Lunch of roast duck noodles
Took the MTR to Kowloon Tong, and then switched to the KCR. Good thing about the KCR was that it was not underground and we could view the scenery of the New Territories. Started to get apprehensive because we were seeing a great deal of dry grasslands and barren mountains rather than residential blocks.
Kowloon Tong KCR station
The KCR train
Passing by tall and uniform-looking flats
Alighted at Tai Wo station and immediately began to feel lost. We walked around feeling disoriented because there we were, in a quiet and peaceful neighbourhood surrounded by tall flats, kindergartens, stone benches, little pavements, green taxis and old people. Wanted to ask for directions but did not think it would help. After some time, we found the bus bus-stop for us to take the bus to the farm.
Alighting from Tai Wo station
Suburban life at Tai Wo
We took Bus 64K, which passed by some flats and a condominium before entering what seemed like Lim Chu Kang. There were plots of farmland and small houses along the way, and we even passed by the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree. When we alighted right outside Kadoorie Farm, we were filled with awe by the majesty of this huge forested farm. It was definitely not your conventional flat-land-divided-into-square-plots-and-has-cows-sheep-and-hens kind of farm.
Greenery and blue skies along the way
The Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden is a non-profit conservation and education centre nested in the deep-set valley of Hong Kong's tallest mountain, Tai Mo Shan. What you can find here include farming plots, religious monuments, animal rehab centres, nature trails, conservation and education facilities.
Me at the entrance of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden
The beginnings of Kadoorie Farm date back to 1956, where the Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Association leased the land where Kadoorie lies today to construct a farm to help generate food for the refugees who flooded into Hong Kong after World War II. These people were given agricultural help in the form of seeds, fertilisers, loans, training and breeding stock. In the following years, the farm saw much success in this self-help movement, but as farming declined, Kadoorie Farm turned its attention to environmental problems facing Hong Kong.
Since 1995, Kadoorie Farm has focused on promoting conservation and sustainable living via various programmes, which include a wild animal rescue centre that treats and rehabilitates birds of prey, a tree nursery that produces seedlings for reforestation, education programmes that increase awareness about the relationship between us and the environment, and other studies. An impressive conservation initiative with a meaningful mission, I must say.
We paid HKD10 each for admission, and very much to our disappointment, we were told that we had to vacate the farm by 5pm (its closing time). It was already 3pm and that left us with only two hours to explore the farm. From what we could see from the map, we did not think it was possible to complete everything (that included reaching the tallest points as shown on the map, which were the Kadoorie Brothers' Memorial Pavillion and Kwan Yin Summit at 602 and 552 metres above ground respectively) within two hours. Now, we shared a common mission - go UP.
The first places we came to were animal exhibits where we saw crocodiles, pigs, wild boars and other small mammals, and an eco-garden where many crops and flowers were planted. As we ascended further up the farm, the paths we were walking on got steeper and it became very tiring for us.
Pigs at the pigsties
Flamingoes, wild boar, deer and squirrel at the wildlife sanctuary
Table with potted herbs like basil, peppermint etc
Gigantic leafy vegetables at the eco-garden
Who still uses scarecrows nowadays!
Some dried veggies like lady's fingers, garlic, lotus root etc
Flowers at the eco-garden
View of the farming terraces from the eco-garden
A huge tree with red leaves near the eco-garden
A huge beautiful tree near Kwan Yin Garden
View of the mountains from Kwan Yin Garden
After much hobnobbing with the veggies, flowers and herbs, we walked through this Walter Kerr Memorial Gardens, a green and serene garden full of trees with wide crowns, shrubs, rocky outcrops, stone steps and benches, and little cascades.
Walter Kerr Memorial Gardens
View of the Insect House and the Amphibian and Reptile House from the garden
We emerged from the garden onto a huge junction that had paths spreading out in four directions. We first visited the Raptor Sanctuary and Owl Sanctuary just beside the junction.
The Raptor Sanctuary housing various fierce-looking birds of prey
An evil-looking owl at the Owl Sanctuary
Now, with only an hour left, we were contemplating whether to continue our trek even further upwards, where instead of steep tarred paths to climb, there were long flights of stone steps (with NO railings) that led into the dark quiet forest. We felt that it would be stupid to come all the way here and yet miss out on the good attractions at the top, so we decided to climb up those steps (named Butterfly Path on the map) to what came next - Great Falls and Rainbow Pavillion.
View of the farm from the junction
The dark and quiet forest
We saw a signboard which wrote that we might encounter some wildlife along the way, including their 17 gibbons which roamed freely among the trees, and that really excited us. I was anticipating a leopard creeping in between the bushes, and Slug was dreading seeing snakes. However, we did not get to see any wildlife, except for a pair of birds that darted in front of my face and was inches away from my nose.
The steps did not seem to end and I got increasingly fearful that we were on the wrong track. Although I appeared to be climbing calmly, I was actually hallucinating about us being trapped in the forest for the night, living off wild berries and tree bark. And then we would probably have really upclose (or even fatal) encounters with snakes and my imaginary leopard. I snapped back to reality when I saw a sign signalling towards the Rainbow Pavillion ahead and I could hear the sounds of splashing water nearby. Suddenly feeling a rush of adrenaline, we briskly scaled the remaining steps and finally we came to the two-storey Rainbow Pavillion.
A secret path blocked off by entangled jungle creepers
Rainbow Pavillion
The waterfall beside the Rainbow Pavillion
We plonked ourselves down onto the stone chairs, catching our breath and wiping off our sweat. Then we just sat there admiring the beauty of the nature around us.
Colourful insect at Rainbow Pavillion
Wild berries
Slug and I at the Rainbow Pavillion
Me with waterfall behind me
Gazing at the depths below
Only half an hour left, and we had to make our way back to the entrance. The flight of steps that we came up from continued its way again into the forest, and I was reluctant to leave because I still wanted to continue my trek up. We were at most only 350 metres above ground. We were missing out on the good attractions at the top, which included a bee apiary, a butterfly garden, a firefly playhouse, a deer haven, an orchid garden, fruit orchards, more nature trails, more pavillions and waterfalls, and of course the Kwan Yin Summit where one can find ancient altars which villagers in the past sought blessings from. We started berating ourselves for not coming earlier, as usual. We did not expect we would need a full day to actually get to the top and visit every attraction here.
Descending the steps
We returned to the Walter Kerr Memorial Gardens, watched some more animals at the Native Mammal Display and Raptor Flight Aviary, and used the loo before leaving the farm dejectedly at 5pm. The toilet was unique in a way that there was a sink just above the cistern, and the water that you have used to wash your hands with would be directed to the cistern and used to flush the toilet on the next visit. Great way to reuse water!
At the Walter Kerr Memorial Gardens
An eagle eyeing us suspiciously
We took the same bus, but instead of alighting at Tai Wo, we sat all the way to the bus terminus at Tai Po Market. We walked around exploring the heartland cafes and shops.
Catching 64K to Tai Po Market
The mountains in the late afternoon
Tai Po neighbourhood
We took a walk inside the wet market at Tai Po, and the way the stallholders prepared the live seafood for sale made me shudder.
Wet market at Tai Po
Market stalls
Stallholder scooping up jumping prawns
Crayfish, mantis shrimps and prawns
Geoduck clams and shucked oysters
Food centre on the third storey
Had enough of walking around on the wet, dirty and slippery floors of the market, and so went to have dimsum for dinner at a humble family restaurant. We were famished.
Dimsum restaurant
The usual dimsum fare
Passed by a shop selling snake soup and Slug wanted to try some but I was hesitant. This business seemed cruel, and I could feel the snakes and tortoises in the tanks pleading with me to rescue them. He bought a bowl at HKD15, and it took me a long time to actually want to take a sip. I thought it would taste gross, but somehow it tasted peppery, like bak kut teh.
Shop selling snake soup
Poor snakes
Slug enjoying his soup at a wooden bench
We passed by a snack shop selling an assortment of cookies, candies and savoury biscuits, and I went berserk buying lots of bubble gum and Japanese goodies. When we finally had enough, we took the KCR from Tai Po Market station and headed back to its last station at Tsim Sha Tsui. Realised that there were two kinds of cabins on the KCR - the First Class and the Ordinary Class, and of course, the fare for the First Class would cost more. Naughtily went in the First Class, and were enjoying the peace and comfortable seats happily when we saw a sign saying that passengers who did not pay the First Class fare would be fined KHD500. We only had HKD40 left on us! Obediently switched to the Ordinary Class at the next station and stood grumpily for the rest of the journey.
Here comes the night train!
Relaxing in the First Class cabin
Were lugging too many bags of goodies around, so returned to our apartment to drop them off before having supper at a nearby KFC restaurant. Was indignant to discover that there were many more goodies at the KFC here than the KFC back home, and just for this special festive season, they introduced some tantalizing berries egg tarts! We ordered two 2-piece chicken meals, and instead of the boring whipped potato, we could choose from chicken baked rice, rice with mushroom gravy and crisscut fries.
Our supper
A value-for-money festive spread
Were so in love with the KFC here. Unanimously agreed that Kadoorie Farm was the best place we had been to here and that we would definitely return to complete the rest of the trek.
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