Coming to a close.

Little kids enjoying the dragons and the drums.

Dragon Boat Day is sometimes referred to as Double Fifth Day, as it is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the traditional Chinese calendar. That means it always takes place some time in June, but in 2020 and 2021 the traditional Dragon Boat Day races were cancelled due to COVID and in 2022 they were postponed. The races in Discovery Bay, where I live, finally took place on Sunday 9th October.

The origins of Dragon Boat Day come from the Warring States Period of Chinese history, which took place between 475 to 221 BC. During this time seven different states battled for control of China before the Qin Dynasty eventually emerged victorious.

At that time, in the Chu State, there lived a man called Qu Yuan. He was a politician and a poet as well as being a close friend of the Chu King. Qu Yuan was a very good man, who wanted the king to do more to help the people of his kingdom. However, he had enemies, who were jealous of him and they told the king many lies about him. The king believed these lies and was furious, so he banished Qu Yuan from his presence. Qu Yuan spent the rest of his life in exile, writing poetry about his love for his state. When the Chus were eventually defeated by the Qin, Qu Yuan was devastated and threw himself into a river, no longer wanting to be alive. The inhabitants of the village where he had been exiled were horrified at the prospect of losing him and quickly took to their boats to try and rescue him. They paddled frantically up and down the river looking for him, but there was no sign of him. Worried that the fish may start to eat his body, the villagers threw handfuls of rice into the water, hoping the fish would eat these instead.

From these events we now celebrate Dragon Boat Day with the frantic paddling of dragon boats, the pounding of drums to scare off evil spirits and the eating of rice dumplings in memory of Qu Yuan.

Dragon Boat Day is normally very very busy here, but this year, not being on the correct day, it was quieter. I walked along the beach taking photographs of the beautiful dragon boats and watching the competitors climb into their boats and paddle to the starting line. I stayed around to watch some of the races. A bit like Mid Autumn Festival, this is a very colourful and fun celebration.

A View over the beach.

Boats on the beach.

A traditional dragon boat. 8 is a lucky number here.

Boat Six.

I usually watch the action from the side, but with fewer people this year I ventured right onto the beach. It was good being close to all the action and soaking up the excitement and atmosphere.

Getting ready for the big race.

Getting ready for the big race.

Getting ready for the big race.

Getting ready for the big race.

Launching the boat.

Launching the boat.

The starting line and finishing line are a long way from the beach. The races go on for hours. I was watching the qualifying heats. It probably got busier for the finals.

Paddling out the starting line.

Paddling to the starting line.

In the heat of a race.

The drummer sets the pace and wards off evil spirits.

Celebrating victory by raising your paddle above your head.

Returning to the beach after the race.

This cute little girl was having a great time in the water.

If it had been the real Dragon Boat Day, there would have been lots of food stalls. There wasn't this time, but the Sunday Market did take place.

Discovery Bay Sunday Market.

Discovery Bay Sunday Market.

Discovery Bay Sunday Market.

Tsz Shan Monastery.

Being free on weekdays has some big advantages. One of them is - I can book to go places that it's almost impossible to get into on weekends and public holidays. One thing I managed to book recently was a visit to Tsz Shan Monastery, near Tai Po. This is the monastery with the massive statue of Guan Yin that I kept seeing in the distance on almost every walk I did in Tai Po before the summer.

I made my booking for Tsz Shan Monastery several weeks ago and chose an entry time of one thirty in the afternoon of Wednesday October 5th. I chose a relatively late time, because Tsz Shan is a long way from where I live. To get there I first need to take a bus to Sunny Bay, then travel on the Tung Chung Line to Nam Cheong, where I change to the Tuen Ma Line and travel to Hung Hom. From Hung Hom, I take the East Rail Line to Tai Po Market Station. Then, I walk to the nearby bus station and take bus 75K to San Tau Kok. The monastery is a twenty minute walk from there. Phew!!! With so many changes, I found it quite difficult to work out how long it would take to get there and was absolutely paranoid about being late. Due to this, I ended up in Tai Po about two and a half hours too early!!!

I decided since I had so much extra time that, I would first visit the Old Tai Po Police Station which is located on a small hill at Wan Tau Kok, not far from Tai Po Market railway station. I've been here before, but because it was on a Tuesday, it was closed. This time I was pleased to see it was open.

This police station was the first permanent police station in the New Territories. It was here in 1899 that a Union Jack flag-raising ceremony took place. This marked the official British takeover of the New Territories. There was trouble before the ceremony, as members of the Punti Clans who inhabited the New Territories, burnt down the masthead where the flag was to be raised in protest against the takeover. This led to six days of war, which the British, being much better armed than the locals, quickly quelled. Hundreds of Chinese people lost their lives in this war. However, by the end of it, the local inhabitants of the New Territories were granted land rights, which they still have to the present day.

This police station was the Police Headquarters of the New Territories until 1949. After that it was used by different sections of the police force, before being closed down in 1987 when a new police station was built.

Since 2010 the Old Tai Po Police Station has been the Green Hub for Sustainable Living, operated by a branch of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden. It now offers workshops and runs a canteen and shop. The historical buildings have been preserved and it is possible to wander around them.

I was met at the door of the police station by a very friendly lady who spoke excellent English. She explained what there was to see and how to move around the buildings. She also told me about some of the workshops they offer here at the weekends. I think I had only said the words: "Hello, and is it all right if I look around?" before this lady said: "You are a teacher, aren't you?" I was surprised and wondered if I had taught some of her children, but she just told me that I look and sound exactly like a teacher and it's just totally obvious that's what I do. I found that very funny. I hadn't known I was quite so school marmish before.

I love old buildings so I enjoyed looking around. There's not much of the original furniture. There are still the original fireplaces, old telephones, old desks and lots of information panels. I was able to go inside one of the original detention cells and read the rules for keeping prisoners here. All in all, if you are in the area, it's a lovely place to visit. At the back of the building, near the canteen, there's a little farm where the Green Hub grows its own vegetables. I did not try the canteen on this visit. Maybe next time.

I passed some lovely flowers coming up the hill here.

Paperbark trees I passed on the way.

The Old Tai Po Police Station.

The Old Tai Po Police Station.

Old radio, desk, old photos.

Arms Cage and cells. There is a small opening in the arms cage door through which guns could be passed out to police officers.

Inside a police cell.

"Let me out I didn't do anything." You can't sit in here without thinking of the many people who would have been locked up in here.

Old dial phones. I think you can listen to historical information on these.

Local Hakka farmer.

Colonnaded Veranda.

Another view of the police station.

One of the workshops involved making structures from bamboo. You can see some of these in the police station courtyard.

The canteen is here.

These are the buildings where the workshops take place.

Old Well.

Organic farm in the gardens of the Old Police Station.

Flowers in the Old Police Station Garden.

This old building is opposite the police station. It used to be The Old District Office North. Nowadays it is home to the Law Ting Pong Scout Centre.

I then set off for the Tsz Shan Monastery. I could have gone by minibus, but I chose to take the 75K bus. I got off at San Tau Kok, walked back a minute or so from where the bus had come from, turned right on Tsz Shan Road, walked along this road for about ten minutes, then turned right on Universal Gate Road. The monastery is about ten minutes walk from here. I was still early, so I stopped in a pleasant little shelter and read my book for a while.

Universal Gate Road.

Shelter I sat in on the way up.

I enjoyed the flowering trees on the final stretch up to the monastery. I reached the gates about fifteen minutes early and was told I must wait for the correct entry time. There were a handful of people waiting already. Gradually, the queue increased as several more people arrived by minibus. I knew it would not get too busy though. The number of people allowed in at one time is carefully controlled to keep the monastery peaceful at all times.

Beautiful flowering trees on the walk up to the monastery.

Beautiful flowering trees on the walk up to the monastery.

Just before one thirty someone came and scanned our vaccination certificates, then our QR codes for entry were scanned. We were all given visitors badges and we were allowed in.

Waiting in line at the monastery gateway.

The construction of the Tsz Shan Chinese Buddhist Monastery was funded by Li Ka-Shing, the richest man in Hong Kong. I don't know if he is famous internationally, but he certainly is here. If someone was trying to persuade you to buy something really expensive here, you might respond by saying: "Do you think I'm Li Ka-Shing?" It's the equivalent of saying: "Do you think I'm made of money?"

The construction of Tsz Shan Monastery began in 2003 and took around ten years to complete. The monastery has been open to the public since April 2015. Although it is a fairly new building, it is traditional having been inspired by the styles of the Tang, Northern Song, Liao and Jin dynasties.

The monastery is situated on a hill and has spectacular views over the sea. There are three main buildings positioned one behind the other. You climb a little higher each building you go into. The three buildings are: The Main Gate, The Maitreya Hall and The Grand Buddha Hall. These contain beautiful golden Buddha statues. There's also a Drum Tower and Bell Tower. You can take photographs anywhere in the grounds, but not when you enter one of the three halls. However, no-one minds if you photograph the statues in the halls as long as you do so from outside. I'm not sure why that is. I thought the no photos rule would be about respect, but maybe it has a large component of not wanting you to annoy others by getting in their way.

I started off by viewing the Main Gate. At the bottom of the stairs leading up to it there were lots of beautiful, colourful flowers. The Main Gate is protected by fierce looking statues and has a Buddha and door gods inside.

Flowers near the Main Gate.

Looking up at the Main Gate of the monastery.

Looking up at the Main Gate of the monastery.

Guard at the Main Gate.

Guarding the Main Gate.

Looking down from the Main Gate.

Door Handles.

Next I went to the Maitreya Hall which also had stunning golden Buddha statues. The Drum Tower and Bell Tower are also on this level.

The Maitreya Hall.

Drum Tower.

After the Maitreya Hall, I climbed up to the Grand Buddha Hall. This was absolutely breathtaking. It was filled with large golden Buddhas and a huge mural. Behind it there was a moon gate.

Grand Buddha Hall.

Buddha in the Grand Buddha Hall.

Buddha in the Grand Buddha Hall.

Mural behind the Buddhas.

Looking back from the Grand Buddha Hall.

Posing at the moon gate.

Mural through the moon gate.

On the right hand side of the Grand Courtyard stands the Universal Gate which has a wish-fulfilling, six-armed Guan Yin statue inside it. In front of the gate is the circular Brilliance Pond. Passing through the Universal Gate leads to the huge Guan Yin statue.

Brilliance Pond in front of the Universal Gate.

Brilliance Pond in front of the Universal Gate.

Universal Gate.

Guan Yin is the goddess of mercy. The Guan Yin statue is made of bronze which has been painted white. It is seventy metres high and stands on a three tier bronze lotus platform which is positioned on top of a granite base. These add six more metres to the overall height of the goddess, making her the fourteenth highest statue in the world. In her right hand Guan Yin holds a pearl of wisdom. In her left, she holds a vase of water. She is pouring this out to cleanse the world.

Guan Yin through the trees.

Guan Yin Statue with humans for size comparison.

Guan Yin and flowers.

Unusually for Hong Kong, incense is not allowed in this temple, as it pollutes the environment. Instead people make water offerings to the goddess. To do this, they fill a bowl shaped like half a coconut with water, hold it in two hands, carry it along the Compassion Path towards the goddess, before pouring it into the Thousand Wishes Pond at Guan Yin's feet. Not being a Buddhist, I did not do this, but I watched other people make their offerings.

Collect water in your bowl here for your water offering.

These people are carrying water offerings.

The Tsz Shan Monastery also has an art museum which contains different styles of Buddhas from around the world. To get in here, you need to queue up and wait for the correct admission time. When I looked at it there were two people queuing and eight minutes till admission, so I walked around the gardens for five minutes and came back to find about forty people queueing and the queue sealed off. I was let in anyway for some reason. To go in you must deposit all your belongings in a locker, though you are allowed to take your phone and you are allowed to take photos except in the room on the second floor. Everyone sat and watched a video about Buddhism before entering the museum collection.

A Buddha in the art museum.

A Buddha in the art museum.

A Buddha in the art museum.

A Buddha in the art museum.

In the art museum.

In the art museum.

In the art museum.

After visiting the museum, I took a stroll in the garden and enjoyed the amazing views from the monastery. I suddenly realised I had been inside the monastery for around two hours. That surprised me as there was so much to see it had passed really quickly. I decided to head back home, after all it was a long way.

Views on the walk back to the entrance.

View.

Hills and Flowers.

Views.

Views.

Views.

Views.

Monastery flowers.

Selfie with view.

There was a queue for the minibus that comes right in to the monastery grounds, so I walked back down to the main road and caught a bus from there. It had been a wonderful visit and I am really glad that I booked it.

Hong Kong Olympic Trail Signpost.

I'm getting more and more impatient, waiting for the weather to be cool enough for hiking again, so today, despite knowing it was going to be hot and despite not feeling all that well, I decided to walk the Tung Mui Ancient Trail, which goes from Tung Chung to Mui Wo. There are several ancient trails in Hong Kong. In the past, before there was much transport available, people walked the ancient trails to get from place to place, to buy and sell goods, to visit family and friends and so on. In 2008 the middle section of this route was renamed the Olympic Trail in celebration of Hong Kong hosting the equestrian events of the Beijing Olympics. When it was designated as the Olympic Trail, the path was repaired, bridges were built and various sign posts and Olympic related images were added to the pathway. The Olympic Trail itself is around 5.6km. However, walking from and to public transport at each end of the Tung Mui Ancient Trail makes the total walk a bit over 9 km.

There are several ways to get to the start of the trail. I had planned to walk past Tung Chung North Park, go onto a path parallel to the railway lines, then come through a subway under the tracks, but as I was heading to Tung Chung on the bus, I noticed signs for a different way that I had come across in online videos, so I changed to that.

I got off my bus in Tung Chung, bought some water, then walked along Fu Tung Street, past a health clinic and a refuge collection centre. I then walked along a pavement on Cheung Tung Road. This pavement was on the edge of a major, busy highway. As soon as I saw a sign for the Olympic Trail, I climbed up steps into the woods and was pleased to get away from the traffic, but there were several flights of stairs and several paths off them. I wasn't sure how high up I had to go to be on the right path, so I made a mistake and went on the lower path. After walking for about ten minutes or so, that path started to descend and spat me back out onto the edge of the busy road again. I knew following the road would also get me where I wanted to go, so I just kept going.

Fu Tung Street.

Map for the route to the start of the Olympic Trail.

Stairway up to Olympic Trail.

Suddenly, I saw a structure, built by the water works department, that I recognised from other people's hike blogs, so I climbed up to it and was soon on a forest path again. After a few minutes, I had the choice of continuing straight or climbing stairs. I decided to be lazy and just go straight. This led me onto a private piece of land owned by the water works department. It had lots of fences around it to keep people out. Unfortunately, I was already inside the fenced off area and trying to get out. So I had to exit by climbing through a fence covered in signs saying: 'Trespassers will be prosecuted' and telling me how much I should be fined for being where I was. To make matters worse, I came through the fence right next to a parked car containing a shocked looking man, possibly a worker for the water works department, who was watching my every move with a disapproving expression on his face. Not a great start to the hike.

Waterworks structure.

Anyway, I was now back at the side of the busy road again. By this stage I had largely given up hope of ever getting on the correct forest path to link to the trail, so I just continued along the road. This was hot and unpleasant. Finally, with a great sense of relief, I reached Tai Ho Wan Bay, the path heading to Pak Mong Village and the official start of the Olympic Trail.

Finally arrived at the turnoff for Pak Mong.

Subway from the route I had originally intended to take to the starting point of the Olympic Trail.

Hong Kong Olympic Trail.

This was in the car park at Pak Mong Village and doesn't look like it's been driven for a while

I pass Tai Ho Wan Bay frequently when I take the bus from Discovery Bay to Tung Chung. It looks beautiful from the bus. However, when I was standing at the bottom of it, I could not even see it properly due to sewage pipes, road works and other obstructions. It definitely looks better from a distance.

Tai Ho Wan from the bus.

At the start of the road leading towards Pak Mong Village there are many plaques about the Olympic Trail. I took some pictures of these. I then found a reasonable place to photograph the water as long as I kept my back to all the construction.

The Olympic Trail Signboard.

Tai Ho Wan.

Pak Mong Village is quite an interesting place with a couple of historic structures. The first one I came to, was an old red brick incinerator, dating from the 1950's or 60's. Villagers used to use this to burn their rubbish. Nowadays it's no longer used, because it caused air pollution and because they can now easily transport their rubbish out to refuge tips.

Pak Mong incinerator.

The next historic building was a seven metre tall, two story guard tower. The sign next to it said it dated from 1939. I would have thought it was older. This has small windows on the upper floor and gun ports. It was originally used to defend the village against pirates and bandits. After the war it was used temporarily as the village school. Nearby there is a large, two metre tall, stone, divided down the middle into two almost equal parts. This is nicknamed the sword testing stone, as it looks as if it was sliced neatly into two using a sword.. There is a similar structure with the same nickname on top of the Tiger's Head Hill behind my house.

Pak Mong Guard Tower.

Sword testing stone.

I could not get very close to these structures, as they were behind a fence marked private and with pictures of rather fierce looking dogs on it. I could have stepped through the gate, but I felt I had already done enough trespassing for one day.

There is a stream flowing through this village called Pak Mong Stream. I had seen it earlier flowing down the mountains. Many people walk this stream, actually in the water and climbing up the falls. I have zero intention of ever trying to do this. If you want to see how it is done, find another blog.

Pak Mong Stream.

Pak Mong Stream.

Pak Mong Stream.

The waterfalls forming the Pak Mong Stream that flows through Pak Mong Village.

I then arrived at the impressive village gateway with its lion guards. There were some little shrines, probably devoted to the earth god, at the ends of the village. Finally, just before leaving the village, I arrived at a public toilet, very handy for hikers.

Pak Mong Gateway.

Lion guard.

Shrine.

Village shrine.

From here I followed the path to the next village - Ngau Kwu Long. There were beautiful views of this village across the fields. This village also had a public toilet. I noticed most of the villages, don't actually want people coming into them. This is probably because there will be lots and lots of rubbish throwing, noisy hikers at weekends and on public holidays, but it could also be a COVID related thing.

Ngau Kwu Long Village.

Ngau Kwu Long Village.

House on route.

From here the path continued to Tai Ho, which again closed its gates to passers by. I took a picture through the fence that closed off the village to outsiders, then continued on my way.

Entrance to Tai Wo Village through the fence.

There was lots of beautiful scenery and nature all around me. I passed several burial grounds near here and I should have come to a viewpoint but missed it. I still saw the views though by turning round on the path as I climbed up a hill. The views looked over the 55km long Hong Kong Zuhai Macau Bridge, which is the longest bridge-cum-tunnel sea crossing in the world. This cost a fortune to build and has hardly been used for ages due to the fact that going to Macau or Zuhai until recently necessitated about two weeks of quarantine.

Scenery.

Scenery.

Grassy meadow.

Graveyard.

View over Hong Kong Zuhai Macau Bridge.

Fungi on a log.

The walk I was taking had been recommended to me by a friend. She said it was easy, nearly all flat and was fine to do on a hot day. She's obviously a lot fitter than me. The walk wasn't particularly steep and would be really easy in the cool months, but the temperature was around 33 or 34 degrees Celsius and while some areas were shaded, others were fully in the sun. I started to realise I was not feeling too great, I was drenched in sweat and I had definitely had way too much sun. I kept going and the path kept climbing. Eventually, when I reached a shaded part, I just slumped down onto the edge of the path, feeling pretty exhausted. I wasn't sure whether to go on or go back or just sit there till around December when it might start to cool down. Suddenly, I heard someone coming along the path behind me. It turned out to be an Australian man out for a walk. He looked at my slumped, lifeless body and said: "Keep going, another 50 metres, you are at the top and there's even real seats." I think he saved my life. After thanking him, I picked myself up, put one foot in front of the other, and made it to the top of the hill. Honestly, if you did this hike in winter, you would not know what I'm whining about, you would say: "What hill?" but the summer sun is a killer here.

Soon I came to a place where the path I was on, met up with the path from the Tiger's Head Path. I've only walked that path once. It was memorable. I injured my leg climbing up the mountain and completed the rest of the hike in intense agony. Fortunately, my legs were functioning well enough on this hike, it was just I had had way too much sun.

Anyway, I ignored the turn off, I wasn't going back to Discovery Bay yet. First, I had to get to Mui Wo. I passed several bridges, some Olympic pictures on the pathway and came to a shelter, viewpoint and trigonometric marker. I remembered all this from my pain filled previous walk.

Bridge.

Bridge.

Fencing stone.

Triathlon stone.

Swimming stone.

Athletics stone.

Cycling stone on the Olympic Trail.

Shelter.

Trigonometrical Marker.

Selfie with Trigonometrical Marker.

View over Mui Wo.

After enjoying the view, I headed on down towards Mui Wo. I walked through the pleasant little village of Wo Tin. There were great views, but of course that also meant there was no shade.

Wo Tin Village.

Lanterns in Wo Tin Village.

Farm in Wo Tin Village.

View over Mui Wo.

I stopped at Silvermine Cave. I had failed to find this on my previous walk, which I blame on my severe pain levels on that day, as there is a huge sign for the cave written on the path, a prominent shelter and a large notice board, plus it's possible to actually see the cave from the path!!! I still missed it. Anyway Mui Wo was once called Silvermine Bay and this cave was the entrance to one of the mines. It's sealed up nowadays and it's only possible to go into the cave a very short way.

Sign on the ground and pavilion, Silvermine Cave.

Silvermine Cave.

Silvermine Cave.

I continued down the hill to Silvermine Bay Waterfall. There's one woman in Hong Kong whose blog I sometimes read. She says she has never failed to feel really disappointed by Silvermine Bay Waterfall. I have to admit I rather agreed with her. It's difficult to clamber into a good position to get a good photo of it. It's usually not got very much water and it's always covered with people. I did not linger here long, just long enough to manage to graze my elbow against a rock and start it bleeding. Honestly, I'm just not lucky on this walk.

Silvermine Bay Waterfall.

Silvermine Bay Waterfall.

Past the waterfall I soon reached the end of the Olympic Trail. There are several information markers here.

Mui Wo Information Post.

I decided I would head through Pak Ngan Heung, a little village with a lovely Man Mo Temple. In the past, any disputes about the price of silver obtained from the nearby mine used to be settled here.

Gateway to Pak Ngan Heung Village.

Man Mo Temple.

Artwork on Man Mo Temple.

Inside Man Mo Temple.

It had felt like miles from here to the bus station and ferry pier when I had hurt my leg. This time I thought it would seem much shorter. It didn't really. It actually is quite a long way.

Mui Wo is a pretty place. I saw ponds, farms, flowers, fruit growing on the trees.

Pond, Mui Wo.

Farm.

Flowers, Mui Wo.

Pink flower in Mui Wo.

Bananas.

Papayas.

I also passed lots of photogenic houses, crossed the river, bypassed a herd of cows and ended up at the beach.

Mui Wo house.

House in Mui Wo.

Boat outside house.

Bicycle.

Village house, Mui Wo.

Village house, Mui Wo.

House in Mui Wo.

Cow grazing in Mui Wo.

Cow and car.

I crossed some streams and the River Silver. I noticed a rather thirsty dog had made its way down to one of the streams to have a drink.

Stream and thirsty dog.

River.

The Silver River.

Some maintenance work was being done to the beach and the beach path, so unfortunately it was all a bit of a mess. It's normally really pretty here. A lot of the work was taking place outside the Silvermine Bay Hotel.

Mui Wo Beach.

Silvermine Bay Hotel.

Mui Wo has lots of good restaurants. If Peter were still able to hike, we would have gone for a meal at this point. Near the ferry pier there were lanterns and Chinese flags strung up, as it was Chinese National Day on October 1st. There was also a huge parking area for bicycles. I've no idea how anyone ever finds their bike again.

Mui Wo restaurant.

Silvermine Bay Hotel through the decorations.

Walking to the ferry pier passed National Day decorations.

Now where did I leave my bike?

I had to wait quite a while for the bus and was really relieved when the driver finally let us all on it. Air-conditioning has rarely felt so good. I realised I had a terrible headache from too much sun and this wasn't helped by the guy who sat across from me, playing a video on his phone at top volume. We passed some lovely scenery on the journey back to Tung Chung, but all in all, I was pleased to get home and into a dark room containing several bottles of water for a well deserved rest.

View from the bus on the way back to Tung Chung.

I have been missing hiking so much, but all summer, it has just been too hot and too humid to even consider going on a long walk. To be honest, it's probably still a bit too hot, but nonetheless, yesterday I completed my first hike of the season. Naturally, I chose an easy one and made sure it was all downhill. I may as well ease myself back into it gently.

I started by going to Tung Chung and boarding the 23 bus to Ngong Ping and the Big Buddha. This is a very pretty journey which passes by beaches and a reservoir and climbs up a tall hill from where there are lovely views.

So much beautiful scenery on the way and I only managed to get a shot of the prison!

When I got off the bus at Ngong Ping Village, I passed through the huge gateway and walked past the statues of the twelve divine generals. These are the protectors of the Buddha and each one represents a different animal of the Chinese zodiac. There are some shops here, too selling incense and lucky charms and windmills, among other things.

Entrance gate at Po Lin Monastery.

One of the twelve divine generals and Lantau Peak in the distance.

One of the twelve divine generals.

Incense sticks for sale.

Although it was not part of my hike, I could not resist taking a look inside Po Lin Monastery, which is one of the loveliest monasteries in Hong Kong. If I had come earlier, this would still have had its Mid-Autumn lanterns up, but unfortunately these had already been taken down. It did have lots of beautiful lotus blossoms in front of the main hall, though.

Statue in the entrance gate.

Po Lin Monastery Main Hall across the lotus blossoms.

Lotus blossoms.

Lotus blossoms.

Lotus blossoms.

Po Lin Monastery was founded by three monks from Jiangsu Province in 1906. It was originally a much simpler structure and was known simply as The Big Hut. Nowadays there are two main halls open to the public. These are lavishly decorated and filled with golden Buddha images. Off to one side, there is a vegetarian restaurant. I have never eaten here, but it's supposed to be good. There's also a beautiful fish filled pond, which is best viewed from above.

Guard.

Guard.

Looking towards the main entrance from the main hall.

Looking towards the Big Buddha.

Temple decoration.

There were also two exhibitions going on here. One was about the construction of the Big Buddha and had some interesting photos of the statue being built. I liked the shot of the Buddha's face being lifted into position.

Exhibition hall.

This monk began on the strict path of constant meditation and prayer, before finding the middle way.

Golden Buddha statue.

Photos showing the construction of the Big Buddha.

Even Buddha is concerned about COVID!!

Monastery pond.

Vegetarian restaurant.

Outside the monastery, I found a pond with lots of gorgeous water lilies in a variety of different colours. There were lots of other lovely flowers, too and good views back to the monastery.

Water lilies.

Water lilies.

Beautiful red flowers.

Indian rhododendron.

Giant potato tree.

Beautiful yellow flowers.

Monastery building across flowers.

The Big Buddha has been covered up for ages and I had heard it was open again. It turned out that it is possible to see him, and he's looking good after his renovation, but it's not yet possible to climb up to him, as the stairs in front of him are still being done. Not being able to climb hundreds of steps on a hot day wasn't much of a punishment. The Tian Tan Buddha, to give him his proper name, dates from 1993. He is thirty-four metres tall, made of bronze and took twelve years to build.

Buddha through the gateway.

The Big Buddha.

The Big Buddha.

My intention was to hike the Fat Mun Ancient Path. I believe Fat Mun means something like Gate of Prosperity. The Fat Mun Ancient Path leads from Shek Mun Kap Village, just outside Tung Chung, to very close to Po Lin Monastery. On route this path passes by several monasteries and shrines. Some of these monasteries are still in use, while others have long since been abandoned. I believe the mountain the path ascends is considered holy by Buddhists.

To get to the start of my hike, I followed signs for the Wisdom Path. This took me past several ruined buildings, including the ruined tea garden restaurant.

Follow the signs for the Wisdom Path.

Houses that have been abandoned on route to the Wisdom Path.

Houses that have been abandoned on route to the Wisdom Path.

Houses that have been abandoned on route to the Wisdom Path.

Houses that have been abandoned on route to the Wisdom Path.

Houses that have been abandoned on route to the Wisdom Path.

Tea Garden Restaurant.

Then instead of going all the way to the Wisdom Path, I turned left and followed a sign for the Po Lam Zen Monastery. I soon passed by the S.G. Davis Youth Hostel and some public toilets. I reached a place where several trails met up. It was easy to find the start of my path, as it involved going through the Fat Mun Gate.

Sign towards Po Lam Zen Monastery.

Fat Mun Gate.

Fat Mun Gate.

The Fat Mun Ancient Trail is paved the whole way. Soon I was surrounded by greenery and peace and quiet. It was very very calming. There were several rocks with Buddhist inscriptions on them. There were lots of beautiful plants and some fruit trees. There were also some bamboo groves that creaked ominously in the wind.

Mountain scenery.

Mountain scenery.

Buddhist inscriptions on rocks.

Buddhist inscription on a stone.

Buddha by the side of the path

Fruit growing on a tree.

Bananas.

Seed pods.

Bamboo grove.

Not too long after I started, I reached the Midway Pavilion. This pavilion is a useful resting place for those who choose to walk the path up the way rather than down.

Midway Pavilion.

I continued past the pavilion and kept catching glimpses of a view through the greenery. The best place to enjoy this from was a little viewing area with seats up ahead. This allows you to sit and enjoy stunning views over Chek Lap Kok Airport, Tung Chung and towards Castle Peak in the distance.

View over the airport and Castle Peak in the distance.

View over Tung Chung.

View over Tung Chung.

View over the airport with Castle Peak in the background.

View over Tung Chung.

After enjoying the views, I continued onwards till I reached Po Lam Zen Monastery. Apparently Po Lam means Jewel of the Forest. This monastery was founded in 1955 by a young Buddhist monk whose dharma name means enlightenment. It is not possible to go inside this monastery, so I just walked around it to catch some glimpses of it. Next to the monastery there are several little vegetable gardens that are tended by the monks. This monastery is a world away from Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha, which can get very crowded. Here there is nothing but peace and tranquility.

Entrance to Po Lam Monastery.

Po Lam Monastery.

Po Lam Monastery.

Po Lam Monastery gardens.

Garden of Po Lam Monastery.

Garden of Po Lam Monastery.

Flowering pea plant.

From this monastery, I followed the signs for Tung Chung and within a hundred metres or so, I reached Fa Hong Monastery. This is no longer used, so I could just look at it through its gate. Opposite the monastery there is a little shrine where people still leave offerings.

Sign for Tung Chung via Shek Mun Kap Village.

Fa Hong Monastery.

Fa Hong Monastery.

Shrine outside Fa Hong Monastery.

From here I crossed a bridge over the Tei Tong Tsai Stream. From this point on the soothing sound of running water accompanied my hike.

Bridge over the stream.

The stream.

Soon I came to the Fat Lam Monastery, which is still in use, but not open to the public. This monastery dates from 1932. I peered through some of its gates to catch glimpses of the buildings and gardens.

Fat Lam Monastery.

House near Fat Lam Monastery.

There were several abandoned monasteries around this area, too. Again I took a peek at them through their gates. It's a shame they are not being used. Hopefully, they will still be preserved.

Monastery gate.

Monastery gate.

Entrance to an abandoned monastery.

Gateway to abandoned monastery.

Abandoned monastery pond.

At one point the Tei Tong Tsai Stream formed a lovely crystal clear pool with a tiny waterfall trickling out of the end of it.

Pond.

Mini waterfall.

After this I reached a shrine with pictures, statues and offerings. It was possible to take a rest here on one of the many seats. The sound of Buddhist chanting was being played at a very low volume inside the shrine. This added to the serenity of the area.

Shrine where you can sit and rest.

I then headed further down the mountain towards the last of the monasteries. There were views over Tung Chung from here including the cable car

The final monastery is called Lo Hon Monastery. This is located next to a cave, where monks used to go to meditate. It dates from the 1920's. This monastery had beautiful gardens. Apparently it is normally open to the public, but has closed its gates due to COVID, so I could not go inside. It is very colourful.

Gate at Lo Hon Monastery.

Lo Hon Monastery.

Lo Hon Monastery.

In the garden of Lo Hon Monastery.

In the garden of Lo Hon Monastery.

From here I walked down to the village of Shek Kap Mun and the end of the Fat Mun Ancient Trail. I saw a number 34 bus in front of me which I knew would take me back to Tung Chung. I had heard these were infrequent, but I wasn't sure I wanted it, as I hadn't looked at the village yet. I was still pondering what to do when it set off without me, so that was that decision made.

Shek Mun Kap Village has a little temple called Yuen Tan Temple and some shrines. I also saw a lovely tree here covered with purple flowers. This village looks like a peaceful place to live. After looking at it, I walked to Tung Chung Road where there were bus stops. I passed a stream on the way and there was another Buddhist monastery near the road. I can only find its name in Chinese, so don't know what it is called. Realising I wasn't that far from Tung Chung, I just decided to walk there. It was about another 2 km, making the whole walk around 7 km long.

Yuen Tan Temple in Shek Mun Kap.

Inside Shek Mun Kap Temple.

Village Hall in Shek Mun Kap Village.

Shrine by Shek Mun Kap Bridge.

Tree with beautiful purple flowers.

Monastery in Shek Kap Mun.

On my walk to Tung Chung, I passed Tung Chung Fort which I have visited before, but I took another quick look nonetheless. This fort was built in the twelve century. Soldiers were stationed here to try and prevent the smuggling of salt.

Tung Chung Fort.

Tung Chung Fort.

Tung Chung Fort.

Tung Chung Fort.

Back in Tung Chung I jumped on a DB01R bus to get back home having thoroughly enjoyed my first hike of the season.

The Aqua Luna.

I turned up at the Science Museum a few weeks ago and found I couldn't get in without an online booking due to the popularity of their dinosaur exhibition. Since then, I have tried several times to book a visit to this museum, but it has always been sold out. Well, the other night, I woke up at two in the morning and picked up my phone. I know it's fatal to do this, as once I have gone on my phone, it's very hard to get back to sleep. Anyway, it suddenly occurred to me, "I haven't tried to book the dinosaurs this week yet." I had a go and managed to secure a reservation. When I woke up the next morning, I had a vague memory and wondered if I had just been dreaming, then I saw the confirmation on my email. Thus it was that I found myself heading back to the Science Museum for midday on Friday.

The exhibition is called 'The Big Eight - Dinosaur Revelation' because it contains the skeletal remains of eight different dinosaurs. It describes these as 'eight of the most iconic creatures from the Golden Age of Dinosaurs.' The eight dinosaurs are: Tyrannosaurus Rex, triceratops, spinosaurus, allosaurus, hesperosaurus, diplodocus, hatzegopteryx and a baby sauropod.

In the words of the exhibition's blurb: 'This exhibition boasts an unrivalled amount of original fossil material, some of the most complete fossil skeletons in the world, world-class artwork, cutting-edge 3D renderings and the first scientifically accurate reconstructions of the world's largest predatory dinosaur and the world's largest flying creature'.

I arrived a bit early and stopped to take a picture of the nearby fountain, which was hosting quite a large gathering of pigeons.

Fountain, Tsim Sha Tsui.

Fountain, Tsim Sha Tsui.

Then I took another look at the displays outside the museum. These start with a model of dinosaur bones, away from which large dinosaur footprints lead to the museum's entrance.

'The Big Eight - Dinosaur Revelation' at the Science Museum, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.

The Big Eight - Dinosaur Revelation.

Displays outside the museum.

Displays outside the museum.

Displays outside the museum.

Fossil hunters.

Entry to the exhibition is free. Before I could get in, I had to scan my leave home safe app and my vaccination certificate. I decided to begin with the dinosaurs, then take a look around the rest of the museum later. I have been to the Science Museum several times, always accompanied by between sixty to ninety children during my primary school teaching days. It's a very child friendly museum with lots of hands on things to do. Our classes used to be able to run around, trying everything and having a great time here. Then we'd take them across to the History Museum, which is just next door, and the kids were not allowed to move or breath. The History Museum is one of the least child friendly museums I have ever encountered. I think you have to hate children to get a job there, which is a shame, because it is an interesting museum. Anyway, I no longer have to worry about such things. I no longer take my days out accompanied by large numbers of short, inquisitive, little human beings.

I started by taking a look at the diplodocus. This proved to be very hard to photograph, as it is huge and there isn't really a good place to stand and take the shot. At the side of the skeleton, there was an animation of several diplodocus, wandering around searching for food. Next to it there was an aeroplane which is part of the permanent exhibition here. Perhaps it was thought useful for size comparison.

Diplodocus means 'double beamed lizard'. At around 27 metres long, these gigantic plant-eating dinosaurs were the longest of all known dinosaurs. They weighed around 12 tonnes.

Diplodocus, easiest to photograph from the escalator.

Diplodocus.

Next I had a look at hatzegopteryx, the world's largest flying creature. This was displayed as a skeleton attached to the wall, but every so often an animation was projected onto it, showing how its body would have looked and how it would have moved its wings.

Hatzegopteryx was one of the biggest pterosaurs, with a wingspan of ten to twelve metres. It was found in Transylvania - a sort of earlier and bigger version of Dracula's bat, perhaps.

Hatzegopteryx and fan club.

Hatzegopteryx with animation.

Then I went to see triceratops, which means three horned face, a firm favourite with kids if I remember correctly. Triceratops had one of the largest heads of any land animal ever discovered. They may have had around eight hundred teeth. Quite a big bill at the dentist's for them then!

Triceratops.

Triceratops.

Close to the triceratops stood a mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, which means the tyrant lizard king. This is another dinosaur adored by little children, as they admire anything that can rip 100kg of flesh off their victims in a single bite. Still he has got a lovely smile!

T-rex.

T-Rex.

T-rex and Triceratops getting ready for a fight. Who do you think will win?

I think the next one was my favourite of the exhibition, not sure why. Maybe it's because we both like swimming. It was the spectacular spinosaurus. This dinosaur has a two metre high sail on its back that it used to seduce the opposite sex, while scaring off predators and retaining its cool.

Spinosaurus.

Spinosaurus.

Five dinosaurs down. Before seeking out the remaining three, I took a look at the time tunnel. Basically this is a tunnel where facts and different dinosaur images are projected across the floor while coloured lights swirl all round you. Every time the dinosaurs appeared little kids would chase them or sit on them or in the case of the tiniest and funniest little girl there, stamp violently on them with all her might.

Time Tunnel.

Time Tunnel.

Through the time tunnel there was a video playing. In the video a T-rex appears at a meeting of the United Nations and starts telling everyone off about climate change and warning that we could be facing extinction if we don't do something about it. The video was pretty well done, I thought. Here it was also possible to write a message or draw a picture of the dinosaurs and put it on the Dino board. There were some fun dinosaur displays in front of the windows.

Dino message board.

Dino message board.

What do you say we smash this window and go take a stroll around town.

Watch out behind you! No, in front of you. Just run!

The next part of the museum had a display of dinosaur and other animal eggs arranged in order of size. Too popular and too reflective to get a good picture of, but interesting nonetheless.

Dinosaur eggs and other eggs.

Then the next dinosaur I encountered was Hesperosaurus, which means western lizard. It's called this because its remains were found in Montana and Wyoming in the USA. This dinosaur shares some similarities with the stegosaurus

Hesperosaurus.

Hesperosaurus.

Next to the hesperosaurus was the mighty allosaurus. Lucky for hesperosaurus that it isn't exactly the same as stegosaurus, as apparently that was allosaurus's favourite dinner. How do I know? Well, apparently paleontologists have uncovered an allosaurus vertebrae with a puncture wound matching the stegosaurus tail spike, and a stegosaurus neck bone with an allosaurus shaped bite mark. Case closed.

Allosaurus.

Allosaurus.

Allosaurus claw.

The final dinosaur was just a little baby and he was exhibited in a very reflective glass case that always had lots of people all around it, so not easy to photograph. He was a sauropod. Apparently, his name was Toni! Toni is displayed in his original burial posture, he is the only articulated, nearly complete baby sauropod ever found.

Toni, the baby sauropod.

Toni the baby sauropod model.

One of the things I really enjoyed on this visit was looking at the winning entries from an art competition set by the Science Museum and the MTR. The competition was open to all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. The children were to create artwork about dinosaurs and the MTR. The competition had both a painting and a digital graphics section. I thought the standard was very impressive.

Dinosaur and MTR Competition.

Dinosaur and MTR Competition.

Dinosaur and MTR Competition.

Dinosaur and MTR Competition.

Dinosaur and MTR Competition.

Dinosaur and MTR Competition.

Well that was me done with the big eight, but I had a quick look round the rest of the museum before leaving.

There was a section on natural disasters. In this, it was possible to see the inner workings of a volcano, create your own tsunami and enter a glass booth to experience a typhoon.

Making a tsunami.

Inside a volcano.

I liked the displays connected to nature. These included a fish tank filled with several different kinds of coral and colourful tropical fish. There were some Hong Kong animals on display, though I feel they could have done with more. Where were the wild boar, the monkeys, the barking deer and the leopard cats? There were also lots of displays about insects, which I rather liked.

Coral reef.

Coral reef.

Local wildlife. Civet cat. SARS jumped from bats to humans via this little fellow, it is believed.

Local wildlife porcupine. Apparently they are quite common, though I have yet to see one.

Turtle laying eggs.

Butterflies.

Butterflies.

Bees.

Beetles.

Dragonflies

Insect viewed through a microscope.

Sadly, I had a look in the Hall of Mirrors before leaving, always a mistake.

This is me looking elegantly tall and slim.

But sadly the next mirror was more accurate.

At first I was originally planning just to head home after my visit to the museum, but then I remembered there was a lantern display somewhere near the clock tower, so I took a longer route along the Avenue of Stars to see it. I was glad I went that way, as I was in time to see the beautiful Aqua Luna Junk passing by.

Passing junk.

Passing junk.

I recently photographed most of the statues on the Avenue of Stars, but I took some of the Hong Kong film awards statue this time. Again the Avenue of Stars did not have a single tourist in sight. The government here has finally scrapped quarantine, so I wonder if that will change. Quarantine for inbound travellers ends on Monday, though people entering need to do a RATS test every day and a couple of PCR tests and they are not allowed in restaurants!!! Not perfect, but I guess it's a move in the right direction. Naturally, I could not resist photographing the occasional flower on route.

Purple flowers.

Bright red hibiscus..

The Hong Kong Film Awards Statue.

I noticed the Space Museum has added a dinosaur to its dome. It also has some kind of dinosaur related exhibition on at the moment.

The dome of the Space Museum.

The lantern display was entitled 'Hugs Without Distance,' obviously looking forward to a COVID free world.. They were prettily arranged in the pond by the clock tower. I took a picture of the nearby Flying Frenchman statue, too.

The Flying Frenchman and the clock tower.

Hugs without distance.

Hugs without distance.

Hugs without distance.

On my way to the MTR, I stopped to take some photos of 'Lining up' by Ju Ming, which I think is quite cute.

Lining up by Ju Ming.

Lining up by Ju Ming.

Then I finally set off home.