PADI Certification

Descending into the depths of Koh Haa Lagoon in south of Thailand

On the Road

I haven't posted for quite some time. I kept telling myself I would do it soon. Now that I've got absolutely nothing of any importance to do - no work, no school, no traveling, nor anyone to be a host to - here it is. What have I been up to lately you ask; well, I'd be happy to tell you.

• In October, I went camping along the MacLehose Trail in the New Territories. We hiked up Pat Sing Leng, one of the highest peaks in Hong Kong. Though, it wasn't what I'd expected. I wanted to see lush forest and clear running streams of mountain water but there wasn't much of that at all. What we did see was a lot of grass and lots of steps, lots and lots of stone steps. My legs were shaking uncontrollably by the end of it. The highlight of the trip was that I got to see a wild boar while hiking and some mischievous macaque monkeys who stole some food from other people at our campsite. Heh, Heh.
• A week after that, Malcolm treated me to afternoon tea at the most famous hotel in Hong Kong, that's right - The Peninsula. I withheld from eating that morning because I thought it would be an all you could eat buffet of finger foods and a choco fountain like at the Hyatt in Taipei. But it wasn't. I was most disappointed when our server placed an elaborately decorated silver three-tier tray in front of us with four finger sandwiches and about six pastries and didn't refill it after we inhaled them within seconds. Still ravenous afterwards we went to Chungking Mansions to fill up on some cheap Indian samosas and snacks.
  
• The next weekend, we did some snorkeling at Hoi Ha Wan near Plover Clove in the New Territories. The water up north is much cleaner and the visibility is good because the waters don't get muddied by the Pearl River Delta like in the south. I never knew that I could find such rich coral life in Hong Kong. I recommend this area to anyone who wants to have some inexpensive fun outside the city.
  
• I also took a day trip out to Tai O with Jenn. Who would have thought, we'd leave our fishing village on Cheung Chau to tour another fishing village two hours away. I would describe it as Cheung Chau's less developed sister. The water surrounding the village isn't too clean, the sewage system isn't up to date and there wasn't very much to see, a few temples, some old streets, nothing I haven't seen before.