“Let’s go to an outlying island instead of shopping” my brother said when he and my sister-in-law visited me in Hong Kong. Since I have been to the Lamma Island, I suggested going to Cheung Chau Island even though I didn’t know much about the island except for its famous Bun Festival and the existence of a Pirate’s Cave.
We took the ferry from Central Pier No. 5 on Hong Kong Island to Cheung Chau. There are two types of ferries – the ordinary one, which will take about 55 minutes, and the fast ferry, which will take about 35 minutes. The ferries operate at 30-minutes intervals, alternating between the ordinary and the fast.
1. The Promenade
From the busy ferry pier in Cheung Chau, we wandered into the small alleys nearby.
There were lots of interesting things on sales in the alleys. Look at the size of the cuttle fish!
Then from Tai Hing Tai Road, we proceeded to Cheung Chau Sai Tai Road, the Promenade.
The stroll was very pleasant with a few joggers and cyclists sharing the whole promenade with us.
It was quiet and peaceful with a good view of the parked fishing boats and the houses the locals stay in.
2. Cheung Po Tsai Cave (张保仔洞)
The walk to the Cheung Po Tsai Cave (the Pirate’s Cave) involved some up and downhill, going past some nice pavilions and picnic areas. Other than the signposts at the major junctions, the last 50m to the cave wasn’t that obvious. A few tourists walking out from the cave gave us some directions and a few minutes later, we saw people gathering around and taking pictures on a pile of rocks with a small opening.
The brother checked out the opening and warned us that the entrance is small. Then almost immediately after that, he disappeared into the cave.
The sister-in-law decided to skip the adventure and wait at the other end.
The entrance did look a bit daunting but I climbed in as well, with a stranger right in front of me. The “cave” was more like a crevice between rocks and it was completely dark. Thanks to the stranger who illuminated the way with his mobile phone I could make my way out (and attempted to take a picture using my iPhone as seen here)!
A vendor was selling torchlights by the opening so if you wish to explore the cave but do not possess a light or mobile phone that can help you see in the dark, consider buying one.
There is no way that the area we scrambled through could be an actual pirate’s cave. It is way too small and narrow. I need to add that it did feel a bit claustrophobic inside!
3. Reclining Rocks (五行石)
To get to the Reclining Rocks, we took a few flights of stairs down towards the sea and crossed the Po Yue Wan which involved walking / climbing a steep rock (depending on how agile you are) with its surface smoothened from erosion. Fortunately somebody had thoughtfully fixed a big fat metal chain to the rock to help people getting across.
The Reclining Rocks, made up of 5 big rocks reaching 5 metres each, resembles the 5 elements in ancient Chinese cosmology of metal, wood, water, fire and earth. We could have tried walking in between the rocks which would supposedly confuse people as if they were walking through a rock formation in a martial arts novel.
But I cannot comment on how true that is because we left without walking through the rocks because we had no knowledge of the legend! That’s the downside of not doing research beforehand.
4. Tung Wan Beach (东湾海滩)
Back in the town, we meandered through the alleys and chanced upon the Tung Wan Beach with a row of holiday houses / chalet. The chalet looked old and dilapidated from the outside and to me, pretty scary too, just like one of those buildings where they shoot ghost movies in Hong Kong!
However, it felt totally different standing by the beach with the breeze blowing into our faces and watching people of all ages enjoying their times spent at the beach.
Even though we did not manage to explore the other parts of the island, e.g. the Mini Great Wall, the Tung Wan Rock Carving, the Kwan Kung Temple, etc. due to the lack of time and research, we were glad that we decided to visit Cheung Chau and see another side of Hong Kong.
About The Guest Blogger
Dariel Lim (@wheresdariel) is a Singaporean who lived in Dubai for 6 years before moving to Hong Kong in 2012. She had travelled to countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Kenya, Europe, etc. and shares her itineraries and stories on wheresdariel.com.
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