Castle Peak Road (Sheung Shui to Yuen Long)

Castle Peak Road is one of the longest roads in Hong Kong, perhaps even the longest.  I believe it is approximately 50 kilometres in total length.  I have run the whole length, but not all in one go.  Yesterday I ran from Sheung Shui to Yuen Long, covering 20 kilometres.  Right outside Sheung Shui MTR station, the infamous import-export business seems to live on, although it is not making as much news as before.  

With the expansion of the roads and all the construction, there is less and less space for the trees to grow.  Many continue to struggle for survival on the sidewalks.  I had a feeling someone was slicing into my neck with a knife when I looked at some of them.  

I tried to stay on the sidewalk.  At one point, I had step off the sidewalk in front of a machine shop because a car was sitting on the sidewalk.  A dog came out of nowhere to bark at me and chase.  I was glad it gave up after a short while.  It was so annoying and slightly scary.  

At the “yellow bus” station where the buses take people to and from the border checkpoint, the billboards give the impression a nasty and mighty confrontation is going on.  However, few people, if any, seem to be paying attention.  

Just around the corner, a brand new shopping mall is being built, for the shoppers from Mainland China.  The concept is that shoppers can do their business right after crossing the border.  It will save them time, and ralso educe the possibility of confrontation with ordinary Hongkongers.  Will that work?  

There are numerous temples along the way, wherever people live.  Sometimes you get the impression that there may be more gods and goddesses than people.  

There are elegant bridges over peaceful waters.  Sometimes development and nature can seem to be in harmony.  

At one point, I was suddenly made aware of a sweet and tasty aroma.  That was way before I saw the famous soy source factory.  

When I saw a man taking a leisurely nap in the shadows of the MTR station in Yuen Long, I felt all my energy drained away.  

I struggled on for another couple of kilometers.  But it was a lost course.  It was a hot day, and I just could not push on anymore.  I fulfilled my promise to myself to run at least 20 kilometers, and hopped onto a RT train, to start my journey home.  I was dead tired, but it was a satisfying run.