Hong Kong …..An Island of Wonders

Hong Kong, with nearly 180 miles of hiking trails excluding the iconic subway arteries, walkways, escalators, connectors and steps (Po Lin monastery, Lantau) has a secret ingredient…’distance shortener’ the stunning countryside views that makes one forget to count the steps whether it is Aberdeen, Tai Tam and Shek O parks, the beaches or the trails of Kowloon and the New Territories, the islands of Lamma, Lantau, Cheng Chau and Peng Chau.

The vermillion, yellows and blues framed in opulent green with butterflies doing the tango, the glistening torsos with taut muscles and tiny droplets, lithe bodies in designer togs sprinting past, seniors enjoying the cool breeze, stroller moms giving way to weary commuters returning to their bases, panting dog walkers leashed onto dogs of different breeds and sizes.

These are vignettes from the much traversed 2.5 km walking/jogging Bowen Road trail of the Peak area of Hong Kong.

I joined a friend on this track with occasional vehicles.. the trespassers. The climb is an ecological treat of splendorous vistas amid mountainous landscape and continuous constructions….worth the strain of climbing the steps. Occasionally we came across changes with the old being replaced by new that soon the green cover of the Peak area will be replaced by bricks.

The Bowen Road trail is approachable from the Peak Tram, the Mid Levels end or from Happy Valley/Stubbs road.

The Walk: We started from Magazine Gap and Bowen Road intersection near the Peak Tram station, Mid-Levels towards Stubbs Road, Happy Valley past low rise apartments and larger fancier mansions. The road turns left joining with Barrett Road and is a horizontal walk, and my friend, a seasoned hiker selected a fairly easy one, a concession for me.

Bowen Road trail is a favorite of joggers and walkers as it follows a picturesque route ‘a walk in the sky’ looking down the crowded Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and Happy Valley. The awe factor is the natural canopy and a bird’s eye view of the vertical city, the Happy Valley race course and the waters beyond. We cross paths with children and their nannies, dog walkers, the occasional cyclists and tourists with their guide books and maps.

Mid-way is the Lover’s Rock or Yan Yuen-Suk, hidden by dense foliage and decked in colorful buntings, lotus flowers and vermillion paints. The 9 meter high granite monolith is believed to have the power of giving happy marriages for unmarried women especially if they worship it during the Maiden’s Day Festival in mid-August. Signs of recent visitations are there in mesmerizing smell of joss sticks and flower offerings. We spy hidden lovers sneaking few minutes/hours in the foliage and one cannot blame them considering the crowded living in tiny Hong Kong apartments. It is a clear day and we are lucky for the unobstructed view of Victoria Harbour and jutting high rises. We loiter for a few hours snooping around, admiring the tiny vermilion temples, the moss-covered steps. It is a luxuriating experience in the placidity around.

Back on the trail and peace is shattered by ongoing concretization of a hazardous slope, the soon-to-be-grey eye-sore in the green belt. Further along the public exercise equipment is an encouragement and few seniors are making full use of the largese.  I stop to watch Tai Chi movements, fluid as the stream nearby.

Refreshed or de-fuzzed of the temporary “Island headache’… we step closer to the exit/entrance, the Stubbs Road/Happy Valley end, and back to the street cacophony, the bus stop, to be transported back to commercialism of Hong Kong.

Tips

• The entire path is around 3km from start.. MidLevels at intersection of Garden and Robinson Roads to end at Stubbs Road in Happy Valley.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowen_Road