Thursday 19 June 2014

HK Trail - Day 4 (video included)

This has to be the hottest day of the 4, temperature and humidity about the same as in Singapore.

Before setting off I did some first aid to my only injury so far - an abrasion caused by the handle strap of the trekking pole, haha!



 Section 7
Tai Tam Road - To Tei Wan     7.5km     Easy

This section brings you around the mid-slopes of Obelisk Hill. Mainly flat paved roads along a small canal, narrow but comfortable enough for 1 person. The first few kilometres has got no scenery, then later it opened up to one of the most beautiful sights of the whole HK trail.




The last part of section 7 was very very tiring! There were 700 steps to go up to Shek O Road, which is the end of section 7 and start of the section 8, the final stretch of HK trail.

Section 8
To Tei Wan - Tai Long Wan     8.5km     Very difficult

Section 8 is my most familiar section as I've trekked here the previous year. It's also the most scenic, with the Dragon's Back (the trail between Shek O summit and Wan Cham San) rated as the best urban hiking route in Asia. Section 8 is also the longest at 8.5km and rated as very difficult, but with familiarity everything seems easier and shorter.
Starting point of Section 8. 
 As expected the first part was hard as the trail goes up and up to the summit, so I only walked and didn't run at all. Surprisingly it took only 30mins to reach the top and be rewarded with such splendid views. The skies could have been clearer though.




Can't resist a selfie at the summit 
 After the summit the trail was really very easy. Wide and flat dirt tracks that gently brings you downhill. The only struggle was with the heat, and also accumulated fatigue from 4 days of running.

Checkpoint 98, 99 and ...... finally 100.

The end of a long 4 days of trail running
 What better way to end 4 days of trail running than....a beach! Tai Long Wan (translated as Big Wave Bay) is famed for its surfing waves, and it's summer so very popular with locals and tourists. There's the sun, the sand and the sea; waves, surfs, kayaking, SUP, beach volleyball; and bikini babes.

Reward time, a can of coke AND a can of 7-Up
The floats cost 40HKD for rental and 30HKD for purchase. Why I asked? The owner said the rental floats are better so they cost more than the cheaper floats for sale. I decided to buy one, guess which did I choose? 

Which float did I choose? 
If you guessed the yellow slipper, well you are almost right. I almost wanted that one, but thought it would be uncomfortable to lie on, so I decided on the baby blue one beside. It had a "pillow" at the end to rest the head.

Relaxing time floating around....
watching the sky....

and watching surfers....
doing their thing.... 
catch a few surfs myself....
Here's another one....
coming closer.....
and closer....
here it comes!
Let the pro show you how it's done
Nicely done 
So there you have it, 4 days of trail running/walking, covering 50km from Victoria Peak to Tai Long Wan, getting lost once a while which adds to the adventure element and finally ending at a nice sunny beach. Vacations should always be like this, don't you think so?

Section 7 completed     Tai Tam Rd to To Tei Wan          Distance: 7.5km    Easy
Section 8 completed     To Tei Wan to Tai Long Wan      Distance: 8.5km    Very difficult
Total distance: 16km


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