Day Twenty-Two: Out Hiking

This is the first time since the beginning of the project that I've been out hiking. Hong Kong has tons of well-maintained trails, and we headed for one that goes along the contour of a bay for 7.5 k, keeping mostly flat in deference to the strain my legs usually feel heading uphill after a workout. I also knew that the end would have a flight of 700 stairs to get back up to the road and was curious to see how my 25% PCPed body would handle them (hard to believe that we're already a quarter done).

In the past: Chunks of 50 stairs at a time, followed by panting, eventually giving way to chunks of only 25 stairs. Almost everyone waiting a good 5 minutes for me at the top.

Looking back at Tai Tam Reservoir

Today: An initial chunk of more than 200 stairs, followed by chunks of not less than 100. My sweating, panting, and incredibly high heart rate and red face were the same as ever, but it took longer for true discomfort to develop. Everyone waited only 2 minutes for me at the top. Since all the wildest and most fun trails here are serious uphills, sometimes just several kilometers of stairs going straight up, this is a good sign.

Of course, the walk ended in watching everyone else eat again--an exercise that, at the third time in two days, has lost all charm. This time it was Thai/Chinese fusion, and I hadn't eaten at the restaurant before, my carefully pre-prepared food was nothing in comparison to the wonderful smells, and it made me feel like an anorexic fetishizing control for the sake of control.

Just for fun, a photo of one of the two pigs my table consumed last night.