Monday, August 26, 2013

Cheung Chau

We went on a little adventure on Sunday to Cheung Chau, one of the outlying islands in Hong Kong.  Cheung Chau is small and amoeba shaped, about an hour's (slow) boat ride from the Central piers on Hong Kong island.

There are no motorized vehicles on Cheung Chau so I always pictured it as an expansive, idyllic place to rent bicycles and stroll along a boardwalk.  I should have known.  Outlying island or not, it is still Hong Kong, which means tiny to nonexistent sidewalks, lots of people, and very little space.  Going on Sunday meant battling crowds of people with similar ideas of a peaceful, restful getaway, eager to escape the city heat and play on the beach.






The boat rides to and from were surprisingly relaxing though.

 



 
As a small fishing and shrimping village, Cheung Chau contained all kinds of dried seafood delights, both in stores and out:
 
Little pieces of fish drying on a metal plate, hung off of the side of the fence. 

Baby shrimp drying on a rack, perched on the side of the house like a satellite dish.
 
Dried... something scary.  With lots of sharp little teeth.

Dried and grilled octopus, with all legs intact.
 
My favorite dried fish display.  What a nice use of McDonald's wrappers.

I sampled a bowl of seafood:

We meandered around a few residential alleyways:
 

 

 


And settled by the beach:

 
 Watched a shrimp boat in the distance:
 

It's easy to ponder the life aquatic, particularly at a harbor at sunset.
 


 
 

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