Keeping Fit in Hong Kong

It's been four days since I've been in Hong Kong to attend my sister's wedding. I have tried my best to exercise as much as I can given that the big winter trips are coming up once I get back to Melbourne. The packs are going to be heavy and the walking will be steep and difficult. I will try my best to go running, cycling and walking with a heavy pack as much as possible once I get back. This winter, there's the challenging Overland Track in Tasmania (Aug) and most likely the very difficult trip scaling Ruapehu in NZ (Sep).

Which is why I have been trying my best exercising here in HK. I've discovered that HK is really really small and it's very quick and easy to simply walk to your next destination. The other day after lunch, I walked from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay (five MRT stations) in just over half an hour. It is all flat and paved, with plenty of shops that blast Antarctic air out to the footpath to keep me cool. Two days ago, I walked home to Upper Central from Sai Wan. None of these are more than 5km long and very easy. In fact, to walk from the western end (Sai Wan) to the eastern end (Chai Wan) is only 15km, which can't possibly take more than 3-4 hours to finish. I think if I mention that to the locals, they will think I'm insane... One thing I don't understand is why there's a mega shopping centre on Victoria Peak instead of just a quiet scenic lookout. It was an eye opener the other day walking there from home where I was met with thousands of people, cars, shops, tourists, dogs and restaurants. Oh, how I miss hiking back home in Australia!

Hiking Gear Shopping in Hong Kong

Hiking Gear

Several people promised me that I could get good quality hiking and climbing gear in Hong Kong for a fraction of the price in Australia. I held off purchasing the all important mountaineering crampons and brand new overpants in Australia just to see whether I could in deed get some good gear here.

After visiting no less than eight so-called professional hiking gear shops all around Hong Kong, I felt extremely disappointed that most of them simply stock want-to-be brands that make clothing for college students for them to look cool in campus and not in the harsh, unforgiving environments in Nepal, New Zealand or Australia. Up in the mountains, I would rather dress like an idiot and live than to be found dead dressed in designer clothing. So I gave up looking for hiking clothing and concentrated on getting a pair of crampons. In the end, the only thing remotely resembling what I wanted was a pair of dodgy looking Korean made crampons that is heavy, has the points at the wrong angles and has no anti-balling plates. I convinced myself in the end that if I use those in New Zealand this year or Nepal the next, I am most likely going to be killed. Oh well, back to the my trusted stores - REI and Backcountry - here comes my credit card! :)