Kayaking in a Marine Park in Hong Kong

On the tranquil water in Hoi Ha Wan in Sai Kung

A good friend of mine took me to her happy place the other day and I can see why. 

We met up at Tiu King Leng MTR station and took a taxi to Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park (海下) in Sai Kung. It's about a half hour trip past Sai Kung city centre and into a geo-park area. 

My friend had arranged to rent kayaks -- my first time doing it -- and after packing all our items in waterproof bags we went down to the beach with life vest and paddle in hand. There were kayaks there waiting for us and we strapped our bags in, had water bottles on hand and then paddled out into a bay area. 

Fresh green algae that is soft and fuzzy

The water was so still -- and even better there was no one there on a weekday late morning. We were also socially distanced, with each of us in our own kayaks.

After a quick lesson of how to hold the paddle we were off. As an absolute beginner I was surprised how fast my friend was paddling, but she has been doing this for over a year and looked very comfortable being in the water.

While I like swimming, for me it took a bit of time to accept the fact that I was going to be wet all day as I dipped the paddle into the water on one side, then in the other which led to water falling onto my legs and lap.

But it was so nice to be on the water, just hearing the sound of the water as we paddled. 

Our first stop was to an area where she saw a beautiful blue and yellow fish about one foot long -- I was too far away to see but saw the pictures later. There also lots of small sea urchins and sea cucumbers! As it is a protected marine park people are not supposed to take these creatures out to consume, nor should they take the coral with them.

Very low tide here with lime green vegetation

We dragged the kayaks onto the mini beach nearby and began exploring the area. I even took a quick dip in the water which was a bit cold but nice to do a bit of breast stroke after not being able to swim in a pool since December. 

My friend got her snorkel kit out and saw lots of sea creatures in the water. I was just happy to be in a place I had never been before and exploring the area around me.

We also paddled out to where the World Wildlife Fund has a marine life centre, but it is currently closed. The centre also has glass bottom boats (currently raised), that are used for visitors to admire the sea life below.

Unfortunately the temperature of the water in that area was much colder so we didn't take a dip and instead headed across the bay to another mini beach.

Sea cucumbers don't mind being touched...

When we arrived there was very low tide -- my friend had never seen it that low before, revealing lots of rocks, coral, tiny fish and speckled shells. Again we wandered around and I ever dared to touch a sea cucumber! I was surprised it just stayed there as I gently touched it -- it wasn't slimy, but soft, much like the texture when eaten! Haha.

By now it was around 3pm and we slowly made our way back to where we started. Not only did I get a chance to learn how to kayak, but also get to discover my friend's favourite place that brings her joy and tranquility to help deal with all the stress in her life.

We had good conversation, and having so much to see around us took our focus away from the pandemic that has weighed all of us down mentally and physically for over two years.

Luckily the weather was overcast so it was a nice 23 degrees or so, but when I returned home I discovered my arms were bright red from the sun! Even my back was also a bit red too despite me putting on my T-shirt and life vest every time we returned to the kayak to paddle. Strangely my right arm is redder than the left! 

A giant piece of coral on land

But also when I came back home, I could still hear the water sounds in my head and it took a while to get acclimatised back to hearing manmade urban life. Amazing.

Hike to Devil's Peak

A view of both Hong Kong and Kowloon at Devil's Peak

 

This morning I went over to Tiu King Leng to meet up with my friend who took me up to Devil's Peak!

She had showed it to me a few weeks ago when we were walking around Tseung Kwan O and sounded like it was worth checking out and was not disappointed.

Behind her building is a giant staircase -- 500 steps -- before we start the hike. We didn't realize that we forgot to start tracking our hike until about 1km in! When we got to the top of the stairs we saw many seniors doing lots of exercises.

Looking east at the passage at Lei Yue Mun

One time she said she saw a man probably in his 80s doing pull-ups on a bamboo bar held up by two trees and he even swung around the pole like a gymnast! Too bad she didn't have video evidence but I have to believe her...

The hike up to Devil's Peak wasn't too bad, very scenic and such a beautiful day with a breeze to keep us cool in the 25-degree heat. It's February!

We scrambled up to the top and it was quite amazing to be able to see practically a 180-degree view of Kowloon and Hong Kong. On Hong Kong Island you could see Siu Sai Wan all the way to Central, and from Kowloon the ICC Tower all the way to Kwun Tong.

And because of the view, my friend explained it was the lookout spot for pirates to control the passage of Lei Yue Mun, the eastern passage to Victoria Harbour. Later the British military chose the site for defense when it began colonizing Kowloon in 1898. 

Abandoned building taken over by a banyan tree

Also up there are the Gough Battery and Pottinger Battery used in World War II. I hear the sunset view from here is amazing too!

From there we walked down a set of stairs that led us to an abandoned area that she said locals jokingly referred to as "the Angkor Wat of Hong Kong" with banyan trees growing amid some ruins, but it was hardly even dramatic, nor were these ruins temples.

We continued down to Lei Yue Mun and checked out the Tin Hau temple -- a middle aged woman gruffly warned us not to take pictures inside the temple, but the views of the water crashing next to the building were beautiful to watch.

It's sad seeing the restaurants in the area shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, otherwise they would be busy with tourists, while, locals are not interested in entertaining exorbitant prices for fresh seafood. Only a few street stalls selling traditional Chinese snacks were open, and trying to get anyone passing by to buy something.

Tin Hau Temple right by the water at Lei Yue Mun

Just steps from those stalls is an industrial area and then we suddenly came across a luxury residential area with vertical gardens. It was really bizarre. Beyond that was the shopping mall connected to Yau Tong MTR station.

We had lunch there and then went on with the rest of our afternoon.

December Misery Covid-Style

Now you can pick up Covid-19 tests at a nearby MTR station

It looks like the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays are going to be really low-key this year after infectious disease experts warned the current fourth wave has yet to peak -- if people gather for festivities later this month then cases could surge.

Today 78 cases were reported.

Dr Ho Pak-leung, head of the University of Hong Kong's Centre for Infection, said it was "very worrying" to see an increasing number of untraceable cases, numerous local infections, and various clusters involving different venues.

Dr Ho says it's hard to control virus by Dec 31

He warned as temperatures drop, the situation could get worse and problems could rise if people flout social-distancing measures by gathering for Christmas.

"It's basically impossible to put the fourth wave under control by the end of the year," Ho said.

How depressing, not just for the city, which has cancelled the fireworks display, but also for hotels and restaurants, who can probably expect the current measures of two to a table to continues until at least the end of the year.

Meanwhile, getting tested for the coronavirus got easier, well sort of, with testing kits distributed in vending machines in 10 MTR stations.  They are: North Point, Wong Chuk Hang, Kowloon, Kwai Fong, Tsing Yi, Ngau Tau Kok, Tiu Keng Leng, Tai Wai, Tai Po Market, and Siu Hong.

People can use their Octopus card to get free test

The kits are free and people can get them by using their Octopus card, and then scan the QR code to find out where they can send the specimen bottles back to get test results. 

While each station distributes about 1,000 kits per day, the first day, by 11.30am over 6,500 kits were distributed and the machines ran out of kits very quickly, except for the machine at Wong Chuk Hang.

Are these people stocking up on free kits to use whenever they feel somewhat ill? Or are people trying to collect as many test kits as possible for hoarding? It's really bizarre. 

Let's see how many of these tests are actually returned with specimens in them...

Tensions Racheted up a Few Notches

People at Kwai Chung police station on news 44 people charged with rioting

This evening things are tense at Kwai Chung police station where 49 people are being detained for participating in clashes with police on Sunday. News came down a few hours ago that 44 of them will be charged with rioting tomorrow morning at Eastern Court. This is the first time this charge is being used, which could result in 10 years in jail.

Since the news broke, protesters gathered in front of the station, and when three of the 49 were released, there were huge cheers. But then a handful of riot police showed up -- not enough to be intimidating, as people started throwing objects at them and they had to retreat into the MTR station. There are reports pepper spray was used in the station.

Many came after work to voice their reaction to the news

The news of the charges for rioting do not bode well in trying de-escalate the situation. Tomorrow will surely be tense.

Meanwhile this morning I managed to get to work on time on the MTR because there were warnings that the public transit network would be affected. Already two other lines, like Tiu King Leng were affected, and some of my colleagues living in Kowloon East were unable to come in, or were stuck at North Point and walked all the way to Causeway Bay to the office.

Some passengers were annoyed and one or two got into fist fights, but many were supportive of the protesters. At North Point they shouted 光復香港，時代革命 "Reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our times". 

Tensions flared inside MTR stations this morning

Alan Cheng Kwan-hing, MTR's general manager for special duties reported 123 incidents of passengers pressing the emergency buttons on carriages and platforms on the Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O, Island and Tsuen Wan lines to obstruct trains.

"We understand some people want to express their views, but we regret that they did so by disrupting train service. We ask them not to obstruct train services and affect other passengers using the MTR."

It wasn't until lunchtime that train services starting getting back to normal.  

Civil servants are applying to the police to have a rally on Friday evening at Chater Garden. It will be interesting to see how big the crowd is and if there will be a general strike next Monday.

Most commuters were not too bothered by the disruption

Things are moving so fast these days that I have been practically glued to Twitter to catch the latest. 

We are in the midst of a "new normal" that will not calm down anytime soon...

CARRIE ARE YOU SEEING THIS?