Hong Kong is known for its beautiful hikes, so why not to wheelchair users? Accessible hiking has opened up a whole new world for Ben and leaves him with a glow from the rush of endorphins from a good upper body workout.
BOWEN ROAD FIRST PAGODA
There is no wheelchair bus to Bowen Road, so it is something of a challenge to get from the start of Macdonnell up to Bowen. Bowen is popular among walkers, cyclists and dog lovers. It is rare that you might see a pig but the porcupines are there among the bushes and once we saw a green snake in the trees trying to attack a bird nest.
For blogs 1 and 2 you can take accessible bus 15 or 6 from Exchange Square or Admiralty to Stubbs Road (before the roundabout to Tai Hang and Wong Nai Chung Gap Roads) and start your hike from the eastern end of Bowen Road.
On our first accessible walk we went to the first pagoda – a round trip is about 40 minutes from the beginning of Bowen Road. The first pagoda is not really a pagoda but a peaceful little park with pagoda type shelters, and backed by a sleepy waterfall in wetter conditions. It was a nostalgic walk to first pagoda, taking Ben back to his boyish days at Island School, where the ‘first and second pagodas’ were used as their landmarks for the school’s cross country runs.
Bowen Road was named after George Bowen, the ninth governor of Hong Kong. It was built in 1883 and is a perfect example of Victorian engineering.
As Hong Kong had little freshwater, an aqueduct was built to transfer water from Tai Tam to Central, and Bowen Road was built on top of the aqueducts.
BOWEN ROAD SECOND PAGODA
On our second walk we drove to first pagoda (via Bowen Drive) from Kennedy Road (once again, no accessible buses) and started our walk from there.
This time we went to and beyond second pagoda, another peaceful park. Since the great typhoon of 2019 the vegetation has been swept aside and the views over Hong Kong are paramount. The round trip took around 40 minutes.. To walk or roll the entire length of Bowen takes about two hours in one direction. (the exit is just below the Adventist Hospital).
The famous Lover’s Stone is located about one hour along the track from Bowen Road and about 20 minutes from the Stubbs Road end. Above the track, the 9 metre high granite monolith is said to have the power of giving happy marriages for those who worshipped it.
About Author
Michelle B. Alvarez works as a writer for professional writer service – 1ws.com. He proved that it is not necessary to have a specialist diploma in order to be a professional writer. He is self-taught and helps students from all over the world through his efforts. Three years ago, Michelle enrolled in online journalism courses and improved his writing skills, which are simply necessary for a writer’s work.
