Route Twisk Run 荃錦公路

On a Saturday morning when I do not have to teach, I decided to try to run into Kam Tin through Route Twisk, starting from Hung Hom.

Along Princess Margaret Road 公主道, I was reminded how hard it can be to live in the city.  A decent living space is unaffordable for too many.  

In Shum Shui Po, the line of people waiting to be tested for the coronavirus wraps itself around Maple Street Playground 楓樹街遊樂場.  Another stark reminder of city living - the crowdedness make the situation much worse.  

Turning up Route Twisk, suddenly there seems to be much fewer people, and things seem to slow down. 

Running up is hard, but not too hard yet, in the beginning.  

Unexpected sights makes it seem like I am in a foreign country, like Thailand. 

Transportation is a problem living in a village house up here.  But the surroundings are so much more pleasant.  

Many people drive up in the comfort of a car, powered by fossils.  They are noisy and foul up the air. Some ride their bicycles up, using their own muscle power, assisted by the mechanical advantage of wheels, gears, and chains.  Admirable. I have nothing to rely on, but my own two legs.  It is hard, very hard, but so satisfying.  I have to admit that I had to walk part of the way up.  It is so hard, I am so tired.  Plus that there is no sidewalk for most of the way.  Route Twisk is not just people-unfriendly.  It is positive hostile to people.  

The worse thing, for me, is the hordes of motorcycles tearing up and down, particularly on the Yuen Long side.  Apparently, some of the motorcycles are transported here by vans, so that the riders can roar up and down.  

The Shek Kong - Kam Tin Valley in the distance is beautiful, even in the haze.  If only part of the land is developed to build high rises, instead of 3-storey houses and to store cargo containers, a lot of people can certainly be accommodated.  Kowloon and Hong Kong do not have to be so crowded.  It is not easy, of course.  But why should governing be easy?  If it is easy, why do we pay the officials so much?  

The best feeling is when there is a lull in the traffic, there is nobody around.  

I can hear the birds sing and the cicadas buzz.  

It feels the best when I feel I have earned the pleasure.