Sai Kung

I have so many pictures this time that I'm not going to describe them all, I'll just let you look at them.

I went to Sai Kung which is a small fishing village on the Eastern side of the New Territories. It was unlike the rest of Hong Kong because there was actually areas without buildings and all of the buildings were relatively short. When I got off the bus I walked over to the pier to see the fishing boats. The fishermen had their catches for the day in little tubs that filled the boats. Some of them were repairing nets or selling their fish. As I walked along the boardwalk a man pointed to a boat and said $30 (less then US $3). I asked where it was going and he pointed to the small islands just off shore. The boat had character, it was old and had an odd assortment of benches in it and I decided it could be a great adventure. He told me the last boat back would be at 5 pm. When we got to what I later found out was Sharp Island, I was a little dissapointed at first - there wasn't anything there. There was a bathroom and shower facility and some signs for the beach in front of it. The lifeguard was off duty for winter they said, and there were a few people fishing. An old amusement part was in ruins just beyond the bathroom. I felt like I was on the show Lost. I stared walking down the beach on an old broken concrete path and soon realized the beauty of the island - there was nothing there. A few men fishing stood on the rocks by the ocean, and two dogs layed on the sand in front of some makeshift camping tents from abandoned carnival stands. I quickly decided that this was my favorite place in Hong Kong so far. I walked as far as I could on the path and then climbed on the rocks a ways. I chose a flat slanted rock and layed down for a while and listened to the ocean. It was amazing that in a place so highly populated there was an island like this. I made my way back and walked as far as I could in the other direction where I saw a sign warning of explosives, and then saw then boat coming back.

Before I got on the boat, I met a lady and what I assumed was her daughter with their small poodle that was dressed in an outfit with a polka dotted pink skirt. People in Hong Kong seem to take good care of their dogs and the dogs I've seen have all been pretty well behaved and walk nicely on their leashes. I think this is because they go out so often to go to the bathroom. While we were on the boat headed back to Sai Kung, they gave the dog some water and food - both normal things. Then they wiped its mouth with a baby wipe...a little over the top. At least it was amusing.

When I got back on land I looked at the restuarants along the boardwalk. They had big tanks in front with live fish in them. The selection ranged from eels to horseshoe crabs. It was about four in the afternoon at this point and I went into one of the casual places on the boardwalk. I found myself sitting in a comfy airchair drinking a pina colada and listening to Sinatra while looking out towards the water - complete relaxation, and a great end to a great day.