On Sunday, a Canadian exchange friend and I took a ferry from Central to Peng Chau, a small and relatively flat island west of Hong Kong Island. Upon arriving, we immediately set off for the tallest point of Peng Chau, Finger Hill. Having read before that Peng Chau is flatter than most islands around Hong Kong, we were surprised by the sudden introduction of what seemed like a never ending flight of stairs. But, after racing each other up the steps, we finally made it to the pagoda that looked over the rest of the island. After taking in the view, we proceeded to walk along the coast of Peng Chau and were able to see Disneyland on Lantau Island from across the water. We also got to take some off-the-trail paths down to the more rocky parts of the beach and spent some time scrambling over the rocky formations, looking for crabs.
At one point, we came across what we originally thought was a garden. I think we were in complete exploration mode, so we took to the stairs and were immediately met with the smell of incense and a thick haze of ash. At that moment, we knew this was NOT a typical garden. We quickly backed down the stairs and returned to the entrance. Reread the sign: “Garden of Remembrance.” There was a banner from the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, advertising green burials.
When we got snackish, we stopped by Kee Sum Cafe, sipped on some red bean shaved ice, and split some of their famous deep-fried shrimp toast. Then we resumed our island exploring, continuing into the more residential areas. The weather was windy, but pleasantly sunny and warm. Another great Sunday for an island exploration and quick hike!
ABC in HK 