Cheung Chau

Historically this dumbbell-shaped island was a fishing village, and there are still fishing fleets working from the harbor. It is basically free of motor traffic and inhabitants usually travel by foot or bike.

You can rent a bike at Cheung Chau Ferry Dock and ride along Cheung Chau Sai Tai Road. After about 20 minutes, you will get to Cheung Po Tsai Cave.

It's named after Cheung Chau's most infamous pirate from the 19th century, who used the cave as a hideout. The cave is also known as a playground for McDull, a well-loved Hong Kong cartoon piglet who appears in the show, "My Life as McDull."

You'll need to bring a flashlight because you have to enter from the top and climb down inside. Once inside, the paths are dark and narrow, with only a ray of light beaming down from the top.

Out of the cave, you can continue to ride to Tung Wan Beach and Kwun Yam Wan Beach, where Hong Kong's first Olympic gold medalist, Lee Lai-shan, used to practice windsurfing as a schoolgirl.

Rock carvings believed to be thousands of years old are located near Tung Wan Beach and have been declared monuments of Hong Kong.

Transportation

Take a ferry at Central Ferry Pier No. 5 next to the ferries to Lamma Island. A fast ferry takes about 35 minutes and regular ferry takes around 55 minutes.

Tips

Bikes can be rented hourly for HK$10 to 15 or daily for HK$30 to 40. One night at holiday flats costs HK$300 to 400.

(Shenzhen Daily December 22, 2008)