Ho Pui, Ho Pui, so good I walked it twice!

Mirror-like reflections in Ho Pui Reservoir.

On Monday I decided to go to Ho Pui Reservoir and walk around it. To get there I took the MTR to Kam Sheung Road Station and then exited through exit C. I was feeling a bit nervous about this hike as I haven't been hiking since I injured my leg. I chose the Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk as it was supposed to be easy.

When I hike, I always buy plenty of water in the MTR station before I set out. While there is a 7-eleven next to the A and B exit of Kam Sheung Road Station, there isn't at exit C. I didn't know this, so there was nowhere nearby to buy water. "Not to worry," I thought. "I can always buy some in Ho Pui Village."

To get to Ho Pui Village I had to take green minibus number 71. I've read this is infrequent and I managed to arrive just in time to watch one shoot past me. Things were not going to plan. Fortunately, as it turned out, I only had to wait around fifteen minutes for the next one. The minibus route goes through a few little villages with very narrow roads. It's very hard for minibuses and cars to pass each other, but after a few near misses, we finally arrived at Ho Pui Village - thankfully in one piece. There was no sign of anywhere to buy water. "No problem. It's only a short walk," I told myself.

Ho Pui Village.

I always look up information about how to do my hikes and this time my information came from one of my favourite sources. It told me to walk past The Happy Gathering Restaurant and wander out of the village up a slope. I did this and was surprised that there were no signs for the walk. Also, the research I had done kept talking about a view over the huge MTR Pat Heung Maintenance Centre, but I couldn't see that at all. Surprisingly, the information made no mention of the waterworks department, despite the fact I was wandering along a large catch-water belonging to it. Something wasn't quite right.

The view from my walk.

And from higher up.

Silver grass by the catch-water.

Well, I knew I should reach a campsite after 20 minutes, so I kept going. After 30 minutes, I still had not reached it, but I did reach a sign post. Yippee! The reservoir should have been around thirty minutes from where I started, but from the direction I had walked it was now one and a half hours away. Oh dear!

I could have gone back, but I decided just to follow the sign. It led me to a dirt trail and that was fine until it began to go up a mountain. The walk was not turning out to be quite so short and quite so easy after all. It would have been nice to have some water, but at least my legs were managing it.

The Mountain Path.

At one point I passed a beautiful mountain spring that made me think of a hotel spa

So peaceful, so clean.

Some parts of the path were mercifully flat.

It's certainly silvergrass time of year.

Actually, I just kept going. The walk was beautiful with fantastic views, so I was actually really enjoying it and it was a bit shorter than an hour and a half. Not a total disaster then. Eventually I reached the reservoir. It is famous for three things: its mirror-like reflections, its bamboo grove and its curved dam. I decided to save the best for last and walk around in an anticlockwise direction. The walk had several beautiful viewpoints over the reservoir and wonderful flowers that I don't think I have seen on other hikes. There were small patches of bamboo to photograph, but I knew a whole grove was coming up.

The lovely Ho Pui Reservoir.

View over the curvy dam and mirror-like reflections.

View over the curvy dam and mirror-like reflections.

Mirror-like reflections.

The water looked green here.

Trees and reflections.

I loved these beautiful flowers.

I loved these flowers.

Beautiful flowers.

Flower-strewn path.

A close-up.

Selfie by the reservoir.

Some passing hikers helped me take this.

There are several little bridges and streams.

Me with some bamboo.

When I reached the bamboo grove, I decided to take a selfie using my selfie stick and just as I was about to click it, guess what? My phone fell off the stick. Around ninety percent of the path round the reservoir is dirt, but, would you believe it? My phone fell straight onto a rock and the screen smashed to smithereens. It was a right off, totally unusable. I knew I should have stayed in bed!

I walked through the stunningly beautiful bamboo grove unable to photograph it. I arrived at the curvy dam and could only look. To make matters worse, Peter decided to phone me at that point, probably to see if my leg was holding up. I tried to answer, but had to input a pin and swipe. Neither of these things were possible and trying to do them was cutting my fingers. I put the phone off. Peter phoned again. I put it off. He phoned again. I knew he had decided something terrible had happened to me, but I couldn't answer to say I was all right.

I walked back to the village, noted that there was a huge sign pointing out the direction of the walk and that I had been about two steps away from it when I had decided to merrily head off in the wrong direction. After a bit of a wait, a minibus came in and I boarded it. My husband, still worried about me, rang again. I couldn't answer it. I pressed off to cut the call, but couldn't switch the phone off. He rang back. I couldn't answer. This went on all journey until I started to fear my fellow passengers might lynch me. What a day! I got home waiting for a telling off, but I only had to show my husband my destroyed phone for him to calm down. What a nightmare!!

The sign I managed to miss.

Anyway by Thursday I had decided to do it all again, complete with a new phone and this time going the correct way. I even came carrying a bottle of water. Leaving the minibus on arrival in the village, I went left and walked to the end of the village, then walked left again. The slope up to the reservoir begins here. There were lovely views towards the mountains, Kam Tin, Ho Pui Village and the Pat Heung MTR Maintenance Centre.

Overlooking Ho Pui.

Overlooking Ho Pui.

Overlooking Ho Pui.

Not sure what this tunnel is for.

The MTR Pat Heung Maintenance Centre.

On the walk up I passed a campsite and an organic farm. The organic farm was not open, but I think it sometimes is and it is possible to buy vegetables here. Eventually I arrived at the reservoir. This time I walked around it in a clockwise direction. This meant I began by walking across the reservoir's unusual curvy dam.

Sign for the campsite.

Organic farm.

Organic farm.

Organic farm.

Ho Pui Reservoir Sign.

Curvy dam.

The curvy dam.

The other side of the dam.

I wandered through the woods around the reservoir. This area is filled with trails and there are many leading away from the reservoir trail. Once again I enjoyed the beautiful flowers, little bridges crossing gurgling streams and weird shaped rocks. There are some shaped like a tent.

Lots of trails lead off the main path.

Tree Stumps.

Little bridges over streams.

More beautiful flowers.

Tent-shaped rock.

Selfie with tent-shaped rock minus disgraced selfie stick.

Eventually I reached the huge bamboo grove where I had previously smashed my phone. This time I held on extremely tightly and tried to be very careful.

Bamboo Grove.

Shady Bamboo Grove.

Bamboo Grove.

Bamboo Grove.

In the bamboo grove.

Bamboo lines the steps.

Bamboo-lined steps.

Close-up of bamboo.

Green Bamboo.

Green Bamboo.

Bamboo Selfie.

I really enjoyed the bamboo groves and then I continued all the way round the reservoir again. It wasn't quite as bright as on my previous visit so the mirror effect was not quite as clear. There were so many beautiful flowers and everywhere was so peaceful. At one point three older Chinese ladies asked me to take their photo which I did.

More Bridges.

Looking Towards a Grave with a View.

More Beautiful Flowers.

Peaceful Reservoir Views.

Peaceful Reservoir Views.

More Flowers.

I wonder what these will be used for.

Ferns.

When I had finished with the reservoir, I walked down to the campsite where there was a beautiful waterfall. I bumped into the three Chinese ladies again and they got me to take more photos of them. We joked that I was their official photographer for the day. Then they took photos of me and insisted I tried to pose in each one which I never do. They were quite funny.

I was made to pose.

I was made to pose.

I then walked along the road from the campsite towards a waterfall. To my surprise there was a man standing in the middle of it.

Waterfall.

Waterfall.

Instead of going back the way I had come I decided to walk to the nearby Tsing Tam Reservoir. There were beautiful views over Kam Tin from here.

Pathway along the catchwater.

Views.

Views.

Views.

Flowers and trees.

Autumn colours line the pathway.

It took around half an hour to walk to Tsing Tam Reservoir. There is an upper and a lower part. Perhaps the light had changed by the time I got here, but this reservoir had excellent mirror-like reflections. This reservoir was much smaller than Ho Pui Reservoir.

Tsing Tam Reservoir Sign.

Lower dam.

Lower Reservoir.

On Tsing Tam Reservoir Dam.

Looking down from the lower reservoir.

Tsing Tam Upper Reservoir Dam.

Mirror-like Reflections in Tsing Tam Upper Reservoir.

Mirror-like Reflections in Tsing Tam Upper Reservoir.

Mirror-like Reflections in Tsing Tam Upper Reservoir.

Mirror-like Reflections in Tsing Tam Upper Reservoir.

Instead of walking all the way back to Ho Pui Village, when I had finished looking at the reservoirs, I followed a path downhill to Kam Tin. This path went through farmyards and villages. Eventually I reached a main road, caught a bus back to the MTR and went home.

Farms.

Farm and irrigation device.

Banana Trees.

Banana Trees.

Village House.

Village stream.

Village street.

Colourful entranceway to village house.