Weekend Adventures: Cheung Chau (长洲)

This weekend, things got off to a bit of a slow start ofter some miscommunication with friends, but not wanting my Saturday to go to waste, I set off on my own to Cheung Chau, one of the islands about 30 min Southwest of Hong Kong. The Island is primarily comprised of a fishing village, but it has become a place for Hong Kongers to escape from the city on the weekends. There is a decent beach on the North Side of the Island, there is plenty of fresh seafood, and a couple of decent trails to hike around. Though, you can never escape the crowd, at least I was with a crowd that was also trying to escape the city, if only for a day.


So there will be a lot of pics from this one...




This is the dichotomy that is Hong Kong. Small fishing boat. Enormous buildings. Though thoroughly westernized and incredibly modern in some parts, Hong Kong is still heavily influenced by its more humble roots.























On a slow boat to China, or in this case to Cheung Chau.
























Fishing boats docked in front of Cheung Chau. There were over a hundred of them in this small bay.


















I went to this restaurant, where I tried to speak Mandarin to the waiter. He didn't speak any so he called this guy over. This guy didn't speak Mandarin either, but he acted like he did. Eventually, we communicated what was important. He had crabs...
























And 5 minutes later, I had crabs on my plate.




















And that was not enough, so I continued on with the shrimp.





















Buddhist/Daoist temple. There are several in Cheung Chau. This one was in the center of town.




















Lots of old people in Cheung chau. There are at least two old folks "villages" there. Check out the dude on the far left. He has a wicked set of gold teeth.























The old people that aren't hanging out in the village square work for the sanitation department. There are no cars in Cheung Chau, but there are plenty of old people pushing carts and collecting garbage. I wonder if all of the old people go on shifts? Where do I get one of those hats?


























Day off...





















After hiking around to the back side of the island.























Fishing Dude. Most people here fish with nets. This guy is in it for the sport.





















This lady was amazing. She looked like she was about 75 and she was out in this boat in the middle of the ocean. She was fishing with fishing line and a hook. No pole, and from what I could tell, no bait. I am not sure what she was trying to catch, but I watched her for about 20 minutes hoping to see her pull something in. I the background is a speed boat that ferries between Hong Kong and Macau.


























Another Buddhist Temple. This one on the outskirts of town.






















And this one has a fridge. Actually, those drinks are for sale. Has this house of prayer become a den of theives? You be the judge.




















Pigeon anyone?




















This guy was drying shrimp. I will never understand the phenomenon of dried seafood. Awful.




















View of the town at night. There are seafood restaurants that line the bay.




















A view of the dock via time lapsed exposure.