Text: Fiona Leung (Former features reporter) Photography: Mary Jane Escalante
Many people took up hiking during the COVID-19 pandemic, and domestic helpers were no exception. Mary Jane Escalante (Jane), who came to Hong Kong from the Philippines 20 years ago, had never tried hiking back home. Discovering the beauty of Hong Kong, she embarked on a journey through the city’s natural landscapes that changed her life. Jane is deeply committed to protecting the environment, and never fails to clean up the mountains and beaches while she is enjoying the beauty of nature.
On the day of the interview Jane isn’t wearing sportswear, but she nonetheless radiates boundless energy as she sits down; you’d never have guessed she was 48. I had assumed her natural aptitude for sport developed during her youth, but it turns out she had never hiked in the Philippines and had no exercise routine until she discovered Hong Kong’s mountains in January 2020. “The government urged domestic helpers to stay at home and rest on their days off. I’m grateful to my employer for allowing me the freedom to go out. It was then that I realised, ‘My goodness!’, Hong Kong is actually so beautiful—it felt like discovering a whole new world. Since then, I’ve become completely hooked on exploring every corner of Hong Kong and can’t get enough of it,” she enthusiastically recalls.
Jane has explored trails all over the SAR, including the ‘Four Trails of Hong Kong’. She says, “I usually walk two or three sections of trail at a time, and before I know it, I’ve completed all four.” She praises hiking in Hong Kong for being very safe and convenient, adding that she isn’t afraid to go alone. Pressing the ‘Start’ button on her hiking app serves as her motivation to set off; she usually starts from her home in Admiralty, heads up to the Peak and then returns home, though she sometimes arranges to go with friends. She marvelled at the Hong Kong’s countryside’s excellent facilities, noting the clear signposts and litter bins, which are unmatched in the Philippines. “In the Philippines, you need to hire a guide to go hiking, and you don’t get mobile signal whilst you’re out on the trails.”
Leave No Trace
Whenever she goes hiking with friends, Jane always helps to keep the trails clean. She sighs, “We all have a responsibility to protect the environment. I don’t understand why hikers litter; what’s more, plastic waste doesn’t break down and harms nature.” Aside from the regular hiking gear, items such as bin bags, hooks and litter pickers are almost essential in Jane’s eyes. What really impressed me was that, on occasions when the volume of rubbish was too great, they would use wooden carrying poles to transport the rubbish down the mountain—a clear demonstration of their dedication.
She and her friends don’t limit their cleaning to the mountains, but will also clean the beaches. When she and a group of over ten friends went to visit the islands around Sai Kung, they made sure to pick up litter from the beach after swimming and having a barbecue. Jane tells me that the boat operators were very friendly and welcomed them to leave their rubbish on board temporarily, so they could take it back to a pier in the city to dispose of it. She adds that when collecting rubbish, she works within her limits and does not overburden herself. As for the type of rubbish, Jane says that both in the mountains and by the sea, plastic waste such as drinks bottles and plastic bags is most common, followed by aluminium drinks cans. She believes there is a large amount of rubbish at Lin Ma Hang, although she has not kept detailed records of the rubbish type or measured its weight.
The Joy of Hiking
On one occasion, whilst Jane was out hiking and clearing rubbish on Lamma Island, she caught the eye of a foreign photographer, who was full of praise for their good deeds. Their story and photographs were even published in an English-language newspaper, much to Jane’s delight.
Jane and her friends make a point of sharing their joy with other hikers, dressing up in fancy dress to hand out sweets at Halloween and Christmas. Every Chinese New Year’s Day, she climbs the west ridge of Kau Nga Ling to watch the sunrise and take photographs. “There are fewer hikers at that time, so it’s very peaceful.” She also loves the wildlife on the mountains, and one of her favourites is, surprisingly, snakes. “Once, whilst swimming in a mountain stream on Section 9 of the MacLehose Trail with a friend, we suddenly spotted a large python. My friend was terrified, so we hurriedly looked for a shortcut to get away.”
Jane is always keen to take on new challenges, and has recently become hooked on trail running and swimming competitions. Her next goal is to venture beyond Hong Kong and head to Yushan in Taiwan before next year’s Lunar New Year to enjoy the thrill of hiking abroad.
