Lamma is the closest island to Hong Kong Island and the third-largest in the SAR, lying just to the southwest of Aberdeen, and conspicuous for the giant chimneys protruding from its power station on the western shore. The tiny population of roughly five thousand includes a number of Western expatriates who have come here in search of a more laid-back existence - although their numbers have dwindled since the introduction of tougher visa restrictions in 1997 and the end of the airport building project the following year. Despite the power station and the island’s quarrying industry, the air is cleaner than in the main urban areas, and there are lots of cheap, interesting restaurants, no cars and you can walk across green hills to sandy beaches.
There are two possible points of arrival on Lamma, either by ferry from Central to Yung Shue Wan, or to Sok Kwu Wan either from Central or from Aberdeen. By flat the nicest way to appreciate the island is to take a boat to eitherYung ShueWan or Sok Kwu Wan, then walk to the other and catch the boat back from there.
Yung Shue Wan is a pretty litde tree-shaded village where the bulk of the island’s residents live, with one or two hotels and a clustering of small grocery stores, bars and eating places catering for both Chinese and Western palates. There’s a very relaxed feel to the place in the evening when people sit out under the banyan trees. To walk to Sok Kwu Wan from here (1hr), follow the easy-to-find cement path that branches away from the shore by the Light House Bar, shortly before the Tin Hau Temple. Make your way through the rather grotty apartment buildings on the outskirts of the village and you’ll soon find yourself walking amid butterflies, long grass and trees. After about fifteen min- utes you’ll arrive at Hung Shing Yeh Beach, a nice place if you stick to its northern half; stray a few metres to the south, though, and you’ll rapidly find your horizon filling up with power station. There are a couple of places to get a drink or rent a room, including one proper hotel with restaurant (the Concerto Inn, see p.723), where you can sit on the outdoor terrace and eat relatively inexpensive sandwiches, noodles and rice dishes. One of Lamma’s best restau- rants, the Hah Lole Yuen is just up the hill behind the beach - its speciality is roast pigeon. On from the beach, the path climbs quite sharply up to a little summit with a pavilion commanding views over the island. Continue on for another hour or so and you’ll reach Sok Kwu Wan, which basically compris- es a row of seafood restaurants with terraces built out over the water. The food and the atmosphere are good, and consequently the restaurants are often full of large parties of locals enjoying lavish and noisy meals. Some of the larger places also operate their own boat services for customers. Many people get the ferry over to Sok Kwu Wan in the evening for dinner, but, if you’re not taking a restaurant service, make sure you don’t miss the last scheduled boat back at 10.50pm, because there’s nowhere to stay here - your only option would be to hire a sampan back to Aberdeen.
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