Tai Tam Reservoir

19 Dec 2016 Mon

As the holiday draws to an end, our waking hours became later. Other than waking up later to avoid fighting for the lifts with the other tourists, our planned walks all originate from HK island which meant a little more sleep in before we start our commute.

We were running out of cash and our simple breakfast was in a typical tea house steps from the hotel. I finally sampled soup  macaroni with egg and pork and Pat the ubiquitous ham sandwich, at 70 Hkd it was pricey for simple fare in a residential area.

We changed our SGD for HKD at a poor rate of 5.08, Ibis offering only 4.8 Hkd for 1 SGD. With renewed confidence in our financial situation, we stocked food and took bus 41A from North Point Terminal to Wong Nai Chung Reservoir, a wild ride that took only 30 minutes ( 6.90 Hkd ). Along the way, the top of HK skyscrapers shone in the morning sun, a glorious sight.

It was a difficult walk up from WNC Reservoir Stop to Parkview (10.30 am), where our actual walk started. We took the Reservoir Rd, the widest and safest option with amenities along the first half of the walk. It was a walk in the park as we walked along the reservoir, tranquil and peaceful with only the odd Mainland tourist on DIY missions. This was one aspect of HK most didn’t get to see and I was glad we did it.

We checked out the masonry and dam after a short detour before continuing our walk towards Tai Tam Rd. By now, it was 12 pm, barely 2 hours after we started; It was one of the easiest walk in our trip. We caught the mini bus 16 ( 9 Hkd ) which did a perilous ride in Shek O country and left us clinging on to our seats for dear life. Before we knew it, we were deposited in Chai Wan, a very unhappening place that has more factories than malls. We had an unremarkable late lunch in Café de Coral and decided to revisit ShauKeiWan so that we can get our favorite tart from the morning market.

SKW was just 2 stops east and now familiar with the vicinity, I led the way to the market for a market survey literally. Nothing was of note the second time round until we saw Tai Cheong Bakery. We bought the piping hot egg tart and ate there and then. They were unremarkable esp when we had the milkest, eggiest tarts in Cheung Chau. At the market place, we topped up coconut tarts and chicken pie before making our way back to Ibis.