Like most people, I tend to think of Hong Kong as being a heaving metropolis, filled with towering high rise blocks and bustling with the to-ings and fro-ings of its 7 million residents. And, it is that. But not only that. There is a huge amount of open, green space outside the city, and there are alao many beautiful beaches scattered along its coast. We tend to forget about the beaches, but it stands to reason that a country comprising of around 260 islands should also have at least a few pretty banging beaches, right? And it does, lots of them, you’ve just gotta put in the effort to reach them. We had heard that Big Wave Bay, on the Eastern coast of Hong Kong Island, was a pretty good one. It’s known to be a pretty popular spot for surfers, hence the catchy name, and is normally less crowded than its better known neighbour, Shek Oh.
We planned to meet up with Ken in Shau Kei Wan, and catch a No.9 light bus through Shek Oh Country Park to the beach. We had been hanging out with Ken all week, but hadn’t yet met his other half, Amy, as she had been working. Sunday was her day off though, and we were all heading to the beach together for a bit of family fun in the sun.
The walk from the bus stop to the beach takes you down a concrete slope past several shops selling all manner of beach gear, as well as food and drinks. They also rent out deck chairs, umbrellas and water sports equipment. But, don’t peak too soon! Make it all the way to the bottom and rent the stuff there, otherwise you’ll have to lug it all back up the hill when you’re totally bushed after an afternoon in the 35 degree sunshine. We hired two deckchairs (for the oldies, not me I promise!), two parasols, a bodyboard and a SUP board, all for under twenty quid – what a bargain! We wiled away the next three or four hours splashing around in the gloriously warm water, and playing on the sandy beach. Although I’ve gotta say, on our visit, the moniker “Big Wave Bay” seemed particularly inappropriate. Actually, “No Wave Bay” would have been much more fitting! I think the surfing takes place in the winter, when the bigger swells come in.
The warm, turquoise waters of the China Sea should be perfect for swimming, but unfortunately the message about respecting the ocean by not dumping your trash into it hasn’t quite hit home out here just yet. Quite often, the otherwise perfect azure waters and golden sands are marred by the unfortunate amount of rubbish washing up on the beaches. Big Wave Bay is not too bad, and only a few times did I have to dodge an occasional carrier-bag jellyfish or tampon torpedo. The high tide line on the neighbouring cove was completely awash with fishing boat scrap, car tyres and bags of rubbish though, slightly hindering our beach combing efforts.
Just five minutes walk from the beach, past the fire-pits and up the hill beyond the lifeguard hut, lies one of Hong Kong’s best preserved Bronze Age rock carvings. It was first reported by a policeman in 1970, and consists of a few square metres of rock covered in geometric patterns, possibly depicting animals and sea creatures. It’s proved fairly difficult to date precisely, but best estimates place it at around 3000 years old, probably carved as an offering by an ancient tribe who depended on the sea. Another unexpected find on these shores, and worth the east hike.
After a full afternoon of seaside capers, we packed up and returned our beach gear. We hadn’t noticed on the trek down the hill, but the trees here are absolutely heaving with enormous spiders hanging lazily in their webs just above our heads. I’ve seen these creepy tree dwellers before in other parts of the world – the giant Golden Orb-Weaver is a common sight in most of South-East Asia, and reaches lengths of up to 20cm. Good job they’re in the trees really, I did’nt fancy getting caught in one of their nightmarish webs. We headed back to Shau Kei Wan, where Amy had cooked us a slap-up meal after sneaking off from the beach a few hours earlier than us.
We soon headed home for a (reasonably) early night, because we had another full day of fun planned for Monday. Hong Kong schools were due to break up for their summer holidays in a few days time, so we thought it prudent to seize the opportunity to head off to Hong Kong’s best known theme park before it becomes completely awash with spotty faced fun-seekers. No, not Disneyland – we had enough of that in Florida. I’m talking about the oldest theme park in HK, Ocean Park. And when the oldies got wind of our plans, they decided to tag along for the ride. That’s another perk of being over 65 in HK, not only can they get there for only 20p, but they also get free entry to Ocean Park. What a bargain day out!
So we met up with Ken and Uncle Tim, and headed off for a day of old fashioned fun at the fair. Covering a huge area of over 220 acres, Ocean Park is split into two parts, divided by a large mountain. The Summit and The Waterfront are connected by a rather rickety looking cable car system that sweeps you a kilometre and a half up and over the sheer drops of the green slopes below. There are a few decent rides and rollercoasters dotted around the park, although it does feel rather dated as a theme park. But it is also known for its animal exhibits and conservation efforts, including the world’s largest aquarium dome and a Giant Panda breeding program.
The best part of the day for me (as well as being the most hilarious to watch) was watching Ken get the chance to hang out with his Grandkids on their level. They do say that men regress towards their childhood years after retirement, and watching Ken horse around in a disco foam pit, and then get soaked in the water pistol assault course with Hunter and Bam is proof enough for me. It was also great for the kids to be able to bond there with Gong-Gong, and form those life long memories too, after not having seen him for the last half of their short lives.
After watching a bit of the end-of-day laser show, we high-tailed it back to Sham Sui Po for a cheeky Vietnamese meal at Uncle Tim’s recommended spot, before calling it a day. It’s surprising how tiring it can be just having fun!
We had once again allowed finishing school to slowly slip away from us, and we spent the following morning catching up on a few days worth before heading out to try a different cha chaan teng for a spot of lunch.
We had decided to spend the afternoon hanging out in Tsim Sha Tsui. I suppose it would have been easier to catch the underground, but so far on our visit to Hong Kong we hadn’t managed to take a trip across Victoria Harbour on one of the iconic Star Ferries – and that definitely has to be on any HK itinerary. This ferry service has been transporting people between Kowloon and HK Island for over 130 years, and definitely still provides the most scenic mode of crossing for its 26 million annual passengers.
TST seems vastly different to the last time I visited. The China ferry docks here, and deposits thousands of bulging-pocketed shopping hungry mainlanders here daily. The Rolls-Royce lined streets outside the ferry terminal are filled with designer shops eager and willing to help these label hungry idiots empty their wallets. It seems (to my fashion un-conscious eyes at least) that they don’t really care what the clothes and accessories actually look like, just as long as they clearly display the brand name so that everyone knows just how much they cost. It’s really not my scene, and I don’t understand it at all, but it’s interesting to see.
We checked out the nearby Nissin cup noodle museum, where you’re able to decorate your own iconic Nissin noodle cup before filling it with your own bespoke combination of ingredients to create your ideal 3 minute snack. A pretty geeky visit I admit, but if your kids love cup noodles as much as ours do, it’s a great way to lose an hour!
During the years Kate and her sister spent with her grandparents in Hong Kong as a young kid, she formed fond memories of regular Sunday trips for Dim Sum in TST, followed by a walk through the grounds and fountains of Kowloon Park. We took a walk through the same route they walked all those years ago, and our kids played by the same fountain Kate and Sue did every Sunday. The nostalgia hung heavy in the air that day, as we remembered poor old Grandad that left us a few years back.
Our walk through the park deposited us on Nathan Road, and we chomped on a bit of street food as we wandered towards Jordan for a spot of arcade fun and a dessert nightcap.
We didn’t do much the following day except catching up with more missed school. We were tantalisingly close to finishing school now – there were only a few days of our third and final home school term left. We managed to smash out a fair few lessons during the day, before heading into Tung Chung in the evening for a sushi dinner with some of Kate’s former work pals. A cool feature of the sushi restaurant we visited was that the dishes were delivered to the table via a miniature Bullet Train. Another cool feature, my favourite feature to be fair, was that six of us absolutely stuffed our faces with sushi for under a hundred quid. I dread to think what that would have cost back in Blighty!
Another unexpected side of Hong Kong was on the agenda for the following day – a full day trip to one of Hong Kong’s many outlying islands. We were due to meet Lai Yu at the Star Ferry pier to catch the Cheung Chau Island ferry, which left at 12:15 sharp. Our timekeeping that morning was, admittedly, not brilliant. And we consequently found ourselves, not running exactly, but walking uncomfortably briskly for the ferry from the tube station. We luckily made it with about five minutes to spare. As it turned out, Lai Yu’s timekeeping was even worse than ours, and she messaged to say she was still running for the pier with a few minutes to go. The bell rang, and we figured we would have to meet her later on the island. But, lo and behold, she had tapped her Octopus Card seconds before the bell rang, and the rule is that if you’ve tapped on, then you’re on, and a few minutes later she appeared. Panting, but on the ferry nonetheless. We had all somehow made it.
Cheung Chau has been inhabited longer than most other parts of HK, and was originally a fishing village. There are almost no cars on the island, and everyone chooses to navigate the narrow streets and alleyways of the single square mile via pedal power.
After a speedy plate of noodles, we headed straight to the beach to spend a few hours enjoying the warm sea and the sand. The awesome diving platform moored a hundred yards off shore amused the kids for hours. Well, until Bam, rather inevitably, managed to hurt herself by inexplicably sliding off the side of the 5 metre wide pontoon. It wasn’t too bad luckily, and the lifeguards gave us some antiseptic and a plaster for the scrapes.
We decided to call it a day on the beach, and do as the locals do by switching to two wheels. Well, three wheels in my case, as I had somehow drawn the short straw by “volunteering” to ferry Kate and Bam in the back of a makeshift rickshaw, while Hunter and Lai Yu had more traditional two wheelers. And to make it worse, the bloody thing only had one gear. Luckily there aren’t really any hills, so my scrawny legs could just about cope!
We cycled to the western tip of the island to check out the cave of a notorious Guangdong pirate. Cheung Po Tsai was the son of a fisherman, who was inducted into a life of piracy following his abduction by pirate Cheng at the tender age of 15. It turned out that he showed a natural flair for scurvy knavery, and following the death of his “adopted” father, Cheung Po Tsai rose to fame as one of history’s most feared rogues of the China Sea, commanding a fleet of over 600 ships and 50,000 men. All good things come to an end though, and eventually the conquering Portuguese navy managed to negotiate an amnesty with Cheung, following a series of bloody battles, which saw him given a naval rank of Colonel in the Portuguese fleet, and allowing him to keep his loot. He then saw out his days helping them fight off other pirates in the area using his years of piracy know how. Legend has it that Cheung hid his loot in various caves around Hong Kong, one of them being here in Cheung Chau. Although, no loot has ever actually been discovered at this location, despite the best efforts of thousands of fortune seekers.
As you approach the entrance to the cave, there are several ramshackle “market stalls” set up along the path and in the bushes. They are not manned, instead operating on an honesty system with small tubs of money left near the items. The main items for sale seemed to be torches, owing to the fact that the nearby caves are around 88 metres long and around 10 metres under the surface, with no natural or artificial lighting. But, if you were so inclined, there are other items for sale at this pirate cave market. You could grab a refreshing, ambient temperature bottle of water (mmm, 35 degree water, thirst quenching!); a bag of mothballs to safeguard your hiking gear perhaps; a well used stuffed toy with only a few bite marks; or even a rather fetching men’s suit (with only minor signs of armpit stainage) for the bargain price of £2.50. Ooh, suits you sir. It was a veritable smorgasbord of consumer treats.
Despite the obvious shopping opportunity, we tore ourselves away and pressed on to the cave itself, safe in the knowledge that everyone actually has a torch on their phone these days. And you definitely do need a torch. This is not a huge, open mouthed cavern we’re talking about here. After clambering through the small hole under the spray painted Chinese symbols meaning “entrance”, you descend into the darkness via a sharp, tetanus-clad ladder, and find yourself in a naturally unevenly floored cave system with low hanging overhead sections and ankle breaking rocks. I’m not sure anyone would find you down there for a while if you happened to have an an accident towards the end of the day, so caution is advised. Anyway, we managed to make it through, just – there are a few tighter sections which might preclude the larger adventurer, but I just about managed to squeeze my tubby frame through. At the far end, you are deposited onto a set of rocks with a fantastic view of the outlying islands, followed by a mild scramble back to the path. The sun was heading for the horizon at this point, and the mosquitos were out in force, so after a congratulatory selfie or two, we hightailed it back to the harbour to return the bikes and catch a ferry home.
Just time for a late night visit to the discount Japanese retail giant DonDonDonki in Central to top up on essential Japanese snacks before calling it a night.
All in all, it had been a pretty hectic couple of weeks in Hong Kong so far, and we spent the next few days keeping a fairly low profile. We managed to get most of the schoolwork finished, leaving ourselves just a few days worth to squeeze out over the weekend. On Saturday we walked into Central mid-levels to peruse the “antiques” on offer in Upper Lascar Row. Cat Street, as it’s better known, is where foreigners attempt to buy “authentic” Asian antique items from overpriced rip-off boutiques who have perfected the art of making reproduction China crap look ancient and valuable. There are probably some genuine items hidden amongst the crap, but you’d really have to know what you were looking for to buy the real McCoy. And you would definitely pay through the nose for it, because China has made it their mission to make sure any genuine Chinese artifacts never again leave Chinese shores, and any that have already are procured, money no object. It’s an interesting place for a wander though.
We spent an hour in the nearby Man Mo Temple. These temples are dedicated to the gods of literature and battle, popular among the local scholastic community, to bring good fortune in their studies and educational endeavours. There was a school visit lining the steps on our visit, perhaps attempting to secure some decent results in upcoming exams. It is a beautiful 170 year old building, and its picturesque, sultry interior is well worth a wander.
Now full of educational promise, we headed to Shanghai Street in Yau Ma Tei in search of kitchen essentials. This is the only place to come in HK if you’re after a specific cookery implement, or a special knife or chopping block. It is a sea of kitchen outlets, selling everything from commercial grade wok ranges, to fine domestic cutlery. Kate even managed to finally find herself an elusive Kasutera cake mould gathering dust at the back of a shelf.
For our final dinner on week two, we met up with another old fly buddy from Kate’s Cathay days in Sham Sui Po. We hadn’t seen Paul for a few years, and we caught up over a meal and a few beers, before trawling the discount stores of the local streets. It’s incredible what you can find in these discount electronic shops if you dig. The exact same stuff you can buy from China retail sites such as Temu.com that already seem like a total bargain in the UK, are available here for a fifth of the price. I’m talking massage guns, drones, Bluetooth speakers etc – all for around a tenner or less. The quality might not be the best, but for the price who’s complaining! We need to come here for stocking fillers at Christmas.
So, that was the end of another week in Hong Kong. It’s going so quickly now, only another week here before we leave for our final destination of Thailand. Better make the most of it…