I consider myself quite lucky that out of all the outlying islands of Hong Kong, I live on Lantau island, because there are so many options for getting around and doing things.

The other islands, such as Cheung Chau and Lamma, only have one transportation option — the ferry to Central. Not only do we have a 24-hour ferry to Central and a bus to Tung Chung train/bus terminal, but we are also blessed with a crappy little inter-island ferry called a kai-to, which pops over to the Trappist Dairy a few bays over (a Buddhist monastery that makes milk, yogurt and lord knows what else), Mui Wo (a few more bays over), and to Peng Chau, the nearby island I mentioned last week.

Colorful dragons hang in a Peng Chau shop selling a variety of decorations for your home, in preparation for Chinese New Year.

Today I went with my friend Grishma to Peng Chau to try to find the organic farm there, because Grishma had heard that you could pay for a lot to grow your own greens and try out your green thumb.

It took us a while to find the place, because 69 Wing On Street was nowhere to be found. We found the numbers up to 68, and then from 70 to 100, but no 69. We went up a path and got a little bit lost… Came across a garden which we thought must be the organic one, but it most certainly wasn’t, so we felt quite foolish when we realised we had just wandered right into some poor old Chinese man’s garden and he was probably wondering what on earth these two ‘gwailo’ were doing wandering through his vegetables. He seemed quite good natured about it though. Finally we found the organic farm, had a quik chat with a woman holding a basket of sweet potatoes, and then were on our way.

A Chinese graveyard, with coffins stacked in rows. On the front of the coffins are the pictures of the deceased.

Mostly we just spent quite a lot of time just wandering around Peng Chau and taking in the atmosphere. We found a lovely art gallery with many original paintings of Hong Kong by a man born and bred in Peng Chau, and I am more than tempted to buy one. Walked along the shoreline, enjoying the sea breeze, watching families bar-b-que… the more that I visit Peng Chau, the more that I like it. So quiet and peaceful. No golf carts, no buses… I might have to move there!

It’s nice and quiet.. shh, shh… it’s oh so still… shh, shh…

But the best thing that happened today was pure serendipity. For a while now I’ve had an urge to learn how to play the acoustic guitar. In fact, for a long time. While on Peng Chau I came across a little music studio, advertising private guitar lessons, and I jotted down the number and thought maybe I would call some time.

Fate smiled upon me when we arrived back home — we walked past a little weekend flea market where a Philippino woman was selling all kinds of things, and I glimpsed a beautiful, albeit dusty, acoustic guitar propped up carelessly against a fence. I picked it up, asked the woman how much, and when she said HK $50, I whipped open my wallet and forked it over faster than you can say ‘I’ll take it’. Imagine, a perfectly good guitar, for US $7.50.

I took it home, very pleased with myself, and then realised I didn’t have the foggiest clue what to do. So I turned to the miracle that is the internet, and found a page with chords. Struck a C which was definitely NOT a C… in fact it sounded more like a vomiting cat.

So I then searched for ‘how to tune a guitar’, and found this nifty little site which helped me out. I sat on the couch, singing, ‘A, A, A, Aaaaa’ as I tuned the guitar. Finally, when it was ready and I struck that C chord, and the pitch was perfect and each note played in harmony, it was a glorious feeling. I wish I had picked up a guitar years ago. But, these things happen at their own time, I suppose. Better late than never.