What is a traditional way to celebrate Easter? Growing up, it revolved around church and spending time with family. In Hong Kong, life is different. Rather than getting my praise on, I spent almost the entire weekend outside with new friends.
On Good Friday, I joined the OutInHK group for an eighteen kilometer hike across the Plover Cove Country trail. To get there, we met at Tai Po Market Station before splitting into groups and sharing taxis to the start of the trail. One thing I love about Hong Kong is that I can get out of the city so easily and enjoy the natural beauty. As we ascended the mountain and looked out at the panoramic views, I already felt like I was on vacation.
The trail traversed across a string of mountain ridges - each with its own unique views and diverse terrain. As we hiked along an endless series of peaks and valleys, it gave us the chance to talk a lot. I felt really fortunate to be part of such a wonderful group. We all come from such different backgrounds, yet we are united in our common love for outdoor adventures.
We stopped at most of the high peaks to take pictures, drink water, and reflect on the distance that had already been covered. Some of the conversations were about past hiking adventures, but we got into more engaging topics as the kilometers passed. What brought us to Hong Kong? Where do we see ourselves in the future? What is family life like when we go back home? It's amazing how much you can learn about people when there are no other distractions.
Towards the end of the hike, we crossed a long dam that separated a reservoir from the main waterway. At this point, we were all excited to be back on flat land because the constant elevation changes started to become taxing. Time for a group selfie. Job well done.
The official ending point was at a small village called Tai Mei Tuk, where we relaxed with some beer and Thai food. We ordered way more food than I thought we could handle, but we were ravenous from an entire day of hiking in the mountains. We even got free dessert, courtesy of some Cantonese speakers in the group. It was the perfect end to a really wonderful day.
The next morning, I kept up the momentum by joining my Saturday morning running buddies for a quick 8km run along Bowen Road in Mid-Levels. Back in the United States, I never used to enjoy running with people, but our small running group has become something I look forward to doing every Saturday that I am at home. It's a great excuse to get myself out of bed and I can start the weekend with some cardio.
On Easter Sunday, a small group of friends suggested a day trip to go kayaking. For the second time in three days, I ventured deep into the New Territories for outdoor adventures. We met at Sai Kung Pier, which is accessible by taking a train, followed by a long ride in a minibus.
Despite the insanely long line for the minibus, they were arriving in quick succession so I managed to get on after only about 10 minutes of waiting. This was the first time I rode in one of these buses and it was quite an adventure. The drivers like to test the speed limits and I started laughing when I looked up at the monitor behind the driver to see pole dancing classes on TV. (There's nothing like some pole dancing to get your day started).
When we arrived at Sai Kung, it almost felt like Thailand. I walked along the pier and noticed some ladies in tiny boats, sorting buckets of fresh fish. Along the adjacent street was a string of seafood restaurants - complete with tanks of fresh fish and lots of outdoor seating.
My friends arrived and we caught a taxi to an even more remote area. When the taxi finally stopped, I wondered if we were in the right place because it just looked like a dead end street in a residential neighborhood. But, Alfredo assured me that we were in the right place, so we got out and walked down a small paved path and through what looked like someone's private driveway. Then, out of nowhere, I caught a glimpse of a small beach and endless blue water.
We picked up our kayaks from a local guy, secured our gear into lockers, and set off for a day on the water. The first stop was at a small beach in front of the little mountain on the left side. When we pulled up on the shore, it felt like hundreds of miles away from civilization. We had some snacks, went in the water (which was really cold), and relaxed on our private beach.
After a little while, we got back into our kayaks and rowed out to a rock formation in the middle of the water. When we got closer, we noticed that the rocks were covered in barnacles, so it was not possible to conquer the island like our original plan. Instead, we just floated around and chatted about nothing. It was truly the most relaxed I have felt in a long time.
Eventually, we decided to row again and we ended up at yet another beach that was just around the opposite shore from the one we had stopped at earlier. We played some card games on the sand and observed my skin gradually turn to a deeper red color. At this point, there was another small group on the beach, so we asked them to take our picture and set off to return our kayaks.
By this point, we were pretty far from the place where we started, so it was quite a workout getting back. We took frequent breaks and eventually pulled up on the sand.
The owner of the shop said a few parting words to us in Cantonese before we got back into a taxi bound for Sai Kung Pier. I was really excited to try the seafood restaurants, but we first decided to have a "happy hour" at a shop with a huge selection of craft beer from around the world. It was truly the best selection of beer I have ever seen since arriving in Hong Kong.
As we sat in front of the shop and watched people walk by, it felt oddly like being in Cape Cod, or some other beach town. We went to one of the restaurants and allowed our local expert to order for us. The food was really quite amazing. I even tried some salt & pepper fried prawns - including the shells and the heads. Life is a constant adventure!
On my way home, I felt a little burnt, but a lot happy. This weekend may not have been the traditional Easter that I enjoyed growing up, but it started a new tradition of enjoying outdoor adventures with amazing people. I made new friends, strengthened existing friendships, and explored new areas that I had never even heard of before. Anyone who thinks Hong Kong is just a series of skyscrapers along Victoria Harbour has a lot of exploring to do!
Happy Easter!
On Good Friday, I joined the OutInHK group for an eighteen kilometer hike across the Plover Cove Country trail. To get there, we met at Tai Po Market Station before splitting into groups and sharing taxis to the start of the trail. One thing I love about Hong Kong is that I can get out of the city so easily and enjoy the natural beauty. As we ascended the mountain and looked out at the panoramic views, I already felt like I was on vacation.
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| My taxi group is ready for a long and fulfilling day of hiking! |
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| Views of the mountain trail looked like an endless quest |
The trail traversed across a string of mountain ridges - each with its own unique views and diverse terrain. As we hiked along an endless series of peaks and valleys, it gave us the chance to talk a lot. I felt really fortunate to be part of such a wonderful group. We all come from such different backgrounds, yet we are united in our common love for outdoor adventures.
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| Candid moment towards the end of the afternoon |
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| Descending onto the final stages of the trail |
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| Mid-conversation about photography, politics, or life in Mongolia |
We stopped at most of the high peaks to take pictures, drink water, and reflect on the distance that had already been covered. Some of the conversations were about past hiking adventures, but we got into more engaging topics as the kilometers passed. What brought us to Hong Kong? Where do we see ourselves in the future? What is family life like when we go back home? It's amazing how much you can learn about people when there are no other distractions.
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| The entire group enjoys a break at one of the open spaces |
Towards the end of the hike, we crossed a long dam that separated a reservoir from the main waterway. At this point, we were all excited to be back on flat land because the constant elevation changes started to become taxing. Time for a group selfie. Job well done.
 |
| Selfie at the edge of the reservoir |
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| The long path leading back to civilization |
The official ending point was at a small village called Tai Mei Tuk, where we relaxed with some beer and Thai food. We ordered way more food than I thought we could handle, but we were ravenous from an entire day of hiking in the mountains. We even got free dessert, courtesy of some Cantonese speakers in the group. It was the perfect end to a really wonderful day.
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| Enjoying Thai dinner after the hike |
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| Selfie after an energizing Saturday morning run |
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On Easter Sunday, a small group of friends suggested a day trip to go kayaking. For the second time in three days, I ventured deep into the New Territories for outdoor adventures. We met at Sai Kung Pier, which is accessible by taking a train, followed by a long ride in a minibus.
Despite the insanely long line for the minibus, they were arriving in quick succession so I managed to get on after only about 10 minutes of waiting. This was the first time I rode in one of these buses and it was quite an adventure. The drivers like to test the speed limits and I started laughing when I looked up at the monitor behind the driver to see pole dancing classes on TV. (There's nothing like some pole dancing to get your day started).
 |
| Pole dancing lessons on the minibus TV! |
When we arrived at Sai Kung, it almost felt like Thailand. I walked along the pier and noticed some ladies in tiny boats, sorting buckets of fresh fish. Along the adjacent street was a string of seafood restaurants - complete with tanks of fresh fish and lots of outdoor seating.
 |
| A woman arranges seafood in a boat next to the pier |
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| Restaurants along the waterfront |
My friends arrived and we caught a taxi to an even more remote area. When the taxi finally stopped, I wondered if we were in the right place because it just looked like a dead end street in a residential neighborhood. But, Alfredo assured me that we were in the right place, so we got out and walked down a small paved path and through what looked like someone's private driveway. Then, out of nowhere, I caught a glimpse of a small beach and endless blue water.
 |
| Views from the area where we picked up our kayaks - beautiful! |
We picked up our kayaks from a local guy, secured our gear into lockers, and set off for a day on the water. The first stop was at a small beach in front of the little mountain on the left side. When we pulled up on the shore, it felt like hundreds of miles away from civilization. We had some snacks, went in the water (which was really cold), and relaxed on our private beach.
 |
| Staking claim to our private beach |
After a little while, we got back into our kayaks and rowed out to a rock formation in the middle of the water. When we got closer, we noticed that the rocks were covered in barnacles, so it was not possible to conquer the island like our original plan. Instead, we just floated around and chatted about nothing. It was truly the most relaxed I have felt in a long time.
 |
| Floating around aimlessly |
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| Woody sleeping on his kayak near the shore |
Eventually, we decided to row again and we ended up at yet another beach that was just around the opposite shore from the one we had stopped at earlier. We played some card games on the sand and observed my skin gradually turn to a deeper red color. At this point, there was another small group on the beach, so we asked them to take our picture and set off to return our kayaks.
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| A collage of photos taken by EJ from our day of kayaking |
By this point, we were pretty far from the place where we started, so it was quite a workout getting back. We took frequent breaks and eventually pulled up on the sand.
 |
| Our kayaks dock on the sand after a long but relaxing day |
The owner of the shop said a few parting words to us in Cantonese before we got back into a taxi bound for Sai Kung Pier. I was really excited to try the seafood restaurants, but we first decided to have a "happy hour" at a shop with a huge selection of craft beer from around the world. It was truly the best selection of beer I have ever seen since arriving in Hong Kong.
As we sat in front of the shop and watched people walk by, it felt oddly like being in Cape Cod, or some other beach town. We went to one of the restaurants and allowed our local expert to order for us. The food was really quite amazing. I even tried some salt & pepper fried prawns - including the shells and the heads. Life is a constant adventure!
On my way home, I felt a little burnt, but a lot happy. This weekend may not have been the traditional Easter that I enjoyed growing up, but it started a new tradition of enjoying outdoor adventures with amazing people. I made new friends, strengthened existing friendships, and explored new areas that I had never even heard of before. Anyone who thinks Hong Kong is just a series of skyscrapers along Victoria Harbour has a lot of exploring to do!
Happy Easter!
