Hong Kong Geopark 27 November 2011

On this beautiful sunny autumn Sunday morning, we (Istinna, Bobby, Yanpeng, Gibson n I) set off together with some 280 people for an unforgettable trip to Hong Kong Geopark 香港地質公園.

Hong Kong Geopark, situated east west coastal of Saikung 西貢(aka 香港后花园), comprises many islands which offer spectacular rock formations shaped by waves and weathering – wave-cut sea cliffs, sea caves, sea arches, rock columns etc. In the 5-hour trip, we sat in a boat to take in the scenic views, cool breeze and hopped onto 3 islands:

Yim Tin Tsai 鹽田仔 (little salt field) - a Catholic influenced Hakka village which used to make a living by salt-making, fishing and farming. St. Joseph’s Chapel, built in 1890, is an UNESCO heritage.

Kau Sai Chau 滘西洲 – a fishing village with another UNESCO heritage, Hung Shing Temple 洪聖廟, built in 1889. Also check out the interesting public toilet facility on the island.

Sharp Island 橋咀洲 Kiu Tsui Chau – we saw volcanic rocks (from more than 100 million years ago), wave and weather battled boulders that looked like pineapple bun 菠萝包. And on this island, Gibson taught me a geological phenomenon – tombolo 連島沙洲 a naturally formed bar/land that connects two islands. As it was low tide, we could walk on the tombolo as Gibson searched for sea cucumber (hoping to find one for his MIL!)

We thank Istinna for organizing this trip. And we thank God for creating this beautiful geopark where we enjoy clear blue skies, lucid water, clean beaches and fresh cool breeze on this sunny day.

What a beautiful world!