When friends come to visit him, Edmund Lai knows what to expect. “When it’s about Hong Kong, everyone thinks of skyscrapers and people, people, people. But once we’ve embarked in a sea kayak, they never want to go back,” says Lai, 29.
Lai is a kayak guide and loves island tours far from the megacity. Of course, no one comes to Hong Kong just for the islands. Tourists want the panoramic views best seen at Victoria Peak, the city’s own mountain.
They come for the daily skyline lightshow titled Symphony Of Lights and for entertainment, shopping, culture. In brief, they come to feel the pulse of a world-class metropolis. But those longing for something different and some quietude should make sure to head out to the small islands in the South China Sea all around Hong Kong.
Tung Ping Chau’s pancake rocks. Here are five such island destinations: Cheung Chau: The historical and the divine A picturesque harbour basin, a small town with a maze of alleyways, beaches – these are the reasons for visiting Cheung Chau, a welcoming place with a bay full of colourful boats. Some of Cheung Chau’s fishermen still live on board their vessels.
Basil Hui, 64, an amateur historian from the island, notes that this used to be very common: “Whole families lived on them, it could be 10 people.” The bicycle is the preferred means of transport here, given the short distances on the 2.5sq km island.
Two sandy beaches stretch out to the east, while orchid trees flank the promenade to t.