A hike to, on and out of Chi Ma Wan Peninsula along a quiet trail (Photo-essay)

Lantau Island's Chi Ma Wan Peninsula is home to the 18.5-kilometer-long Chi Ma Wan Country Trail that's officially estimated to take eight hours to complete.  And if that wasn't challenging enough, the nearest way to get to the trailhead on foot and public transportation is by way of an approximately 30 minute walk (covering a couple of kilometers or so) from the nearest bus stop at Pui O.

With the help of some other existing hiking paths though, one can "create" hikes in which one only goes on sections of the Chi Ma Wan Country Trail but still be able to get off Chi Ma Wan Peninsula without backtracking.  Thus it was that on one rather pleasant afternoon, a friend and I set off to Chi Ma Wan Peninsula via Pui O, and went along sections of the Chi Ma Wan Country Trail before turning back at Mong Tung Wan and using a trail closer to the water to the Tin Hau temple overlooking Pui O Wan and meeting up once again with the section of the Lantau Trail which linked back to Pui O proper...

 In recent years, I've come to realize that the hill that dominates

the landscape near the southeastern edge of Pui O isn't Lo Yan Shan

like I had long thought but, actually, Miu Tsai Tun!

The view from higher ground over on the Chi Ma Wan 

Peninsula of the section of road from whose side 

I took this blog post's top-most photo! ;b

A few kilometers into the hike, the sun shone brighter

and helped turn the sky a brighter blue! :)

 Visual proof that we were on the Chi Ma Wan Country Trail

for a time -- and by the way, the village of Mong Tung Wan 

and its pier are visible in the distance in this photo :b

A while later, we were at the pier enjoying the views 

from there, including of the distinctively rocky Miu Tsai Tun

 There's a derelict air about Mong Tung Wan which isn't

helped by one of its piers having fallen into disrepair and

the Jockey Club Mong Tung Wan Hostel having closed down

  I think it's safe to say that this part of Hong Kong

is one where one can be away from the madding crowd!

 Indeed, I'd go far as to state that on that afternoon's hike,

my friend and I saw way more birds than we did other humans! ;b