Hong Kong | Day Two

Lamma Island

A nice spot for a picnic

A view from higher up

Checking out the view

Lunch time

A bbq area next to the beach

Boats in the water by Yung Shue Wan village

As I am writing this today, we are now in Taipei City, Taiwan, and it has been over two weeks since we left Hong Kong! Therefore, I am a bit behind in writing this post, about our day trip in Hong Kong to Lamma Island. I've got a bit of catching up to do on these posts... so let's get started!

Lamma Island is a short ferry ride from Hong Kong Island, about 25 minutes. We got up early one morning and left for the island after we had breakfast, ready for a full day of exploring the island. We arrived at Sok Kwu Wan village by mid morning, and started the walk across the island to another village called Yung Shue Wan. The path was paved almost the whole way up, and look out points along the way offered picturesque views of the mountains and the beaches below. I wasn't sure what to expect when I read that there was a walking trail between these two villages, but I was pleasantly surprised by how nicely the path was maintained and easy to walk along. We stopped off at some picnic benches at lunchtime and ate our sandwiches that we had brought with us, next to the beach, and a really nice BBQ area that was set up there.

After lunch we continued our walk, passing through little rustic villages, and locals who were set up along the path selling refreshments. Lamma Island is such a contrast to the main city of Hong Kong, with it's constant traffic and endless skyscrapers. On the island, boats bob peacefully in the water, and the only skyscrapers are in the mountainous scenery.

It didn't take long before we had reached Yung Shue Wan village, the endpoint of our walk. We checked out some of the seafood restaurants and then sat down by the sea for a rest, before taking the ferry back to Central.

Hong Kong Maritime Museum

On the ferry with Charlotte

View from the ferry

Eating an ice cream while Charlotte is sleeping!

Kowloon Park

Practicing taking steps in the park

Checking out the aviary

When we got back to Kowloon Peninsula, we decided to take a walk up to Kowloon Park, as it was still early in the evening. Charlotte had fallen asleep, so I decided to have a sneaky ice cream cone while she was still sleeping 😁
The park was beautiful and perfectly manicured and maintained. It is such a credit to the city that all of their parks and outdoor spaces are in pristine condition, and provide such a wonderful space for families especially to relax in. This particular park had a big children's playground, a hedged maze, a bird aviary, and a public swimming pool. I think it's safe to say that I'm a little bit obsessed with the parks in Hong Kong! haha 😆

I hope you enjoyed reading this post :)
I'll be posting the last post about our stay in Hong Kong soon!

Hannah xx

Hoi An

Palm trees line the riverfront

Newlyweds get their wedding pictures taken in the Ancient Town!

A cloudy day in Hoi An

So many colourful lanterns!

Hoi An bridge

Japanese covered bridge

Cute little courtyard art gallery

The town gets busy as the sun sets

A walk along the river

Boats at sunset

An Bang Beach

We have spent the last couple of weeks in Hoi An, which is located in central Vietnam, and is well visited for its beautifully preserved Ancient Town, a World Heritage Site. The town used to be a trading port from the 15th to 19th centuries, and influences of many different nationalities can be found here, from its Japanese bridge, and Chinese assembly halls, to its colonial style buildings.

Nearly every restaurant and shop in the old town has colourful lanterns hanging outside their doors, and at night, when all of the lanterns are lit up, the town really comes to life, and the atmosphere is magical. Boats bob along the riverbanks day and night, and you can't walk along the river without being asked if you'd like to take a boat tour. Take a detour from the river, and you'll be harassed by shop people asking if you want to buy something. Yes, Hoi An is very touristic, but you still can't really help but be sucked in by its charm.

Every person who visits Hoi An must buy a ticket for entrance into the Ancient Town, which is valid for your whole stay there. On your ticket you also get 5 entries into different museums and historic sites within the whole town. We visited a couple of the assembly halls and old houses in the town. I really like the idea of buying the one ticket for entrance into the old town, because it means that the money goes back into preserving the town. We noticed that the streets were quite clean, and there were separate bins for organic and regular waste. The whole old town is closed off to cars, and at certain times motorbikes as well, which means it is the perfect place to leisurely stroll around. 

Hoi An is the perfect place to come to relax, enjoy good food, and take in some beautiful architecture and natural scenery. And that is exactly what we did for three weeks! We found the most perfect room to stay in which was very close to the centre of town, and the family who owned the house were so lovely, and they loved Charlotte! They even babysat her for a couple of hours so that Nathan and I could go out to dinner. We celebrated Charlotte's first birthday while we were in Hoi An, and the family surprised us with a cake with 'Happy birthday Charlotte' beautifully written on top.

As well as strolling around the streets of the old town, we also spent a lot of time at An Bang beach, which is a short car ride from the town. We found a restaurant that served great food there called La Plage. Charlotte is definitely going to be a beach baby, because she loves playing in the sand, and even though the water was cold, she didn't mind it at all.

We loved our stay in Hoi An, and if we weren't running out of time on our visas, we probably would have stayed longer! But we still have more to see in Vietnam, and we are now in Hanoi, and are due to visit Halong Bay in the next couple of days.

Thanks for reading,
Hannah x