6th September 2012
Day 6 - We have visited the theme parks, temples, shopping malls and roam the local streets. Today, we are taking a ferry and venturing out to one of the outlying islands in Hong Kong - Lamma Island (南丫岛).
Through local travel programmes, we heard a lot about Lamma island offering good seafood, yummy bean curd and beautiful scenery away from the city life. We will be embarking on a little hiking trail that challenge our kiddos endurance and stamina. :)
From Central MRT station, we took 10-15 minutes to walk to the Central Pier (中環碼頭). Most of the ferries here depart to the Outlying Islands in the New Territories.
There are signboards and banners which helped us to get to Ferry Pier 4 and take the boat to Lamma Island. Basically you can choose to start your journey from Yung Shue Wan (榕树湾) or Sok Kwu Wan (索罟湾).
Check the timetable for the ferry departure timings and fare pricing when you are planning for your trip.
Waiting to get onboard :)
We decided to start our hiking trail from Yung Shue Wan (榕树湾). There are seafood stalls and souvenir shops at the little town where we can shop around and we will end our trail with a seafood lunch at Sok Kwu Wan (索罟湾). The ferry ride to Yung Shue Wan took about 30 minutes but the view out from the window is refreshing.
I love the Hong Kong skyline, the boats, the blue sky and white puffy clouds, the crystal clear waters and how the breeze gently brushed onto my face.
Moving away from the city....
As we approaches Lamma Island, you will notice a white wind turbine from afar. Lamma Winds (南丫風采發電站) is a prominent and unique structure which began operating since 2006. It was the first commercial-scale wind turbine in Hong Kong and generates power for the households on the island. There is also an exhibition center surrounding the base of the wind turbine which is open to the public.
11:30AM - I fell in love with Lamma Island as soon as we landed. It has a distinct flavour of the local culture and we can't wait to explore and check out what it has to offer.
Map of Lamma Island & places of interest.
Most of the residents on the island resides in Yung Shue Wan and it offers better accommodation for tourists. Rows of houses spotted along the bank.
Lamma Power Station (南丫發電廠) - coal-fired power station which provides power to Hong Kong and Lamma Island.
Another thing you might notice is there are no cars on the island. Residents travel around the island mainly by bicycles or motorised carts. That explains why there are many bicycles at the ferry terminal.
Soon, we found ourselves roaming on the streets of Yung Shue Wan, Food stalls, cafe, art and craft and souvenirs shops are quietly tucked away within this little town. If you have time to spare, it would be nice to spend some time here and shop around.
Since we will be embarking on a walking trail, we did not make any bulky purchases and only replenished the bottled drinks.
It struck us at that very instance that we do not have any maps of the island! Thanks to the signboards and seeking directions from the locals, we managed to find our way through. ^_^ It is rather easy to find your way around Lamma Island.
We spotted a stall selling Soya Bean Curd and stopped by to grab a bowl. (HKD10 per bowl)
We continued our walk passing through the villages. Houses here looks bigger than those on the main island.
Not far away, we spotted another stall along the roadside. If you are in Lamma Island, you should not miss tasting 建興亞婆豆腐花 (Kin Hing Toufu Dessert). It is famous for its 豆腐花 which is smooth and tender. It is not too powdery and melts in our mouth. We ordered the cold dessert and it definitely tasted much better than the one we bought at the shop earlier.
豆腐花 - HKD10 (dine in), HKD11 (take away)
After taking 2 bowls of toufu dessert, we headed towards the beach as more surprises awaits us.
Part 2 - Discovering Lamma Island
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