across the swamp

When I wrote about ‘the garden of earthly delights’ recently, I alluded to an interesting feature further along the path, a boggy area that I’ve named ‘the swamp’. I thought that a more detailed appraisal of this feature would be worthwhile. This is the start of the path:

I cycle along this path regularly, particularly if I’m heading east, because it’s preferable to following the cycle track that runs alongside Sha Tau Kok Road, the only road out of Fanling to the east, which carries a lot of traffic, including heavy goods vehicles. And because the start is a left-hand bend, I ring my bell just in case there is someone out of sight coming in the opposite direction. It’s always a relief when I’ve rounded the bend and discovered that there’s no-one there:

…because passing someone here is distinctly awkward!

Immediately after the path passes the aforementioned garden, this is what the way ahead looks like:

There is another blind corner at the end of this straight section, but the path is now a much more comfortable width:

The path turns right in the previous photo, and this photo shows the continuation of the path, with the stream that runs through the swamp on the right:

This is a view of the bridge across the stream, looking back the way we’ve just come:

And this is the start of the route through the swamp:

The path immediately crosses from the northeast to the southwest side of the swamp:

…and continues along that side for some distance.

The first two of the three following photos illustrate something that you would never realize from this distance: the two groups of high-rise blocks, despite appearing identical, are not the same. They are separated by an area of pristine forest that I don’t think will be developed. On the left is a public housing estate, while the blocks on the right are intended for first-time buyers:

The path then crosses back to the northeast side:

There is another bridge across the stream just as the path reaches the far side:

…and this is a view of the stream from the bridge, looking upstream:

I often see a solitary egret here, and this is a short video that I shot here recently:

The path continues:

While walking along this section, I took several photos looking across the swamp to the far side:

The first of these photos appears to show a species of bamboo that grows as individual stems rather than in a clump, although it isn’t practical to take a closer look. This kind of bamboo forest is almost impenetrable, if my previous experience is anything to go by.

The vegetation changes in this southerly part of the swamp, and we often see ginger flowers here:

The root of this plant is widely used in Cantonese cuisine.

The path finally debouches onto Po Kak Tsai Road, and this is a look back at the way we’ve just come from that road:

And that’s the swamp, a pleasant, scenic area that Paula and I walk through frequently. I think you can see why!