The Outlaying Islands
Lamma Island
Last Saturday was Brian’s birthday. To celebrate, we went to Lamma Island in the evening for a seafood dinner because “nothing makes [him] happier than some good seafood.”
And good seafood it was.
We took a small (and very unpleasantly rocky) ferry to Lamma Island, and Brian found a restaurant that he liked. (He was probably drawn in by the offering of free Tsing Tao beer.)
We ordered lots of food. The most stand-out dish had to be the prawns, which were drenched in this oily, buttery sauce and topped with breaded, fried garlic. The calamari, the fried tofu (salty and slightly spicy from chilis with a bunch of crunchy fried garlic), the pan-fried seasonal vegetables (choi sum), and the fried rice with diced chicken and salted fish were quite delicious as well.
Unfortunately, we left Lamma Island immediately after dinner and didn’t get any time to explore. Though, most of the sightseeing on Lamma Island is a very long walk from where the restaurants are (Sok Kwu Wan).
I plan to take a sightseeing trip there another day.
Cheung Chau
Today I went on a field trip planned by the IASP office to Cheung Chau. There were only seven students (partly because the last organized trip to Lamma Island was a dud, but mostly because all the other exchange students are off traveling in other countries because of the Chung Yeung Festival holiday). However, to our surprise, we were joined by about 50 Cheung Chau primary students (mostly 9 and 10 years old).
Our first stop was a sports association where we watched a few kids practicing lion dance. There was a little 5-year-old boy who had started lion dancing at the age of 3. Then there were some older kids who did some very impressive, advanced moves, including dancing on a very high, wooden pole.
On our way to our next destination, a few girls suddenly took a liking to me and started speaking to me in English (I had attempted speaking to a few kids earlier, but they just smiled). They referred to me as “leng neui” to their British English teacher, Daniel.
We arrived at Pak Tai Temple, where the famous Cheung Chau Bun Festival occurs. It was a very short visit, but at least I got to see coiled incense for my very first time! It probably would have helped me appreciate the place more if I had been told the significance of the Pak Tai Temple and the Bun Festival.
Then we had dim sum for lunch. The food wasn’t all that great, but the kids were pretty entertaining (especially one boy who kept serenading his friend). The girls that had spoken to me earlier insisted on me sitting next to them, so I did. By the end of the lunch, one of the girls had given me a peach candy, I had left a drawing and signature (in English and Chinese) in her notebook, and three of the girls had done the same in my planner.
Afterward, we headed to Cheung Po Tsai Cave, where the famous pirate, Cheung Po Tsai, is said to have hidden his treasure. All we did was look down at the narrow entrance and listen to the voices of women who had crawled inside the dark cave (lanterns must be used to navigate inside).
We took a small boat to get to where the ferry had dropped us off at the beginning of the trip so we could have some dessert. There were so many choices on the menu! I love Chinese desserts with all the fresh fruit, mango pudding, mango ice cream, tofu and jellies!
Wai Man, the organizer of the trip, said there are dessert places like the one we went to on Hong Kong Island, but she couldn’t tell me how to get to one. I hope I can find one with as much selection as where we had gone because I don’t want to have to take the ferry to Cheung Chau just to get my dessert fix!
I probably will go back to Cheung Chau again because I didn’t have enough time to look at all the little shops with sea-themed souvenirs and cheap clothing stores! I really like the environment of the Cheung Chau people’s traditional fishing lifestyle. Plus there are zero automobile emissions (bikes and boats are the only modes of transportation) and there aren’t many people smoking.
I should check if any of the other outlaying islands are worth a visit.
Last Saturday was Brian’s birthday. To celebrate, we went to Lamma Island in the evening for a seafood dinner because “nothing makes [him] happier than some good seafood.”
And good seafood it was.
We took a small (and very unpleasantly rocky) ferry to Lamma Island, and Brian found a restaurant that he liked. (He was probably drawn in by the offering of free Tsing Tao beer.)
We ordered lots of food. The most stand-out dish had to be the prawns, which were drenched in this oily, buttery sauce and topped with breaded, fried garlic. The calamari, the fried tofu (salty and slightly spicy from chilis with a bunch of crunchy fried garlic), the pan-fried seasonal vegetables (choi sum), and the fried rice with diced chicken and salted fish were quite delicious as well.
Unfortunately, we left Lamma Island immediately after dinner and didn’t get any time to explore. Though, most of the sightseeing on Lamma Island is a very long walk from where the restaurants are (Sok Kwu Wan).
I plan to take a sightseeing trip there another day.
Cheung Chau
Today I went on a field trip planned by the IASP office to Cheung Chau. There were only seven students (partly because the last organized trip to Lamma Island was a dud, but mostly because all the other exchange students are off traveling in other countries because of the Chung Yeung Festival holiday). However, to our surprise, we were joined by about 50 Cheung Chau primary students (mostly 9 and 10 years old).
Our first stop was a sports association where we watched a few kids practicing lion dance. There was a little 5-year-old boy who had started lion dancing at the age of 3. Then there were some older kids who did some very impressive, advanced moves, including dancing on a very high, wooden pole.
On our way to our next destination, a few girls suddenly took a liking to me and started speaking to me in English (I had attempted speaking to a few kids earlier, but they just smiled). They referred to me as “leng neui” to their British English teacher, Daniel.
We arrived at Pak Tai Temple, where the famous Cheung Chau Bun Festival occurs. It was a very short visit, but at least I got to see coiled incense for my very first time! It probably would have helped me appreciate the place more if I had been told the significance of the Pak Tai Temple and the Bun Festival.
Then we had dim sum for lunch. The food wasn’t all that great, but the kids were pretty entertaining (especially one boy who kept serenading his friend). The girls that had spoken to me earlier insisted on me sitting next to them, so I did. By the end of the lunch, one of the girls had given me a peach candy, I had left a drawing and signature (in English and Chinese) in her notebook, and three of the girls had done the same in my planner.
Afterward, we headed to Cheung Po Tsai Cave, where the famous pirate, Cheung Po Tsai, is said to have hidden his treasure. All we did was look down at the narrow entrance and listen to the voices of women who had crawled inside the dark cave (lanterns must be used to navigate inside).
We took a small boat to get to where the ferry had dropped us off at the beginning of the trip so we could have some dessert. There were so many choices on the menu! I love Chinese desserts with all the fresh fruit, mango pudding, mango ice cream, tofu and jellies!
Wai Man, the organizer of the trip, said there are dessert places like the one we went to on Hong Kong Island, but she couldn’t tell me how to get to one. I hope I can find one with as much selection as where we had gone because I don’t want to have to take the ferry to Cheung Chau just to get my dessert fix!
I probably will go back to Cheung Chau again because I didn’t have enough time to look at all the little shops with sea-themed souvenirs and cheap clothing stores! I really like the environment of the Cheung Chau people’s traditional fishing lifestyle. Plus there are zero automobile emissions (bikes and boats are the only modes of transportation) and there aren’t many people smoking.
I should check if any of the other outlaying islands are worth a visit.
posted by Michelle at
9:41 AM
1 Comments:
TSING TAO is pronounced #%^@$%^#@! those are chinese letters.. i have that billboard a block from where i live in san francisco. I LOVE TSING TAO and pronouncing it incorrectly!
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