Cheung Chau on Labour Day

We were at a bit of a loose end as to what to do for Labour Day until Buffalo Wilbur got struck by the brilliant idea of taking the inter-island ferry to Cheung Chau. It seemed a lot of other people got the same idea as the ferry was quite crowded (for an inter-island ferry, that is).

It was an inspired choice. Cheung Chau was bustling.

The famous buns were everywhere.

People queueing up fo fishballs. Apparently Cheung Chau is known for its giant fishballs. I tasted some and they didn't taste that different from the normal-sized ones.

Baby ambulance to get through the narrow streets.

Tour groups galore

I've been watching the ferries coming in and have seen quite a few unfamiliar ones these past few months. They looked like the kind of kaidos we get to Discovery Bay so at first I thought we had a new ferry service (direct to Lamma, perhaps?).

But today I realised they were actually chartered ferries for tour groups. One stopped at the pier and disgorged an inordinate number of people.

Just one ferry load was enough for three coaches.

Pity the people just got on their tour buses and left. They could have done so much for the Mui Wo economy if each just bought a bottle or water and some snacks.

Cable-car trip

We've always wanted to take the cable car but were deterred by the long queues snaking round Tung Chung. Then one Mui Wo resident shared his secret with us: Take the cable car down. Doh!

So we hopped on the No 2 bus to get to Ngong Ping early – which was good because the crowds hadn't had time to make their way up the mountain yet in the cable cars.

After a quick look around, we took the glass-bottomed Crystal Cabin down. Sheer bliss... because we were taking the HK$130 instead of the HK$85 option plus it was still early in the day, there was no queue.

We walked right up to the front and within minutes, our car arrived. And when I say our, I mean that we had the entire cabin, which normally seats up to eight, to ourselves. Others would have had to pay HK$3,200 for the privilege of a private cabin.

So we could walk round the entire cabin to get the best shots, and even lie on the bottom to get vertiginous pictures and videos like these:

The half hour 5.7km journey was smooth and felt really safe,even when the car was being buffeted by winds. The only time I started panicking a bit was when we went over water.

It was such a great trip that we wondered why it took us so long to do it. But then, as Buffalo Wilbur wisely pointed out, we have to keep some things for next time...

Peng Chau – by accident

We thought we'd taken the ferry back from Discovery Bay to Mui Wo but forgot there was another kaido service to Peng Chau. Our first inkling that something was wrong was that the fare was just HK$10+ instead of the HK$30 for two we'd paid on the way there.

But luckily, we'd left enough time for exploring so the unexpected detour didn't stress us out... much. I've always wanted to visit Peng Chau but I'd thought it would have been a planned trip.

It was interesting to see how the different island destinations – Mui Wo, Lamma, Cheung Chau and Peng Chau – have their own character. I think Mui Wo is the most charming but of course, I am biased.

Maybe it was the lack of time or the fact that it was an unplanned trip but I didn't quite take to Peng Chau. It looked like what all the islands might look like if the local councils had their way – ugly concrete municipal offices right smack on the waterfront overshadowing the characterful streets and shops behind.

But the snacks were yummy so maybe we might return for a proper trip one day.