Tai-O fishing village Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Tai O fishing village

Date: 4th July, 2012

After boarding the bus from Ngong Ping village, I made my way to Tai O village (HK$6.60 one way).

Lantau village road Hong Kong
It was nice to see sights that are not commonly associated with Hong Kong’s usual glitz

River Lantau island Hong Kong

Tai O fishing port Lantau island
It was a 20-minute ride (or so) to reach Tai O village

Wing On street Tai O Hong Kong

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.

Tai O market Hong Kong
I just wanted to walk about freely
Dried seafood Hong Kong market
A LOT of dried (sea)food on offer
Tai O fishing village market street
I had no idea where I was going.
Dog Tai-O village street
Hey doggie!
Tai-O wet market Hong Kong
Obviously plenty of fresh fish on sale here
Tai-O bridge Hong Kong village
Delivery guys were riding these nifty modified bikes(?) to transport goods through narrow lanes
Tai-O fishing village Hong Kong
This is pretty much how the village looks
Tai-O market street Hong Kong
Oh, is this where the market actually starts?
Tai-O village delivery bike Hong Kong
Pretty cool huh? 🙂
Dried squid Tai O market Hong Kong
Dried seafood was everywhere
Bbq cheese shrimp lobster Tai O Hong Kong
Barbecued shellfish topped with cheese seemed to be a bit of a specialty here
Cycling Tai O village Hong Kong
I was liking this place so far

Tai O village street Hong Kong

Tai O village Lantau island
I just kept walking
Tai O fishing village dry shores
Don’t know if it was because of the summer or not, but seemed to be very little water up to the shore lines
Squids out dry Tai O village China
So this is how they dry the squids

Tai O fire station Hong Kong

Small restaurant Tai O village Hong Kong
Maybe it was because of the time of the day, but not many of the village folk seemed to be out and about
Tai O fishing village houses Hong Kong
Really tiny houses

Tai O village lawn bench Hong Kong

Tai O village playground Hong Kong
Impressed to see even villages in Hong Kong have well designed playgrounds

Tai O village alley

Tai O village fishing boats Hong Kong
Tai O fishing village dry seas

Tai O village jackfruit tree
Durian or jackfruit?

Tai O village cat Hong Kong

Tai O village trees Lantau Hong Kong
I walked back

Tai O temple Hong KongTai O building Lantau China

Husband pork snack Tai O Hong Kong
Husband is a pig. The wife must run this joint 🙂
Houses Tai O village Hong Kong
I walked back to the stream
Chinese stores Tai O village Hong Kong
I really had no clue where to go next, I just kept walking

Tai O village bridge Hong Kong

Stilt houses fishing village Hong Kong
Odd to see dry sight like this
Stilt houses Tai O village Hong Kong
Guessing their boats are stuck until rainy season

Tai O village bridge cycle

Old couple Tai O village Hong Kong
I decided to walk back
Stilt houses shell formations Hong Kong
Will these stilts last?

Boats Tai-O Hong Kong

Snow White bride Hong Kong
“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.

Going on boat ride Tai O village
The boat was just me and another couple
Big house Tai O village Hong Kong
One of the ‘posher’ houses in Tai O

Tai O village boat rideTai O fishing village bridge Hong Kong

Tai O village beach Hong Kong
The boat turned around
Tai O market bridge Hong Kong
We were now heading out to sea

Tai O village boats Lantau islandFishing boats Tai O Lantau Hong KongBarrage Lantau island Hong KongStone barrage Lantau island Hong KongSun Lantau island

Sea Lantau island
We slowed down as we got away from the mainland
Sunset glow sea Lantau island
The boat driver stopped the engines and began to throw small fish into to the water to lure the dolphins out
Sea dolphin sighting Hong Kong
None came. Wondered if there really are any dolphins in these parts. HK$20 they charge for this.
Lantau island hills Hong Kong
But I didn’t mind
Lantau island Hong Kong
I was even more relaxed sitting in the boat listening to the sound of waves
Tai O port Lantau island
After a few minutes of floating around, the boat rode back to the village
Mithun Divakaran boat Hong Kong
Me, attempting a self-shot

Stilt village Tai O Hong Kong

Tai O river stream Lantau island
I enjoyed the boat ride, felt even more relaxed by it
Tai O village entrance Lantau Hong Kong
It was time to leave
Tai O flower garden Hong Kong
There may be other villages like this around Hong Kong, but I still recommend a visit to Tai O when on Lantau island
Tai O bus station Hong Kong
I waited for the 6:30pm bus
Hill driving Lantau island
It was a hilly ride back to Tung Chung town center (HK$11.50)

Lantau bus Hong Kong

Hills Lantau island Hong Kong
Never expected to see such views in Hong Kong

Hong Kong hill Lantau island

Inside bus Lantau island
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.
Cows on road Lantau islan Hong Kong
And they said it only happens in India! 🙂 Poor cows, grazing lands lost to urbanization.
Cheung Sha beach Lantau Hong Kong
Lantau island is home to many nice beaches. Making it the perfect weekend getaway for Hong Kong residents.
Lantau island property Hong Kong
I wonder how long will it be before even the smaller outlying islands will find houses built on them.
Cable car Lantau hill Hong Kong
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.

Next post in this series:

Hong Kong 2012: Last day in Hong Kong, and one day in Bangkok

Previous posts in this series:

Hong Kong 2012: Ngong Ping 360 cable car, Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery

Hong Kong 2012: Bird Market, Apliu Street Flea Market, Golden Computer Arcade

Photos from K-Pop Nation 2012 concert in Macau: U-KISS, B.A.P, SHINee, and Girls Generation

One day in Macau: The Venetian, Senado Square and Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral

Hong Kong 2012: Mong Kok’s many markets, and fireworks at Victoria Harbour

Hong Kong 2012: Tsim Sha Tsui, Chungking Mansion, Avenue Of Stars, and Kowloon Park

Hong Kong 2012: Gurudwara, and walking around Wan Chai

Hong Kong 2012: Views from Victoria Peak, day to night

Hong Kong 2012: Getting there

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One Comments

  • Gale

    30/08/2015

    Good 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. 😛

Comments are closed.