Sleep at the Beach: Good Night Hong Kong – Lamma Island

Sleep at the Beach: Good Night Hong Kong – Lamma Island

I did something complete out of my character.

I threw my bag to the side and slept at the beach without having a tent nor a sleeping bag. I brought nothing for a sleep-over except the clothes on my body, a scarf, a thin sheet, tooth paste and tooth brush.

It wasn’t the lack of a comfy pillow, clean linen and a sleeping surface that worried me. Those who knew me well could assure that this act was unlikely for I was afraid of darkness, sometimes to the point that it paralyzed me, preventing me from being out in the open at night by myself.

No, I didn’t plan an overnight stay at the beach to overcome my fear. Blame it on my disorganized time-management at this leg of the trip. Hong Kong had a way to do it to you. I planned to take the morning ferry to Lamma Island, but the shopping frenzy sucks me back. One-hour at Sham Shui Po flea market to stock up on dirt-cheap photography equipment, batteries, travel gadgets turned into five hours. I left the market around 18:30. Hesitant to go to the island this late, but I would leave in a few days and didn’t trust myself to make good on my promise to get to there by morning, as for how I told myself the same thing the day before. I reluctantly walked toward the marina and slowly hopped on the ferry to Lamma Island. By the time I comfortably sat on the ferry heading to the island, it was already dark. The last ferry returning to Hong Kong Island departed at 23:30, leaving me less than five hours to exploring the island, not to mention if I could see any at this hour except sitting at a restaurant and eating seafood.

I strolled along the waterfront passing restaurants, bars, small convenient shops and saw carefree tourists and locals casually walking their bikes, their dogs, sat with their friends in bars and chatted on the street. They seemed happy and oblivious to ongoing chaos and madness on Kowloon and Hong Kong island. Who wouldn’t if they smelled fresh instead of polluted air, cooled by the wind instead of air conditioning.

What was the problem? Why didn’t I just stay? I’d already paid for my accommodation in Kowloon.

Still, this wasn’t an issue. I didn’t have any information on budget accommodation. All hotels and guesthouses near the pier are already closed.

But this wasn’t the issue. I unknowingly walked into a touristy destination on October 22nd, the night before Chinese Chung Yeung festival when families visited cemeteries to worship their ancestors. Yes, I had learned a hard lesson from China. All Chinese went out during on public holidays. In Hong Kong, instead of going to the cemeteries, they had a picnic in nature. What could be more nature than this beautiful island 20 minutes by boat from mainland Hong Kong?

Hotels and guesthouses were either booked out or increased their rates by 50%. I could have guessed that seeing throngs of tourists lifting their luggage overboard and dragging them toward the village.

Anyway, without having reached a decision to leave, stay or find a hotel, I walked to Hung Shing Beach, a 25-minute walk away. During the first 15 minutes, the trail was dark, lit only by faint light on the ground. I felt uneasy at first when I didn’t see anybody, but then I saw some people walking toward me wearing flip-flops, beach shorts and wrapped in towels, assuring me that I wasn’t walking to a deserted beach. A symphony of crickets kept me company, and I didn’t feel nervous anymore. I guess I was too busy looking for the beach, to decide if I should stay overnight, thus stopped being distracted by strange thoughts, spirits, and imaginary features. Then I saw a small food-on-stick food stall, a convenient store, a small family restaurant, the moon mirrored sand and finally the beach.

There were a large apartment complex and a restaurant by the beach, but there wasn’t any activity going on. I saw only a couple washing at the public shower area, another couple sitting at the picnic table, a group of three chatting outside their apartment and the waiter cleaning up the table. The beach was entirely dark, half-lit by the light from the public shower/toilet area.

It was 21:00. I walked to the BBQ area. A middle-aged couple was sitting there before me. They left after an hour. Another couple came asking me where they could grill. Nobody came after that. And I felt asleep.

Good morning Hong Kong

I woke up to noises from early swimmers at 6:00. I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face and headed toward Sok Kwu Wan, a village 1.20 hours away from Hung Shing Beach.

It was a right decision to stay overnight on the island as I would have missed out a 16-hour sanity package. In the last few months, I developed a new traveling habit, arriving either late at some place in the evening or very early in the morning. I like to walk into a new place when it was about to sleep or wake up, avoid the daylight, the heat, and the noises.

A lookout on the way

Met a  Filipina field worker on the way.

While the shopping at Sham Shui Po caused me to miss the island the day before, thanks to the twistable tripod I bought at the market, I was able to take my own photos.

This is Tin Hau Temple.

I saw a woman scrapping for something in the shallow water, probably mussels. Further away from her is another man, deeper in the water.

Breakfast time, the only restaurant to open at 8:00.

Sok Kwu Wan Harbor

What is real? What is fake? Some say the idyllic green landscape is the real Hong Kong. While others insist it is the other, hidden behind the white buildings on Hong Kong island.

See all photos of Lamma island in gallery

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