This past weekend we went to Diamond Hill, which sadly has no diamonds.  Rather, it was a park/forest type thing that had a river going through, rocks, waterfalls, weird trees, rocks, and unique Chinese buildings.  It surprises me how much nature they can place in the middle of a bustling city, and make it feel like I'm in the middle of the woods.

            Then I went to Sha Lo Tung in the New Territories.  Sha Lo Tung ended up being a small deserted village with about 10 houses. I walked inside old abandoned Chinese homes, and it looked like whoever used to live there just ran out and left everything inside, it was so weird.  Then I wandered through the mountains and found some cool views of the mountains, some rivers, reservoirs, tombs, and some very nice people who pointed me to the best locations.  It was a ton of walking, and it was mostly up a steep slope, but it was worth it.  After, I found a farm and the farmers let me walk around it, and then they drove me back to the train station on their way to the supermarket.

            The next day we went to Lamma Island, which is a mid-sized island south of Hong Kong Island.  As is the rest of Hong Kong, the attractions were poorly marked, and it took us a while to find the beaches.  But once we did, we started rock climbing and exploring new, hidden areas.  We tried to climb straight up a cliff, but when Eden fell, I had to stop climbing and go help him.  I was determined to make it and I almost did, but I couldn’t leave him there.  The whole western side of the island had spectacular views of the mountains, ocean, and sunset.  There were also some small markets in the main part of the island, but nothing too special.  But I have noticed that there are plenty of opportunities for rock climbing in Hong Kong, and I love it.

          On Wednesday I went to the history museum, which is definitely one of my happy places.  It cost about 400 million dollars to build it, and I'm guessing that a good chunk of it went to the bazillion relics on display, which made up about half of the exhibit.  But seeing how Hong Kong became the bustling metropolis that it is today is awesome, and it all happened so fast, and so well.

         This next week I have off for the Chinese New Year (I never thought I'd have people wishing me a happy new year in mid-February, but I guess crazier things have happened), so I leave for Malaysia tomorrow, then I will be stopping in Singapore, and then off to the Philippines! I have 6 flights in a span of 8 days, and a lot of sightseeing in-between, so it will be a blast!

                     These are mini versions of huge trees that look just like this one, they're so weird!

                                                Waterfall in Diamond Hill

                                            Diamond Hill-no diamonds, but a gem of a scenery

                        I can't complain when going to an island and seeing this costs me only 3 dollars!

                                                        More sunsets over the ocean

                                                   Being pensive on the beach until...

                                                     ...light bulb moment!

                                                Starting my trek through the mountains!

                                  The deserted village of Sha Lo Tung, in the middle of nowhere

                                 Just stumbling upon cool stuff while wandering through the mountains

                              So tired after walking many miles through the mountains, but it's worth it!

                                                   A reservoir in the mountains

                                          I found a little farm and met some very nice locals!

    The roads are too small on Lamma Island, so this garbage "truck" is the only vehicle on the island

                                                  Living life on the edge in Hong Kong

                                          Who would've thought you'd see this in Hong Kong!?                                        
                                     

I haven't gone swimming yet, but I will after my vacation!

And lastly...

...a wall...

...and a hole.  

Well played Asia, well played.