We finally had our hike, or should I say walk, as there was not a single hill in sight in Nam Sang Wai (of course, it’s a wetland). A group of close to 20 people participated. Among the group, about 40% were Toastmasters, from our club and from HKUST MBA Alumni Club. The walk started from the Yuen Long West Rail Station and took us first to the village directly behind the station. After we went past the first cluster of village houses, our trail then took us to more widely spaced village houses. After nearly 1 hour of slow walk, we came upon an obstruction- some villagers had locked a gate to block the path. We had to make a U-turn to return to a forked road further back on the trail. We then went through a rather uninteresting stretch but we saw there were many cars backed up in a heavy congestion in this otherwise serene seeming backwater of Hong Kong. At this point, we came to the Tau Fu Fa (bean curd dessert) joint run by Donald’s friend. It was great to slurp down the sweet dessert as it restored our energy, which had been sapped by the hot weather.
To me, the scenery got better after our little stop, as the landscape became more lush and idyllic. It was covered by what seemed like reeds as far as the eye could see. Then there was an incredible vista consisting of some tall trees grown in two rows. It was eye catching and attractive and a number of to-be-married couples chose to do a photo-shoot in this area. We then wandered to some little houses that have been abandoned but are a stop for many visitors in this area. According to some members of our group, several movies have been shot in this area and the houses have been featured in the movies/documentaries. Being a wetland, there are supposedly lots of bird species in this area. Unfortunately, we rarely spotted any birds. Anyway, shortly after this stop, we came to a little estuary which we could only cross by getting on a boat. It was nearly an hour wait to get on the boat and the boat ride of less than 5 minutes cost HK$5. Each of the boats could only carry up to 8 people. However annoying, it was also quaint and definitely an experience. The boatmen must certainly be the very few of a rare breed in Hong Kong, still rowing a boat without the aid of an engine to ferry passengers across a river.
Of course a walk would not be complete without the mandatory sumptuous dinner at the end. And we were not disappointed in this aspect. Donald, being such an excellent organizer, took us to a famous roasted goose restaurant called Song Kee to have our feast. We had the goose and “Pun Choi” and other delicious treats and our bill only came to HK$75 each. We definitely will have to do this again. Some of us, who still had the energy to carry on, went on to some famous dessert in Yuen Long. As for me, I was ready to go home after a long walk and such a big dinner.
Until the next walk-hike.
Ai Ai
No comments:
Post a Comment