When the British negotiated to purchase another territory from Qing China, it expands the the territory 10-fold. Previously only the Hong Kong island, now it includes the new territory including Kowloon, Sai Kung, Lantau Island, and the rest of 200 outlying islands including Tap Mun. The lease famously ends in with the 1997 handover of Hong Kong from the British to China.
When I was in Hong Kong for work, weekend was a time to explore. Any busses/trains/ferries I took often without knowing where the destination is. One of the memorable random ferry ride is Tap Mun, which I only knew this island exists during the ferry ride.
I previously plan the whole day to focus on visiting Lai Chi Wo, a 300 years old Hakka vilage with more than 200 houses laid in precise row like how the Feng-shui told to do. It is also an important part of Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark.
If you were a rock enthusiast, you will be surprised with the many formation of rocks to see as well as complete collection of sedimentary rocks which is basically a time machine if you want to see what the earth looks like 400 million years ago and how nature shapes it overtime.
But I'm not here for the rocks. Like many mainland Chinese tourist I shared a ferry ride with, it's mostly for the nature scene within the city that is known for its hustle and bustle. Once I'm off the boat, the pier lies just near a fishing village and an old temple.
From there, one can have the option to hike around the island or go straight to the beach which is the camping site. The site is also famous for stargazing during the night and enjoy the beach. During the hike you will often encounter cows, it seems they're getting along well with humans.
As shown on the video, one needs to hike down to go to the beach. It is quite steep and needs to be careful. The hike up is quite challangeing as there is no official path, only natural formation of rocks one needs to find way.
When time shows afternoon, people starts to set up camps. For day tripper like me, it is time to catch the ferry before it is dark.
I took a different path to go back to the pier. Instead of cutting the middle part of the island, I took the southern perimeter of the island which is much more scenic. The path itself are very safe, clean, and well maintained. However, there's not many people around. Sometimes I even spend the hike truly by myself.
The view during the hike include seas, fisherman boats, cargo boats, and another fishing village in the neighbouring island.
Thankfully, I arrived back to the ferry pier just in time, exactly 16:30. If I were a bit late, I have to wait for another hour. The ferry departs to two more stops around Sai Kung country park, before dropping everyone off in Wong Shek pier. From there, one can take a bus to Sha Tin central, then continue the journey to city center by MRT.
I end the day with two delicious meal in Sha Tin central and another one once I got back to my hotel in Sheung Wan
