Staycation: Beach Camping In Style

This weekend Pat and I took a little staycation with a few friends. Our destination: beach camping at Palm Beach (Lower Cheung Sha Beach, Lantau Island, Hong Kong). 

Palm Beach is my dream come true and if I could spend every weekend there, I would. (In fact, only 45 minutes from home and at a pretty cheap rate, just maybe I can!).  This is no ordinary camping – no pitching tents and hanging bear bags – this is glamping at its best. Teepees that sleep 8 come equipped with air coolers and sleep mats, a small kiosk sells cold water, ice pops and beer and plays beach tunes all day long while surfboards, kayaks more are available to rent by the hour. 

Saturday was a perfect beach day filled with stand up paddle boarding, reading, swimming and lounging with friends. 

At around seven we motivated, still donning our bathing suits and sarongs, and made the six-minute walk down the beach to The Stoep,  an awesome beach restaurant serving up South African braai (bbq). Greeting us at the restaurant was a herd of cattle sitting right out front, just taking in the view on the beach.

Pat in front of The Stoep with his new friend.

These guys parked it on the beach and stayed well past sun set.

A few hours of eating and many pitchers of sangria later, we headed back to camp (sporting our newly purchased headlamps to ensure we wouldn't trip over cattle!) where we made s’mores, danced on the beach, took a night swim and even had an impromptu sumo wrestling match with a group of French campers (weird, but true).  Among the many awesome moments of the night was swimming with phosphorescence in the ocean, which caused us to all light up and sparkle as we swam (and squealed) late night in the South China Sea.  I had never seen this phenomenon before, but it was truly one of the coolest things I have ever experienced.

Here's an example of the phosphorescence! Pretty cool stuff.
photograph courtesy of facebook.com/microbiologynews

 And the best part was, once we finally got to bed, we got to wake up the next day right on the beach and ready to do it all again!

 

Summer summer summertime....

A classic junk boat sets sail in Victoria Harbor

Summer is in full swing and it's officially really f&*%ing hot!!

If we were in NY we’d be running off to Montauk every weekend. I miss it there and all of our friends and favorite spots (long waits at chowder house, lazy days at Ditch, Saturday mornings at Love, cookouts + clambakes, fishing off the pier, bocce ball + pro kadima matches and so much more….)

BUT here I am in Hong Kong! You might be wondering what we do here to escape the heat? We go on junk boats!  (For those Bachelorette fans out there, you may remember the dramatic night junk from Ashley's season).

Me and Pat and on our way to a
cowboys + indians themed junk!

Pat diving off the top deck.
A junk favorite!

It seems like you could go on one every weekend if you play your cards right. In fact, we've already been on 5! They’re usually organized by one or two people and have anywhere from 15-30 friends onboard (a great way to meet people, too). Depending on the weather, the boats sail to different islands around HK and then anchor for a day of swimming, eating, drinking and playing (yes, it's sort of like spring break - but better)! It’s an awesome way to spend the day and an even better way to see Hong Kong.

Before going on my first junk, our friends warned us be prepared to fall in love with HK. As if I hadn’t already!

 Here are some pics from our junk trips! Stay tuned for more as we get our sea legs wet!

Nice form! Notice the beach party happening behind the boats. We swam ashore to join in.

This was our first junk. It was a rainy morning but the afternoon cleared up.

We watched the Dragon Boat Races from an anchored sailboat in Stanley. It was a great day on the water!

A gorgeous sunny day! What's not to love?

A rainy junk day - just as much fun and less spf required!

Yep. This is how I've spent my weekends. Not bad for a Saturday....

There she is - the beautiful Hong Kong. Hong Kong Island is on the left and Kowloon is on the right. 

Why Hello, Big Buddha

Perched high on Lantau Island, Big Buddha is the largest, seated, outdoor bronze Buddha in the world! While it is absolutely a tourist trap (built in 1993!) it’s still a really cool attraction here in HK. Read more about how they built this gigantic Buddha here. Apparently the head alone weighs over 11,000lbs!

Feast your eyes on these pics and be sure to come with your battery charged on your own visit!

How to get there:  MTR from Central Station to Tung Chung Station, followed by a 25minute cable car ride high above the water and the mountains - opt for the glass bottom gondola (YIKES!).






A short walk through the souvenir shops in Ngong Ping village (left).

Finally up 200 plus steps to come face to face with Buddha himself (below).

After Buddha, recharge your batteries at the vegetarian restaurant and stroll through nearby Po Lin Monastery.

Namaste
xoGillian 

Island Hopping: Tai O, Lantau Island

Yesterday I had a breakthrough. This may sound strange, but yesterday was the first day I actually realized I was living in Asia.

It is true. I have been here almost 7 (gasp!) weeks now.  And you would think that living in a city where the majority of people on the streets are Chinese and are speaking (aka yelling) Chinese, I would have realized this a lot sooner. But the truth about Hong Kong is that it is a world city. It is incredibly international and modern and you’d be hard pressed to walk through downtown Hong Kong without passing a Cartier or a Louis Vuitton while sipping your Starbucks soy latte and feeling just like you’re on 5^th Avenue.

Mangroves and mountains in Tai O.

My breakthrough happened on my third and final Foon Ying trip to Tai O, an old fishing village on the northwest coast of Lantau Island. From Hong Kong Island, Tai O is a 30-minute ferry ride to Mui Wo and then a 45 minute bus ride. The bus ride was beautiful, taking us along the coastline, winding around foggy mountains, and even stopping as cattle crossed the roads.

Tai O is known for its stilt-houses (pang uk in Cantonese) and all along there are hundreds of homes sitting high above the water. I’ve heard this town referred to as the Venice of Hong Kong, but I’ll let you be the judge of that! It was amazing walking through the community and peering into the home’s open doors, where you would see men playing mahjong or napping and elderly women sitting on the stoop, laying shrimp on baskets to dry in the sun.  Because this is a fishing village, the streets are lined with market stalls selling both fresh and dried fish and the town’s popular shrimp paste.

I’ve heard that Cambodia and Thailand have areas that feel very similar and I can’t wait to start traveling to check them out. But yesterday, just an hour and a half after eating my imported Greek yogurt in my air conditioning, there I was in this amazing village. I could have been a million miles from home. But I wasn’t. I was in Hong Kong. Where I live. Amazing.

In case you were worried that my awe would inspire me become a Buddhist nun, fear not. We finished up the day with a glass of wine at the brand new Tai O Heritage Hotel, Tai O’s refurbished police station. The hotel has only nine rooms and is truly spectacular, boasting beautiful architecture, stunning views and an absolutely tranquil environment. I’ll be putting my name down on the wait list for a room but rumor has it the wait list is 2 years long!  So for now I’ll have to settle for a day trip now and then. I think I can handle that.

Check out the bamboo scaffolding used for construction.

Island Hopping: Lamma Island Day Trip

A cloudy day at Lamma beach.

Yesterday was my 2^nd Foon Ying trip with my AWA group. (Click here to read about the first).

Although it has been quite rainy this week, we took our chances and headed to one of Hong Kong’s many outlying islands, Lamma. Hong Kong is comprised of more than 230 islands – which means I have a lot of exploring to do!

Like most of the outlying islands, Lamma is accessible by a quick ferry ride. Though the island used to be one of HK’s many fishing villages, today it’s known for its relaxed and bohemian lifestyle. There are no cars allowed on this island, only bikes and golf carts. It’s also known as  a paradise for hippie expats - some of who arrived in the late sixties and haven’t left since! Or, judging by the looks of it, haven’t trimmed their beards or washed their hair since either! Walking around Lamma reminded me of walking around the Caribbean. There were dogs running around everywhere, overgrown greenery, and the chime of bike bells signaling to foot traffic ahead.

Our quick tour of the island included the Tin Hau Temple, the local beach (a nice spot facing Lamma Island’s power plant), a gorgeous organic garden sprouting flowers, herbs, veggies and more, the local shops and finally a seafood lunch.

There’s more to explore on Lamma (hiking, biking, a wind power station!) and the island definitely warrants another trip back! Hopefully in sunnier weather. 

Echinacea growing in a toilet. Damn hippes!

Prawns in toasted garlic + dried chili sauce.

Scallops served in the shell with minced sauteed garclic and glass noodles. This will be one of the first dishes I attempt to make.