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Dragon’s Back (龍脊山) is one of the most popular hike in Hong Kong, located on the southeast of Hong Kong Island (香港島), Shek O (石澳). To reach the start of the hiking trail for Dragon’s Back, one should take the MTR to Shau Kei Wan (筲箕灣) station, then transfer for bus line 9 in the direction of Shek O and get down at To Tei Wan (土地灣). The length of the hike is 8.5 km, ending on a beach called Big Wave Bay (大浪灣). The hike is relatively easy but the view of the ocean and island is quite nice. From the hiking trail, we can already see the panorama of part of Shek O island and the two small islands that are near Shek O, the whole picture does seem like being on the dragon’s back.
However, Dragon’s Back is crowded with people during weekends, thus it is suggested to calculate some time to queue for the bus and bring lots of water and sun screen to avoid sun burn and dehydration. The best way is to get food and water already at Shau Kei Wan.
After leaving Hong Kong, I carried not only countless precious memories of my friends there but also numerous photos on my laptop that I don’t know where I should start with my first Hong Kong story, until I finally decided to start with the popular hike, Dragon’s Back. I find Hong Kong so special because although it is very urban and densely populated, somehow there is still nature to go to such as many beaches, mountains, and even small getaway islands that can be easily reached for a day-trip or a small weekend-trip.
Another interesting thing is that (maybe from my Mandarin-speaking perspective) I find Cantonese a little bit like Taiwanese in a sense that both are very local, but then Taiwanese is now only spoken mostly among the elderly, while Cantonese is still the most dominating language in Hong Kong. I felt as if I were in the countryside of Taiwan when I was in Hong Kong when I heard the language. But then the modern skyscrapers reminded me that I was indeed in the city. Not sure if it will change in the future, but I hope this local language and culture can be preserved.
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