Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Walking Tour: Ma On Shan Country Park

For this week's walking tour, we are going way out into the New Territories, the not-so-new part of Hong Kong that actually still has some rural space. Ma On Shan Country Park is in the eastern New Territories, about halfway between Hong Kong Island and China.


At the edge of the park there's a humble activities area for local families. Naturally, you can still see high-rises from here...


...but there's a nice big pond inside the gates.


Turtles aren't the only animals that you'll see here.


Walk past the edge of the lake and you'll find a little farm.


They have baby goats!


For a second you might even forget you're not at an American county fair.


The women grow organic vegetables and sell them to visitors.


The farm feels like something from another time.


The facilities are humble...


...and the only people left are the elderly.



The little fields displayed an impressive variety of plants.


Some I didn't recognize...


...and others were quite familiar.


At the edge of the field are some beekeeping boxes. I bought a jar of the honey from the little shop.


The field is surrounded by sweet village houses.


I said goodbye to the cactus...


...which reminded me of home.


Then I continued on to the activities section of the park.


There was a racetrack where you could ride tricycles shaped like animals...


...paddle boats for an idyllic cruise on the lake (don't forget those high-rises)...


...and there was even a spot where you could walk on water.


A bunch of kids were making use of the mini racetrack.


Their laughter next to the pond made you forget the city for a while.

1 comment:

  1. These are great photos! I have to admit I was a bit shocked to see this park is located in Ma On Shan because I lived there (Sunshine City) for two years and knew nothing about this! I'm guessing it's new in the last 14 years, but no matter, it seems like such a wonderful place to hang out. It reminds me of the bicycle and tandem rentals in Tai Wai and the bike path that went up to Fo Tan. There was also an old water park in Tai Wai when I lived out that way, but the park never seemed to be open. I hope your trek to the NTs was nice and relaxing.

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