December 2021

The Old Houses in Tak Wah Park, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong.

Today l wanted to go shopping for a few things that I can't get in Discovery Bay, so I decided to go to Tsuen Wan. My main logic for going there was that I also wanted to visit Tak Wah Park, which has been on my long to do list for quite some time.

The area where this park is located used to be a Hakka village called Hoi Pa Village. This village dated from the late eighteenth century and was home to several different Hakka clans. When the British were building Tsuen Wan New Town, they removed several indigenous villages and relocated them in the nearby hills. Somehow this village managed to escape being completely destroyed; parts of it were kept and the area around it was turned into a park. The original parts of the village which remain include the Chan Yi Cheung Ancestral Hall and a row of Old Houses dating from 1904.

Main Entrance Gate.

Jockey Club Tak Wah Park.

This was the Entrance Gateway I used.

One of the historic buildings here is the Chan Yi Cheung Ancestral Hall, which was built in the late nineteenth century. It is made from a mixture of timber and grey and black bricks. Its tiled roof has beautiful plant motifs under it. This building is classed as a Grade 3 Historic Building. It is not possible to go inside.

Ancestral Hall.

Ancestral Hall.

Pond and viewing platform.

The Old Houses were built in 1904. The houses are made of rammed earth, timber and grey and black bricks. They are a typical example of the prevalent style of architecture found in South China at the end of the nineteenth century. The Old Houses became a Declared Monument in 1986. Again it's not possible to go inside.

Old Houses.

Old Houses.

Old Houses.

Old Houses.

The park is surrounded by old village walls, which would have originally been built for protection. In the grounds there are ponds, waterfalls, a camelia garden, rock sculptures and lots of beautiful old trees. There are plenty of shady places to sit.

Village Walls.

Waterfall.

Waterfall.

Magnificent Trees.

Stone lantern and trees.

Building in the park.

Building in the park.

Building in the park.

Building in the park.

Buildings on the pond.

Pond.

Relaxing in the park.

Old Building. The front of this had been covered in scaffolding which was in the process of being removed so I couldn't go close and am not sure what it is.

Actually just found out this is the old house that was home to Yau Yuen-cheung, a scholar, who lived from 1865 to 1937 and is now Tsuen Wan Environmental Resource Centre. When bamboo scaffolding is removed here, it's hurled towards the ground and everyone has to get out of the way so I could not go too near unfortunately.

Little Bridge.

The park has many doorways to pass through and each seems to be a different shape. Traditionally most Chinese doorways were round to look like the full moon.

Different Shaped Doorways. This one reminds me of a thistle.

Doorway.

Looking from one doorway to another.

Clover shaped doorway.

The ponds in this park were filled with turtles and brightly coloured fish. In Chinese culture, turtles are one of the four auspicious beasts together with the phoenix, the tiger, and the dragon. Turtles symbolise knowledge, perseverance, prosperity, and long life.

Turtles and Reflections.

Turtles.

Turtles.

The area around this beautiful peaceful park is crowded, built-up and modern. I found two beautiful cats making themselves at home in one of the shops I visited.

Modern glass towers loom over the park.

I liked the murals on the tower building.

I liked the murals on the tower building.

Cats can do anything they like.

Cats can do anything they like.

Back in DB I went out for dinner with Peter and a friend. I took some pictures of the Christmas trees by night.

Christmas tree at night.

Christmas tree at night.

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.

Christmas Dinner.

Christmas Dinner.

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.

The ice-skating rink.

Christmas decorations.

Christmas decorations.

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.

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.

The far end of Mui Wo Beach.

The far end of Mui Wo Beach.

Beautiful Flowers.

Beautiful Flowers.

I liked the colour of these buildings.

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.

Our Lady of Joy Monastery.

Our Lady of Joy Monastery.

Stations of the cross.

In the Monastery Garden.

Monastery Pond.

Beautiful flowers at the monastery.

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.

Nim Shue Wan Village.

Overgrown house in Nim Shue Wan.

Organic farms.

Organic farms.

Hibiscus Flowers at the Organic Farms.

Organic farms.

Organic farms.

Prayer Flags over the Organic farms.

Bananas.

Sunflowers.

Tin Hau Temple in Nim Shue Wan. When we arrived, a large bird was feasting on those apples.

Beach and Peng Chau.

Almost home. Beach with Discovery Bay in the background.

Discovery Bay.

Then we all went to my house for drinks and snacks - a beautiful, happy day.

It's now Christmas holiday time, so everyone I used to work with is currently on holiday. This gives me a chance to catch up with some of my friends.

On Monday I met up with four friends and two of their kids for dim sum in Shau Kei Wan. Going out for a dim sum brunch is very popular here. I only like to do it when I am with Chinese friends as they know what they are doing and what to order.

Dim sum literally means 'touch heart' and refers to dining on a wide variety of small portions of food often served in bamboo baskets that are placed in the centre of the table and shared among the whole group. Dim sum is always accompanied with tea and drinking this tea is known as having 'yum cha'. For our dim sum we had congee, a variety of different dumplings filled with pork, shrimp and vegetables, spring rolls, green leafy vegetables, custard buns decorated with little faces and slices of turnip cake.

Before beginning a dim sum meal, Chinese people rinse all their utensils in tea to sterilize them. This uses up most of the first pot of tea. To get more it is customary to remove the tea pot lid. This is a way of communicating to the wait staff that it's time for a hot water refill. The tea pot can be refilled many times during a meal.

In some restaurants diners are given a form listing all the different kinds of dim sum. They then just tick what they want. In other restaurants wait staff wheel around a steam cart filled with different kinds of dim sum and diners order what they want as these carts pass by.

Outside the restaurant.

Enjoying our dim sum together.

Enjoying our dim sum together.

Dumplings in a spicy sauce.

Siu mai which are open pork or prawn dumplings and tea, of course.

Congee and leafy greens.

Turnip cake.

Spring Rolls.

When someone pours tea for you at yum cha, it's customary to thank them by tapping the table twice with bent fingers. There's a legend about why this is done.

Long ago in Ancient China there was an emperor named Qianlong who grew tired of constantly being waited upon. He wanted to experience, even briefly, life the way a normal, non-royal person would, so he took off his fine robes and dressed as a commoner. Then he set out into the world with some of his most trusted servants. The emperor insisted that these servants treat him as an equal, so that his people would not know who he was. After some time, the group grew thirsty and tired and stopped in a restaurant to drink some tea. The emperor insisted on humbling himself by pouring tea for each of his servants. To be waited on by an emperor was such an unbelievable honour for them, that the servants wanted to bow down before him to express their gratitude, but to do so would reveal the emperor's identity, so they showed their respect instead by tapping their bent fingers on the table after the tea had been poured. This tradition, known as finger kowtowing, continues to the present day and indicates gratitude and respect towards the person pouring the tea.

After we had eaten our fill of dim sum, we headed to one of my friend's new flat. She has moved their temporarily while having the flat she owns renovated. One of the most annoying things about living in Hong Kong is having to endure the noise and mess of people around you having their flats renovated, but the renovations are actually necessary as the climate here is very brutal towards everything with its high levels of humidity. It's amazing how quickly things discolour and fall apart here.

The block that my friend has moved to had very attractive Christmas decorations. Apparently there is a little model train that travels around the teddy bear at night.

Christmas tree in the mall where we ate dim sum.

Teddy, Christmas tree and railway.

Yang posing with the Christmas teddy.

In my friend Linda's new home.

Lai enjoying a warming cup of tea.

Next day, which was Tuesday, I went to Lamma Island again to meet up with friends for a barbecue and a wander around Lamma. The barbecue was in my friend Adrian's garden and the stroll involved going up to a beautiful viewpoint on the top of Lamma Island with 360° views all around. It was possible to see Hong Kong Island, Cheung Chau and Lantau Island from up there.

Beautiful cat.

Our group out for a walk.

And at the top of the island.

Stone throwing competition.

Playing at the top of the world.

Views.

Views.

Views.

Views.

Views.

White Butterfly Flowers.

Papayas.

On the way back down we walked through Tai Ping Village. This is the highest of the villages that make up Yung Shue Wan. Apparently in the olden days people lived up here to try and avoid the pillage and destruction of pirate attacks. The village's name means peaceful place on flat land and it certainly is very peaceful here. There was an amazing garden filled with flowers, vegetables and sculptures here.

Tai Ping Village.

Tai Ping Village.

Tai Ping Village.

Beautiful garden in Tai Ping Village.

Beautiful garden in Tai Ping Village.

Beautiful garden in Tai Ping Village.

Beautiful garden in Tai Ping Village.

We then walked down to the village and grabbed a quick beer before catching the ferry back to Central. We sat outside Dale Candela a Spanish tapas restaurant.

Quick drink in Spanish tapas restaurant before boarding ferry.

Quick drink in Spanish tapas restaurant before boarding ferry.

It was the shortest day so by the time I got home the sun was setting.

Wintery sunset over Discovery Bay.

Wintery sunset over Discovery Bay.

On Wednesday I had a quick walk along Tung Chung waterfront and a look at the massive Carribbean Coast which is a residential estate there. It was the first rainy day we've had for ages.

The Cable Car to the Big Buddha.

Tung Chung Ferry.

Looking towards the airport.

Fishing on the waterfront.

Boats on the waterfront.

Art on the waterfront.

Art on the waterfront.

Art on the waterfront.

It's raining bauhinias.

Caribbean Coast.

Caribbean Coast.

On Thursday I returned to Lamma Island again. This time I was doing the much shorter and easier walk between Sok Kwa Wan and Yung Shue Wan. I've done this walk, though the other way round, many many years ago.

Just like last time, I caught the 8.35am ferry from Central to Sok Kwa Wan. I sat on the opposite side from last time and photographed West Kowloon Cultural District and Green Island on the journey. Green Island and Little Green Island are islands off Kennedy Town. It's possible to see them well from the Sai Wan Swimming Shed. Green Island has a lighthouse on it. Little Green Island is totally uninhabited.

Busy Harbour.

West Kowloon Cultural District.

Green Island.

And its lighthouse.

This time when I got off the ferry, I turned right and walked along the main street of Sok Kwa Wan past all the fish restaurants. Sok Kwa Wan means Bringing in the Net Bay, as it was originally a fishing village. Nowadays it is popular with people looking for seafood meals. It also has an attractive Tin Hau Temple which is more than a hundred and fifty years old. Inside the temple there's the preserved body of a giant oarfish. At the temple there is a steep path up the mountain which is a fast way of getting up to Ling Kok Shan where I went last time, but I didn't do that. I went on the more gentle walk along the coast.

My Ferry.

View on Arrival.

View from the pier.

Sok Kwa Wan Sign.

Loso Kitchen. All I want is love, peace and two beers.

Loso Kitchen.

View from a Restaurant.

Village Art.

Village Christmas Tree.

Tin Hau Temple.

Temple Lion.

Inside the Tin Hau Temple.

Giant Oarfish in Tin Hau Temple.

Leaving Sok Kwa Wan I noticed there were lovely views back over the village and its bay. There was a little beach with many dogs. I was too scared to go on there, as while most village dogs in Hong Kong are placid, I have been extremely wary of dogs when they are in packs ever since being attacked by a pack of dogs just outside Mui Wo. This was many years ago and I was with Peter. The dogs did not bite us, but were very ferocious and we had to double back rather than pass them.

Just on the outside of the village are the Kamikaze Caves. During the Second World War there was a large Japanese presence on Lamma. The Japanese filled these caves with speed boats that packed full of explosives. Their plan was that if any Allied ships ventured towards Hong Kong, they would launch surprise suicide attacks on them and sink them. Fortunately, these speed boats were never used.

Sok Kwa Wan.

Sok Kwa Wan.

Sok Kwa Wan.

Flowers in Sok Kwa Wan. Bouganvillia and Chinese peony.

Looking back over Sok Kwa Wan.

Looking back over Sok Kwa Wan.

Sok Kwa Wan Bay.

Kamikaze Caves.

Kamikaze Caves.

Kamikaze Caves.

The next place I reached was Lo So Shing Village. The older parts of the village are more than three hundred years old. Lo Sing may refer to a kind of grass or reed that grew plentifully here. The original villagers were members of the Chan family and share a common ancestor - Chan Tsz-fat. They made their living by farming. I made a slight diversion to visit Lo So Shing Beach which is pretty, though like almost everywhere on Lamma it has views towards the huge power station. Some of the houses in the village had lots of cheerful Christmas decorations.

Lo So Shing Village Sign.

Lo So Shing Village.

Lo So Shing Village.

Christmas Decorations in Lo So Shing Village.

Christmas Decorations in Lo So Shing Village.

Papayas Lo So Shing Village.

On the way to Lo So Shing Beach.

Lo So Shing Beach Sign.

Lo So Shing Beach.

Lo So Shing Beach.

Lo So Shing Beach.

After visiting the beach, I returned to Lo So Shing Village and got back on the family walk. The walk wended its way uphill for a bit and eventually reached a pavilion with good views over Lamma and its coastline. Below the pavilion there is an abandoned cement factory belonging to the Far East Cement Company works which opened a plant near Sok Kwa Wan in 1980. This closed down in 2001. It was built on reclaimed land and had two 20,000 tonne capacity domed cement silos and a jetty.

Looking down towards the pavilion.

Looking down towards the pavilion.

Sok Kwa Wan from the pavilion.

Cement works from the pavilion.

View from the pavilion.

View from the pavilion.

After enjoying the views from the pavilion, I walked further and saw a sign for a second pavilion. It wasn't far, but it also was not worth visiting as there were no views from it. On the way though I did see an absolutely beautiful tiny yellow bird. It was gone before I could photograph it, unfortunately.

Second pavilion.

Continuing on the walk I came to a third pavilion with beautiful coastal views and views over Lamma's hideous powerplant. I guess the powerplant provides jobs, but it's a bit of an eyesore and lots of explosive noises come out of it disturbing the serenity of Lamma Island. Lamma Power Station, dating from 1982, is the second largest power station in Hong Kong. It is a coal and gas-fired power station which provides power to Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island. It has been expanded several times.

Pathway.

Third Pavilion.

Enjoying the view.

View from the pavilion.

Looking over the powerplant.

Beautiful fried egg plant flowers on the walk.

The walk starts to descend after this pavilion and wends its way towards Hung Shing Yeh Beach. There are beautiful views and lots of flowers along the way. This is apparently the most popular beach on Lamma Island. It has changing rooms, toilets and shark nets. It has beautiful, clean, soft sand but is unfortunately very close to the power station. There's an attractive looking hotel here called the Concerto Inn.

Coastal views on the walk.

Coastal views with a slash of colour on the walk.

Emoji Rock!!!

Bamboo grove on walk.

The Pathway.

Beautiful flowers on the walk. Apparently this is called Ivy Tree.

Beautiful frangipani flowers.

At the weekend there are stalls selling food to hikers. No-one mans them on weekdays. This one sells Lamma honey.

Hung Shing Yeh Beach.

Hung Shing Yeh Beach.

Hung Shing Yeh Beach.

Hung Shing Yeh Beach.

The Concerto Inn.

Hibiscus next to the beach.

Flowers next to Hung Shing Yeh Beach.

View of power station from beach.

By this stage I was close to Yung Shue Wan, where I was heading, but I decided to take a diversion and go and visit Lamma Winds. Lamma Winds is a single large wind turbine created by HK Electric as a source of clean renewable energy. There was some attractive scenery on the walk to it and lots of huge plants and fruit trees. On the way I passed some interesting houses. One looked abandoned but was decorated with a huge multicoloured dreamcatcher, mannequins and a n enormous dragon. Next to the wind turbine there is a sign pointing to yet another pavilion. From here there are the best views of the wind turbine.

This building on the way to Lamma Winds had fresh fruit for sale. Probably picked from the fields round about it.

Papayas.

Fresh Bananas.

Fresh Bananas.

Huge Plants on way to Wind Farm.

Trees against the clear blue sky.

Climbing plants covered the trees.

Plants seem to grow well here. I think this is a cluster fig.

I liked this House across a little bridge.

Dragon.

Dragon and Mannequin.

Dreamcatcher.

Lamma Winds.

Windturbine.

Windturbine.

The Pavilion.

Steps down from the pavilion.

Flowers near the pavilion.

I returned to where I had gone on my detour. The next part of my walk went through several little villages which were more or less joined together and joined on to Yung Shue Wan. There were lots of cafes, restaurants, shops, stalls selling handmade craft items. Each village had its own little sign to preserve its identity. Each village also had its own earth god shrine. Wang Long Village was once a farming and fishing village. Its inhabitants are descended from Chow Kai-man. Film star Chow Yun Fat was born here. Sha Po has an old village and a new village. The old village is of archaeological interest because a whole hard geometric pot was unearthed here by the Archaeological Society in 1970.

Village on the way to Yung Shue Wan.

Village Sign on way to Yung Shue Wan.

Village Sign on way to Yung Shue Wan.

Village Sign on way to Yung Shue Wan.

There were lots of craft stalls on the walk through the villages to Yung Shue Wan.

Craft Stalls.

Arts and Crafts Shop.

Sitting out area in one of the villages on the way to Yung Shue Wan.

Village Shrines.

Village Shrines.

Village Houses.

Yung Shue Wan means Banyan Tree Bay. It is the largest village on Lamma with a population of around six thousand. Many are Chinese and many are expat. It's known for seafood restaurants, cafes, bars, Western, Chinese and other Asian food, art and craft stalls. It's a relaxed place. Yung Shue Wan has an interesting Tin Hau Temple guarded by western rather than Chinese lions. The temple is around one hundred years old.

Shop on Yung Shue Wan Main Street.

Village Street.

Village Street.

Yung Shue Wan Street.

Holiday Resort.

Houses in Yung Shue Wan.

Yung Shue Wan Tin Hau Temple.

Inside the Tin Hau Temple.

Burners in the temple.

Western lion guarding the temple.

Yung Shue Wan Waterfront.

Yung Shue Wan Waterfront.

Powerplant from Yung Shue Wan Waterfront.

Tanks in seafood restaurants on the waterfront.

Tanks in seafood restaurants on the waterfront.

Tanks in seafood restaurants on the waterfront.

After a good look around the village I headed to the ferry pier. Ferries are much more frequent from here than from Sok Kwu Wan. I jumped on a ferry and headed home.

Ferry Terminal and Pier.

Now where did I leave my bike? Bike stand next to the ferry pier.

Goodbye from the ferry.

Stilt houses viewed from the ferry.

All Colours in One Shot.

I love spring and autumn. In fact, I miss them, because here in Hong Kong, I would say, we only really have two seasons. I say, I would say, as local Hong Kongers think there are four seasons here, but believe me there really aren't. As I have been here a long time, I look diligently for any traces of spring or autumn and photograph them as much as I can. Last year, when I started exploring Hong Kong, I read about the Sweet Gum Woods in Tai Tong and how stunning they were in autumn, but I'd already missed them. Even if I hadn't missed them, I wouldn't have gone there before, because of tales of how crowded they are on weekends and on public holidays. However, now that I don't work, I thought I might as well visit during the week and, guess what? It was still pretty crowded, but nothing like it would have been at a weekend.

My Favourite Photo of the Day.

To get to the Sweet Gum Woods in Tai Tong, I took the MTR to Long Pin Station. Then I exited through exit B2, turned left, walked down the stairs to the busy Ma Wang Road and queued at the bus stop for the K66 bus. At least, that's what I should have done, but everything I had read said go through exit B2 and follow the signs for the K66 bus. There were no signs, so I initially went right and when that didn't work out eventually retraced my steps, went left and found the bus-stop. I was about eighth in line when I arrived and was shocked to turn round at one point and discover about forty people had joined the queue behind me. The bus, when it finally came, bypassed several stops, or only allowed people off at them, as it was so full. I was starting to think that getting back from the woods would be a bit of an ordeal and I had to get back to apply lots of drops to my husband's eyes. He could do it himself but, it's not all that easy to handle the amount of medicine he currently has.

Anyway I stayed on the bus, noting when we came out of the centre of Yuen Long and entered a more villagey environment that the K66 was the only bus plying this route. Not good! Eventually I alighted from the bus at Tai Tong Shan Road, the second last stop. Almost the entire population of the bus got off here. I thought: "This is good, I'll just follow them. No need to try and work out where I'm going." But actually everyone who exited the bus walked so slowly that I was soon in the lead and I was the one with the job of finding the Sweet Gum Woods for everyone else. Fortunately, it was quite straight forward: exit the bus, go left to Tai Tong Shan Road, walk up the hill for around ten minutes. When you reach a sign for hikes and country parks, climb up the stairs and go left again, then just keep on following the road.

The steps that I climbed brought me out at washrooms and a picnic area. There were good views over Yuen Long from here. Then I continued left along Tai Tong Shan Road. There was an interesting wall on one side, a bit like a mini great wall of China. There were also lots of flowering bushes. I discovered later these are Grantham's camellia. This is apparently a rare and endangered species of Camellia. It is called after Alexander Grantham, a former governor of Hong Kong, and was first discovered in Hong Kong in 1955. It can only be found in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Picnic Area.

Picnic Site.

Picnic Site.

View of Yuen Long.

View of Yuen Long.

Grantham's Camellia.

Trees and fancy wall.

One of the many signs for the Sweet Gum Woods.

The road then led past a forestry museum. I didn't look inside and continued onwards to the Sweet Gum Woods. Sweet Gum trees are also called Liquidambar Formosana trees due to their orange coloured tree sap. They are found in Southeast and east Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and eastern North America. They are deciduous trees and their leaves turn wonderful shades of yellow, orange and red in autumn. Their leaves are star-like with three lobes and look similar to maple leaves. Their wood can be used to make furniture.

When I entered the woods at first I was surrounded by greenery. Later there were wonderful areas of yellow, orange and red. Wherever there was a lot of colour there were, of course, lots of people taking photos. It was possible to do some people watching as well as nature watching. There were signs up reminding people to take care when looking at nature as there were cars in some parts of the road and many bikes. I almost got hit by a bike at one point. They are just so silent, I had no idea it was there till the cyclist called to me to get out of her way.

Greenery at first.

Glimpses of colour are starting to appear.

Golden Yellows.

Golden Yellows.

Golden Yellows.

Golden Yellows.

I should have paid attention to the take care signs.

Orange and Green Contrast.

Yellows mixed with Orange.

Smouldering Orange in this area.

Fiery Orange.

Fiery Orange.

Fiery Orange.

Fiery Orange.

Fiery Orange.

Fiery Orange.

Wood Pile.

Red and Orange.

Oranges and Reds.

Everyone is taking Photos.

Burning Reds.

Burning Reds.

Burning Reds.

Burning Reds.

Burning Reds.

Lots of People Enjoying Nature.

Close-up of the leaves.

At one point there was a little pavilion. As there were lots of low colourful branches around this, this was a popular area for photography.

Busy Pavilion.

Nearby there is a viewpoint where it's possible to look towards the distant line of Sweet Gum trees. This is a lovely view of the colourful trees surrounded by greenery on all sides as most Hong Kong trees aren't deciduous.

Line of Sweet Gum Trees.

Line of Sweet Gum Trees.

Of course, I had to take one or two selfies, didn't I?

Leafy Selfie.

Leafy Selfie.

Eventually I made my way back to the bus-stop pausing to look at a couple of stalls on the way. Of course, as always at this time of year the bauhinias were out in force, too.

Market Stall.

Market Stall.

Not All Bauhinias are Purple.

Though, of course, many are.

After all my worrying about long bus queues, I ended up number two in the queue and had no difficulty getting back at all.