There are many faces
of Hong Kong:
East and West.
Opium wars,
A trading post.
British Empire.
People’s Republic of
China.
A fishing village.
Perhaps the
earliest image we have of Hong Kong is
as such a space.
Monday, we made our
way to Cheung Chau Island,
Taking a ferry from
Pier Five in Central.
A one-hour ride to
the island.
Watching boats ebb to
and from, playing cards,
As our slow ferry
made its way.
Arriving we could
have been at Isla Mujeres
Or Sicily.
Anywhere old
fisherman and kids still make their way on the water.
Old restaurants and
trees,
A square with shops, bikes, people, hotels.
Kids to and fro.
“Cheung Chau is beautiful. Cherish the environment. Help Take care of this island,” someone
wrote.
We swim all
afternoon,
Enjoying a beer at
the azul bar.
Reading the messages
on the Lennon Wall.
Hong Kong is not
China, read the post its.
“Be like water. My friend.”
“You are not alone.”
This is its own place.
The whole world is
looking to it.
This beautiful little
space feels outside of it all,
And a part of it.
“On every visit without fail I
catch a ferry from Hong Kong to Cheung Chau Island. Rich in pirate tales, the
island is a quiet escape where fishing boats bob in the harbour and beach
sports are a popular pastime… you’ll find life is lived at a much slower pace...
The ferry to Cheung Chau leaves from Central Pier 5 and the journey takes about
30 minutes if you hop on a fast ferry, and an hour if you get on a slow one.”
We spent hours there, swimming, making
friends, playing cards, looking at their
Lennon Wall, before making
our way back for a nightcap on the 18th floor of our hotel.
A drink with our favorite view of
the majestic old city on the sea.
