Festivals in Hong Kong are always lively and interesting but this on one Ko Lau Wan island in Sai Kung was really something special. Only held every 7 years (neighbouring Grass Island celebrates every 10 years!) it's an incredibly exciting time for the local villagers and an opportunity for friends and relatives to gather from near and far. Their Da Jiu 'worshipping the gods' festival might not include the spectacular bun towers that Cheung Chau islanders famously construct, but many local traditions that are unique to this area are kept alive. Women don ornate headdresses and beautiful costumes while welcoming visitors off the small ferries and lion dancers perform alongside kirin. A bamboo theatre was precariously constructed over the ocean with a makeshift corrugated iron washroom balancing up high on bamboo stilts next door. Although we weren't able to see it, an enormous ghost king statue was built on the hillside and villagers wrote down the names of all male residents on his body before setting him alight. This is also a festival associated with vegetarianism, with some worshippers abstaining from meat for a few weeks up to a month. After a hot afternoon walking around we were invited to join a family in eating pun choi, which is an enormous bowl of long cooked meat, tofu and veggies. I'm so glad that I made the looooong trip out there despite being sick, at least now I have another 7 years to recover before the next one?