Maclehose Trail Hike and Phuket + Khao Sok

My school hosted a Chinese New Year Celebration on January 19th. The performances and food were fantastic but the event started with a series of extremely long and boring speeches in which the company's executives patted themselves on the backs and sucked their own dicks for two hours.  On top of that they started nearly 30 minutes late.  We were scheduled to eat dinner at 7pm but didn't actually get to eat until 9pm which was very frustrating.  Next year I will show up, get my raffle ticket, and leave for an hour to get beer before coming back for the main event.  Two years ago I participated in the performances, and I was going to this year but chose not to because I did not want to commit to the rehearsal time.  Maybe I will perform next year. 

For Chinese New Year break this year Faye and I started close to home.  We had planned to hike 100km on the Maclehose Trail in Hong Kong.  While we did not complete the entire trail as planned we still managed to finish more than half.  

We arrived in Hong Kong on January 25th via bus from Shenzhen Bay Port.  We made a stop for supplies and then checked into the Holiday Inn Express in Kowloon before getting dinner at a Taiwanese restaurant. 

We got a good night sleep and then the morning of the 26th we took a taxi to the start point of the trail and started hiking.  

We started out so confident, but shortly after starting our hike were hit with a light rain and high wind which drained our energy quickly. 

Section 1 of the Maclehose Trail goes from Pak Tam Chung to Long Ke Wan.  While it features some truly stunning views and scenery it was somewhat foggy.  Fortunately the rain stopped by the time we reached the end of section 1.  The end of section 1 includes a UNESCO Geopark with a sea cave and hexagonal volcanic columns. 

We continued on to section 2 after a brief stop at the geopark.  Section 2 goes from Long Ke Wan to Pak Tam Au and is known for its beaches. 

For our first day of hiking we had traveled approximately 25km with heavy packs.  We finished the hike after the sun went down.  We arrived at the Youth Hostel Association Bradbury Hall tired, sore, and hungry. 

When we checked into our room there was a bird in it, and we had to help it get out through the window.  When it finally managed to escape we were both relieved and I am sure that the bird was too.  We ate a dinner of freeze dried biscuits and gravy and each had a bowl of ramen and some of the dried food we had packed.  Then we discussed options for the rest of the hike, after only the first day we were already reconsidering the practicality of this endeavor.  We reviewed our options and opted to decide the next morning.  We went to bed with every ache and pain imaginable.  Fortunately Faye packed some tiger balm and I had packed some ibuprofen. 

The next morning, January 27th, we had a dried food breakfast and set off.  We had both come to the conclusion at this point that we would not be hiking section 3 and 4 as planned and would only hike section 3 then take a taxi to our hotel.  We still had about 2km of section 2 to finish before even starting section 3 and we realized that, even though we had packed the bare minimum of clothing, our food and camping supplies were weighing us down and making things too difficult.  

We finished section 3, which runs from Pak Tam Au to Shui Long Wo and then called an Uber to take us to the Alva Hotel in Sha Tin. 

We were exhausted.  We checked into our hotel and barely had the energy to get dinner.  Once we ate a hearty meal we got to discussing our options.  We opted to extend our stay in the Alva Hotel and use it as a base from which we could hike a section each day.  We both slept very soundly that night.

The next morning I was so sore and tired that I considered just giving up but after we had breakfast we  extended our stay at the hotel and committed to completing as much as we could.  We repacked some essential items into a day bag and took a taxi to the start point of section 5.  We opted to skip section 4 as we were setting out too late in the day to finish it, and after the challenge of the previous two days, we needed an easier hike.  

You can see in the photo above how much shit is on my backpack.  The large majority of the weight was camping gear but our food was also too heavy because 1) we had brough too much of it and 2) we were worried about monkeys and boars so bought sealable coolers which added weight and bulk to our packs.  

Section 5 starts near Tate's Cairn and ends at Tai Po Road.  It features historical ruins of the Gin Drinker's Line from WWII.   The line was set up by the British and stretched across the Kowloon hills, including areas like Beacon Hill, Lion Rock, and Tate's Cairn, ending at Port Shelter in Sai Kung and it was meant to prevent a Japanese invasion.

Toward the end of section 5 we found ourselves surround by monkeys on all sides.  We high tailed it as quickly as possible to the end of section 5 after this.  

We took a taxi back to our hotel, checked into a new room, and got dinner.  We also did a little shopping.  Once again we slept soundly from shear exhaustion. 

After breakfast on the morning of January 29th we set out fairly early with the intention of completing section 6 and at least part of section 7.  

Section 6 continued the Gin Drinker's line and ran from Tai Po Road to Shing Mun Reservoir.  It was by far the easiest section we had done but also very historically interesting. 

Once we finished our hike on the 29th we decided that it would be our last day of hiking on this trip and that we would sleep-in on the 30th.  We were scheduled to check out on the 31st and needed the rest.  

Although we had not finished our intended 5-day 100km hike, we were still proud of ourselves for having hiked 52.8 km over 4 days.  It was longer than any of our previous hikes and it was certainly rewarding.  It was also by far the most challenging hike we had taken on.  Unlike our hikes on the Transcaucasian Trail in Georgia and Kumano Kodo Trail in Japan, the Maclehose trail has limited access to accommodation, restaurants, shops, and services.  Thus we had the initial strategy to camp for the last two nights, and this meant carrying our camping gear and being prepared for cold nights.  Combined with our food we were simply carrying too much shit.  We will return in the future to complete section 4 as a day hike and finish section 7, 8, 9, and 10 as overnight excursions.  We also committed to using our camping gear in the near future, otherwise it would be a wasted purchase. 

On the 30th we spent the day relaxing and walking around Sha Tin.  We got food and then I purchased a new suitcase so we would not need to carry all our stuff back.  For the rest of the day we just chilled in the hotel and sorted out the details of our return to Shenzhen. 

We returned to Shenzhen via bus on the 31st.  Unpacked and repacked on February 1st.  Then on the 2nd we went back to Hong Kong to fly to Phuket and relax on a beach.  

We were in Phuket from Feb 2nd-5th and stayed in the Dewa Phuket Resort and Villas.  We relaxed a lot, sunbathed on the beach, met up with a friend of mine for dinner in Patong on the 3rd, and went to the Upside Down House on the 4th.  On the 5th we picked up a rental car and drove up to Khao Sok National Park.

We arrived at the Camper Lodge in Khao Sok in the afternoon and checked in.  The scenery at the hotel was beautiful.  The room, while comfortable, had a foul odor emanating from the bathroom.  It was unpleasant and we had to keep the bathroom door closed throughout our stay.

We relaxed for the rest of the day and planned our excursions for the next couple of days.  

The next morning I got breakfast at the hotel while Faye slept in.  In the afternoon we went to the Cheow Lan Lake Viewpoint before getting lunch and a foot massage.  Later that evening we took a night trekking tour. 

After the night trek we arranged for the driver to pick us up two hours later and and we got some drinks and dinner. 

The driver picked us up at our meeting point as arranged and took us back to the hotel.

On Feb 7th we took a bamboo raft tour.  Unfortunately right at the start of the tour I lost the side cover for my go-pro in the river and had to film with my phone camera.  My phone was in a waterproof phone case so the images and videos below may be a bit blurry.

We stopped for a short break including coffee brewed with water boiled in bamboo.

These videos below, taken from the front of the boat, where filmed by Faye.

After the tour we returned to the hotel and had dinner and spent the rest of the day just chilling. 

We left Khao Sok on the morning of the February 8th and drove back to Phuket.  We checked into the Perennial Resort near the airport and then hung out on the Mai Khao Beach watching planes take off.

We walked around a little bit then returned to the hotel and got something to eat before getting ready for bed.  

On the 9th we returned the rental car, flew back to Hong Kong, and took the ferry home.

The week after returning from the trip dragged on.  On Wednesday Faye went to Guangzhou for a Sweden Schengen visa.  They have already processed her application and we are both a mix of hopeful and anxious about the result.  We should get it this week.

 This week is looking no different than last.  It isn't working that sucks, it is returning to work after a vacation that sucks.  

In other news my younger brother Aaron got married on the 8th.  I was not able to make it because of the fact that it was on the other side of the planet and I would have to return to work on the 10th.  It just was not logistically feasible for me to attend.  I am very happy for him and hopefully will be able to visit him this summer to properly congratulate him and Andrea.  They shared pictures and videos and it looked to be a lovely party.

I bought Faye some flowers on the 14 for Valentines Day.

I hashed with the Shekou hashers on Saturday the 15th but did not take any pictures.  I managed to convince a friend to join but he got lost.  

The next break is not until April and it is only a three day weekend.  After that I have a 4 day weekend in May.  We discussed our travel options and it depends on Faye's Schengen visa outcome.  Hopefully she is approved.  In which case we might try to finish more of the Maclehose Trail.  

Between now and then I will post again.  Maybe that post will be more about my life in China instead of travel.