[dropdedfwed]

Hi all,

have been chatting to some people regarding hiking. coming from Oz i was just assuming i could "head off the beaten track" on my own, but some people have warned me that it is safer to hike with a group - not for fear of getting lost like in Oz, but for fear of getting mugged/robbed. how likely is this?? i really have no idea, and had never ever contemplated such a "danger" in hiking! (i guess in some ways us aussies take our security for granted).

is this for real, or have i been "had"??

[shadowfax]

Its real. Some months back, there have been several cases were hikers were held up, their mobile phones and wallets taken and then tied to a tree while the muggers' companion go to the nearest ATM machines to withdraw your cash.

Since then, the government send out police patrols at hiking sites.

It was reported that the culprits were mostly from the mainland. SO yes, its better to hike in groups.

[PDLM]

It's the usual HK complete misperception of risks (cf SARS etc.).

One (or was it two?) years ago there were a very small number (<10) of muggings of people hiking in country parks. With some good detective work the RHKP tracked down the person responsible for organising the muggings (he was coming on tourist visas from the mainland) and he is now behind bars. There have not been any reports since that I have seen. None of the victims was seriously hurt.

There was also one case of a rape of two gwailo tourists who were hiking. Again the perpetrator is now behind bars.

None of the cases involved gwailo males. As one myself I have never had any fear of hiking alone anywhere in HK - the biggest risk, particularly at this time of year is getting injured or collapsing from heatstroke somewhere remote. A few people die each year while hiking in HK.

I don't have the statistics to hand, but I would be astonished if the risk of being a victim of crime whilst hiking in HK was significantly different to that in Australia, and is as close to zero as makes no difference.

Having said that, be sensible as you would anywhere in the world: don't take your full wallet with you - just take what you might need for the day. Tell someone at least roughly where you are going and check in with them when you get back. and take a fully-charged phone with you so you can call for help in case of trouble.

[PDLM]

So there you have it - rational well-informed expat opinion vs irrational badly-informed local. You choose who to believe.

[Baron]

Originally Posted by PDLM

...irrational badly-informed local.

Who is this 'local' you implicate?
You are probably at more risk of losing your wallet than a mugging. I've done a fair bit over here and not had a problem.

[PDLM]

Originally Posted by Baron

Who is this 'local' you implicate?

shadowfax, obviously, although that is just an assumption based on the way s/he writes English. Apologies if I am wrong - in which case strike the "local" bit.

[dropdedfwed]

Originally Posted by Baron

You are probably at more risk of losing your wallet than a mugging. I've done a fair bit over here and not had a problem.

Cool,
so the consensus is pretty much that there is a low likelyhood of getting mugged, with a higher likelyhood of being raped, and an even higher likelyhood of forgetting where i put my wallet b4 i leave the door. thats ok, i'm not too concerned re losing the wallet (i'm not an investment banker so it is usually empty) and i dont think i am a high cadidate for the other... was more worried about having to be on my toes all the time. you hike to relax and enjoy, not to feel as though u are wandering thru kings cross at 2am... however, i will probably grab a few like minded people b4 i venture out... just in case.

[Baron]

Yeah, muggings aren't really a worry at all! If they could just clear up all those covered pits with spikes and the swinging logs it would be a lot easier. I think i'm trapped in 'Pitfall'

[PDLM]

Don't forget the snakes...

[dropdedfwed]

Originally Posted by PDLM

Don't forget the snakes...

Do go on...