Today we travelled from Lingnan to the Eastern tip of Hong Kong, Sai Kung’s East Country Park, and then to the eastern-most tip of the park, Tai Long Wan or Big Wave Bay. All in all, we took two minibuses, a taxi, three MTR lines, and a speed boat. We trekked across isolated beaches, completely devoid of people, walked through villages that seemed to be abandoned, at least for the moment, got directions from over four people, and ate fish at a tiny outdoor restaurant from which we could see a man catching fish to serve the next day. We saw a herd of cows, three dogs, and multiple white egrets.
I was shocked by the seclusion of this series of trails. We rarely encountered other hikers and the villages that we passed through barely appeared occupied. I wonder if the areas are unpopulated in months with less tourists. The villages appear to cater to hikers and other people passing through. The only businesses that I saw were surf shops and restaurants serving seafood, ice cream, and beer. I wonder where the people are that live or lived in the houses that we saw today. Maybe they hike out to work. Maybe they are in the city for the winter. Maybe they were quietly inside waiting for gawking tourists to pass through.