Denouement

Monday skipped run.  Instead did a long hike with friends Angela and Denise.  They are hiking in segments the 100k MacLose trail that connects many of the natural green spaces of Hong Kong.  This was my first time joining them.  We did stages 6, 7 and 8, about 23k.  My watch gave up the ghost at 21.75 k.  I met them at Monkey mountain.  I was the first one there, and was on the phone with Denise when I got to the busstop.  So I get off the bus (still on the phone) and notice there are monkeys everywhere and a couple coming straight for me.  Then more start coming for me.  I am screaming and trying to swat them but the monkeys are undeterred. There were three ladies close by who were sidewalk/bathroom cleaners (these workers are all over hong kong) and they used their brooms to swat away the monkeys and were yelling to me in Cantonese.  Meanwhile I am screaming into my phone to Denise, and jump into the street (right in front of the bus, which thankfully had not started to roll along) as more monkeys converge.  Denise asks if I have something in my hand—I do, a pb&j sandwich. She says I need to either put it in my backpack or give it to them.  I realize the Cantonese ladies are telling me the same thing.  I get back on the sidewalk, and try to figure out what to do.  My camelback is full (it was projected to rain and I wasn’t sure what I’d need for such a long hike, ending up bringing an outfit and a half in my bag).  I ask if I give the monkeys my sandwich, won’t they follow me and harass me for more?   Denise concedes they might.  Meanwhile I see more monkeys coming down the mountain at me, and think, this is like some really bad horror film.  So I smash the sandwich into the pack and make a dash for the bathroom.  Five minutes later, my shakes have subsided, and I realize we weren’t supposed to meet at this bathroom, but at a street up the road, but I am not ready to leave the bathroom and face the monkey masses again.  A Cantonese lady worker comes in the bathroom and starts cleaning.  I indicate I AM NOT GOING BACK OUT THERE, but she points to a stick in the bushes, so I venture out with said weapon in my hand.  About 10 minutes later the ladies show up, and we start our hike.  There were monkeys around on the hike for the first 1.5 hours, but we all had sticks and they left us alone.  The experience was truly frightening.  About 6-6.5 hours for the hike.  My legs held up well, though my least favorite was going down stairs.