Peng Chau in Winter (冬日的坪洲)

Peng Chau has always had a special meaning for me. It was the birthplace of one of my best friends who shared an important part of my life in a foreign land, who first initiated me into the art of the silver screen and who later went on to become the guardian of what we may see and may not see on the public cinemas of Hong Kong. It's also the site of the biggest manufacturer in Hong kong of a most convenient form of having instant fire which no cigarette smokers and no family could do without in the 1950s and 1960s if they didn't want to go without the joy of blowing smoke rings or even just simply having their breakfast, lunch or dinner, an economic activity which played a crucial part in providing bread and butter for my family. But nowadays, it has become one of the few places left in Hong Kong where I can still  enjoy a leisurely walk without fear of being run over by a speeding car, van or lorry and to smell the salty smell of the sea.

a view of the bridge linking Tsing Yi and Lantao Island from the Peng Chau Island Trail

One of the beaches I passed on that trail

The main beach on Peng Chau island

Boats awaiting hire by interested anglers

Some ring shapes at the side of a rain shelter near to the Peng Chau market

Huge columns piled up close to the broad walk next to the sea, like a little pyramid awaiting further building works

Mango shaped leaves at the side of the island trail 

Fish nets on land can be put to excellent use for other purposes too

 A leaf clinging on to the wire fence even in death

Plants are cleverer than we give them credit for. Huge leaves will droop and huddle together to conserve water under the hot midday sun.

Other smaller leaves will take advantage of the sun to grow and increase their size

Often only when dying will the structures which held up the leaf during its bloom show up more clearly

The Hibiscus are as beautiful on this island as everywhere else in Hong Kong

 A guardian with gold on one hand and jade on the other at one of the local shrines

Some abandoned machinery for crushing rubble and mixing concrete used for building the recently completely broad walk at the furthest end on the south of the ferry pier  
 

Beautiful orchids basking in the sun at the side of one of the houses there 

  Another flower displaying it glory under the sun

Abandoned furniture at a deserted houses at that corner of the island

 Chau Kung Island and Heilingchau seen from that corner?

A Chinese lantern guarding the laudry beneath the canopy

Back to busy Central again

When I lifted my head, I found something most spectacular.

This is what my quick camera shutter caught before the unusual sight disappeared! A most wonderful conclusion to a very satisfying stroll to that special island.