Hiking Up and Down Mount Johnston

About to ascend Mt Johnston in Ap Lei Chau

This afternoon my friend and I went back to Ap Lei Chau -- and tackled Mount Johnston, and what a glorious day to do it. The sky was so blue, and we only saw one cloud in the distance. 

We started off at Kennedy Town again and walked up Victoria Road, and this time bypassed going down to Cyberport and kept walking along Victoria Road until we hit Pokfulam Road and then down to Aberdeen where we had a quick stop at McCafe to have coffee and snacks before crossing the bridge to Ap Lei Chau.

Going down the other side of the mountain

This time we were mentally prepared for climbing up the steep mountain that thankfully had ropes to help people up and they were very handy, though very dusty. My shorts and windbreaker were becoming dusty too from me holding up the rope waist level. 

Finally we reached the top (196m) and it's a very flat and has a fantastic 360-degree view of the south side of Hong Kong, Ocean Park, and Lamma Island in the distance.

Mount Johnston, also known as Yuk Kwai Shan is named after Alexander Robert Johnston (1812-1888), who was a British colonial officer who served twice as Acting Administrator of Hong Kong from 1841 to 1842.

After admiring the views we had to get down the mountain on the other side to a tombolo -- a small island attached with a narrow sandy beach. It was there, my friend said that we could catch a sampan back to Aberdeen...

Looking back up Mt Johnston from Ap Lei Pai

So we tried to descend on the other side. It didn't look difficult... Again we had to hold onto ropes to get down and my friend suggested walking backwards to avoid sliding too much. I dropped my water bottle twice! Next time need to carry a knapsack and wear gloves and better shoes.

We got onto the thin sandy strip and walked across to the "tied island" for a break. The water was so clear there. However, we didn't know if we could make it over the other side of this smaller island to catch a sampan which was supposedly HK$50 per person. So we decided to go back where we came.

Going back up wasn't too bad, and yes those ropes were very helpful again. There was less sliding. A mother and her son were in front of me and she kept encouraging him to keep going or to take a break if he needed. I told her it was my first time here and she said it was for them too.

For kids this hike is pretty tough if they are not fit! Using the rope definitely involved a bit of core and lots of balance.

Looking at Ocean Park and a new hotel there

Going back down the other side was a bit easier now that I had some experience for the past few hours! When we finally made it back down to Lei Tung Commercial Centre, my legs were kind of like jelly. We took the MTR back home and my socks, runners, windbreaker and shorts were covered in dust!

What a day!

Scenic Southside Walk

An old battery at the U of Chicago campus

 

Today we played urban tourists and walked over 12k from Kennedy Town all the way to Ap Lei Chau! This is not a route most people would go, but it was time to visit the south side of Hong Kong Island.

Looking at Bel-Air in Cyberport from Victoria Rd

At the start of the walk we visited the University of Chicago campus that was designed by the late Vancouver architect Bing Thom. His signature clean lines, incorporating the building into the heritage site as well as the natural landscape was clear here.

He is remembered with a replica of his drawing carved in stone that says "Tree of knowledge" on it, referring to the campus offering an education to students and faculty. 

The site also includes a battery to hold a gun emplacement looking out to the sea. But the weapon has been long gone, and instead a large deep circular pit is left behind. 

A sculpture of a dragon boat

We then walked to Cyberport for a quick pit stop, a mall in the middle of no where, but offers a hodgepodge of food options for people living in the area. Nearby the grass at the park was downright deplorable, completely dry and dusty. 

Pressing on we walked up a gentle incline back up onto Victoria Road before it merged into Pok Fu Lam Road. We passed by Wah Fu Estate and then soon we were in Aberdeen. The promenade there is short but nice, a bit touristy with a model of a dragon boat and some bronze statues depicting life in the area centuries before that are related to fishing.

Then we found the entrance to the bridge to go further south to Ap Lei Chau and South Horizons. We made it to Lei Tung and then my friend pointed up to a giant hill called Yuk Kwai Shan or Mount Johnston to climb! I was not prepared for that with not enough water and we had already walked 12k! I also had a time crunch to be back in time to eat at 4.30pm (linner or dunch) before the restaurant closed at 6pm.

Lots of boats docked around Aberdeen

So we turned back and caught the bus back to Causeway Bay. Guess we head up to Yuk Kwai Shan next time but perhaps without the prologue of walking all the way there!