The most beautiful things can be right here in our backyard.
We're spoilt here in Hong Kong. A simple 2-4 hour plane ride can whisk us away to a myriad of cultural treasures and tropical paradises. Having work obligations don't allow this to be a regular thing, but I've been craving some peace and quiet lately. With the weather looking lovely last week, I just decided to take off for a day and half to reboot my mind and recalibrate my ear drums that have been so accustomed to the revving of car engines and hums of the crowds in our busy city.
Tai Long Wan should be no new news to most of you. My father knows it affectionally as "Little Hawaii" from his younger years, where boys would scramble unpaved trails to bring dates to these secluded beaches. Nowadays, the trails are well marked, well paved, and several stretches are even armed with night lamps.
Tai Long Wan consists of four beaches - Sai Wan, Ham Tin, Tai Wan and Tung Wan. While Sai Wan is perfectly beautiful for a day hike, with a bonus scramble upstream to a series of rock pools and waterfalls, it is going past Ham Tin (stocked with simple eats and camping gear for rent from the two tuck shops- contact Hoi Fung at 2328 2315 to reserve your gear. Do call if you are planning on going on a weekday. They may close with no notice!) which reveals the real treasures. These photos are taken while camping out in Tai Wan on a weekday.
For fear of being exceedingly wordy, you can find great directions to get into Tai Long Wan here. I personally used the small cheat method of taking a taxi from Hang Hau MTR, taxi-ing to Wong Shek pier (about HKD140), 8 minute speedboat to Chek Keng (HKD70/person), and 45 minutes hike into Ham Tin. Throw in an extra 15 minutes stroll to get to Tai Wan.
Here are some packing tips- items that proved very helpful and that you may not have thought of:
- Baby/Wet wipes. No bathrooms or showers in Tai Wan! These come in real handy for hygiene purposes, as well as...
- Toilet paper
- Head lamp or torch. The moon is not quite enough for cooking and settling into the tent
- Plastic cups and tea lights. A romantic touch to an evening on the beach. Dig a small trench in the sand to prevent the wind from blowing out the candles too often (it will still happen, but it'll be better!)
- Cotton pads dipped in candle wax. A cheap and light firestarter that can be quickly prepped beforehand and makes building a campfire that much easier.
- Advil. Makes the night on hard ground a little more comfortable and just in case the hike in was hard on your untrained muscles.
- Mouthwash. To cheat a little and save the hassle of brushing your teeth in the bushes.
- Mosquito repellent. Do NOT forget this.
- Speakers if you fancy a little mood music
- Other essentials: Change of clothes, swimwear, towel, sheets for the tent, a sweater (doubles as a pillow), lighter (preferable those long ones), sunscreen, water bottle, flip flops, eating utensils
Gather firewood early on before the sun goes down. Big rocks also come in handy to surround the fire pit with as well as to hold down your beach towel in windy conditions.
Plan out your meals beforehand! For the uninitiated, there are two stalls in Ham Tin to have fried rice and soup noodles. Otherwise, plan a beach barbecue! We cooked flank steak (you can buy coal from the stalls in Ham Tin, and remember to bring your own foil, chicken wire and tongs!), paired it with some coleslaw, grilled corn, and wrapped things up with the most epic s'more - Homemade bourbon marshmallows toasted on the fire, sandwiched in graham cracker (Digestives biscuits are the closest we come here in Hong Kong) with chocolate and candied bacon. I will post the recipe to this little treat soon!
There's nothing quite like waking up to the sound of waves, taking a morning dip, and doing some yoga on the beach. Once in a while, there may be a speedboat shuttling straight back to Sai Kung town around 4pm for about HKD120/person to save you the hike back.
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