Hong Kong #6: Lamma Island


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Asia » Hong Kong » Lamma Island
April 10th 2018
Published: August 24th 2018
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I was up very early, so that I could head to Lamma Island for the day. I was really looking forward to exploring the island as everything I had read online and friends' experiences were all very positive. I stopped off at McDonalds for breakfast and a coffee. There were quite a few homeless looking people making use of the place to have a nap as it was a really big store and pretty quiet. Then I headed over to the Star Ferry pier and took the ferry across to Central. From there I headed to the depaarture dock for Lamma Island. The ferries run to two different ports on Lamma Island: Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan. Most of the stuff I read about doing the Family Trail across the island, the people had started from Yung Shue Wan, but since ferries depart more frequently from here, I decided to take the ferry to Sok Kwu Wan and start the hike from there. I didn't want to be stranded in Sok Kwu Wan and miss my flight home. The ferry was very cheap, about HK$22. It was also pretty quiet since it was a week day. The journey took about forty minutes and was fine until the last ten minutes or so, when my stomach started to cramp up. This was not a good sign and a visit to the bathroom confirmed this. I was seriously contemplating what to do, should I head back to Hong Kong island or continue with my original plan? We were starting to approach the pier at Sok Kwu Wan and I was in a bit of a dilemma. I decided another trip to the bathroom was in order just as we were docking. I felt a bit dodgy, but made it off the ferry and tried to decide what to do. There was a map at the ferry terminal so I consulted it and saw that there were a few bathrooms spaced out along the route and there would always be bushes if the worst came to the worst.

I walked through the main street of Sok Kwu Wan village. I was hoping that there would be a pharmacy there, but there were only seafood restaurants and a couple of old school convenience stores. The port is filled with small fishing boats and already I felt a totally different vibe to Hong Kong island and Kowloon. It was still pretty early in the morning, but it was quiet and no one was rushing around. Sok Kwu Wan village is over three hundred years old and the early settlers made thieir living as fishermen. There were only a few boats at that time so the fishermen made use of long ropes and nets to force the fish to the shore side. So Kwu means bringing in the net. There were great views of the surrounding islands and I could also see a couple of small beaches near the port. As I came to the end of the small strip of restaurants and shops, I could see Tin Hau temple up ahead. The exact date that the temple was built is not known, however by judging when the bell and furnace were cast has led experts to be able to theorise that the temple is over 170 years old according to the sign. I think it is now probably closer to 200 years old. The temple is only small, but I still had a quick look inside and there was no one else about.

Just after the temple, I came to a signpost which pointed out the direction of Yung Shue Wan, the village, where the hike ends. I followed the path as it sloped around the bay, heading inland a little and past some houses, before joining back up to the coastline. I had read that there were Kamikaze caves close to Sok Kwu Wan, so as while looking at the views, I was also inspecting the landscape to see if I could spot the cave. The views were really nice; I could see the small fishing boats in the harbour in the foreground and behind them across on the other islands I could see high rise apartment buildings and mountainous terrain. I came to a small beach, which had nice golden sand and was deserted. I wonder if I came on a weekend or holiday, it would be a lot busier. After a little detour to the beach for some photos, I got back on the trail and soon came to the Kamikaze Grottos. Something I had read online had said it was hard to find, but it was pretty obvious as there is an information board there telling the reader the history of the caves. There are several of these caves dotted along the coast of Sok Kwu Wan. The caves are about ten metres wide and more than double that deep. When Hong Kong was taken by the Japanese in World War II, thousands of soldiers were stationed at the naval base at Lo So Shing. The Japanese had a plan to carry out suicide attacks on the Allies' warships if they passed by and some of the speedboats that would be used in these attacks were to be hidden in the grottos. Thankfully, the war ended before the plan could come to fruition. The cave in front of me was a decent size, however, it wasn't ten metres wide. I headed in for a look about. There wasn't too much to see as it is just an empty cave, but it did go quite far back.

I continued on the trail and passed a few more houses, some vegetable gardens, and small apartment blocks, which could be houses but they just seemed a bit too big. The place was so quiet and relaxed, I can totally understand why people flock to Lamma Island to escape the hectic life of the city proper. At one point, there was a fork in the road and no signpost, so I wasn't a hundred percent sure, which way I should go. I used the photos of the maps I had taken earlier to try and orientate myself in the right direction. It was also around this point that I saw my first set of people, a couple, who also appeared to be walking the trail. I had only seen local villagers before that. The trail headed uphill and a bit more inland and I came to Lo So Shing village. The village got its name because the area used to have a lot of Pandanus, a coastal plant called 'Lo So' in Chinese, and 'Shing' means city, or in this case, town. The village has been settled for over 300 years and it was also known as the 'Chans Village' as all male residents descended from the ancestor Chan Tzs-fat. The majority of the early settlers had been farmers, but now most residents have moved away to the bigger cities for work. There used to be a school in the village, but that closed in 2004 due to a lack of students. The village is pretty small, but I liked having a wander through it. There were a few old men wandering and pottering about, just getting on with their day to day lives. Some of the houses looked a bit run down and there were a few places that had been demolished and were just a pile of rubble. Still, I really liked the place, I think it would be a great place to unwind in, reading, drinking ice cold drinks, and pretty much doing nothing. Perfect place to recharge your batteries. There was also some interesting art that had been painted on the sides of some of the houses. I could see the village definitely becoming (or is it already?) an artists' enclave.

At Lo So Shing, you can continue on the trail or take a detour down to Lo So Shing beach. Since I had plenty of time I took the detour down to the beach. The walk didn't take too long and I passed some abandoned looking buildings that had been taken over by the elements. The paths also looked a bit overgrown, so I was quite surprised at how developed the beach was. At times, I felt like I was walking through the wilderness of south east Asia (slight exaggeration, but it had that kind of vibe). The beach was gorgeous; golden sands and empty. I was surprised to see so much stuff at the beach. There was a toilet and shower block and also a lifeguard station that had a few people in. There were a couple of cleaners, too, who were keeping the area nice and clean. I bet this place must be packed on the weekends and holidays. The view from the beach wasn't ideal as you could see the island's power station. I guess if I was staying there longer, I would just try to look in the other direction. I decided to head back to the village to continue the trail. I had only went up a few steps, when I felt a twinge in my belly. I raced back down to the toilets.

I retraced my steps through the village and passed a cool makeshift convenience store, that one man had set up outside. He must make a fortune from the tourists that pass through. The trail lead me higher and with my dodgy stomach and the heat, I was definitely going at a snail's pace. I came to another small detour, which was down a set of steps to a pagoda. I headed down and was rewarded with some great views looking back over Sok Kwu Wan and also across the sea to the other islands of Hong Kong. Since this area was nicely shaded, I decided to put my feet up for ten minutes or so, and read for a while. It was nice to relax somewhere so peaceful and with such beautiful views. I then continued on the trail. It rose higher, but was a nice, gently sloping paved path, so not difficult at all. I couldn't believe how hot it was, and it is only April. I took another detour, when it appeared on the route, that lead to another pagoda/pavillion. However, this one was surrounded by trees and I had to go off trail a bit to try and get some decent views of the scenery. It wasn't really worth it. Further on, I came to an area that had better views. There was a small outdoor cafe here, too. I wandered down to take a look at the views. I saw some small, secluded beaches. They looked gorgeous and I wondered how people accessed them, if they hiked down a trail or came by boat. This seemed to be the highest point on the trail and it started to go down hill after that. I passed a memorial site.

The end of the downhill slope led me to Hung Shing Yeh beach. This beach was a lot more popular than So Lo Shing beach. There were already quite a few people sunbathing on the beach and swimming in the sea. The beach was really nice, beautiful golden sands. I spent a while relaxing on the beach, both on the sand and at the picnic area to the left of the beach. I passes acouple of hotels and restaurants as I made my way out of the beach. There were also a few little stores selling all you need for a day at the beach. This place had more of a holiday vibe than Sok Kwu Wan. The further I had walked, the more people I began to encounter. I followed the path away from the beach. I came across the cutest little ambulance on my stroll. Civilisation began, as houses and small apartment blocks started to emerge on the sides of the path. I came to two small villages, Tai Wan San and Wan Long. The first village had some nice murals painted on the sides of the buildings and it reminded me a bit of the mural villages in Korea that I had visited. I was soon back in civilisation proper as more houses, shops, and people appeared. I reached what seemed to be the main street of Yung Shue Wan village. There was a real holiday vibe to the small street of shops. It reminded me of holidaying in Greece. Since it was a weekday, not all the shops or cafes were open, but I found one that was. I ordered an apple juice and shown out to the terrace at the back of the cafe. This was really nice and I had the place to myself. The views were gorgeous. I could see out across the water to Yung Shue Wan port and the sea was also filled with small boats. It was very picturesque. With my thirst quenche, I wandered through the rest of the village towards the ferry pier. Yung Shue Wan is a cute little place and if I ever have enough time to return to Lamma Island and be able to stay for a few nights, I think I could happily chill there for a few days. I didn't have to wait too long for the ferry and it took me back to Central Pier.There was a digital information board near the ferry pier and it showed that the temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius, no wonder I had felt so hot while hiking. I am so glad that I persevered with my plan even with a dodgy tummy as Lamma Island proved to be a real highlight of my to Hong Kong.

I took the Star ferry back across to Kowloon. I love riding the Star ferry and I was a little sad that it would be my final time to do so on this trip. Back in Kowloon, I had one final thing to do before heading back to the hostel; a trip to Marks and Spencer. I had spied an M&S food store earlier in my trip and had decided to get some goodies to take back to the mainland with me. Teabags, cheese, crumpets and cookies were my choices. M&S is quite expensive in England and it was definitely more expensive here, but it was something I couldn't miss and the stuff would help satisfy my cravings for a couple of months. Back at the hostel, I had a quick shower. It was much needed after my hike and chilled with a cup of coffee, before heading to the airport bus stop. I had really enjoyed my trip to Hong Kong and there is still so much I want to see and do here. I hope I can make a return trip in a year or two.


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Beach Beach
Beach

Near Sok Kwu Wan


24th August 2018

Lamma Island
I'm impressed that you persevered on your hike despite your dodgy tummy! Lamma Island can get pretty swamped on the weekends... but most people used to go there to eat and/or hike and I never saw the beaches that full. But that could have changed by now :)
30th August 2018

Perfect!
Fairly empty beaches, this place just gets better and better.

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