Mountains and I: Finding serenity on Lantau Island

Where do you go to be alone in this city? I've tried to escape the crowd by foot, by bus, by ferry, by bicycle, by car...but the city remains one step ahead of me, luring me in with mirages of empty alley cafes and untouched nature trails, only to let me down when I discover that these oases are just as flooded with people--weary worker bees like me eager to find a corner of their own, no matter how temporary.

But Hong Kong forgot about me one day in April, when I went on a hike on Lantau Island with a couple of friends. It was supposed to take three hours but ended up lasting six, as we trekked for miles with nobody in sight, enjoyed a quiet picnic at the peak (accompanied by a rock that looked like a vase), stumbled through thorny bushes destroyed by wildfires, slid down treacherous slopes and yelled into the wind that carried our city anxiety away. We got lost for an hour in the mountains, and when you get lost there you really start to understand that nature can never completely be tamed. Google Maps couldn't save us now, but after countless trials we finally made it out and landed--I kid you not--in front of Disneyland. 

This is how I should've grown up, I thought. This is how everyone in this city should've grown up. Limited instructions, no time limits, a will to explore and nature at our feet. 

The few minutes of encountering the absolute unknown and the possibility of being stuck on the same mountain all night made the final step back out onto the highway so much more gratifying. For the Singaporean girl who knew that every test had an answer set and every report had a conclusion, this was more than enough adventure to last me awhile.

At the very least, I now know that in Hong Kong, all roads lead to Disneyland...

 

Sangria by the beach...and the sweet island life

Often I forget that I live on an island (ok, technically I live on a peninsula, but HK Island is just one stop away!). Where are the people abiding by island time, strolling around carefree and greeting strangers? Not that I actively resist trading in my soul for an exciting capitalistic lifestyle, but it's nice to just chill out and hakuna matata the hell out of life sometimes. 

And so we went on a half day pilgrimage to Cheung Sha Wan,  a long stretch of beach on Lantau Island, to indulge in the elusive, F. Scott Fitzgerald approved expat activity--sipping wine and relaxing on a secluded beach. Note: When I say secluded I mean relatively, of course...this is Hong Kong after all. After a forty minute ferry ride to Mui Wo, a twenty minute bus ride to Cheung Sha Wan, and ten minutes of getting lost, we arrived at The Stoep, a South African restaurant by Cheung Sha Beach.

 

What a privilege it was, to be able to eat and drink and talk while burying my toes in the sand and feeling the sea breeze (with the occasional leaf falling into my hair...but let's not dwell on it). Compared to the beaches on the south side of HK Island, Cheung Sha beach is a lot less crowded, which adds to its rustic charm.

A lot of sunburnt expats

Two girls tackle a jug of sangria and lots of bread...

At one point I looked up and saw this ridiculous sight. My thought process went something like this: 1)WTF are those cows doing?? 2) Why does nobody care?? No one else is taking pictures except for me!! 3) Wait, I think that baby is naked...uh good for him 4) Can't wait to show my friends this picture 5) But really...those cows just came out of nowhere...where do they come from, and where do they go??

And the cows (or water buffaloes, as I found out later) continued their leisurely stroll down the beach, while the city girl, so used to a controlled urban environment and everything making sense, gradually realized the futility of questioning the ways of nature and just took it in, naked baby and all. Perhaps that is the core of the island mentality--enjoying life as it comes and going with the flow. I'll have to come back here every time I forget that the world contains so much more than just my understanding of it. Or more likely, whenever I'm craving sangria and a day trip.

This human to space ratio is to die for