Chow in Cheung Chau

(warning – lots of photos)

Grey skies with poor visibility this morning and a temperature of only 16 degrees Celsius (about 60 Farenheit), ten degrees cooler than yesterday’s high, but pleasant enough for a day’s exploring on Cheung Chau.

Cheung Chau is a small island a few miles to the southwest of Hong Kong island, less than an hour’s journey by regular ferry. It’s probably best known for Cheung Po Tsai, a pirate and maritime Robin Hood who, in the late 18^th century is alleged to have commanded a fleet of 600 pirate ships. In 1810 he surrendered to the Chinese government – and was made an officer in the Chinese Navy! They say his treasure is buried somewhere on Cheung Chau, and the cave where he hid is now a tourist attraction.   

Our ferry, the Xin Fei, a large  three-deck diesel vessel, was waiting at Central Pier terminal five and we departed on time, manoeuvring cautiously into the busy Victoria Harbour, passing another, smaller, First Ferry. 

and one of the famous Star Ferries that transit between Hong Kong Island and the mainland of Kowloon. Star Ferries are a real Hong Kong institution, plying their trade for the last 134 years.

Then, it's on towards the Western Approaches to the Harbour, where there are usually dozens of large ships at anchor. First, we pass one of the signposts of the sea, a black and yellow East cardinal buoy.

Then, we're among the anchored ships. Most of them are awaiting the unloading of their freight. This is done by smaller ships, barges called lighters, that come alongside, take off the freight using their derrick cranes, and, pulled along by powerful tugs, move the freight to one of the many piers and wharves of Hong Kong for unloading. Sometimes we're lucky enough to see a ship in the process of being unloaded by a lighter, as in the photo below.

Sometimes we're double lucky and see two or three lighters working on the same ship, like the Lantau Bee below.

But it's not just freight transshipment that's happening; the sea is alive with craft of different kinds. For example, there are police boats:

Harbour pilots with their red and white livery.

Customs launches.

A tug pulling a laden lighter.

Fast ferries roar past, like the jet boat below, taking tourists and gamblers to the casinos of Macau. These boats are built by Boeing and can carry up to 243 passengers. They are propelled by waterjets powered by twin Rolls Royce gas turbines and, because of their hydrofoils that lift the hull out of the water - reducing drag - they can reach a speed of 45 knots. They're impressive!

Look - there's another one, going in the other direction.

There are other high-speed ferries that also zip past us, like this water jet. 

Just before we arrive at Chung Chau, we saw a few fishing boats, like this one. It has what looks like there is a tree branch mounted on the top of the wheelhouse, I don't know what that signifies but I've seen it many times...nostalgia for terra firma? left over from Christmas? Your guess is as good as mine...

Then we slowly slipped through the entrance to the typhoon shelter, past the lines of neatly moored high-prowed local fishing boats - there are dozens of them - and moored up at the little jetty. Cheung Chau has been a fishing port for centuries, maybe thousands of years, it is one of the oldest inhabited parts of Hong Kong, famous for its seafood (and the real reason we are here today is to eat some salty-fish-rice, neither rare not expensive but I believe nowhere does it as well as Cheung Chau, maybe it's just the sea air but I believe there's something extra special about the way that they prepare it here.) 

Walking along the promenade at the water's edge - the praya - there are several things that impress themselves on the mind. First, the absence of motor vehicles. Apart from miniature police cars, ambulances and fire engines, regular motor vehicles are banned. The town is small, its streets are narrow, and the only commercial vehicles allowed are village tractors like this.

Virtually everyone cycles, and there are fleets of cycles waiting to be rented by tourists. Even the elderly folk cycle - and they all seem to use bicycles with trainer wheels like learner children back home. Good idea. 

The semi-circular praya follows the curve of the harbour and is lined with restaurants, small stores and souvenir shops. We stopped at one shop with a variety of seashells beautifully polished, and, in some cases carved, like this one of the Buddha.

Some of restaurants had fish tanks outside with an awesome variety of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and eels.

Along the praya there were several shops selling seafood, fresh, dried or salted.

Or, you could walk over to the water's edge where the boats unloaded and buy your fish directly from one of the fisherfolk.

As we watched, a local fisherwoman moored up her small boat and prepared to unload the meagre catch of the day.

Further out, a street cleaner picked up rubbish. Only this street cleaner worked from her boat, scooping up litter from her street, the waters of the busy harbour.

No doubt about it, this is a boating society, the harbour is jam-packed, side to side,  with water craft of all kinds...

We passed the main wet market and popped in to have a look, admiring the barbecued pork shop, including its whole barbecued pigs (in the white box).

There was a small temple near the sea front, dedicated to Tin Hau, Chinese goddess of the sea, protector of sailors and fishermen. She is popular in sea-girt Hong Kong, with over 100 temples dedicated to her.

Then we headed into the town, slowly walking through the narrow streets, heading up the hill. We passed some old buildings in the centre of town, small residences built into the rocky ground.

Because of the steep ground, houses are built on several levels and flights of steps zig-zagged up the hill. Walking must be a challenge for elderly people.

Hey missus! You've forgotten to take down your Chinese New Year decorations...well, leave them up, they look very colourful.

Even the Cheung Chau dogs are very impressive. They have their own toilet facilities 

and, presumably, are intelligent enough to read the instructions and use the correct location!

It was warmer now, the air was heavy with the scent of flowers and the birds sang all around us. Near the top of the hill we saw an amazing sight. Someone had made a home using old logs to face one of the walls. There were several small properties here that were simply and skimpily constructed - but created with care and ingenuity that compensated for the lack of funds. They all had mailboxes at their front entrances.

There were also several papaya trees, one of which had a large number of fruits.

Soon after, we headed down the hill again until we left the built up area and burst upon this perfect Mediterraean-like view of the sea. There was a sumptuous villa nearby, perched on the side of the cliff with spectacular views of the South China Sea. For a moment, we both had the same thought 'ah, if we only had a million or three to spare we would buy a house like that...' Then the moment passed and we strolled on.

And I should mention the colourful bougainvillea...

On the way to the restaurant for lunch we passed this curious plant in someone's garden. Do you know what it is? (answer at the end of this blog).

Lunch included a full plate of salty fish chicken rice. It was rather filling but we felt that we had earned it. A glorious day.

And the answer to the plant question: it's an egg-plant...someone has taken the empty shells of hens' eggs and impaled them on the spears of a plant to make it look like they are buds or fruit. I suspect that  the garden belongs to an artist (or a rather weird gardener!) .