On May 17th, 2025, our family set off on a swimming adventure, aboard Dad's friend's boat, Winds. At 8:30, the friend sent a driver to pick us up from our apartment. The car was a very jazzy minivan with electric reclining seats, footrests, and hot or cold temperature settings. If you take an Uber in Hong Kong, you might find yourself riding one of these luxury vehicles; they are quite common. Some minivans even have massage features in the chairs... very nice.
From Hong Kong Island, we traveled north, under the harbor and through the New Territories of Hong Kong to a beachside town called Sai Kong. Sai Kong is a neighborhood of Hong Kong and has a very waterfront vibe. It is known for its seafood restaurants. As we walked down the boardwalk and onto the dock, we stopped to stare over the edge. About 15 fisherman boats were all lined up, each housing a variety of live sea life in small buckets. The boats were selling seafood. The process of buying was pretty interesting: first, you call down to the fisherman telling them what you want and how you want it, then you feed your money down to them in a bucket-pulley system. Then they either slaughter it on the spot, or put it in a plastic bag full of water, alive and wriggling. Then they put that plastic bag in a bucket and, using a pulley, raises the bucket up to dock level. You collect your seafood and leave. We saw an array of sea life, from cuttlefish, to giant sea stars.
We continued down the dock and found our boat almost immediately. The boat was a three floor catamaran yacht. We had a crew of 3 (including the captain), all super friendly Hong Kong locals.
Image derived from internet
We set out promptly, speeding through the waves for about 15 minutes before tying up to a mooring buoy, about 10-20 meters from the nearest small isolated island(s).
The crew inflated 2 stand up paddle boards, and 3 large floaties. We splashed around in the water for a while, then decided to take the stand-up paddle boards for a swing down to one of the nearby islands. We made the mistake of heading in the same direction as the wind, so it was easy going to the island, but not so easy coming back. I made it okay, but Ansel’s paddle board had a mind of its own. Dad had to launch a rescue operation to retrieve Ansel who had wandered away.
After that event, we took a break in the boat for lunch, and to wait out a quick rain storm. One of the crew members took the dingy (tiny motor boat) to go pick up lunch. We had requested hamburgers. They were delicious!
After lunch, Ansel and I decided to take another expedition, this time in the opposite direction to a farther island. We tethered our boards together so Ansel wouldn’t drift away again. It was hard work pushing against the wind, but we eventually made it. The beach was covered in shells, literally every inch. The shells were so sharp, Ansel and I got numerous scratches on our feet, but we also found some magnificent shells. After we paddled back, Ansel realized that he had left his swimming goggles somewhere on the island. (Sigh) The captain was kind enough to take Dad and Ansel back to the island to look. Miraculously, Ansel spotted the goggles suspended in the water! After that caper, we packed up the floaties, and headed home.
We had a great time in Sai Kong. If you happen to be in Hong Kong, you should definitely try to visit a beach, such as Sai Kong, Repulse Bay Beach or Deep Water Bay.
No comments:
Post a Comment