Cheung Chau is a wonderful island and
I prefer it now as my favourite rural bit of hong Kong.
There is a bit of griminess to it, as
the streets are not as well-groomed as those of Shenzhen, now is there the range of food that that big city has, though the
prices are easily half of Lamma Island.
Joe and I were asked for 100 HK for
7 small prawns - sans vegetables, sans freee appetizers of nuts or pickles, sans garnish of curled carrot - and that was when
I really began to sick of the attitudes there...which are really true of this whole area.
We got up and left after being quoted
that price, as we actually wanted to be full of food after we ate our evening meal, a rare and unusual request perhaps in
Hong Kong!
Now in Cheung Chau, I discovered a place
that offers real squid with well-cooked vegetables for under $5.00 USA. With an extra bowl of white rice and a fake
European beer - a large bottle for $1.25 USA, you have a whole gourmet meal.
When you exit the boat at Cheung Chau
the tourists veer to the left, you will see a long row of checked tableclothes, and these places are not so bad in price.
If you veer to the right you will see
more local places with slightly lower prices, most with English menus.
There are wonderful deserrt shops, with
sweets made of wholesome ingredients, such as sesame seed, peanut - watch the peanut in Chinese cooking, if you are allergic,
tofu, black herbal jelly, coconut, mango bits, red beans, and if you didn't know Chinese had sweets, you are in for a treat.
These desserts are low priced here,
between 5 and 15 HK. One of my favourites is a soy custard with pureed ginger added to it.
I love this island because the village
takes up most of the island, though the local council has added a broad avenue that circles the fringes of most of the island,
so you can walk along the water mostly all the way around.
There are no sharp hills like on Lamma,
and the port is so broad, and full of light, and a huge amount of boats of all sizes and shapes - if you half-closed your
eyes, you could be anywhere in the world there is a wide and sunny harbour.
I have seen a few women here and I no
longer envy people who live in Asia on the fringes of a foreign culture, as I understand how truly peripheral we are to Chinese
culture, which is so self-contained, and so self-enclosed.
This village is full of young people,
lively and seemingly having a riotous time with their simpler life, chatting to one another on their bikes, yelling loudly
around the computer cafe, and full of a healthier lifestyle than their urban counterparts.
The presence of the sea is overwhelming
here, and the sound of the surf pounding against the white sand beaches is a truly loud noise, as loud as that of a car engine
running, and a surprise to me, as I did not remember that the sea made such a roar when I have stayed near the ocean before.
The street facing the oceran is broad,
and full of major activity, the police patrolling, the ferry boats arriving and departing, and also the library which is well-stocked
with English and children's books.
There are all the major Hong Kong businesses
represented here, a short walk between them all - the pharmacies, the supermarkets, the banks, and even a Japan Home Store.,
There is one large and respectable hotel,
which I would head on over to, if I had any money whatsoever, as it looks lovely and safe, like something from forty or fifty
years, a large tall old-fashioned block, with a square of empty space in front of it, lined by three storey housing blocks,
all facing towards the ocean.
On the back streets are interesting
places: a store that just handles the Chinese medicinal brew pitch-black and popular with all, including me, as I think it
does something for my health everytime I ingest it.
There are stores with Tha-imported dresses,
skirts, and blouses, and also a store I like with just seashell mobiles and jewellery. I had never seen a real chunk
of mother-of-pearl until I picked one up there today.
This seashell store is to the right
when you come of the ferry boat and walk along the main street, a few minutes away.
I hope things will go better here on
Cheung Chau, as I believe in destiny, and so many blockages occurred for Joe and me, and for me, on Lamma, though I
must just take life one day at a time.
I definitely recommend travellers to
Hong Kong to explore other places than the City Centre, and this pretty island, with great photo opportunities and fresh seafood,
is half an hour by fast ferry and forty-five minutes by slow ferry, from the Central Ferry pier.
