Crossing the Dragon's Back

The Chinese love a good name, and what could go wrong with a name with the word 'dragon' in it? Dragon's Back refers to a ridgetop on the eastern end of Hong Kong island in Hong Kong, and it provides ones of the best hiking trails you can find in today's urban Hong Kong.


As part of a bigger pan-island hiking trail, known as the Hong Kong Trail, Dragon's Back is the last stage of the trail, and the longest. Lying within Shek O park, the route goes through some forested land, mini waterfalls, and the trail along the ridge rewards you with stupendous views of the coast and islands. And best of all, the trail ends at Big Wave Bay, a beachfront getaway for many urbanites, providing cold beers after a satisfying hike.



The hike is simple enough, taking 3+ hours at a leisurely pace. However, there is no cover at the ridge, and so if you're doing it in summer (like me), be prepared to be grilled. Getting to the trail head is easy as well; take MTR to Shau Kei Mei station, and look for the NWF Bus 9. The cost is something like HKD6.90 and you can ask the driver to stop at the trailhead. There are also minibuses (at HKD10) that ply the route whenever it fills up. We actually took the minibus back from Big Wave Bay.



Hong Kong is known for shopping and eating. But try out hiking the Dragon's Back!

Faces of Asia

The many different faces that I've captured during some of my travels in Asia.
Can you guess which country or race they are from?

From Roving Light TravelPhotoBlog

Home

My Home, Singapore.


"Home"
----------
Whenever I am feeling low
I look around me and I know
There's a place that will stay within me
Wherever I may choose to go
I will always recall the city
Know every street and shore
Sail down the river which brings us life
Winding through my Singapore

Chorus:
This is home truly, where I know I must be
Where my dreams wait for me, where that river always flows
This is home surely, as my senses tell me
This is where I won't be alone, for this is where I know it's home

Music & Lyrics: Dick Lee
Singer : Kit Chan

Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia

For those who's going Western Australia, no doubt you would be visiting the Margaret River region for their excellent wines. Consider taking a day or two, and going further south to Augusta, and visit Cape Leeuwin, the most south-westerly point in Australia!


Here at this extreme point lies Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, one of the last few lighthouses that still have a clockwork mechanism and kerosene burner. Of course, electricity is being used now, but it was until 1982 that it was still manually operated by the old mechanism. You need to buy tickets to go into the lighthouse.



This lighthouse watches over not one, but two great oceans. Here at this most southwestern edge, two oceans collide - the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean. As I stand at one of the rocky outcrops, the waves were tremendous, and the feeling somehow great. But it seems that these two oceans were in battle as in the distance, dark clouds loom. As I got into my car, it turns out that the clouds were laden with hail! Lucky that I had manage to reach my car, as it would have been a painful experience from the sounds of the hail stones on my car top! Nevertheless, an interesting experience!



Well, you'll probably not get the hail experience, but a stop at this south western point of Australia where the Southern and Indian Ocean meet would be cool too eh?