Thread by @HongKongHermit, Awake early... well, late and early. Planning a special road trip today [...]

Awake early... well, late and early. Planning a special road trip today and sleeping in isn't an option for this one. There may not be mobile signal for a lot of the day, so I may have to post after the fact, rather than livetweet Hermit's Big Day Out. Looking forward to this.

It’s a lovely autumn morning, with cooling low clouds and a light rain to take the edge off what is still a warm time in Hong Kong. I almost messed up my timing and ruined my Big Day Out before it started, but as you can see it is...

*deep breath*

...back on track.

Not stopping at Tai Wai, where a blue ribbon thumped me at an election rally in 2016. Nor at Sha Tin, because it’s quite humid and I made the mistake of wearing a polyester shirt. Not scratching this tummy there again.

Is this thread just going to be an excuse for endless bad puns? Well yes, I have been training for it.

Exiting at University MTR station. Exit C is right next to the playing field, this time last year a place where the police rained down hundreds of canisters of tear gas on the students. A #Pride flag and banners to #Save12HKYouth still flutter.

CUHK’s Goddess of Democracy statue. The university has a cordon, to restrict casual entry. I filmed from outside, this isn’t my destination.

I was never here during the siege. I think the razorwire is new. Last time I was here was meeting a friend for drinks in the nearby hotel. That was a thousand years ago now.

I love this weather for walking in HK. It’s somehow still just a bit too warm, but I never get tired of seeing the clouds embracing the hilltops.

Yes, today we’re going on a boat trip. One which involved an hour on a train to the other side of Hong Kong to embark. Can already see the sun trying to burn through the cloud cover.

Today, I’m heading as far east as east goes in Hong Kong. The tiny island of Tung Ping Chau.

Why am I going at the weekend, when so many others have the same idea? Because you can ONLY go at the weekend. There are only two ferries there, and one back, on weekends and holidays only. I miss that return boat and I’m sleeping on a beach tonight.

The letterboxes for Tung Ping Chau residents are not on the island, because the last few residents of the island don’t live on the island. Expert sources *cough* Wikipedia *cough* says the population there is... 8. Down from a height of 3,000 or so.

Well, I’m going to be on this boat for 1 hour and 40 mins. Which is the longest boat ride I will have ever taken in Hong Kong. Even the trip over to Macau (a place I do not enjoy) only takes an hour.

I don’t even know if I’ll have phone signal at the other end, so you may wish to talk amongst yourselves for a bit while I voyage to one of Hong Kong’s only islands formed of non-igneous rocks.

YES, I READ THE WHOLE WIKIPEDIA PAGE, NOW LISTEN

I love a little boat trip. Enjoying these overly dramatic clouds while they last.

It’s calm water in this long channel between land for the first two thirds of the voyage. I’m wondering if it gets choppy when we reach the still comparatively sheltered Mirs Bay. Which I misread as Mrs Bay, and I was all “so, is there a Mister Bay?” Yes I’m still single and

I have one bar of signal, so having a little sit down to recharge. The ferry doesn’t tie up at the dock, it just aims at the jetty and guns the engine to hold it in place. This too, is how I live my life.

There will now follow a series of tweets where I invite you to look at some aesthetically pleasing rocks.

Not even joking, this is now a geology stan account.

Girl, are you a non-igneous sedimentary layer? Because you make my bedrock.

Found a little shrine. I love a little shrine. Everyone is here to take selfies on the most interesting rocks in Hong Kong. But today we’ll be walking the path to the left, clockwise around the island.

There’s a path in the trees, but you can walk along the beach just as easily. Always so soothing, the sound of the waves against rock. A grey day like this is the best atmosphere for a scene like this.

Rock chat ITT

Like on Peng Chau, and other little islands, there’s a waterfront graveyard just off the beach. This one is quite extensive, and I stopped off to say hello to the memories of the past. Most graves with a photo of the person who resides there.

It bears repeating that there are far worse places to spend eternity than in beachside tombs.

The first abandoned house along the walk is beautiful, in that way only a place being reclaimed by nature can be.

Why yes of course, I’m going to take a look inside.

The view at the... look, it’s abandoned and overgrown and right next to a graveyard, so I’m going to call it a haunted house. There are two little restaurants operating for the visitors a little ways up, but most of the village is like this.

This village still has a sense of texture to it. I don’t know what that means, but that’s the word my brain insists I use.

The Last of Us II (2020)

I found a treasure for my Hong Kong street art thread, adorning the wall of the first of the two little restaurants that was open. They sell cans, so I bought cans.

A walk through the abandoned village. There were once 100 fishing boats run from this island, back when 3000 people lived here. Nearly all is fallen to ruin now.

Found a little temple. I love a little temple. This one is three quarters of a century older than Hong Kong itself, dating back to the 18th century.

Details of the Tin Hau temple.

Time and pressure can shape even garbage into something beautiful. Sometimes we can give it a little help.

A big field of rocks extends into the water at this end of the island. Yes, rock chat is back with this important message.

This is deliciously rugged terrain.

Found the big rocks that are painted on the café wall back in the village. Now this really is a unique Hong Kong terrain feature.

The view from on of the spires. This is a really beautiful spot, and the tilted layers of rock below are full of little pools, and the waves are crashing against the outer edge. I like it here.

Heading further along the track, and it’s a pleasant walk under trees. A bonus is it’s one of the few country walks in Hong Kong that hasn’t been fully concreted over. Just a few stone steps added on the steep incline, otherwise it is roots and natural rocks.