‘Travelling made me appreciate Hong Kong’s beauty,’ says outdoor guide ahead of Adventure Clean-up Challenge
- SCMP - Mark Agnew
- Apr 24, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 2
Jaime Ho Yuen-wing has travelled the world, but it was not until she was thousands of kilometres from Hong Kong that she realised how great the access to the outdoors is here. Born in Hong Kong, and working as a stage manager, she moved back and forth to the UK, then to South America.
“I realised I needed different life skills that will help me travel easier. With theatre, you cannot easily work in any theatre, especially with a different language. I know Spanish but it’s not that easy,” Ho, 29, said.
“When I was travelling, I was doing different jobs. I worked in festivals, I tried to volunteer for SUP (stand-up paddle boarding) and rock climbing. Then I realised there was a career called ‘outdoor guide’.”
Speaking to other travellers who had visited Hong Kong and asked her about the trails, mountains, climbing and water sport, it dawned on Ho that there were countless opportunities she had never considered. She returned to Hong Kong and now works as a guide.
“I wanted to become a traveller when I was in Hong Kong, and think like I was in the shoes of a traveller. There are things you wouldn’t do when you are from here, there are many things you wouldn’t do as a local. There are things that make Hong Kong so different,” Ho said.
“There’s the skyline and the city, but I never really appreciated the outdoors. I like it for the food, but I didn’t appreciate the scenery. Then I came back, I googled more places to go, especially with Covid-19 I found so much.”
She now helps fellow Hongkongers see their home anew and not just “through the phone”. She combines yoga, nature and climbing in her programme, called Wild Flow Yoga Farm, to let people feel the power of the outdoors. After a year, she is still finding new experiences.
“I recently climbed Lion Rock and abseiled down. It is so different to hiking up. Because of all the issues around here that make Hong Kong so unique, as a Hongkonger I should go up,” she said.
Ho is not the only one turning to home for adventure. The trails and beaches are busier than ever, with Hongkongers flocking to the outdoors in the absence of travel and other activities because of Covid-19. And with the crowds, comes rubbish.
“There was always rubbish, but it has increased,” she said. “Especially with the campsites. Tung Lung Island is not Tung Lung Island any more. The campsite is just sand now, there is no grass left. I think it’s sad that people over-camp. The rubbish from campers, I think it’s worse than hiking. Camping is so easy now. Decathlon is offering cheap stuff and it’s making it more accessible. But we need more education. I really don’t understand why people leave trash.”
Ho remembers a 10-year-old boy leaving his aluminium sandwich wrapper on a rock which blew into a reservoir. He refused to go and get it. When someone else fetched it for him, he put it back on the rock.
“He said it’s because there was no rubbish bin. You can take it out and take it to the rubbish bin outside. He asked ‘how’? It’s a reluctance to put it back in his backpack, or just to bring a spare plastic bag,” Ho said.
Ho is tackling the trash as part of the Adventure Clean-up Challenge, which has partnered with TrailWatch, an app that allows you to report rubbish in the country parks.
From April 24 to May 10, teams will take responsibility for a specific location and pick up the trash. The winners will be marked on a number of criteria, including the amount of rubbish, innovative ways they collect rubbish and how they engage with the community to educate people on the need to keep the environment clean.
Ho and her five teammates are cleaning the trails from Quarry Bay to Stanley, and beaches near Stanley.
“I wanted to do beach clean-ups, but I’ve never signed up. This time, I thought, let’s do this. I’ve built up my eco-consciousness when travelling. I realised how much plastic and how many fishing nets there are. If we make a little bit of effort, it’s better than none. I bring my own utensils, bowls, thing like that are simple,” she said.
The teammates all met by playing rugby for USRC Tigers, and surfing together. For Ho, it ties back to the idea that Mother Earth, in many languages, is female.
“I thought it might be cool if we were all females. I wanted to show our team is made up of strong women, wanting to keep the earth clean,” she added.
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