Peng Chau

Ed and I go to Cheung Chau all the time.  That's not an exaggeration either.  We really go there that much.  There was one period last year when we went there five weekends in a row.

We thought it made sense to branch out a little bit and visit somewhere different.  We decided to stay close by and shifted our attention to Cheung Chau's smaller neighbour, Peng Chau.  Ed decided that since the island of Peng Chau was so small, he was going to circumnavigate it by swimming.  I had no interest in that at all, so I decided I would hike around the island.

Within a short time, I was out of the town near the ferry terminal.  I was surrounded by small farms and forests.  It's amazing that even in a bustling metropolis like Hong Kong, there can still be small market farmers.  They don't produce that much relative to Hong Kong's consumption, but it's still nice that you can get fresh fruit and vegetables that don't need to be imported.

It didn't take long for me to get through the denser parts of the island and out to some higher peaks.

The views were nice enough, but the island really is tiny.  It took me no time at all to walk the entire island.  It did feel like a mini-version of Cheung Chau.  There were some lovely beaches and some rocky outcrops to look at, but nothing as good as what Cheung Chau had to offer.

There was also nothing like my favourite beach on Cheung Chau with the bars and restaurants sitting directly behind the sand.  This could be a good thing though.  It could be a nice change to be able to spend some time on a beach with less crowds and activity.

I eventually found Ed and his friend.  They were both exhausted as they pulled themselves from the water.  We went and found his friend's family and we were soon devouring Thai food not too far from the ferry terminal.  The two kids of Ed's friend were hilarious as they ran around causing mayhem for all those around.

After lunch, we decided we wanted a coffee.  Ed's friend knew of a great spot which was half antique store and half cafe.  We went inside to sit for a bit and get our coffees.  For the two young owners of the cafe, a couple who were expecting a child, our appearance was far more confronting than they could have ever imagined.  As we adults sat and drank our coffees, chatting and laughing, the two kids were in constant motion.  The store offered far too much intrigue and curiosities for them to stay still and they were wandering everywhere, exploring and creating their own games.  The young couple, with the girl being very pregnant, looked on with terror.  Her partner got up several times to readjust their perfectly arranged store, but by the time he had sat down the two kids would go through again and move everything once more.  Ed and I joked afterwards that they probably had a glimpse of their possible future, which almost certainly diverged away from the more perfect images they had in their minds.