So.. yesterday on a very hot Sunday,
I met like minded photo enthusiasts and we headed to an offshore island called Cheng Chau.



We took deluxe class okayyy. HAHA! Makes it sound like so big a deal, it's just a S$2 upgrade to the highest deck with aircon and tables.



How did that man get there?



I now know why all the guidebooks show HK as being like this,
because it is so easy to snap photos of crowds, they're really everywhere!











Cool bike!



Their ambulances are super cute too. Because the pathways are very small and there's no roads they cannot afford he normal sized ones. If it's urgent case can take helicopter one leh, cool ah.

Introducing the people



Samson with his very very heavy Nikon



This is Derrick with his very zoom lens on a Canon
(This is the third Derrick I have met this month)



Creamo with her Ricoh SLR, which is probably my Ricoh 20 years back! :D



And this is puzaigou Uncle,
who sold me puzaigou to eat.



We happened to catch a mini dragon boating competition,
it's a very popular sport here.



We made ourselves comfortable waiting for it to start at the judge's booth, haha!



These are 水警, Water Police.
Er, they got them to come all the way to adjust the bobbing flags at the final point.

When we reach the mountainous areas with huge bolders and all, I felt like I was in some documentary, completely in awe.
Fellow mountain tortoises in SG, bringing you..mountains..! Haha.







Someone's laments

We went to visit xxx cave, forgot the guy's name ah, he's some famous Chinese pirate and he had all his treasures buried in this cave. Uh, I don't know what's in the cave, we chickened out and refused to rent the torchlights from the uncle making use of the biz opportunity, hahaha!



See, hole.



It's super deep down okay, so scary.



We were at this point, looked across and we went WHAT?! and eventually we made it up that little staircase so far away!

I saw cacti, oh my goodness.
The only cacti I ever see are in rich people's pots at their terraces or erm, the little ones at Ikea.
They line the sides of paths very comfortably. Falling in = Death.







These two men were happily bobbing up and down like playing water see-saw.



Feels good to see this and realised you have make your way up to the top there.
I've always thought backpacking/hiking is horribly exhausting and if I were to go on holiday I would do the relaxed kind, but oh man this trip changed my mind.
It feels so wonderful to have your little presence in the midst of all these magnificence I choose to believe is made and moulded by Him who's greater.

And because we casually stopped by and helping this group take a picture- they were doing something familiarly silly- putting the little camera by the edge of the cliff on a bag and with self timer ._.



We met kind uncle on his little boat. When we thought we are going to die having to climb down and walk all the back to our starting point after coming so far, his horse voice shouted, "back to the pier, 5 bucks!" 5 bucks is 1 Sing okay, we eagerly took up the offer, the group we photographed too. Lol.



There is something quietly nice about Island people- their sun-beaten skin, those many many wrinkles that were formed with years of toiling and depending on the sea, and that very casual ease of manner they have. He happily flopped up his leg and used it to control the boat as he saw that we are photo enthusiasts, dug about in a file and took out two photographs of his boat, possibly taken decades ago and started asking us to buy and bid for it. HAHA.







We sailed comfortably back and went to explore the other side of the island.
And eat all the little snacks.



This is 平安包, the specialty of this island.
(No I didn't eat that)



I had mango mochi =')



We shared this unique continuous chain of chips, can add your own flavoring one.



What a lovely cafe right!



Complete with an indifferent cat





Another style of cafe,
I really really love all the odd junk pieces of planks they use to cover up. They look so mismatched and yet matchy together.

We headed beachwards





So colourful!
They told me those nice chalet places at the corner facing the sea have very affordable rates because stressed people always commit suicide there ._.



hehehe

Saw a man training his dog
I like to see dogs swimming.



The island people's homes:







Evening came





What a serene photo right, except that it says Roast Pigeon, one day I shall be brave and try.



We went for dinner by the sea



Fried cuttlefish



This is clams with some vermicelli and ??? on it, don't know what but taste very nice.

And ended the day with a slow walk to the dessert shop and I had



Nevermind that this looks like a scary face with oversized black eyeballs, it's so awesome!
It's durian pudding, with condensed milk, mangoes, and vanilla ice cream balls coated with chocolate and nuts. It's like my three favourite throat killers but oooooh. :D
Derrick was like "are you okay?" I think I looked too happy.

Ahh.



End of the day- worn, smelly but happy!

"It's a good day, it's a good day"
Creamo croons.

Thanks for bringing me along and talking to me in mandarin, appreciate you guys!

You made it to the end of my Sunday! Haha, hope I manage to capture some essence of such a wonderful island. There's so many more to go to, no time ah! HAHA.

*

Maybe it's because I haven't come to terms with it,
maybe it's because I saw it coming,
maybe I grew numb
or that I surrendered too long ago
Whatever it is, I know we will all learn to live without,
because we always do.