A photographic excursion to the Kap Shui Mun bridge

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Old ambulance at the Kap Shui Mun bridge
Just before reaching the bridge, you can see this old ambulance parked under a shed.

The Kap Shui Mun bridge as well as the Tsing Ma bridge, which it prolongs are some of the marking signs of Hong Kong. Everybody entering to Hong Kong, never mind how, must pass through this bridge. Incidentally, the viewpoint near to the bridge offers quite a spectacular view over the bridge and Hong Kong as well.

A viewing pavilion, but no official trail

Although there is a viewing pavilion which can be seen from a distance when crossing the bridge, it is obvious that there is no official trail to go there. So, you can get there only by taxi or bus. Bus being probably the most convenient, as long as you can one of the E-xx buses heading to the airport. You must alight at the Lantau Link bus station and then walk back. One of the paths starts at the Lantau link and leads up to a mountain. Another involves following the highway back to the bridge, and this was the one I took.

Getting to the bridge.
To get to the bridge, you must walk alongside the highway.

If you are barefoot, you will note that the blocks on which you are walking are sometimes disjointed, but no danger.

Just before reaching the bridge, you will see an old sort of airport ambulance parked under  a shed.

 

 

Upwards or downwards

Once you arrive at the bridge, you have two choices: you may either climb to be level with the bridge for photography… or you may walk down beneath the bridge to try some of the filming experiments I did with my drone.

View from the top
The view from the top

At any rate, here is a view from the top, and as you can see, while the bridge still keeps you in awe, it is nothing to write home about. The true dimension of the bridge really comes to light by drone.

I did not manage to go to the pavilion, mainly because I felt that the best view of the bridge was close by to it. The beauty of the setting of the bridge is being able to see what is behind it.

A drone view

I launched my drone a first time to get a visual impression of the area.

Drone view of Kap Shui Mun bridge
Drone view of Kap Shui Mun bridge

While the general view gives a good picture of the whole structure of the two bridges (Tsing Ma bridge in background), it does not give as dramatic an effect as I would have wanted. I later experimented more with pictures. In this case, I was able to include one of the ships which just sailed under the bridge.

Ship after the Kap Shui Mun bridge.
Ship sailing after passing the Kap Shui Mun bridge.

But the most dramatic picture probably came at dusk and much closer to the bridge, which is the picture I chose as featured image. It is to be noted that this bridge is a marvel of engineering as even the MTR to the airport and to Tung Chung passes underneath! When you are near the bridge, you can hear the MTR screeching in the underbelly of the bridge.

Kap Shui Mun bridge
The Kap Shui Mun bridge at dusk

And here is a dronie of yours truly as he operates the drone barefoot.

Dronie near Kap Shui Mun bridge
Dronie near Kap Shui Mun bridge

As there is very little haze right now on Hong Kong, visibility is pretty clear. You can even see Central Hong Kong from the bridge!

View from the bridge
The view from the bridge can extend until Central HK when there is no haze.

The video

All in all, a great experience, both with the easy hike to the place and the images captured. Here, a drone video for you to see the bridge in all its glory. To be noted: the hike can be continued uphill to a rock resembling a vase. However, as you will be further away from the bridge, the dramatic effect of the structure is lost.

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