WE ALL have varying ideas of a perfect summer activity. Although beach getaways seem the simplest to organize, this year, most of my friends embarked on a mountain climbing or hiking adventure reaching as far as Mt. Pulag in Benguet, Mt. Capistrano in Bukidnon, or Osmeña Peak in Cebu.
During the Holy Week, some even dared to conquer Mt. Apo—the highest peak in the country.
Those who spent their vacation in Mati City blessed my newsfeed with pictures of the Sleeping Dinosaur Trail. Seeing how the trail curved along the dinosaur-shaped island reminded me of my trekking experience at Dragon's Back Trail in Hong Kong.
In search of something adventurous to do, we scoured the tour packages offered in Klook and discovered Dragon's Back, an urban hiking trail ideal for both beginners and experienced mountain climbers.
For P2,400/person, the package comes with a tour guide, Rory, whom we met at the Kei Wan Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station exit. From there, we traveled to To Tei Wan along Shek O Road, where we found the shaded path where the trail began.
I've never had a legit hiking experience before, so I was pulsing with excitement by the time we ascended the hundred steps to the peak. As we trekked, we were accompanied by Rory's stories about his trips to popular trails in Hong Kong—a country best known for its vibrant cityscape and flourishing urban life. What most tourists do not realize is that Hong Kong has breathtaking countryside attractions that demand to be explored as well.
Having a guide made the ridge easy to navigate. After an hour of climbing, we arrived at a clearing that offered an uninterrupted view of the coast. It was unfortunate that we reached the Shek O peak at 12 noon, but seeing how the sunlight made the ocean look so iridescent made the heat bearable.
On the cliff where we stood, as I beheld the specks of island and residential buildings below, I was reminded of a quote from the 2009 Hannah Montana movie: Life's a climb, but the view is great.
We eventually began our descent to Big Wave Bay—the beach waiting at the foot of the mountain. Determined to see how the mountain looked like from the ground, we trekked for two more hours, pausing only to catch our breath or savor the view (by this time we have run out of drinking water). The sound of waves crashing on the shore was the only hint that we were close to the beach.
Finally, after what seemed like a million steps, we reached a small neighborhood that served as our entrance to the beach. Behind us loomed the massive silhouette of a mountain shaped like the back of a Chinese dragon—hence, the Dragon's Back Trail. To me it looked like a bigger version of Mushu from Disney's Mulan.
Hong Kong is among the international destinations most visited by Filipinos. With the launching of direct flights from Davao, Hong Kong will soon become more accessible, especially to Mindanaoans.