Thursday, October 14, 2010

Cheung Sha Beach(es) excursion


Late afternoon at Upper Cheung Sha Beach
in Lantau two Saturdays ago

The really uncrowded middle section of, at 3 kilometers,
Hong Kong's longest beach (if you take both Lower
and Upper Cheung Sha Beaches as one)

In the past forty-eight hours or so, I've received a number of reminders from various sources about how important yet fragile one's health can be, how one's physical and psychological well-being is not at all unrelated -- and how and why it actually is necessary to take a break every once in a while and pause to rest for a bit as well as remember how good life can be.

While people often talk in terms of taking time to smell the roses, my own particular preference is to do such as go out hiking or go for a leisurely walk along a beach. And in Hong Kong, I've felt particularly fortunate to have been able to combine both those activities not once but twice: for example, one day last August when I went to the much vaunted Tai Long Wan in the Sai Kung Peninsula one day last August; and more recently two Saturdays ago when my mother was in town on another of her flying visits.

This time around, our excursion began with an MTR ride from my neck of the woods to Tung Chung in Lantau, followed by a bus that dropped us right at the entrance to Upper Cheung Sha Beach. From there, we walked a couple or more kilometers to Lower Cheung Sha Beach -- pausing often to do such as let the cool and clear sea water wash over our feet, admire the views, people watch and, in my case, take plenty of photographs (and in her case, lie down on the rocks and take a nap!) -- before heading back from whence we had come earlier in the day.

More than once while we were there, my mother exclaimed about how few people there were out on the lovely long beach. And I have to say that I like that it's not at all crowded (especially in the middle section away from the areas not manned by life guards). So I hope that I'm not going to end up contributing too much to a Paradise Lost situation by disclosing what seems to have hitherto been a surprisingly guarded scenic secret. At the same time though, I feel obliged to recommend an excursion to a place like Cheung Sha Beach as a way to de-stress because, in all honesty, even just recalling the memory of that beautiful day at the beach now is helping me to feel more relaxed...! ;b

2 comments:

Gweipo said...

it's great there isn't it - and nice and calm for swimming. The stoep restaurant is also a fun spot to stop and have lunch as you can literally eat on the beach.

On the island, South Bay beach is also usually deserted and is a lovely beach closer to home.

YTSL said...

Hi Gweipo --

It is indeed great there. I'm not much into swimming but do love walking along the beach and wading in the shallows. And yes, have been to The Stoep a few times -- though usually for dinner rather than lunch. :)

Re South Bay Beach: haven't been there (yet) but the last time I went to a Hong Kong Island beach (Wong Chuk Hang), was shocked by the rubbish in the water. So have ventured afield... and think I've found gems in the Cheung Sha Beaches and also Kwun Yam Beach in Cheung Chau. :)