After boarding the bus from Ngong Ping village, I made my way to Tai O village (HK$6.60 one way).
It was nice to see sights that are not commonly associated with Hong Kong’s usual glitz
It was a 20-minute ride (or so) to reach Tai O village
Touts approached myself and the other tourists to ask us if we wanted to go on a dolphin-sighting boat ride and tours of the village. I said ‘no’. They insisted the boats were on their “last trip,” but I’ve heard all this before from my travels across Asia. It’s more often a pressure tactic.
I just wanted to walk about freelyA LOT of dried (sea)food on offerI had no idea where I was going.Hey doggie!Obviously plenty of fresh fish on sale hereDelivery guys were riding these nifty modified bikes(?) to transport goods through narrow lanesThis is pretty much how the village looksOh, is this where the market actually starts?Pretty cool huh? 🙂Dried seafood was everywhereBarbecued shellfish topped with cheese seemed to be a bit of a specialty hereI was liking this place so far
I just kept walkingDon’t know if it was because of the summer or not, but seemed to be very little water up to the shore linesSo this is how they dry the squids
Maybe it was because of the time of the day, but not many of the village folk seemed to be out and aboutReally tiny houses
Impressed to see even villages in Hong Kong have well designed playgrounds
Durian or jackfruit?
I walked back
Husband is a pig. The wife must run this joint 🙂I walked back to the streamI really had no clue where to go next, I just kept walking
Odd to see dry sight like thisGuessing their boats are stuck until rainy season
I decided to walk backWill these stilts last?
“Snow White Spouse Wanted”? 🙂
I still had some time before catching the bus back to Tung Chung Station, so I decided to go for the boat tour. Not so much so for the dolphins, because more often than not, you barely see any. But I was so relaxed walking through the peace and calm of the village, I wanted to extend the feeling before I returned to the madness of Mong Kok.
The boat was just me and another coupleOne of the ‘posher’ houses in Tai O
The boat turned aroundWe were now heading out to sea
We slowed down as we got away from the mainlandThe boat driver stopped the engines and began to throw small fish into to the water to lure the dolphins outNone came. Wondered if there really are any dolphins in these parts. HK$20 they charge for this.But I didn’t mindI was even more relaxed sitting in the boat listening to the sound of wavesAfter a few minutes of floating around, the boat rode back to the villageMe, attempting a self-shot
I enjoyed the boat ride, felt even more relaxed by itIt was time to leaveThere may be other villages like this around Hong Kong, but I still recommend a visit to Tai O when on Lantau islandI waited for the 6:30pm busIt was a hilly ride back to Tung Chung town center (HK$11.50)
Never expected to see such views in Hong Kong
The bus picked up more passengers on the way and it was soon full. But it had to often stop and swerve to avoid hitting the cows on the road.And they said it only happens in India! 🙂 Poor cows, grazing lands lost to urbanization.Lantau island is home to many nice beaches. Making it the perfect weekend getaway for Hong Kong residents.I wonder how long will it be before even the smaller outlying islands will find houses built on them.A 30-minute ride and by sunset, I was back at the main bus station
Even though the day started very hot at Ngong Ping, I was still in a calm (albeit a bit tired) state because of my visit to Tai O. After six days of maddening crowds, neon lights, shoppers milling about in Mong Kok… I didn’t regret coming to a fishing village for a bit of serenity and a laid-back life. Tomorrow, I had to wake up early to go to Ocean Park and head to the airport by evening. My journey was coming to an end.
Gale
30/08/2015Good to know that there’s a place like this in Hongkong. Also, I think it’s just low tide. The sea didn’t really dried up. 😛