August 25 2006 - Monkeys at the Kowloon Reservior

Yesterday I went on a YWCA hike in the New Territories. The hike was through an area that rises high above the populated area of Hong Kong but doesn’t actually go to the tops of the mountains, so it was a relatively easy hike. The only problem was the weather. It was a rainy Hong Kong day and we got soaked, wet enough that Michael, our never-say-die leader, almost called it quits, more because the paths were getting slippery than because of the wet, although a couple of the ladies on the hike were beginning to look pretty miserable.

We descended to a pretty reservoir for lunch. As we dug out our sandwiches and chips (pbj for me) it started to rain again, so we intruded on a group of Chinese kids with what looked like their camp counselors, and shared their shelter. They tried out their rudimentary English on us and Michael spoke a little Cantonese with them (my one-worders were insufficient to say anything meaningful). They had brought a little stove and were cooking noodles – that’s a Chinese picnic for you!

Because of the rain Michael decided to alter the afternoon portion of our walk. He took us on stage 6 of the Maclehose trail. This was very interesting because this portion of the trail follows the Gin Runners Line, the mountain defense the British had built against a possible Japanese invasion. The tunnels and bunkers were still there. The tunnels are all named after London streets. Michael said this is because that way everyone knew where they were and how to get from one place to another, without using maps that could be captured by the Japanese. Of course it didn’t matter, since the defense of Hong Kong fell after a short period of time.

The hike ended at Kowloon Reservoir. This area is home to wild monkeys – mostly macaques. Michael warned us as we approached the area to not show our teeth when we smiled at the monkeys (considered a sign of aggression) and to hold on tightly to our cameras and backpacks. It was really cool. There were monkeys all over the place: playing, grooming each other, eating snacks. They weren’t afraid of us, but they weren’t aggressive either. We all started taking pictures wildly. Some of mine came out pretty good – I especially like the one of the monkey on the sign, and the one of the monkeys peering into the garbage can.

The one guy that was following us, he was very coy. If we turned around to look at him he would look away or pretend that he wasn’t interested in us, but every time we started walking he would start following us, getting a little closer each time.

In spite of the wet, rainy weather, the hike was great. When I get back from the states I’m planning on going on a lot more of them. I love getting out in the countryside and learning more about Hong Kong at the same time.