Lo Fu Tau or ‘The Tiger’s Head’ is a particularly craggy, menacing looking mountain that looked like it was ready to be climbed. We knew where the trail started, but had no idea where it ended or how long it would take to finish. But, in Hong Kong, you’re never too far from civilisation, so we figured if we carried enough water, we should be fine for a few hours.

The initial climb was, of course, quite steep, with a fair bit of huffing and puffing, but it was a lovely, well maintained footpath.

My HK guide book says that Lantau island is the oldest inhabited area of Hong Kong, dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, so as we walked, I couldn’t help but wonder how long these paths have been zig-zagging across the mountains, whether they connected remote villages to each other, and who were the people who walked these paths so many times that they are now hiking trails.

As we got closer and closer, the Tiger’s Head started looking smaller and smaller.

Getting closer…. just about another hour to go

Almost there… the peak is so close!

View from the top, and a well deserved rest on a rock.

And in case you were wondering, no, there is nothing wrong with my camera — the reason the color of all these photos is not very rich is because of the stinking air pollution in Hong Kong that paints the sky and nice, drab, monotone grey. God how I miss blue skies… they are quite rare here.

Now, the only bad thing that happened during this wonderful hike was I slipped on a loose rock and tumbled down the hill, landing very hard on a very big and very solid rock. The rock seemed to be quite unphased by the impact of my bumsee, but to me it felt like what I imagine getting shot in the ass must feel like. I sat for a few moments, clutching my rear end in agony until the adrenaline coursed through my veins to dull the pain. Amazing how the body instantly tries to repair itself.

Perhaps this was a good lesson for me — don’t venture off trails, especially ones you don’t know! As I write I am sitting tenderly on this chair and definitely would not want to get injured further. I will follow the advice of an old song, ‘don’t go chasing waterfalls’… literally!