A Day At Ma Wan Island

August 20, 2023

_{Photos mine, Edited in Canva}

- Oscar Wilde

When I heard about this island not long ago, I promised myself I would visit it. Opportunities came, however, bad weather conditions always ruined them. Remember the day I went to Spinning Factory at The Mills, I was supposed to go to this island but it rained heavily. When the weather got better, my body got sick which impeded my plans. How unfortunate I was last month, only hoping for the best days to come. One weekend, even though I wasn't fully recovered yet, I opted to go out and travel. Because the longer I stay in the four corners of my room, the more I get sick.

On the 23rd of July, off I went to Ma Wan Island regardless of my health condition. It's been a while since I traveled to an island, and I missed being close to nature. That's how I feel better because nature heals, nature restores, and nature cleanses my body and soul. I was a bit late because I went out at around 12. I planned to catch the next ferry trip at 1:15. There are a few ways to go to Ma Wan Island, but I chose the one nearest to me, the Tsuen Wan West Ferry Pier. I opted to buy take-out food for lunch as it would be late if I dined in, and I ate it while waiting for the ferry.

The moment I spotted the island from afar, I eventually loved it, especially since the weather was just so wonderful. Every breath of fresh air I inhaled helped cleanse my airways and help me breathe well. The warmth of the sun embraced my body and helped me feel more enthusiastic, rather than sick. The wonders of nature are something I truly love.

Going to the island, we passed by two of the popular bridges, the Tsing Ma and Kap Shui Mun Bridges, connecting Hong Kong Island to Lantau and the New Territories.

_{Tsing Ma Bridge, the sixteenth world's longest span suspension bridge.}

_{Kap Shui Mun Bridge, one of the world's longest cable-stayed bridges.}

Welcome to Ma Wan Island!

Ma Wan Island is just a small island in Tsuen Wan District, yet, enough to satisfy my travel appetite. It only has an area of less than one square kilometer, or around a hundred hectares, which is quite small to explore for a day. There are several scenic spots on this island where people keep coming back.

In more or less ten minutes, I arrived at the island, where hidden gems were waiting to be explored. I took a few shots of the Tsing Ma bridge before heading off. Each time I passed by this bridge and saw small islands underneath it, I would always want to go down and see what lay on them.

Uncertain of where to start, I continued walking to wherever my feet would take me. Wherever it is, I'm certain that it's worth taking. I thought it would be easy to locate all the spots I wanted to visit, but it wasn't. Yet, the scenic view inspired me to continue.

I embarked on a new journey to find the Ghost Town situated on this island that I initially planned to explore first. I explored the island while looking for this town. I passed by the tranquil village, which almost seemed abandoned since I seldom spotted people on the street. Houses are smaller than in cities, which reminded me of those in our home country's villages

Ma Wan was a prehistoric village, and remains from 3000 BC have been found. It eventually turned into a modern island, especially when a private residence, Park Island, was established and other projects followed. Those remains are preserved in a Heritage Center which I will share in a separate post one of these days.

The main purpose of visiting this island was to explore the Ghost Town or the former fishermen's village that has been vacated due to the establishment of new projects. Private residences and new villages were built, the beach was renovated, and more projects were constructed. Some projects are currently ongoing, causing other spots to be temporarily closed.

On my way to find the Ghost Town, I spotted the way to the Tin Hau Temple so I decided to make a detour. This is just one of over a hundred temples dedicated to the goddess Tin Hau across Hong Kong. It's just a small one, and some worshipers would stop by to offer prayers to the goddess and light incense sticks. The ashes of incense sticks on the urn are evidence that people still visit the place.

Something caught my attention below the hill, so I zoomed out with my camera. There were fishing rafts and boats in the water. I thought it was the abandoned village I was looking for, so I searched for the way going down, but to no avail.

I saw a sign going to a military youth camp from the temple, but I opted not to visit it since it was pre-booked for groups only. The Solar Tower, which is also one of the tourist attractions on the island, was closed for some reason. An ongoing construction project beside it is probably the cause.

As I got my feet back on the street, my search for the way to the Ghost Town continued, and I passed by the scenic Alliance Church. I wondered, though, if people were visiting it, as it looked empty. Near the church was a nature trail to Ma Wan Garden. I opted to skip for a while because I wanted to look for the Ghost Town, especially since the time was running out.

At this point, I was a bit frustrated, as Google Maps wasn't helpful. Even the island directory was tough to understand, as I couldn't locate the scenic spots stated in the directory, lol. I'm not good at directions, I must admit. Gladly, a man passed by who taught me the direction and who was also going to the same place. And while following him, I realized that the trail was just behind the church near the Solar Tower, lol.

Finding the right way consumed a lot of time, and I felt disappointed upon knowing that the Ghost Town is temporarily closed for renovations. As the man said, the place will probably be opened to the public next year. I felt sad at the same time upon hearing the news, and the thought of losing the chance to explore the Ghost Town made me even sadder.

I thought it would be great for another #UrbanExploration but I failed to even see the unrenovated Ghost Town up close since it was already fenced and covered. There wasn't any information about the renovation on the internet either, so I wasn't aware of it.

This village is hundreds of years old and is the only remnant of the old fishing village on the island. When the construction of the Park Island complex began, the villagers were rehoused on the other side of the island and were given great compensation. The place was then vacated and later called Ghost Town. The empty houses were sealed with fences and left to rot.

_{The Solar Tower at the backdrop}

Soon, the Ghost Town will be out of the frame, and renovated houses will be the new tourist attraction. Either a new complex will be built, or Ghost Town's houses will be revamped into more attractive facilities.

What remained are boats that seem to have been abandoned as well, and deteriorated by natural elements and time. This mangrove area, based on what I've seen in the island's directory, serves as Typhoon Shelter where fishing boats are docked during strong typhoons.

The enormous Tsing Ma Bridge at the back is another attraction.

Although disappointed, I opted to walk back to the main street and find some interesting places instead. I was looking for the hiking trail to the hill. But this as well was a failure.

From the Ghost Town site, I detoured to another exit and passed by this old residential house. Probably one of the abandoned old houses that remained untouched. The facade looked old, and the glass windows were broken.

I peeked through the hole and saw an empty room on the first floor.

I was planning to trespass on this abandoned house, but when I saw the backdoor and stairs going up with things on the sides, I backed out. Someone seems to be living freely in the abandoned house, and making use of it despite being old and broken, rather than being completely left behind.

From this area, the Sweet Garden and Hilltop Lookout are just a few steps ahead. The garden has a bohemian concept surrounded by vibrant flowers, and at the end of an archway is this arch pavilion that looks nostalgic and is a great spot for a photoshoot.