A Breathtaking Sunset Birthday Dinner by the Ocean at Lamma Island!

It was a beautiful sunny day on Lamma Island, Hong Kong! We attended a Sunday service today at a Phillipino church and were invited to join them for a lunch afterwards after they found out that it was my birthday!

The people there were warm and hospitable. We had a blast at church. We willmake a point to come back to visit the church if we would be in Hong Kong again in the future Walking back to our hotel, we passed by the Beer Shack where western country music was being played. We love country music and went in to join the people there.

The Beer Shack - a delightful small cafe/ bar where the island's locals and expats hang out for drinks and some social time. We ordered a beverage and enjoyed the familiar country tunes for an hour and half. Nice atmospere and good music at a nice cool restaurant - a great place to celebrate my birthday while travelling in Asia!

They say the best things in life are the simple ones - a table for two by the sea, the salty breeze of Lamma Island. I couldn't agree more. The presence of my husband, who has been with me through thick and thin for the past four decades, has been a constant source oflove, comfort and security for me.

And a breathtaking sunset, a masterpeice of light, created just for my birthday. As the brilliant colours of day softened and started to fade, I reflected on our journey together. Every laugh, every challenge, every year has been a piece in a picture more beautiful than any we saw that night. I have been truly, deeply blessed!

We spent a lovely evening celebrating my birthday on Lamma Island, enjoying some nice seafood dishes. I was and will always be gratedul to God for our family, our health and mobility to travel. A great day on my birthday! RT, Lamma Island, Hong Kong, 2025

Celebrating My Birthday at a Philipino Chapel on Lamma Island

We have been travelling in Asia for over a month and have been doing some island hopping for the past week or so. Today, being Sunday, was also my birthday! Normally, I would spend my birthday with my husband and close friends /family members to enjoy a special dinner at a nice restaurant. Therefore, yesterday, we looked for a nice restaurant on this island for my birthday dinner. We were up early today and got ready for the Sunday service. We found a Catholic church, Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel, on our walk yesterday and therefore we knew exactly where to go. The walk to Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel was around 15 minutes from our hotel. Since it was early in the morning and cooler, the walk was much easier and pleasant. We were able to apprecaite and enjoy the scenery and the nice low rise buildings dotted on the island.

By the time we arrived at the church, it was a full house and we were lucky to find the last two seats at the back of the chapel. There were about fifty people inside with the latecomers about 15 - 20 of them sitting outside the chapel. As we do in our Protestant service, this Catholic mass also included singing, prayers, scripture reading followed by a short message by the priest. One thing which I found different was that the Catholic mass was much more joyful than our Protestant's Sunday worship. The singing was joyful and the message was postive and uplifting. I was touched and encouraged by the worship.

After the mass, I chatted with a couple of the church Sisters who learned that today was my birthday and invited us to join their lunch at the chapel. I was surprised at this invitation but would be delighted to attend. As we were waiting for the lunch to start, a littel girl found that it was my birthday and she came and gave me not just one gift but two. How generous was she at such a young agae? I was moved and accepted one gift from her only though she insisted I should take both.

> Later, the priest came to us, prayed with me and blessed me personally. I was deeply touched and unable to hold back my tears. When the lunch started, one of the Sisters came and sat beside me while Joseph, a volunteer at the church sat with my hubby.

It was a blessing being surrounded by a body of church brothers and sisters on my birthday! I was delighted as I thought that we would be alone on my birthday; but it didn't happen. Instead we were embraced by our church family! The kindness, the generosity and the wonderful fellowship we experienced at the Lady of Lourdes Chapel on Lamma Island in Hong Kong on my birthday was one of the highlghts of our Asian trip and we were grateful for the Sisters and the congregants' show of love for strangers like us.

It makes me happy and realized that when we are beleivers in God, we will never be alone! RT, Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel, Lamma Island, Hong Kong, 2025

Enjoying Our Slice of Heaven in Lamma Island, Hong Kong

When people think of Hong Kong, the first images they think of are often dense population and tremendous numbers of tighly packed high skyscrapers crammed on a small island. Far from it, few people know about the other side of Hong Kong. Do you know that Hong Kong has more than 250 islands including both populated and uninhabited islands. Lamma Island is the third largest island in Hong Kong.

From the Central District of HK, we boarded the Lamma Ferry taking us to the island in about half an hour's time. As soon as we walked out of the ferry terminal, we were greeted by a sea of bicycles parked neatly in the parking lots. Not a single of motor vehicle was on sight.

Lamma Island has a car free policy except for emergency services and medical assistance. I was glad that we would be carefree strolling around on this island for the next few days without worrying about cars.

Lamma Island was the island where we stayed the longest during our recent island hopping excursion in Hong Kong. What I remembered and enjoyed the most here was our time sitting by the shore and gazing at the ocean each morning enjoying our breakfast.

The first morning after our arrival to the Lamma Island, we went out looking for a restaurant for breakfast. There were quite a few places opened from which we could choose an eatery along the oceanfront on a patio with the water right underneath us.

Time simply slowed down on our first morning on Lamma Island! Bathed in golden sunshine, soothed by the cool sea breezes, and serenaded by the gentle lap of waves, we were extremely grateful that we landed on such a beautiful island which we didn't know existed at all before!

With every bite of our delicious breakfast— the many yummy dime sum dishes ( on our first morning and later tender and crispy chicken cutlet, buttery toasts on the subsequent days) the rich coffee — a deep, unwinding relaxation seeped into my bones. Imagine our delight when we saw a school of tiny, silver fish darted and shimmered like living confetti swimming by just underneath us! It was pure bliss!

We enjoyed the perfect littel slice of heaven so much that we went back to the same location and sat at the same spot every morning during our week long stay on this island. They were the most peacefully happy mornings I could remember!

RT, Lamma Island, Hong Kong

Mui Wo Island - Our Third Island During Our Island Hopping in Hong Kong

Mui Wo on Lantau Island is known for its rural setting, historical significance, and natural attractions. It was once the location of a silver mine and was the third island we visited on our recent island hopping excursion in Hong Kong.

I could not believe how little I remember Mui Wo from our last visit to this island in 2008. I remember it was a very busy island humming with lots of people and vacationers.Possibly due to the rainy weather for the past few days, we found it much quieter and we encountered way more mosquitoes this time. We arrived late to Mui Wo in the afternoon; since our hotel was not too far from the ferry terminal, we walked to our hotel in the light drizzle. After our dinner in the hotel's dining room, we retired to our room and called it a night.

Breakfast was served in the dining room of the hotel and there were a couple of families there. Though it started to drizzle a bit, we were determined to explore the beach and the area nearby after breakfast. Located right across from our hotel, the Silvermine Bay Beach is a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, and games, particularly during summer and weekends. Kayaking and paddleboarding are also popular activites and equipments are available for rental.

However, the beach was not busy at all and there were only two or three people in the water trying to surf. But after a few minutes, they were packing up as the waves were getting too strong. We would have loved to rent a bike and to cylce along the scenic routes on the island. But it was a little too wet so we chose to do some hiking instead..

During our hike, we saw many different types of vegetations, and took a break in one of the rain shelter along the way to take pictures of this beautiful beach and rural landscape.. Despite the light drizzle, we kept walking and passed by a camp site and some beautiful big houses but some of which didn't look like lived in at all. It could be that many of these houses were vacation homes when the owners only stay there a few times a year.

There were other places which we would have loved to visited such as the Olympic Trail which passes by the Man Mo Temple and Silvermine Waterfall. Mui Wo was a refuge for the Southern Song imperial court in the 13th century. In 1278, the last Song emperor, Duanzong, died in Mui Wo while fleeing the Yuan dynasty. His successor was enthroned there, making it a historically important location. Mui Wo is a great base for exploring the island's natural beauty.The most scenic way to reach Mui Wo is by taking a ferry from Central Ferry Pier 6, which takes about 55 minutes on the slow ferry and 35 minutes on the fast ferry, alternatively, visitors can also reach Mui Wo by MTR, HK 's subway system and bus.

Mui Wo is easily accessible from Hong Kong and it is a nice quiet place to visit if you are looking for some peace and tranquility! RT, Mui Wo Hong Kong

Peng Chau - An Unplanned Stop During Our Island Hopping in Hong Kong

We have just spent two days on Cheung Chau Island and were on our way to our next island hopping destination in Hong Kong - Mui WO. The ferry took off at 12:45pm, with a half empty ferry since this was a weekday. As soon as we boarded the ferry, cool air hit us on our faces. what a wonderful reprieve from the 30 plus degree heat outside! It was a delightful ferry boat ride of less than 20 minutes. This was one of the best ways to get out of the searing temperature in the middle of summer in Hong Kong!

When we were about to get off the ferry, my hubby was chatting with a friendly ferry staff member who informed us that the next destination for the ferry would be Peng Chau, only about a 10 minute ride. My hubby got very excited as he heard about this island growing up and always wanted to visit there. So we changed our plan, made a stopover to Peng Chau before heading to Mui Wo. It was shortly after 1:00 p.m. when we reached Peng Chau. With the population of Peng Chau and Hei Ling Chau estimated to be around 6600 people, Peng Chau was a laid back island experience for us. For active people looking for things to do, they could hike on the Finger Hill, visit the Old Leather Factory and various temples or just relax on the beaches and enjoy the nice waterfont view for a while.

. We visited a small market, a library close by and peeked into a few alleyways. Peng Chau is a small village indeed! As it was a hot day, my hubby enjoyed sitting on one of the benches by the pier, feeling the breezes while checking messages on his cell. I saw a modern supermarket close by so I went to buy some water and explored the nearby park and buildings. I always felt safe walking around by myself in Hong Kong and this was no excpetion. I came across some nice old houses and a couple of low rise apartments. Surprisingly, I also found a new development of resort style townhouses by the sea. However, they were not cheap. A couple of friendly women came by and we started talking. Working on a community project sponsored by the Hong Kong government, these two nice ladies were doing some community outreach work on the island. They were trying to recruit a few local Peng Chau residents to sign up for a free government sponsored training program as personal service workers looking after newborns and the elderly. A job offer would be waiting for the candidate upon his/her completion of the training program. They took a look at me and thought I would be a good candidate for this program! I declined the opportunity and informed them that we were on vacation here and not looking for a job. We had a good conversation about the Hong Kong governemnt's community projects trying to promote health and wellbeing to the residents on the island. I was impressed by the government's efforts in reaching out to these remote communites from the Central District of the city.

After my encounter with the two nice ladies, we strolled around a bit and found a decent modern cafe. We went inside, ordered a beer and some cold drinks to quench our thirst before heading back to the ferry terminal to catch the next ferry taking us to Mui Wo - the next destination for our island hopping experience in Hong Kong! Though our visit to Peng Chau was a brief one as we were only here for a few hours, we were happy to have visited this little island of Hong Kong!

RT, Peng Chau, Hong Kong

Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong - The Island Famous for Its Annual Bun Festival

It took less than an hour of ferry ride from the ferry terminal in Hong Kong and we arrived at Cheung Chau Island in late afternoon on a hot summer day. Located right in front of the beach, our hotel was the perfect accommodation for our 2 day stay on Cheung Chau Island.

A soon as we unloaded our lugguage, we ventured out to explore the beach and the rest of the island.

Cheung Chau Island has a totally different feel from the bustling Hong Kong city. With a population of around 25,000 people, Cheung Chau is a popular day trip destination for Hong Kong residents.

It was too late for us to go to the beach but we did have some time exploring the local buildings and neighbourhood. It would be a crime not to taste some of the fresh seafood offered by the restaurants on the island. We made use of this opportunity and feasted on the local seafood freshly caught and prepared by the restaurant chefs. We saw a family next to our table enjoying some very special delicious food that looked different from what we got.

We leanred that they chose and bought their own seafood fresh from a local fisherman stall. Paying for a cooking fee charged by the restaurant, the diners were able to have the chef prepared the seafood according to their preferred style of cooking. We should try that next time! We enjoyed our seafood dinner by the sea tremendously as the night scene was spectacular!

The island has a peaceful vibe as it is largely car free, with most transportation being walking or cycling. The island has sandy beaches that are popular for swimming and relaxation. We were strolling on the streets after 10 p.m and there were still people sitting on the beach in the dark singing and enjoying the cooler breezes.

Though Cheung Chau Island has a small populaton, we saw a good size hospital, a library and community centre with decent recreational facilities offering various programs to its residents.

There were quite a number of activities to do on this island. One of them I loved was the crafts and Do It Yourself store. I loved the crafts shops where visitors could wander in to make their own souvenirs such as cards, pottery and love locks which were hanging outside its store and filled a few walls.

We enjoyed our dinner and breakfast at a couple of the seaside restaurants and cafes. Though it was hot, we managed to walk around a bit and admired the colourful buildings and the fishing village scene.

Cheung Chau is Famous for its annual Bun Festival which usually takes place in May when the Buddha's birthday is celebrated. It involves the construction of three bun towers built in the tradional style with bamboo and covered with steamed sticky buns. Young folks would race up - the higher the buns they can snatch, they believe that the greater the good fortune they would garner for the coming year. The locals also host an annual dragon boat race. It is a highly poular sporting event with both locals and visitors alike taking part in it. Too bad that we were there at the wrong time and missed both events.

We stayed in a nice hotel right by the beach and enjoyed our two days on Cheung Chau island. There are over two hundred island in Hong Kong! They are reachable by Hong Kong's frequent punctual ferry services making island hopping easy, safe, accessible and affordable.

We would be doing more island hopping after our great experience in Cheung Chau Island in the next couple of weeks!

RT, Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong, Summer of 2025

Taking a Ferry to Cheung Chau Island - One of the Numerous Islands in Hong Kong!

It has been hot for the past few days! The temperature has been hovering around 30- 34 degree F. My huband and I are not tropical people and would prefer cooler temperatures. So we decided to go island hopping in Hong Kong for the next week or so!

Two thumbs up to Hong Kong for its public transportation! We took the subway at around 3:00p.m. to the Central Station from where we were and from there, we walked for about 5 minutes without crossing any main roads or exposing ourselves to the mid-day blistering sun. We simply walked out of the subway station straight onto a covered pedestrian bridge taking us right to the ferry station. The covered pedestrain bridge allowed pesdestrians to pause and to enjoy the nice city view and for some picture taking in a safe and protected location. We headed straight to Ferry Statoion Number 5 - the ferry staton designated for ferries going to Cheung Chau Island. For an hour of ferry boat ride, we were charged for only HK $7.20, about Canadian $1.50. ( When you are a senior, you get a 50% discount riding in all Hong Kong buses, subway trains and ferry boats, what a great deal!)

The ferry boat ride was comfortable, cool and relaxing. I was glad that we didn't buy the delux tickets for which the ticket holder would be entitled to sit on the upper deck enclosed with air conditioning as we much preferred the natural air conditioning provided by mother nature. With the sea breezes blowing on our faces, and a lovely blue sky above us, we forgot the searing temperature which we had to endure for the past few days.

It was so nice to get away from the congestion of the Hong Kong city centre. With the smell of the salty sea water and the island within our sight , we looked forward to a couple of days of calm and tranquility on the island of Cheung Chau!

RT, Cheung Chau Island Hong Kong, 2025

Taking Part in Community Events in Hong Kong

We submitted our Chinesee visa applications online but were unsure if we did them correctly. After checking out from our hotel, we went to the China Visa centre to check. There was a nice gentleman at the reception working hard to assist people with their questions. Since we could not find the answer at home on our computer, we went straight to the visa application centre. Once we were there, this nice gentleman asked me to log on to my account on the Centre’s computer. Bingo! As soon as I logged into my account, I was able to find that our applications were under review!! Great, this gave me the assurance that we did everything right and the applications were delivered to the Chinese officials looking after visa applications. We were much relieved! Now we just need to sit tight and wait to receive an email response so that we could go and get our Chinese visas. O God, please let this process go smoothly so that we could enter China without much delay! Thank God for your blessings, love and mercy.

With the visa applications now in the hands of the Chinese government, there was not much we could do. For the next little while, we could take our time to explore and enjoy what Hong Kong had to offer while we were there! One thing that impressed us a lot in Hong Kong during our vacation was the the community services and programs offered by many charitable and Christian organizations to the residents, especially seniors. Since our downtown hotel was right across from a community centre, we went there a few times. We discovered the many services offered to their members at large such as daily breakfast, lunch and dinner services as well as numerous recreational and educational programs, a small self served second hand store where clients could brouse and buy gently used small pieces of furniture and household items, a lounge where residents/ visitors like us could sit, relax, watch TV, read newspapers, a small library, an eating area where people could watch TV and enjoy their snacks/ meals etc. Most of these programs were free!

From what we could see there were numerous community centres throughout the city. One of the events we went to was a fun family event with games for children and those who were young at heart like myself. We went through all the game stations, took part in a survey and even earned a prize at the end! A fun afternoon for all who attended!

RT, A COMMUNITY EVENT CENTRAL DISTRICT, HONG KONG 521570

Fulfilling One of My Childhood Dreams - Visiting Temple Street in Hong Kong

Temple Street in HK - this was one of those places which I heard so much about when I was a kid from everyone, but never had an opportunity to visit it myself. Lots of rumours going around about Temple Street - People did insane things on this street; they cut themselves with knives performing voodoo crafts, dancing half naked, serving crazy food such as snake soups, doves and frog legs and selling lots of incredible cheap things while street performers showcasing their arts and singing with women standing around half cladded selling sex etc. etc. This was an unsavory street and no decent women should visit. My parents forbid my elder sister going there at all and I was too young to be allowed to go anywhere anyway.

This time with more time being in Hong Kong, I was determined to visit this infamous place which I heard so much about. Today, Temple Street is one of these streets often visited by travellors to this city. One the evening we visit, it was a noraml, decent street like any other busy streets with night markets that came alive in HK. However, the scale might be a little larger comparing to other night markets. It occupied a large area and a few of the streets in the Kowloon busy business district.

With numerous stalls lining both sides of the streets, the vendors offered a huge selection of merchandize and items to visitors to Temple Street. Anything you wanted to buy, you could pretty well get it there - clothing and shoes, accessories, lugguage cases, electronics, arts and crafts items, souveniors, watches and jewellry, home decorations, and off course various different types of food! Anything you named it, you could find it there. I could have spent hours there just strolling around and enjoying the atmosphere. It had a party and carnival feel to it and I loved it!

However, I was a little disappointed that we didn't see any of the crazy things that I heard so much about during our recent visit to Temple Street. My husbby told me that this place has calmed down a lot since he last visited there years ago. All the traditional Chinese performances seemed to have gone as the old Chinese artists and performers have aged and not enough young people are taking up the traditional art forms. At the same time, the government has successfully cleaned up the streets preventing any illegal activities taking place there. Today, Temple Street is an interesting busy area attracting many tourists visiting this city. It is a fun place to go and enjoy some shopping and delicious food. We enjoyed our visit and dinner there too. I was glad I finally fulfilled one of my many childhood dreams and visited Temple Street!