Island Line: Revisited

Less than a year after I completed the entire MTR network the MTR corporation decided to open an extension to the Island line.  This did of course mean hopping on the bike to ensure I once again had the entire network under my belt. If you’d like to take a look at my previous outing then go right ahead, I promise I’ll wait.

The extension consisted of three additional stations at the western end of the line, namely Sai Ying Pun, HKU and Kennedy Town at the far western reach. Not satisfied with just adding three more stations I decided it would be far more appropriate to redo the whole line but this time go west to east. Thus, starting with the newest stations first. 

The evening was on the whole rather uneventful. Incidentally, I had decided that not doing it in the middle of the day this time would be a shrewd move since summer is once again heavily upon us in Hong Kong and I remember how sweltering it had been on my previous MTR excursion here.

One of the few moments of note was an extremely steep hill I found myself coming down in Sai Ying Pun. You’ll be relieved to know, though, I managed to navigate it just fine and am still here to tell the tale! The rest of the ride was however largely uneventful as I just rode round the whole Island a couple of months ago and navigation issues weren’t so inhibiting as they had been the first time. I always find in the course of my natural cycling around Hong Kong I discover new roads and easier access to places I’ve been before. This helped me in today’s cycle and I’m sure I’ll discover additional ways to get to the stations I visited for the first time today.

After completing the cycle in Chai Wan I actually continued around the south side of the Island just to stretch my legs a bit. Unfortunately I managed to pick up a puncture ending my journey a few kilometers prematurely. You can view this ride on strava and here are the stats for the day as well:

• 67.7km
  Distance
• 3:13:42
  Moving Time
• 2,697m
  Elevation

The line before this one was the East Rail Line, I haven’t done one since this yet and if you haven’t already, take a look at my inspiration for the MTR Cycling Challenge.