Hong Kong #4: Peng Chau

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I was up and after checking out of my hotel made my way via the subway to Central Pier. Today I was visiting Peng Chau, another of Hong Kong's many islands and I was looking forward to seeing somewhere new. I ended up grabbing another sandwich and coffee, and scoffing them down before the ferry arrived. Since the holiday was over, the ferry wasn't too busy, but I was a little surprised at how many people were on it. Since the ferry was then going on to Hei Ling Chau, which houses a medium security prison, I wondered if some of the people were off there to visit. The ferry journey to Peng Chau took about thirty minutes and was uneventful. When reading up on Peng Chau, it said online that it was a small island and a bit arty. I had kind of expected it to be a bit quaint like Lamma Island, so when I stepped out of the ferry terminal the island looked a lot more built up than I thought it would. The ferry pier is in the middle of the island and I decided to head in a south westerly direction and explore that part of the island first.

I walked along the promenade. Outside of the main settlement, it was a quieter. I watched ferries passing in the harbour and all the little fishing boats tied up and bobbing in the sea. I only saw one person working on their boat. There was a cute little beach, which would have been nice to sit and relax on if the weather had been nicer. The weather hasn't been great this trip, while the temperature has been pretty good, not too hot, there hasn't be much sunshine as the sky has always been overcast. There were some cute houses that must have great views of the water. I liked seeing the fish and squid hung up drying. It reminded me of Korea and when visiting coastal places we'd see the same thing. There was a street leading inland between some houses/blocks of flats and I climbed that as the street got steeper. I passed the entrance to a little temple so went inside for a quick look around. I also got some nice views of the surrounding area, due to the elevation. The road ahead of me forked and I took Nam Shan Road, which leads to Finger Hill. I passed some nice looking houses on the road that would have great views of the area. The road finished and I took the trail that led to Finger Hill. It was quite a few steps up but nothing too strenuous. I made it to the pavilion at the top, but it was a bit anticlimactic. The views weren't that great partly due to the grey skies and partly due to there being a lot of vegetation obscuring the views. I ended up having to stand on the benches to get a better view. I did get one nice view overlooking the town in the centre of the island and across to what I think was Discovery Bay on Lantau Island. There were a couple of different paths down from Finger Hill and I took one that would lead me to Ngan Chau Tsai Pavilion. I walked along a little country path and was surprised to come across a house along the route. The path petered out onto a tarmacked road and I took that uphill before coming to another path that would take me down to Ngan Chau Tsai Pavilion. I hadn't come across too many people while I was walking, but I ended up following a bloke on this stretch of path. I presume he was a retired local out for his morning stroll. I passed some gorgeous pink and purple flowers on my way to the pavilion. Once I arrived at the pavilion, I stopped and took a rest. I tried to admire the view, but it was very hazy and I could only just make out the skyscrapers and other tall buildings. I think I was looking at the Western District on Hong Kong Island. I really wish the weather had been better as I bet the views would have been glorious on a fine day. I then followed another path that took me down to a little beach. There was a bench there so I sat and took in the views again.

I took the path back and made my way back up the hill that gave me some great views down over Tung Wan bay, which is on the other side of the island to the ferry pier. The path took me to the main town on Peng Chau. First, I came to the Leather Factory. I had read a little about the Leather Factory online so was looking forward to having a mooch around. There used to be two leather factories on Peng Chau; Fook Yuen Leather Factory and Kwong Fat Yuen Leather Factory. I am not sure if this site is one or the other or both, the information I read there wasn't clear, but I suspect it was Fook Yuen, which was the larger of the two. The factories were established in the 1930s and Fook Yuen ceased operations during the Japanese Occupation (1941-45). Despite re-opening after the war, the factory closed down in 1975 due to the introduction of cheap foreign leather and plastic footwear becoming more popular. The Leather Factory is now an arts space and I wandered around the garden looking at the different pieces of art that were on display. There was a café and a vintage clothes store, but sine it was a weekday, they were closed. I'd wished that the café had been open as I was ready for a coffee. My feet took me to Wing On Street, which is the central street on the island. I had a walk along looking in the windows of the shops and had a quick look at two temples that are situated on the street. The shops were all small local ones catering to the needs of the island's inhabitants. There were a few small eateries too, but nothing stood out. Really, I was looking for a coffee shop but there were none open. It must be too quiet during the week. The first temple I had a look in was Tin Hau Temple. This is the earliest temple on Peng Chau built in 1798 and since most of the residents of Peng Chau were fishermen, they believed in the goddess of the sea, Tin Hau. The other temple was the Temple of Jinhua and Kwan Tak-hing. The story behind this temple is pretty interesting. During the reign of the Qing Dynasty, a herbalist named Guo Wen came to the temple and prayed for drugs to treat his sick wife. As a thank you, he built this temple that is still in existence today.

After walking through the village I headed to the other side of the island to see what was over there. However, as I walked past the ferry terminal I came across a café that was open so I headed in there. The café was attached to some kind of sports centre. They had lots of lovely looking food on offer too. I ordered a coffee and a chicken pesto bagel. The woman serving tried to persuade me to have the bagel heated up, but the thought of reheated chicken turns my stomach. In hindsight, she was no doubt right as while the bagel was tasty, the texture would have benefitted from being toasted, but the thought of food poisoning was enough to keep me from trying. The coffee was good and strong. Once fortified, I headed out to continue my exploration. I walked past a brightly coloured apartment block and down to the promenade. I loved the exercise equipment on the promenade. Normally when you see this kind of thing, it is all council/government issued, but this looked like regular stuff you would find at home or in a gym. It must be nice to get a workout in and take in the views. It would be a good source of motivation. I also passed a rather bright yellow temple, which I didn't get the name of.

I headed to Tai Lei Island, which is a small island that is linked by a bridge to Peng Chau. This is meant to be a good spot to see the sunset from and very instgrammable, but I was there far too early for that. I took a little walk around Tai Lei. There was a cute little beach there with a few people relaxing on the rocks. There were also a few cuddly toys and other kids toys lying about. It was a bit random, but could have been for local children to come and play with. I also came across some kind of government works, I think maybe sanitation. I made my way back across the bridge to Peng Chau. I followed the sign directing me towards Old Fisherman's Rock Lookout Pavilion. I walked past a helipad, wondering if any of the islanders were seriously rich and jetted to and from the island by helicopter, but I think it probably is for more practical purposes. The path was nice and flat and wound its way along the coast. I passed a couple of small beaches that were nice and clean. If the weather had been nicer and I had more time, I would have liked to relax with a book on them. On the opposite side of the path, I passed some graves. What a nice final resting place. I came to what I think was the lookout. There was a small beach and I had a wander on it. There was the most random thing there. It looked a bit like some sort of crane or mechanical digger, but it was wrapped in rope and plastic sheeting, that gave it a humanesque form. It reminded me of Skeletor. Was this by design or a happy accident? Guess I'll never know. There were more views of Hong Kong Island with all its skyscraper dotted coastline. I followed the path inland past areas of thick vegetation. There were also quite a few houses, some parts had a bit of a village feel to them, but others felt like they were in the jungle in the middle of nowhere. It was hard to believe that I was still in Hong Kong at times. My walk led me to Tung Wan Bay, where there were a few people enjoying the beach. It was a short walk back to the ferry terminal and I didn't have to wait too long for a ferry back to Central.

Since I was moving accommodation, I decided to hop on the Star Ferry to Kowloon to check into my new place. I love riding the Star Ferry. I think it is my favourite thing to do in Hong Kong. Honestly, I think if you weren't forced to get off I would stay on all day going back and forth across the harbour. All sorted in my new place, I headed out for a look around Nathan Road. I love how bustling this place is. I bought some snacks as I was feeling hungry and also did some other shopping, stocking up on things that I can't get in the mainland. I had to go back to Hong Kong Island to pick up my bag so this time I took the Star Ferry to Wan Chai. I'd never taken this route before. Stuff collected, Star Ferry back, and time for a quick relax. Later on, when I got hungry again, I headed out for some food and a wander around the neighbourhood. A lot seems to have changed since I was last there. I ended up at a small kebab place for dinner. I ordered a mixed wrap, which was filled with generous chunks of meat, salad and French fries. It was really nice and totally hit the spot.

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