Hiking Coloane

Jess and I went for a hike on Sunday night.  We went hiking on Coloane (see side map)...or I guess I should say "hiking."  There are actually only short, easy walks on Coloane to begin with, and then we had the adventure of finding where we wanted to be, so we really only "hiked" for about 45 minutes.

Macau is not a big place, but Coloane is on the other end of Macau from where we live.  Two bus rides and about an hour after leaving the apartment, we were there.  Or at least we knew we were nearby.  You see, Macau is one of those places where the developed areas are super-developed and the undeveloped areas are jungle.  Really.  Or maybe you could say the undeveloped areas are like red-neck, rural Georgia - lots of dogs and junkyards and people gawking (yes, we encountered all those things). 

So, we got off the last stop on the number 15 bus (which only picks up passengers every 35-40 minutes as opposed to 10 minutes for the other bus lines) and started wandering around, looking for the trail head.  We encountered some nice locals who tried to help, a run-down temple in someone's backyard, and what looked like a rock quarry before we found what we were looking for.

After the walk, the excitement continued as we wandered back to the bus-stop in the ever-darkening twilight, perched ourselves on the bus stop bench (supported by a stack of tires), and realized that the bus stopped running in 10 minutes!  After a bit of a scare, the bus finally showed up, and we headed back to civilization.  We ate dinner at the OT Tavern in Macau -delicious fish 'n chips- and headed home. 

It was a nice evening.  The only down-side was that, on the way home, I received a call with a Georgia area code (not a good sign if one of your sisters isn't expecting a baby).  The sad news was that our family dog, Emma, was struck by a car and killed.  Maybe that means that she can go hiking with me now, here in Macau, and she can finally catch that rabbit that she's always after.  I will miss my dear little friend, and I don't look forward to going home and not seeing her there.  If any of you readers sees Mom or Sarah, give them a pat on the back, because it's hard for them right now.  Oh, and if you see a dachshund puppy around, you might want to drop it off at 2044 Pope Creek Road (just kidding, Mom!) :)

The junkyard

The temple

Views from the hike.  I liked the pink flowers and this colorful painting on the dam.