So not all the wildlife has been eaten...

All glory to the Hypnotoad!

This is a long weekend because of National Day and not a day too soon. I felt like I really needed a break so I was looking forward to this extra day’s break. What better way to celebrate the Chinese National Day than a hike in Tai Tam Country Park? All glory to our benevolent communist overlords!

After the morning slogans of “Democracy leads to social disintegration.” I headed to Quarry Bay and went up the gap towards Tai Tam Reservoir. Everyone was telling me what an idiot I had been trying to hike at the height of the heat in August. The time to hike apparently is in the fall when the weather cools markedly so up I went. First of all, I have to say that this hike is way easier than the death march I had attempted earlier. There was a steady climb for the first 30 minutes with a gentle slope heading all the way down the other side.

The park and most of the city was crawling with mainland tourists sweating it out in ill fitting dress pants and flanked by kids peeing in public. Good times. The park itself was surprisingly cool with trees providing shade most of the way. There was a breeze pulling off from the water and the crowds had thinned out markedly. This was what the guide book was talking about; wildlife, beautiful trees and fish splashing in the waters. The reservoir was a calming site and I took a few minutes to breath in the cool air. I was surprised by the number of fish in the reservoir and some of the tension seemed to ease off my shoulders as I watched them drift languidly in the sharp green waters. Looking afar, I could see people sitting close to the water’s edge. What the heck are they doing? Hey! Stop fishing in my drinking water!