March
7 March
There is a monastery nestled in the hills between Mui Wo and
Discovery Bay. It's a simple chapel in peaceful gardens. To get there, I run down to the beach and then hike up the stairs to the top of the hill with magnificent views of Silvermine Bay and Mui Wo, encircled by the arms of Lin Fa Shan. At the top, there is an expansive view of Hong Kong Island and the islands scattered in the sea and then the path goes steeply down to the Monastery. If you continue along the path, you'll eventually get to Discovery Bay, a unique town on Lantau.
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Along the way, the gentian blue of Eranthemum pulchellum brightens the path.
The monastery is simple and humble. It is painted white with
one bright blue wall and lots of light streams in through the many
arched windows. Normally there is no one there and I have the place to myself. It has wonderful acoustics and I always like to sing
something while I'm there. It's another special place on Lantau.
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9 March
After a day of frigid wind and rain, we woke to the most beautiful
sunshine. Joel, Tara, Clio and I went for a walk to the waterfall. We
walked slowly because Clio had her camera and was taking so many
photos. But going slowly gave us time to see things we would have
missed had we raced by.
The waterfall was a little crowded so we kept walking up the steep hill to the Silvermine Cave with a stunning view down through the valley to the sparkling, vivid sea. The bird calls were astounding, there's such a rush of life around us with spring here. We heard the haunting call of an eagle and looked up to see one wheeling through the thermals rising higher and higher and we heard an answering call from its mate which made me so happy. It made me think of all the life that is bursting out around Lantau Island.
The butterflies were out, such ace flyers, a dichotomy to their seemingly flimsy wings but try to take a photo of one and watch how fast they fly.
On the way home we stopped near the temple and stood looking
down into a field. The buffalo were there. All the teenagers were
together with a few aunties to look after them. Two young males
stood head to head, horn to horn and started a squabbling fight
pushing backwards and forwards until one broke away and ran while
the victor immediately celebrated by munching on some tasty
greens.
On the way home we saw two types of lizards, we stopped to really
watch them, watching their sides move with their breathing and the
delicate nuances of their colouring. We saw the puppy who is
growing up and ventured to the gate of his property to say hello to
us, such a sweet thing. The crops are growing well in the small
cultivated vegetable gardens of Mui Wo.
10 March
I’ve been listening to the calls of the Asian koels who have arrived for the spring. Every time I hear them I stop to look but they’ve been elusive. Yesterday I looked out of my window and saw a male and female in the tree. The male, a midnight blue with a startling red eye, flew to my palm tree and returned to the female, presenting a round red berry to her. She was beautifully speckled and almost invisible in the leaves, so incredibly camouflaged. I walked downstairs to show Tara. From her bedroom we had a better view of the palm fruit. Again the male flew to the branch of ripening berries and I could see him taking time to test different berries until choosing the ripest one, he flew back to her and with the quickest flick of beaks, the red berry was given to the female. He picked three berries for her and then flew off to a neighbouring tree.
11 March
I took a bus to Ngong Ping, the earliest one of the day at 8 am.
Ngong Ping had a few people around but as I walked past the
Buddha Statue, I saw the gates were closed, opening hour was at
10 am. I looked up the long flight of steps and felt strange to see the steps were empty, normally they are full of people walking up and down. But I did see a number a dogs, having a wonderful time, as a pack, racing up the steps and as I watched two more dashed
past me and ran up the stairs or paused to watch the others.
I hiked up Lantau Peak, it's another stunning day. Every now and then I would look around me and see a new view of the surrounding hills. I hiked up into the sunshine. Then down the other side and up Sunset Peak. Sunset seems more comfortable, a tamer mountain in some ways. I passed Symplocos sumuntia shrubs in full bloom, the fragrance of the multitude white flowers filled the air. The hum of bees was loud, they have been busy for weeks. The vibrant orange leaves of Machilus chekiangensis trees brighten the mountainside.
Running down the steps I hear a leaping rustle and look to my right to see a large snake throwing itself into the bushes and slithering away. The snake was approaching two meters, a wonderful sight. We both got a fright when we saw each other. The snakes are waking up after their winter hibernation. After that every leaf that blew in the wind made me jump.
21 March
Most of March has been full of sunshine. Clio and I walked to the
waterfall. Near the village, someone has attached white orchids onto the branches of a tree, they were flourishing with gorgeous healthy flowers.
We passed the temple with the incense burning and through the gate. We walked past the Rock Star mansion, a lovely house
rumored to be owned by a famous singer and now standing unoccupied in its beautifully kept garden with azalea hedge
and orchids and huge empty swimming pool with the ghosts of the
bee-hived, yellow, bikini clad beauties, sunbathing in the morning
sun. I can just imagine the parties that used to be held here.
There is a Bauhinia tree which blew over in the typhoon last summer. The trunk and branches are full of new shoots and covered in the most beautiful pink flowers. The trees are all in flower at the waterfall too, heaped up with blossoms, the canopies are full of delicate petals.
27 March
Clio and I went to Pui O, the village next to Mui Wo. We had some
time to spare so we walked down the little path through the wetlands where the buffalo roam. There are deep wallows and shady trees here. The birds also love it and the air is full of bird song. We walked down to the stone bridge, a bridge made of huge slabs of granite that spans a tidal river which is full of fish. They break the surface and stir up the water every now and then. A delicately drooping fir tree shades the water.
30 March
Another glorious blue sky day and Clio and I head to Pui O again. We walk through the wetlands and mangroves bustling with little crabs who have one huge pincer. They scuttle into their holes at any
disturbance, even a passing butterfly causes a hullabaloo. There is a
little Chinese Bulbul hopping on the ground between the branches on the bank.
The canal is behind us, I hear a splash and look over to see a
fisherman walking barefoot along the canal, throwing in rocks and
sticks to herd the fish into their net which they have stretched across
the canal. I’m amazed to see that he is barefoot - there are viciously
sharp oyster shells on the rocks in the canal but he seems confident
and walks cautiously. Across on the other bank, there is a group of
onlookers, shouting to the other fisherman, laughing and enjoying the show. The two men slowly gather up the net. We can see a few silver fish caught in it.
Clio and I continue down to the beach and walk into the restaurant.
They will open in fifteen minutes so we sit at a table on the veranda
and watch the beach and sea. The mountain encircles the beach,
forested arms reach down to the coast. Clio orders a fresh coconut,
the first one that she has ever had and I order an iced coffee. It
comes black but the waitress brings milk and sugar for me. It’s cold
and refreshing. We share the sweet coconut fruit which I dig out with a spoon. I have to bend the spoon back into shape when we’re done.
We walk down to the beach, it’s low tide. I notice the shells sitting on the black sand. They are orange and brown or pure white and some are striped. To the right of the beach we climb a few rocks to our secret beach. A small stream moistens the sand and disappears
among the grains. The sand here is yellow, our little beach is
enclosed by rocks and boulders. We clamber up the rocks and sit
down to watch the sea. We notice a striking black Common Mormon butterfly which is fluttering around the rocks. It has two bright white spots on it’s lower wings and the edges are scalloped and decorated with orange circles.
The rocks here are rough and full of crevices, formed by some
volcanic activity eons ago. Clio and I have a picnic and read an
article from Life on Lantau, the local magazine. It’s warm in the sun,
we walk back along the shore, our feet in the water.
31 March
There is a canal that runs up through Mui Wo. It is lined with the local fishing boats, a bright medley of vessels. There are often herons and egrets here, resting on the boats. The canal has Red Silk Cotton trees planted along both sides of it and they are in full flower now.
The tops of the canopies are bright with coral-red waxy flowers. They are bold and large and sometimes one falls with a resounding plop on the ground.
