The island hoppers.

It has become very quite on this blog, here since Mum and Ricky left and went back to the cold and wintery Edinburgh. And as you might see; without mum's diary, there is nothing much to write home about. For the matter of this blog, I can only say thank you to Mum and her diary. I could write about work, but I'm quite sure, that wont be so interesting for many, maybe beside my former colleagues at the Medienkulturzentrum in Dresden, who is doing kind of the same stuff. I will though write something about work later - not now- as I will start to tell about Cheung Chau island and Cheung Sha beach. For the sake of the entertainment for you, dear readers, we sacrificed our last weekend and went to stay for two nights on Cheung Chau island. Again, some might think, as it is not long ago I wrote about that place. Since the first time we visited that place, it has been an ongoing reason for an irresistible interest, as this island is so different than the Hong Kong the most people either know or have an imagination about, big, busy, loads of cars and traffic and huge buildings. Well, Cheung Chau is quit busy too, but busy in another way than Hong Kong is it.
The island is not big and there is only one town or city -depend on the definition- there and that town seem to be embedded in the whole area of the island. Assumedly about 35.000 inhabitants lives there, and that makes it -for my point of view, coming from Denmark- a quit large town, and the fact that there is no cars, except for some small police vehicles, ambulances and one big and some small fire engines. The main subject for transport of people is the bicycle and for goods and cargo, it is some small motorized tractors.
The many houses is typical Hong Kong village houses, like the one we live in ourselves. 750 square feet, two stocks and a rooftop and built so close to each other that mostly only a path of about two meter wide between them.
The bigger streets running straight through in sort of a grid, with all the shops and eating places at their front, is maybe 3 meters or so.
And here is the interesting thing; Cheung Chau is always busy and filled with people, just wandering around looking into all the shops or sit and eat at the amazing number of small or bigger restaurants and eating places. Bicycles is crisscrossing in and out between the pedestrians and every now and then one have to jump aside to avoid getting run over by either one of the bikes, or one of the small tractors with its cargo of Blue Girl beer, thundering through the pathways while it's smiling driver has his break foot resting across his other knee.
The whole atmosphere is like on one of the big summer rock festivals in Europe, the streets feels as busy and with the same relaxing feeling, as no one is in a real hurry, because once there, there is not more else to do, and you cant really get away, as there is no cars, and no way to go really.
From the promenade at the harbour on the east side, you can walk straight through the town to the main beach on the west side in only 6 - 10 minutes. Here you might find one of the reasons for the many people; the quite big and quite beautiful beach in the middle of the town, so to say.
So in fact, Cheung Chau is like a rock festival "town" with a nice beach, and what do you want more? Hiking opportunities? Well thats also quite handy, as the northern and the southern parts of the island are two hills with a lot of hidden caves and small remote beaches, reachable either by foot or bike by the solid pathways spread out on all the island, making every corner accessible.
We went there Friday evening straight after work with a little overnight backpack each. Just when you get of the ferry, you will be met by a row of small stalls. offering vacancies. We checked into one of them, a basic small room with TV, fridge, bath and a little balcony towards the beach. Small but relatively cheap and clean, nothing more than a place to sleep.
After a little walk through the town and some cheap seafood in one of the many eating places, we fell asleep to the sound of the sea and the waves washing onshore just outside our little room.
We woke up again the next morning to the same sound and the strong morning sun hitting the windows and the balcony, it was the 1st of November and the temperature close to 27 degrees.
We had an appointment with two friends in Mui Wo on Lantau island at 2 PM. So we went out to find some breakfast and then embarked the inter island ferry to Mui Wo.
25 minutes later we sat down at the China bear pub at the harbour in Moi Wo, waiting for our friends; Craig and Sophie, who would arrive from Central on Hong Kong island a bit later. Together with them, we wanted to go to one of the most relaxing and beautiful places in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong; Cheung Sha beach on the south coast of Lantau island.
The first time we went there was by bike, so we knew what was ahead of us, if we chose to do that again. Therefore we were honest, and told Craig and Sophie that if they wanted to go by bike, we had to climb two category 3 mountains before getting there. The decision was made in two seconds, and we headed for the Taxi pick up place at the ferry terminal in Mui Wo, asking the driver to take us there. 15 minutes and 43 HKD (ca. 4 Euros) later, we got out at the beach and entered the fabulous "Stoepp" restaurant, placed just at -or on- the beach. In fact this was probably the main reason for going there again, because just to go there for the beach itself, didn't really occur to any of us, but having this as a backdrop accompanying an excellent south african lunch, seemed for all quite reasonable.
If Cheung Chau is relaxing, then the south side of Lantau island and Cheung Sha beach must be super mega relaxing, as there is nearly no one there. It is not so remote from main Hong Kong, and the ferries leaves every half hour from Central, but that nobody can take their car there -except the people living there- makes it seem just impossible for the majority of Hong Konger to even imagine going there, as they can't just drive there and throw themselves, their dogs, loads of picnic accessories and cans of beer and coke out onto a barbecue place, and leave the remains of it there, as they've finished it of.
But that is what makes it worth going there, and often I have had the thought, that in fact this was just what should happen in our own of Sai Kung, to avoid the inevitable traffic jam, which causes hour long stop and go traffic to and from Sai Kung every Sunday.
I was the only one going for a swim after our hour long dinner, drink and talk afternoon at the "Stoepp" terrace at Cheung Sha beach. Remember this place, if somebody is planning a visit to Hong Kong, it is worth it. A good plan could be to go by MTR to Cheung Tung, take the cable car one way to the big Buddha, take bus no 2 from there towards Mui Wo, get of at Cheung Sha beach, enjoy a meal at "Stoeep" (closed on Mondays) and see the sunset, before going to Mui Wo and the ferry back to Central and Hong Kong island. In Moi Wo you should go for a walk along the beach and turn in at the "China Bear" for a last Lantau island drink. Or maybe plan to stay a couple of days on Lantau, as there is much more to see and do than just that, but that most be another story.
Back to the terrace and "Stoeep". Suddenly the restaurant dog, and with him the couple of stray dogs living on and at the beach, started barging and ran out on the beach with their tail between their legs. As I looked towards the water I saw a big water buffalo slowly making it's way along the beach.
As we got back to Mui Wo. Catriona and I embarked the inter island ferry again to go back to our little sleeping box on Cheung Chau island.
It was a Saturday night, the town was lively and full of locals and visitors buzzing through the streets and sitting in the eating places all over. it was about 10:30 PM, and we were heading towards our vacancy, as we passed a little local eating place, showing English premiere league football. I decided to stay there to watch. Like every where else, outside England, the knowledge of English football is the big four. Often I have the feeling that all Hong Kong football fans -or football interested people- consider one of these four teams to be a Hong Kong team, as they are the only one they know and support, so I was sitting there, among full blooded Manchester United supporters, being the only one supporting Hull City, but they just laughed at me, of course only a "gweilo" would support a foreign team, and not the local champs, as they might have thought.