Post-outing Dinner in Hong Kong

After completing the 31km on Day 3, we returned to Ibis Hotel at North Point; refreshed and rested for a while, and we were out for dinner at 7:30 p.m.

The team members decided to have a sumptuous dinner in celebrating the completion of the 3-day outing and equally important, in appreciation of the effort of Edwin Goh, Team Lead for leading the pack in Lantau Trail and Hong Kong Trail.

The restaurant near to Ibis Hotel was packed with diners. The person who stole the show has to be the stylo-milo WTF restaurant captain with rosy complexion. He was very good in public relation: he mingled and even took selfie photos with the dinners. He could perform moon walk in the restaurant, much to the amusement and adoration of everyone. After introducing ourselves, he said, "Ah, you guys are from Ma Lai." Later, upon knowing that our food was delayed, he actually said "what the ***k" to the kitchen staff through his walkie-talkie. 

We also spotted a Hong Kong movie star dinning in the same restaurant; and he was very sporting to come to our table to have a group photo with us. 

The food in Hong Kong was delicious, and the mood in the restaurant was jovial. 

It was a memorable three days of outing together, and the team is considering to organize other DIY trail run/hiking events in Korea and Taiwan.

Do CLICK HERE to view photos courtesy of yours truly (KC Leong).

 Ordering food with the stylo-milo restaurant captain

 One of the delicious food/dishes

  Good PR ... mingle and selfie with dinners

Group photo with a Hong Kong movie star (centre)

Room with the harbour view ... my room in Ibis Hotel, North Point, Hong Kong which is only a stone's throw from the bus terminal to airport (route A11)

Do CLICK HERE for the four (4) postings of Lantau and Hong Kong Trails outing.

Posted by KC Leong

Hong Kong Trail (Day 3)

On Day 3 and the final day of the outing, we continued with the other sections of Hong Kong Trail. The group took a bus and arrived at Big Wave Bay amid drizzle. Starting at Section 8 (the final section), we targeted to arrive at Section 4 where we stopped at Section 3 on Day 2. 

Voted as the top 10 trails in Asia, Hong Kong Trail is a well-maintained urban trail. The entire trail has 100 distance posts in 500 meters interval covering a total distance of 50km in 8 sections. Section 1 (with distance post H001) starts at Victoria Peak while Section 8 (with distance post H100) ends at Big Wave Bay. 

We went up and down the gentle slope on the long ridge that looks like the back of a dragon, and Dragon’s Back Trail is most appropriate to describe the terrain. This is a scenic section with the view of sea at both sides.

We started the hike/trail run at 8:15 a.m. amid drizzle for one hour, and emerged at H038 marker at 5:15 p.m., covering a distance of 31km in 9 hours.

The trailheads between Section 5 and 4 was almost 1km away walking on normal road. One has to know exactly where are these two locations in order to continue the journey.

We covered 19km on Day 2 (indicated by marker H037) and 31km on Day 3. So we completed the entire 50km of Hong Kong Trail in 2 days in a fun and relax manner.

Do CLICK HERE to view photos (Part 3) courtesy of yours truly (KC Leong).

 Arriving at Big Wave Bay, the Hong Kong Trail with distance post # H100

 Edwin Goh, the Team Lead, is so happy to see the distance post #H100 that he gave a "see teeth no see eyes" happy pose

 A wet and cold morning at Dragon's Back Trail 

 Superb scenery of Dragon's Back Trail

 Scenic view of Dragon's Back Trail

 Distance post #84 to #70 are running on the flat concrete for 7km

Run! Run! Run!

 Another scenic view along the Hong Kong Trail

 Arriving at Tai Tam Byewash Reservoir main dam ... (left) Josephine Hoh, Edwin Goh, Voon Lee, Lai Kuan, Dphany, KC Leong

 Leaving Tai Tam Byewash Reservoir main dam

 View of Hong Kong's dense high-rise buildings from the hills above

 Emerging at the end (or trailhead) of Section 5 of Hong Kong Trail

Yeah! we shall complete the journey! After walking for almost a kilometer, we finally found the trailhead to Section 4 to continue the Hong Kong Trail. In this photo, Section 5 is on the left; Section 4, right side.

Finally, we emerged at the end of Section 4 ... The day before, we completed Section 3, which was just 50 meter away.

Do CLICK HERE for the four (4) postings of Lantau and Hong Kong Trails outing.

Posted by KC Leong

Hong Kong Trail (Day 2)

On Day 2 of the outing, the group went to Peak Tram Station and took the Peak Tram car to Victoria Peak – the starting point of Hong Kong Trail Section 1. Section 1 and 2 are mostly paved walkway; Section 3 is jungle trail which is very pleasant to run. Overall, the trails are mostly going downhill with flat earth-based terrain.

At the finishing point of Section 3, we walked uphill towards Wan Chai Gap Park; refreshed in a toilet of the park, and later took a public bus to the nearest MTR Station.

We started the trail run at 8:30 a.m. and the last person completed the course by 1:00 p.m. for a total time of 4 hr 30 min. We saw the last distance post #37, and we covered about 19km (distance apart of two distance posts is 500 meters).

Do CLICK HERE to view photos (Part 2) courtesy of yours truly (KC Leong).

 Taking Peak Tram car to Victoria Peak

 At Victoria Peak

 The starting point of Hong Kong Trail Section 1 (with distance post H 001)

 Extended pavement by the hill slope

 Having fun at Victoria Peak Garden

 The earth-based terrain is flat and pleasant to run

 Taking a breather 

At the end of Section 3 of Hong Kong Trail

Do CLICK HERE for the four (4) postings of Lantau and Hong Kong Trails outing.

Posted by KC Leong

Lantau Trail (Day 1)

The group went for a hike/trail run at Lantau Trail and Hong Kong Trail from 23-27 March 2017. The Team Lead for this DIY outing is Edwin Goh. 

On Day 1 of the outing (24 March 2017), we hiked/ran at Lantau Trail; the trailhead is at Mui Wo which is a fishing village in Lantau Island. Section 1 ends at Nam Shan; Section 2 ends with a huge drop in elevation to Pak Kung Au; Section 3 goes uphill again to reach the highest point of Lantau Peak at 934 meters. It is then downhill all the way to Ngong Ping, where the big Buddha of Lantau Island is located. 

We started the hike/run at 8:00 a.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m. when the entire team arrived at the finishing point, for a duration of 7.5 hours. 

Do CLICK HERE to view photos (Part 1) courtesy of yours truly (KC Leong).

 Starting distance post of Lantau Trail; the distance between two posts is 500 meters

 Posing next to a distance post of Lantau Trail

 The Lantau Trail ... (left) Voon Lee, Dphany, Edwin Goh, Goh BK, Sau Kheng, Lai Kuan, Mila, Josephine Hoh, Alicia, KC Leong

 Happy to see another distance post of Lantau Trail

 The Lantau Trail is barren; protection from the strong sun is necessary

 View of Hong Kong airport from the hill above

 Dphany with the high-flying trail run pose

 The huts were built by the British long time ago; only one is opened for tourists to stay (but without water and electricity)

 The Lantau Peak is covered with cloud

 Arriving at Lantau Peak

Ngong Ping ... the finishing point of Lantau Trail 

Do click here for the four (4) postings of Lantau and Hong Kong Trails outing.

Posted by KC Leong 

Maliau Basin Trekking

Part 2 Photo album contains activities at Maliau Basin Conservation Area (also known as Sabah's Lost World):

Day 5 (15 March 2017) – After breakfast at 7:30 a.m., drive to Maliau Basin; at Tawau, buy groceries for cooking at Maliau; arrive at Maliau Basin at 6pm; dinner and overnight at Maliau Basin resorts.

Day 6 – Transfer by 4WD to Agathis Camp; start trekking to Ginseng Camp (5 hours inclusive of eating packed lunch); relax at Ginseng waterfall; cook our dinner; overnight at Ginseng Camp.

Day 7 – Cook breakfast; pack our lunch; start trekking to Maliau Falls (2 hr 30 min); relax and eat packed lunch at the waterfall; trek back to Ginseng Camp; cook our dinner; overnight at Ginseng Camp.

Day 8 – Cook breakfast; pack our lunch; trek back to Agathis Camp; transfer by 4WD to Maliau Basin resorts; refresh at hostel toilet; at 3:15pm, drive back to Tawau town (4 hours); sumptuous seafood dinner; 2 hours of karaoke session. 

Day 9 – Free and easy at Tawau; fly back to Kuala Lumpur.

Do CLICK HERE to view photos (Part 2 photo album) courtesy of yours truly (KC Leong).

 All are ready for trekking to Ginseng Camp and Maliau Falls

 At the abandoned Agathis Camp weighing the groceries to be carried by the porters to Ginseng Camp, chargeable by the kilograms

Comparison between Danum Valley Conservation Area (DVCA) and Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA):

The distance apart between DVCA and MBCA is almost a 10-hour drive, inclusive of lunch break at Tawau. Starting the journey at 8am from DVCA Centre, we only reached Maliau Basin resort at 6pm. DVCA is near to Sandakan while MBCA is near to Tawau, both towns are accessible by flights. DVCA is a smaller and more established park, and the waterfall is just a small one. There is much more wildlife here, and so are the abundance of fast and furious leeches. DVCA attracts many mat salleh visitors. 

 Taking a breather while trekking to Ginseng Camp by the only trail

At MBCA, we could not see any animal other than the in-house wild boar near to the resort kitchen area which looked amuse when it saw us. There wasn’t any other tourist/visitor. The edge of Maliau Basin is 1,700 meters high (higher than Gunung Nuang peak at 1,500m); many of the wild animals could not have climbed over the ridge (of the basin) other than birds or those that fly. The basin covers a much larger area; possibly, the wildlife is scattered and thus difficult to spot them. The trails are deeper into the forest and more adventurous, leading to the spectacular Ginseng waterfall and Maliau Falls. The Ginseng Camp – 9km or 5 hours of trekking from the trailhead – only provides the empty structures for dormitory, kitchen, toilet and dining areas. Bunk beds with leather-covered mattress and cooking utensils are available; but food, groceries and cooking gas are required to be carried in for cooking.

 |Arriving at Ginseng Camp and relaxing at the Ginseng waterfall which is about 10 minutes away

 Ginseng waterfall

Night Safari at DVCA – Other than the facilities and trekking activities, I quite like the night safari where eight persons were seated at the back of an opened-top 4WD with no-frill cushion seats. In front, a ranger will use a powerful light beam to shine swiftly at huge trees 100 meters away looking for wildlife. It was amazing that he could scan the trees at fast speed; possibly, he was looking at the reflection from the eyes of the wildlife. On a lighter note, if one could not see much wildlife, at least one can enjoy the cool night breeze for two hours.

Ginseng Camp showing the common toilet (left) and the dormitory ... photo angle from the dining pondok

 Chong's group for cooking the dinner ... with him are Abbie Foong, Choo, Sau Chein and Kertijah

Ervie Yeo's team for cooking the breakfast ... with her are Adrian Foo, Hooi Miin, Jack Oh, Elaine, (back) SC Yong and KC Leong

 A pleasant place for dining overlooking the entire campsite

 Getting ready to trek to Maliau Falls

 At Maliau Falls

Do CLICK HERE for Part 1 of the journey and photos.

Posted by KC Leong

Kinabatangan and Danum Valley

Part 1 Photo Album contains following activities (11 to 19 March 2017):

Day 1 – Arrive at Sandakan; free and easy; seafood dinner; karaoke session; overnight at Sandakan

Day 2 – Drive to Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) at Sepilok; visit Orang Hutan Rehabilitation Centre to see orang hutan and sun bear; have lunch; drive to Sukau; Kinabatangan river cruise to observe wildlife and habitats (we saw orang hutan, proboscis monkies, birds). Overnight at Sukau.

Day 3 – Trees planting; drive to Danum Valley; stop by Batu Tulug and Gomantong Cave. Overnight at Danum Valley Conservation Centre (DVSC) hostel.

Day 4 – See sunrise; jungle trekking at DVSC; night safari; overnight at DVSC hostel.

(stay tuned for Part 2 ... Maliau Basin trekking)

Do CLICK HERE to view photos courtesy of yours truly, KC Leong

 Arriving at Sandakan; free and easy activities

 Sumptuous seafood dinner at Sandakan

 Two hours of karaoke session to work on the throat

 Visit Rainforest Discovery Centre at Sepilok

 Visit orang hutan Rehabilitation Centre and see sun bear ... (left) KC Leong, Chong CY, Hooi Miin, SC Yong, Choo KW, Elaine, Sau Chein, Jack Oh, Ervie Yeo, Adrian Foo, Abbie Foong.

 Kinabatangan river cruise and observe wildlife and habitats (we saw orang hutan, proboscis monkies, birds).

 Just like when we were young travelling at the back of a 4WD

 Trees planting session

 Arriving at Danum Valley Conservation Centre where we put up two nights in the hostel here

 Trekking to the waterfall of Danum Valley ... well equipped with leech socks

 Danum Valley waterfall

 The entire trail to the waterfall is infested with fast and furious leeches. After the previous day's rain, they were waiting on the ground getting ready to attack. Certain leeches can jump off the ground and cling to your legs. And when they bite, the pain is similar to ants' bite! Lesson learn: wearing a leech sock is a must, and must bring insect repellent spray. 

Emerging from the forest ... we survive from the leeches attack

Do CLICK HERE for Part 2 (Maliau Basin Trekking)

Posted by KC Leong