Hiking Views : Po Toi Island, Hong kong
South-west view of Po Toi Island
There is no shortage of blogs and articles in Hong Kong that show the killer views and routes that you’ll encounter when you go hiking. Many go into the play-by-play, and they do a great job of it. So what more could I offer?
Some humour, I hope. Interviews of my inner views — a collection of the silly, sometimes morbid, thoughts that run through my brain while hiking. Consider it my way of giving you a picture of what you could expect on these trails. After all, what is some time out in nature if not bluntly introspective?
Hiking thoughts are like r/showerthoughts to me — it’s a time when random, and not-so-random, questions and ideas pop into my head. This almost always happens while I’m navigating uneven terrain, or — on this trip to breathtaking and Po Toi Island — when I’m hauling myself up on boulders to get to the top.
Interviews of my inner views — a collection of the silly, sometimes morbid, thoughts that run through my brain while hiking.
“Does killer mould exist out in nature?”
We had taken a premature turn and ended up on a route that was unpaved.
It took us straight up to one of the vantage points, but was harder than we expected: the route was led by a water pipe, flanked by a litter of rocks and boulders on its sides. At many points along this elevated “trail” we needed to hang on to the mould-covered pipes to transport ourselves up.
This got me thinking about toxic mould.
True story: some friends moved into a rented apartment that came with an air-conditioner that hadn’t been serviced for a while, and fell deathly sick. After both had been sent to the hospital for what seemed to be major cases of food poisoning, we realised it was probably black mould in the air-conditioner.
Does toxic mould exist in nature, like they do in the house? I didn’t know then, so I resisted the urge to breathe in as my synapses fired.
We went off the beaten track and followed a pipeline
“Where Can i get a tetanus shot, and does it last you a lifetime?”
Some of the pipes had broken and were exposed and rusting. My outfit on this day came down to the top my calves, and as I’m fully aware of how clumsy I am, I expected myself to get nicked on the rusty edges of the pipes (I didn’t, thankfully). If that did happen though, where can I get a tetanus shot and do I have to? Did I already get one when I was young? If so, how long did that last?
I now know that if you completed your tetanus vaccination when you were a kid (five installations of it), you’re protected for life. Which is a relief.
“‘Boulder Steps’, the book”
It’d make a great title for a book for a climber, if it hasn’t already been done.
Look closely and you’ll see that trash does get swept up with the tide. I had thoughts on that too, but nothing you don’t already expect.
“I think too much; I bet I’ll be one of those ironies who gets Alzheimer’s”
And so I resolved to write a book before I lose my thinking, behavioural and social skills. But being a typical procrasti-writer who only gets to work when there is a deadline, I’ll probably only start on it when I get diagnosed.
It will be titled: “I Thought I Had It All…”
“The next Apple watch will have the thermometer function”
I’m calling it. The Apple Watch is already able to take an ECG — I’m sure they’ll figure out (if they haven’t already) how to include a thermometer in it. That said, here is some food for thought on the future of surveillance (which is what data on body temperature will inevitably contribute to):
