mountains, over the island of Peng Chau and towards Hong Kong Island, visible on clearer days.

Looking back the way.

Mui Wo Beach from a distance.

Many stairs on the climb up.

Jason and Phoebe.

Stairs, stairs, stairs.

Taking a photo of me taking a photo of Jason, taking a photo of me ...

Colourful Tree.

This looks like mistletoe.

Hilly Terrain.

Autumn Colours.

Apparently this windmill represents turning bad luck into good.

On Top of the World.

Peng Chau behind us.

Peng Chau.

From here it's pretty much downhill all the way. The descent leads past some old abandoned buildings to Our Lady of Joy Abbey which used to be known as the Trappist Monastery and, at one time, was home to one of Hong Kong's best known dairies. The dairy still exists, but is in a new location in Yuen Long. I wrote about this in a previous blog when I walked from DB to the monastery in the summer. At the moment, due to covid, you cannot go inside the monastery, but it is beautiful from the outside and there's a garden nearby with a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Starting our descent.

Beautiful plants on the descent.

A gurgling stream.

Ruined abandoned buildings.

Our Lady of Joy Monastery.

Stations of the cross.

In the Monastery Garden.

Monastery Pond.

Beautiful flowers at the monastery.

After the monastery, the walk goes through the village of Nim Shue Wan, along the beach and through some lovely little organic farms. This time we stopped in a farm called Grandpa's Garden and bought some vegetables. Sheena bought carrots and I got some spinach. Jason pointed out a lovely cat resting under the table.

Nim Shue Wan Village is a small Hakka village, dating back to the early nineteenth century. At one point it was almost totally destroyed in a huge typhoon. After the typhoon, there was an outbreak of disease and the villagers began moving away, leaving the village deserted. It wasn't until the 1940's that some Hakka people moved back there and began making their living from growing vegetables or breeding pigs. The village has a small Tin Hau temple.

A Festive Signpost points the way.