HONG KONG: Looking up at Hong Kong's skyline of soaring office towers and mammoth apartment complexes, it is hard to imagine that a short ferry ride could whisk you away from this bustling metropolis to another world, a world without high rises, cars or crowds.
Just eight miles (13 kilometers) from Hong Kong's Central Pier, Cheung Chau offers a perfect escape from the big city, with a taste of Hong Kong's old island culture and some of the cheapest fresh seafood around. It was once a pirate's cove where renegades of the South China Sea stashed their booty. Today, it is a hideout for tourists and locals alike.