Monday, August 20, 2012

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 (continued -2)


To recap with pictures:

Our trip took only about half an hour and we had great views of the fishing boats as we came into Cheung Chau Harbor.

 .


 This is a fishing village that has no cars.


There are many bicycles and motorized little shuttles that are used by businesses.   It is a nice tourist spot for Hong Kongers and there were lots of teens going to camp and other visitors.  There were permanent residents, as well, and it was nice to see all ages.  The fishermen go out at night, so most of the boats were docked.   There were many great seafood restaurants, outside with a great view of the harbor.  


Praya Street and Pak Tai Temple (北帝庙)

“Praya” is Portuguese for “square.” If you turn left out of the square and walk a few short blocks from the pier, you come to a little playground, behind which is Pak Tai Temple.

Pak Tai, which literally translates as the Northern King, is regarded as Cheung Chau’s patron saint by local residents. Legends tell of ways he has helped islanders in times of crisis, especially when plague struck in the 18th century.

Built in 1783, the oldest temple on the island, Pak Tai is just 10 minutes’ walk from the pier. Some historically important antiques are still kept in the temple to reflect its status as the religious center of Cheung Chau. The internationally famous Bun Festival is held in front of the temple every year.





We walked around the island and visited The Pak Tei temple where I shook a can of sticks until one fell out and that told my fortune.  It was something like "Many opportunities are coming."   The stick that falls out when you shake the can has a number that corresponds to a fortune.






We rang the bell and beat the drum.

                   


 The  Bun Festival is held on the courts in front of the Pak Tei Temple
Bun Festival

In the 18th century, Cheung Chau was devastated by plague and infiltrated by pirates until local fishermen brought an image of the Taoist god Pak Tai to the island. Paraded through the village lanes, the deity drove away the evil spirits. Every year on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, the islanders organize a weeklong thanksgiving, the Bun Festival.

The centerpiece of the festival are the giant bamboo towers filled with edible buns in the courtyard of Pak Tai Temple, while the climax of the bun snatching takes place every midnight through the weeklong festival. When midnight strikes, hundreds of young men rush up to the three bun towers, tear off the buns, put them in bags or share them among the crowd. The participants are so quick that thousands of buns are plucked from the bamboo frames in a matter of minutes. The buns are then sold or distributed to anyone who did not join in the competition. This ritual was abandoned in 1978 for safety reasons, but was resumed in 2005.

Another exotic feature of the festival is the “floating colors.” Colorfully clad children are hoisted up on stilts and paraded through the crowds. Other events, including Chinese opera, lion dances and religious services, attract both locals and visitors.
Seafood restaurants


The basketball courts in front of the Pak Tei temple are where they hold the Bun Festival now.  It used to be on the other side of the island.  I had seen pictures at the museum.  We walked down a side street and saw a display of pictures of the festival dating back many years.

Connected to the Bun Festival is a parade of children who appear to be floating in the air ("floating colors").  Using an intricate set of pipes and hidden seats, one child appears to be held up with one hand.  

Cheung Chau Bun Festival



close Tung Wan Beach (东湾)

Cheung Chau’s “town” crowds the narrow sandbar linking the two hilly ends of the island. On the eastern side, only a few minutes’ walk across the island from the ferry pier is Tung Wan, a popular public beach.

In high summer, the beach can be pretty packed. Windsurfing is also popular at this time.


In waters off to the right, beyond the Warwick Hotel, Cheung Chau, Hong Kong’s first Olympic gold medallist, Lee Lai-shan, used to practice windsurfing as a schoolgirl. The local Windsurfing Center teaches the sport.

 I loved seeing the moss growing on the rocks where there were trickles of water.

Petrogliphs dating back 3,500 years to the Bronze Age.  Try clicking on picture and going to original size to read it better.  Then hit back arrow.



Delicious fresh fruits that they would make into a refreshing drink.  I had strawberry-kiwi.
The tiny shops and celebrated seafood restaurants highlight the commercial attributes of the island. As evening approaches, the restaurants along the streets and waterfront make ready for their main business. Given islanders’ predominantly conservative tastes, most are straightforward, Cantonese style. Seafood dominates menus — fish from tropical reefs, lobsters, prawns and shellfish can be bought from aquariums at or near the restaurants.




Renee and I had a wonderful lunch outside, looking at the harbor.  We chose the fish from tanks at the restaurant.  I took a video but it wouldn't play here.  We had shrimp, abalone, Morning Glory veggies with octopus and shrimp paste, scallops,and wee wee prawns.


There are fresh air markets that have a great variety of fruits and vegetables.These pastries are in the shape of a Pig and her piglets.  The bread is given      to brides.  Sometimes, the design is made into a necklace.

For dessert, we had Sago with cinnamon.  It's kind of like tapioca.  I had mine cold.  She had hers hot. (Sagois a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm stems. Sago is often produced commercially in the form of "pearls". Sago pearls can be boiled with water or milk and sugar to make a sweet sago pudding.[1] Sago pearls are similar in appearance to tapioca pearls and the two
 may be used interchangeably in some dishes.)

This is Langon fruit.  The picture below shows the transparent fruit and the 
large red seed.  I brought some home.  We'll see if they grow.

The Dimocarpus longan tree can grow up to 6 to 7 metres in height, and the plant is very sensitive to frost. Longan trees require sandy soil and temperatures that do not typically go below 4.5 degrees Celsius (40.1 degrees Fahrenheit). Longans and lychees bear fruit at around the same time of the year.

A peeled longan fruit
The longan (龍眼)—translated literally as "dragon eye"[3]—is so named because it resembles an eyeball when its fruit is shelled (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a pupil/iris). The seed is small, round and hard, and of an enamel-like, lacquered black. The fully ripened, freshly harvested shell is bark-like, thin, and firm, making the fruit easy to shell by squeezing the fruit out as if one is "cracking" a sunflower seed. When the shell has more moisture content and is more tender, the fruit becomes less convenient to shell. The tenderness of the shell varies due to either premature harvest, variety, weather conditions, or transport/storage conditions.


Longan
Dimocarpus longan

These trucks carried propane.  Notice the warning on the truck.
A butcher shop along the way.

We headed home on the ferry, after a busy day.

The ferry was very comfortable and let us see fantastic views on the way.
We went outside on the deck as we returned to Hong Kong.
We could have taken the jet ferry.
Then on to a shopping trip to a large department store.
We met  Ralph and Ranen and went to a Japanese Restaurant. that had soba dishes  as a specialty.


It was a fitting ending to a fantastic two and a half week adventure.
Thank you to all the wonderful friends I met there, who made the adventure something to remember fondly forever.


































Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012 (continued -1)



And now to Wednesday, August 1.   Plans changed since Ralph had work to do, so Renee, one of the students, was my guide for the day.  We started out at 8:30 and took a cab to the ferry terminal for 
Cheung Chau Island. 



A little shop at the terminal.  We picked
up some water, since it was supposed
to be 91 today.


The ferry was very comfortable and
we sat up top to get the best views

We sailed past the cruise ship terminals

Container ships were in the harbor.  It
was really hazy and we were
afraid a storm might be coming.


We passed lots of little islands on the
way, some inhabited, some not.  Most of
these islands are made of volcanic rock
and granite - very stable.





Our trip took only about half an hour and we had great views of the fishing boats as we came into the harbor.
This is a fishing village that has no cars.  There are many bicycles and motorized little shuttles that are used by businesses.   It is a nice tourist spot for Hong Kongers and there were lots of teens going to camp and other visitors.  There were permanent residents, as well, and it was nice to see all ages.  The fishermen go out at night so most of the boats were docked.   There were many great seafood restaurants.  
 


Pictures are not cooperating so I will start a new section.