The EIGHTH day…
...of the FOURTH month…
...of the LUNAR calendar…
Every year, around Buddha's birthday, Cheung Chau hosts its annual Bun Festival. This is the time of year when Cheung Chau fills with people in every nook and cranny from the island's tallest cloud to the lowest rock bed.
It's these times when my husband and I decide to make a trip to Cheung Chau a few days before all the festivities begin, which brings me to this week's Cheung Chau focused blogs!
Though we missed out on being smashed between thousands of excited people to view the famous parade of floats…
Though we totally decided to miss out on watching various teams climb to the top of the bun towers…
..we didn't feel too bad because we did get to spend some quality time together on Cheung Chau when there were not a lot of people visiting. And we also managed to grab a few famous Cheung Chau buns for our ride back to Central.
The most common way to get to Cheung Chau Island is to head to the Central Ferry Piers and hop onto a ferry to Cheung Chau Island.
Once landed on the Island, there are several things that you can do:
1. Explore the Island on bike
2. Shop around the main downtown area
3. Eat amazing foods
4. Visit the temples
5. Go for a swim at the beach
6. Just see what the Island has to offer...
***Some cool things about Cheung Chau***
I love the bun paraphernalia!
I love the old buildings over run with banyan trees.
I love the quiet streets when there is no influx of loads of tourists.
I love the specialty shops.
I love how you can find everything you need at the local shops (from toys to slippers for the beach).
I loved finding this handicrafts boutique especially because I got a lot of wonderful gifts for my family here. It's called My Arts if you are ever wandering around Cheung Chau and find it, please do check it out!
I love seeing the wall murals that are spotted all around the Island.
I love bumping into interesting and unique properties like the one below.
I love seeing how much this place changes over the year. There is now a Lock of Love "wall" along one of the main streets that goes towards Tung Wan Beach.
I love the unique things that shops fill themselves with (mah zhong plushies!)
I love how every few steps is a place to find a new snack or a place to shop for interesting souvenirs. The streets are so compacted with so much eye candy.
I love finding some awesome bargains on beachwear.
I love how you can rent bikes for an hour or for a day. There is so much of the Island to see and having a bike will help you get out to The Ancient Rock Carving or the Cheung Po Tsai Cave a lot more quickly than by foot.
I also love how rental places now tell you that it is illegal to have someone riding in the back seat of the petty cabs, but people still do it.
And, finally, I love how you can find a peaceful bit of view along the waterfront. It'll be forever a beautiful sight to me to see boats anchored in the water. There is something so lovely about this sight. It sort of reminds me of the boats anchored in the harbors around Seattle, too. Just a lovely, lovely sight.
If someone out there has the same feeling as me…maybe you have a better way of explaining why this is such a lovely sight!
Hope you enjoyed the photos of us wandering around Cheung Chau Island!
