Walk on the wild side

BY LEANNE WALKER

The name Hong Kong conjures up images of gleaming modern high rise buildings, smog and sampans dodging a steady stream of ferries, red doubledecker buses - oh so London - and literally millions of people working in one of the world's busiest commercial centres. That's Hong Kong, all right.

Now imagine wide open alpine spaces, windswept and often high above the clouds, punctuated by craggy mountain peaks and deep forested valleys that plunge down to bays fringed by dazzling white beaches lapped by the deep blue South China Sea.

Well that's Hong Kong, too.

It was a few years ago on a transit stop through Hong Kong's Chek Lak Kok Airport on Lantau Island that I first gazed out in stunned surprise at an amazing mountain vista. I'd had no idea that Hong Kong was anything more than an island city, let alone several mountainous islands. I'd come back, I decided then and there, and hike across those wondrous peaks.

"We could really be walking through the highlands of Scotland," I say to my partner John as we clamber up Lantau Peak, Hong Kong's highest mountain at 934m.

Except, of course, that we wouldn't be gazing out over the South China Sea from Aonach Eagach.

Wild, empty, exhilarating space is the sensation up here. Granite-studded ridges and peaks protrude like islands from the clouds, windswept pastures, forests and the infinite blue sea below. It's like being set loose in the sky. The ever-diminishing high rises at the airport city Tung Chung way below only heighten the sense of being heaven-bound.

We are on the 70km Lantau Trail which takes in all of the magnificent Ngong Ping Plateau, a region sparsely populated save for a few isolated Buddhist monasteries and most of the glorious southern coastline of the island, much of which is part of the Lantau Country Park, encapsulating countless kilometres of white sand beaches and traditional fishing villages, rocky peninsulas and some magnificent wild camping grounds.

The most famous landmark on Lantau is the Tian Tan Buddha, the largest outdoor bronze sitting Buddha in the world. As we finally wind our way up the last torturous bend in the track and crest the Lantau Peak, we are rewarded with a sweeping view below of the statue surrounded by the red tiled buildings of the Po Lin Monastery.

Measuring a whopping 34m from its podium, from here, with the icy wind whipping our breath away, it looks for all the world like a tiny bronze chess piece placed carefully on the earth.

Within moments a thick cloud moves in obliterating the view and we hasten down the path, eager to arrive at the SG Davis Hostel where a warm bed awaits us.

In the early light of the next day the Buddha is infused with the rosy glow of the sun rising above the opposite hill while clouds still linger around the peak of Lantau. As we enter the plaza, cleaning women wearing traditional coolie hats are busy sweeping the stone paving while the the first busload of tourists arrive forming a stream of camera clickers heading towards the 271 steps to the Buddha.

Directly across the plaza a magnificent red Chinese arch leads us down an avenue bordered by gardens and into the extensive ground of the Po Lin Monastery.

The first temple, splendidly colourful and covered with gold calligraphy, is fronted by three giant incense pots, even at this hour full of giant, pollen yellow incense sticks that send wafts of scented sandalwood our way. Devotees pray in files and add even more incense while an attendant attempts to light them without going up in smoke himself.

After a bowl of noodles in a nearby vendor's tent we climb the steps to the Buddha which is all the more impressive up close. Six two-tonne bodhisattavas (buddhist saints) surround the Buddha whose sublime countenance gazes out across the monastery and surrounding mountains.

Then it's time to hit the trail again.

The Lantau Trail skirts the upper banks of the Shek Pik Reservoir rewarding us with views of surrounding slopes reflected in the many bays of the drowned valley below. Across the Sham Wat Rd it once again climbs into the wilderness of craggy peaks, up and down, past the tranquil Lung Tsai Ng Chinese lotus gardens before finally descending on a horrifically steep concrete path into Tai O. Weak-kneed walkers, beware.

Tai O, a centuries-old fishing village, is famous for its traditional stilt homes built in the water. Once a thriving centre of salt production and later a port for the illegal entrance for people smuggled from mainland China, the tiny port is again enjoying popularity, this time as a local tourist attraction.

Narrow laneways dissect the village thronging with vendors selling dried seafood of every imaginable kind. I revel in the cacophony of sounds and smells, the colourful stalls lining the way, the push and shove of people and the calls of restaurant owners enticing us in to eat.

But the afternoon light is failing and we head out of town quickly on the coastal pathway that follows the shoreline to the our first Lantau Trail campground where a cold running stream provides water and a bucket bath.

"Fan Lau - Fan Lau," I repeat, affecting what I imagine to be a good Chinese accent. My partner is impressed thinking I've picked up a few words but in fact I am simply asking an old lady seated at a fork in the path the way to Fan Lau. She gives us a huge toothless grin nodding her head vigurously and waves a bony finger down the trail telling me "Fan Lau".

The coastal views are glorious as the trail skirts along this rocky peninsula. People have inhabited this area of the island since the Bronze Age and the headland has a number of historical points of interest.

First there's Fan Lau, a traditional village with ancient houses whose tiny doors are marked with fading chinese characters. On the headland stands the remains of Fan Lau Fort, built in 1729 to guard the channel between Lantau and the Pearl River Estuary from pirates. A little further on lies a small stone circle which probably dates from Neolithic or early Bronze Age.

From the fort we gaze awhile down the coast before us, across broad bays flanked by dazzling white sands. Dozens of large fishing boats work the waters while ferries streamed wakes between them. So far we had seen only a few other walkers doing sections of the trail at a time and seated on a large granite boulder overlooking the South China Sea we feel we have been blessed with the entire island to ourselves.

The trail for much of the coastal leg follows the paved catchwater road below the Shek Pik Reservoir. Flanked with shady trees it is popular with joggers and picnickers but for hikers laden with 20kg backpacks it's hell on the feet. When we reach the coast again we cut down to the South Lantau Rd flanking the beaches and use the shoreline whenever we can.

There are numerous villages along this stretch and lots of shops for tasty treats. But despite the facilities we find ourselves longing for the high open spaces and after a night spent at the campgrounds outside of Mui Wo, we eagerly climb once more into the clouds, this time headed for the 869m Sunset Peak, the second-highest and the last leg.

"You doing the whole thing too?" call two English hikers close to the peak. They had appeared from nowhere surprising us on a bend as we take a break in yet another "too good to pass" view point. "Well we are just finishing it actually, you're lucky, you've got it all ahead."

Below us the trail winds down towards Tung Chung Rd and our bus back to the airport. "Who'd have thought it, hey?" the big burly bloke quips sweeping an expressive arm out across the view. "Hong Kong and so much wild beauty, why you could be in Scotland!" We couldn't agree more. John gives me a longing look and I know what he means. I wish I was just beginning the trail all over again, too.

Case notes:


Getting there:


Cathay Pacific flies to Hong Kong 10 times a week from New Zealand. Return economy class flights start from $1749 plus taxes.

Lantau trail:


The Lantau Trail officially starts from Mui Wo which can be reached from the Chek Lap Kok Airport by bus to Tung Chung and another to Mui Wo.
The trail is about 70km and divided into 12 well-marked stages. The trail can be started at any stage. Many stages are suitable for leisurely day outings. The whole trail takes 3-5 days.

Where to stay:


The trail is encompassed by the Lantau Country Park which has many free campgrounds. YHA hostel accommodation is provided close to the Po Lin Monastery. Accommodation is available in Tai O and Mui Wo. See the Lonely Planet guide's lists.

When to go:


The dry season is from October to May.

Information:


See the tourist information stand inside the airport before you leave the arrival lounge - there's an excellent trail map with stage-by-stage directions of the entire trail.
Lonely Planet's Hong Kong & Macau guides also have general information about the trail.

www.discoverhongkong.com