Cheung Chau Island

On Shayne's last full day in Hong Kong, we were joined by our friend Vesper and Deb Tolsma who had recently arrived from Grand Rapids for two weeks. We decided to let Vesper show us another of the outer islands, so we all met at the ferry dock.


The ride over to Cheung Chau was relaxing as usual and upon arriving we found ourselves on the main walkway along the water.

As we walked along we saw shops of all kinds and even a few types we had not seen before.

It was a very hot day and we did a little hat shopping to protect us from the very bright sun.

Above most of the shops are the homes of the islanders and as is custom in most of Hong Kong hanging the laundry out to dry is the norm.

As we walked along the shore we saw several of the fishermen drying their catch in preparation for sale. It is really interesting to see how some things are still best done the old fashioned way.

We wandered along the area and spied a lovely Bed & Breakfast and some very nice shops.

After wandering along the shoreline for quite some time, we took a walk across the island (a very skinny part of the island) to the beach. And it was a wow! On the way we saw a statue dedicated to windsurfing and the only Hong Kong Olympic gold medalist. We even saw some potential ones at practice.

The beach was beautiful and netted off to keep away sharks. There hasn't been one spotted in years, but safety first! The swimming area is quite large so one lifeguard is posted on the water and I loved the way he patrols. Shayne even pot her toes in for a bit.

Following a short beverage break we decided to walk to the end of the island a explore a pirate's cave. The walk took us past the buddhist college, the fireboat station and some very nice homes. 

We even passed a graveyard for dragon boats and we found one that was draggin'.

We finally reached the path to Cheung Po Tsai cave. Cheung Po Tasi was a pirate who plied the waters of Hong Kong in the early days and though no one knows for sure if he used this cave for his booty, it is named in his honor. The path gave some beautiful views of the coastline and we even saw some local fishermen - or where they pirates?

We didn't know what to expect from our cave adventure. My experiences have all been in caves with paths, lighting and tour guides. Here there was a very old man selling flashlights to those unprepared and giving hints as to how to best navigate. Now we were really wondering what was up. The cave is only 30 meters long but you get a true feel for caving. We entered and climbed down a short ladder. Once you hit bottom, there was absolutely no light (thank goodness for the little man with the flashlights). We walked along then came to a second ladder to climb out. The really exciting part of this whole experience was that Shayne and I were wearing dresses. Not a pretty sight for those following. Lucky for them no one else was following us. We were among friends.

We all thought the best part of the cave was the temperature. It was so nice and cool. Once out it was back into the furnace again. But we walked the shaded path and once again enjoyed the views.

After walking back to town we hopped the ferry and headed back so Shayne could pack (boo hoo).