Hong Kong

At Lion Rock above Hong Kong

Ship's photographer documenting the hike

Some were too close for comfort....

The view of Hong Kong skyline from our ship

After three days of rough seas and classes, we arrived in Hong Kong the morning of November 11 for a two day visit.  Hong Kong has around 7.5 million residents living in 1, 100 square kilometers of land, making it the most densely populated city in the world.  Despite that , they have managed to preserve large areas of the surrounding wooded hills as "country parks".  Our dock was right in the middle of the city between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, so we had a stunning view of the skyline.   The first day we arrived I led a seven mile hike along a ridge overlooking Kowloon and Hong Kong.  Our local guide is a Swiss native who has been a resident of Hong Kong for 28 years and has been very active in local conservation efforts.  You can read more about his organization at www.walkhongkong.com.   The hike was really challenging, but we saw some amazing views of Hong Kong and talked about sustainability issues.  We also saw quite a few wild monkeys along the hike.