it's t-shirt time

finally, it's time to set the guns loose! after about 10 days of cold weather (relative of course to SE Asia), we're staring summer smack in the sweaty face. i have had at least one request for 'more action, less movie review', and with the weather playing nicely again, that's just what i'm gonna do.

so, first things first, crack the ol' Leisurely Hiker's Guide and pick a destination. on a side note, i recently happened to mention this guide to another expat, and how i was enjoying leisurely making my way through it. her reaction was less than enthusiastic, in fact it was down right emasculating. apparently, anyone who wants to do some 'serious' hikes in HK needs to get the Serious Hiker's Guide and stop playin. undeterred, i'm going to stick to the cruise control of my current book.

without further adieu, i present Peng Chau. about a 45-minute/$1.50 CAD ferry ride due west of Central, and dangerously close to Disneyland Hong Kong, lies a sleepy little covey island of Peng Chau. it's known for its small island lifestyle, with lovely coastal views from its tallest point, Finger Hill. not many people actually live on the island, and the homes are very simple yet have outdoor space to enjoy the ocean air.

given the diminutive nature of the island, i wasn't overly concerned with breaking my leisure mandate. that said, i confess to be writing this in the absence of most of my clothes, having put them through a decent sweat earlier. a lot of steps and a torrid pace getting around all of the points made it worthy of the 'serious' label, in my opinion anyway. the highlight was probably reaching the climax of Finger Hill; out of breath and visible wetness were all worth it for those 360's. sadly, there were 2 other tourists up there that appeared to be doing just fine - they must have choppered in. with the highs, i might as well share a low. on my return down to the town area, i encountered an elderly lady in the street - she had to be 90 if she was a day. I flashed her a quick smile and she almost instantly proceeded to clear her throat, giving it all back to the street before me. kinda gross.

after about 3 hours on the course, i was back in the centre of the island, near the ferry terminal. as a reward, i treated myself to a doughnut in a bag and the most random sports drink you'll ever see. with the latter in mind, it tasted like a fairly normal lemony type of drink, yet, it's the fine print on the label that has me more intrigued: 'added chlorella growth factor'. on quick review, it appears that it's just a vitamin cocktail, and not that David Banner gamma ray shit.

the Peng in living colour here.