Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Shing Mun Valley Hike (Photo-essay II)

Without further ado -- herewith continues my effort to chronicle (via photos and and essay) the winter hike that took my regular hiking companion and I around the same Shing Mun Reservoir into which a government flying service helicopter made an emergency landing during the tail end of 2010 (yes, really!) and Ulaca went for a hike one beautifully clear day after heavy rain had fallen:-

One more view of the eastern side of the reservoir
made picturesque by the paperbark trees growing there

Not a sight one'd expect to see while out hiking
-- i.e., an on-going cosplay model photoshoot!


Information stored for another hike (that I've seen completed)
--
showing that one can get to Tai Po (via Lead Mine Pass
and Yuen Tun Ha)
from Shing Mun Reservoir!

In contrast to the largely concreted path
on the western side of the reservoir,
that running
along the eastern side is not --
and is consequently more enjoyable to hike on :)


Some day, I'd like to get closer to that photogenic
giant chunk of rock on the water's edge...


This hike around it got me convinced that
Shing Mun Reservoir's got to be one of the
more beautiful
of Hong Kong's many reservoirs

Near hike's end -- approaching the reservoir's
eastern main dam
from the north

The mist makes it seem like one is looking out
to the edge of the world but it's actually eastwards
towards the Lower Shing Mun Reservoir and beyond :)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shing Mun is now definitely on my HK to-hike list. Your photos are quite enticing. ;)

BTW, I believe one of the fight scenes from Touch of Zen was shot here, and it looks like maybe much of The Valiant Ones as well.

YTSL said...

Hi duriandave --

Nice to see you visiting and commenting -- especially after your announcement that you intend to spend less time online from now on.

It's been a while since I viewed both the King Hu films you mentioned, so don't recall any Shing Mun location shots in them.

Instead, for "The Valiant Ones", I recalled seeing locations that looked like those to be found in one of the areas that now is part of Hong Kong Geopark. Check out the link below and see if at least one of the visuals looks familiar to you:-
http://www.geopark.gov.hk/en_landforms1b.html

However, the Hong Kong Film Archive is showing "A Touch of Zen" again soon -- and I have a good mind to go view the film again then.

Anonymous said...

Yep, I know that sea arch. It's just as memorable as Sammo's pancake face!

BTW, that park looks pretty amazing. Have you been there?

lissa said...

beautiful sights.

thanks for stopping my blog. I wish you a very happy and wonderful new year.

YTSL said...

Hi again duriandave --

Thanks for confirming that the Sea Arch in Hong Kong Geopark looks a lot like the one in "The Valiant Ones". :)

Re the geopark: thus far, have only been to Ma Shi Chau. Alas, the other parts tend to be only accessibly via private boat -- maybe this summer...

Hi Lissa --

Thanks and I hope you'll continue visiting my blog, even if only from time to time, despite your having declared an end to your own blogging "career". :)