LAMMA ISLAND, HK, SAR

At the Outlying Ferry Pier 3, there are two ferries to the island, one for the village on each side so you have a choice on where you go: 

Sok or Shue!

These are both Tanka fishing villages with an abundance of the most amazing sea food restaurants jutting out over the water, so it is a coin-toss for which ferry to catch if you just want a meal.  

But if you want more ...

... Sok also has the kamikazi caves where the villagers hid during the Japanese bombing of the island, a short walk to a beautiful, lonely beach, and a simpleton - but ultimately harmless - Angry Crazy Guy who follows you around and abuses you - in Cantonese so you don't know what his beef is ...

... while Shue has an ATM machine, a longer walk to a crowded beach, and a better developed infrastructure however it's a town that overflows with Hippie Cat Lovers ... so it's still much-of-a-muchness really, and still a coin-toss which side is better to visit!

Or if you're The Redoubtable Mrs Walker on an Obscure Tour, take the ferry to one side and hike over the mountains to the other. We've done it and it is really quite pleasant. No, seriously!

Or do it our way: we chose Shue because that ferry arrived first. The trip costs about HK $15. each way and takes about 30 minutes across the South China Sea.

THE VILLAGE OF YUNG SHUE WAN

Powered by a wind generator, this is rat-race-free Hong Kong, and so there are hippies everywhere. Also there are no cars allowed on the island ...

 

... apart from this one ...

...  so everyone bikes everywhere ...

...  except when they're Dragon boat racing, which is huuge on this island.

And since people come to live here for "the lifestyle", they then have to make living any way they can, so here you can buy lots of  ... 

... homemade produce, like jars of jam and pickles and homegrown organic fruit and vegetables. 

(Keith, an erstwhile hippy himself, only back when it was appropriate, stocks up big.)

... hippy accessories and accoutrements ...

 

... organic muffins and tarts straight from the oven ...

... smelly hippy-things and candles and "patcholi-type" things like that.

And, although it represents Hippy-to-the-Max, one of the nicest things about Shue is The Bookworm Vegetarian Cafe. In fact, it's so nice I may even give this place its own posting, only not today and not here, so you'll have to scroll up to see it.

And I was also going to take you across the hill to see the Shue's beach only it's getting very difficult to add more photos to this blog, so you'll have to wait for another posting for that one too.  

However, in the meantime, here's a quick peep at Chinese folk enjoying their first taste of this new-fangled "beach culture."

So, there's the first posting of what is obviously going to be a new series on Lamma Island. However, let's just wind up the day with a ...

GRATUITOUS SUNSET SHOT

Ferry coming in

RANDOM PHOTO OF A STRANGER:

Don't know this person, 

although we kept seeing her all day. 

Thought she looked gorgeous

with that sublime 

"Trish Guild" mix of 

pattern and colour.