So much more than a sexy skyline.

Travelling to a more remote part of Hong Kong island this weekend, we discovered another side of this beautiful and exciting place.  Only an hour from our abode, we found rugged terraine, breathtaking landscapes and a thrilling ride that would give any rollercoaster a run for its money. 

Our guidebook, Discovering Hong Kong, provided detailed instructions on how to achieve our destination--which MTR point of entry, what stop to get off at, which exit to take, which bus to board, etc.  It was child's play, thanks to the book.

We boarded the #9 double decker bus to Shek O (pronounced Sek O) village and beach.
The ride was thrilling.  Soon after we left the city limits we began the climb up a series of small mountains known as the Dragon's back.  It truly looks like the back of a dragon from afar.  The oh so narrow road travelled through lush greenery characteristic of a subtropical woodland.  Every time we saw another double-decker coming in the opposite direction, it seemed impossible that we wouldn't collide.  It was a real nail-biter...especially from the from row of the upper level of the bus. 

We arrived in one piece to find the Shek O beach is lovely and apparently quite popular in the summer months.  However, this day in January, there were only a handful of people milling around.  Hence, after a brief tour, we headed toward the village--the other side of which an exciting up-hill climb on the village's headland waited.

One thing that was really odd was every once in a while you'd see Western males walking their dogs in flip flops and surfer shorts.  Turns out there's another beach about a 30 minute walk away, called Big Wave Bay, and many surfers from around the world come to stay in Shek O, so they're close to the big waves.  It's surreal to see them walking amongst the locals.

At the other side of the village there's a wonderful 30 minute hike up the headlands.  The higher you climb, the more stunning the view.  We arrived at the top to sit under a traditional Chinese pergola, where we had a small picnic.  After descending the headland, we headed back into town, and found a local Saturday market in Shau Kai Wan, with maybe a hundred or more vendors selling everything from end trails to flip flops.  It was mind-blowing how many people were in the market.

Fresh fruits, vegetables, etc., were located down the centre of the market, and then meat, fish, etc., were located along the sides.  I've never seen so many kinds of seafood and animal parts--including goats heads and legs with hooves and horns still intact.You know we just had to try some of the food.  Klajdi was a real trooper and tried some crazy ass stuff.  It was a lot of fun.

All-in-all a great day of exploring our new, temporary home.