Green Hong Kong

An oasis in the city

In our plans, Hong Kong was simply the place from where we flew out of China. Our picture of the place was that of sprawling urban metropolis, a concrete, steel and glass construction dedicated to business and shopping. Of course, we knew that there were watersport centres and we’d read about walking opportunities and beaches but still the overriding preconception was that it would be a city only and we’ve seen cities this trip. Boy, have we seen cities, from the massive Beijing and it’s 20 million people to the mountain enclosed Lijiang. We therefore arrived thinking we’d pay lip service to the ‘sights’, visit our friends and generally spend the time in limbo waiting to move on. We were only really spending a week there because our visa for the mainland ran out.

We could not have been more wrong.

Okay, I’ll admit that a large part of Hong Kong is exactly as you’d expect. We spend a couple of days wandering around with sore necks as we stared upwards at the skyscrapers towering over us. In the business districts, some towers competed like drag queens for attention; taller heels for height, architects designer dresses becoming evermore daring, more gaudy, flashy make-up, dripping with steel jewels. Others, more aloof, plainly dressed perhaps stood in mirrored sunglasses. However, for me, it was the nature of vertical living in the residental areas that was truly jaw dropping. In the crowded blocks of Mong Kok, the most densely populated place on the planet, dirty towers squeezed together bedecked in laundry, squatting over raucous streets of restaurants and shops. We were lucky enough to visit other estates too where refined towers stood proudly over graceful swimming pools, gardened barbeque areas and every facilty you might wish for. We were invited to eat at Victor’s home and the efficient organisation, not to mention the vertigionous view from 30 floors up, was just so different from what we are used to. It was a lovely home but the Beaumont family would need a real lesson in decluttering and tidiness if we were to live there!

However, shopping and skyrises aside, Hong Kong really surprised us with the ease with which it turned from concrete to vegetation, horns and traffic to bird song and solitude. Our appartment on Lamma was just 20 minutes by ferry from Central but was much more like San Pedro in Ambergris caye used to be, higgledy piggledy houses, no cars, secluded beaches. On our last day, Michael took us to the gardens and nunnery at Nan Lian, an oasis of calm where gentle music played and we wandered amongst sculpted trees.

Our most memorable day was a hike to Tai Long. Michael and Victor drove us east of Sai Kung in the New Territories into a restricted area where everyone else had to use a bus, bike or walk. This is where Michael’s workplace (Lady Machelose Village) and two of the watersports centres are situated. It was both remote and at the same time well organised. We started walking from Sai Wan pagoda along a paved, well maintained and marked path. Very soon we came to the first of several beautiful white sandy beaches and the kids took no time in building sandcastles whilst we sat at a wooden cafe and had beancurd. The views got only better until finally we rounded a corner to be confronted with the long sweeping beaches of Tai Long where the aptly named Sharp Peak descended to the shore. We were blessed with sunshine and clear skies and the surf crashing onto long sandy bays was breath-taking. Crossing a driftwood bridge, we ate lunch at a beach cafe and drank in the views.