Monday, August 22, 2011

Hong Kong's Tai O

Tai O is a fishing village at the Lantau island. It was one of the places that I visited while I was in Hong Kong. It's actually popular for its seafood (and dried seafood), but I went there more to soak in the rustic feel of the place. You should also try their Soya Bean Milk and the Wife's Biscuits. This village is home to the Tanka people, a community of fisherfolk who have built their homes on stilts above the tidal flats.

There are a few ways of getting there but I made my way to Tai O from the Tian Tan Buddha, after the vegetarian meal. You can either take Bus 11 from the Tung Chung station, or like me, take Bus 21 from the Tian Tan Buddha bus terminal. It's quite a short trip on Bus 21 from Tian Tan Buddha, about 15mins. It costs about HKD6.60 on a weekday or HKD14.00 on other days.

Anyway, welcome to Tai O. :)


At the entrance of Tai O, you'll see a map of the Tai O area. There are a few areas of interest which you can explore if you have the time. Below is the picture of the map.


Why do I like the rustic feel of the place? Take a look at the pictures below. It's a refreshing sight from all the urban buildings that we are used to.




There are boats there that will bring you out to sea but looking at the waters, I doubt there's much to see. I instead choose to walk around. I decided to go the Pavilion, which is at the edge of the island. I passed by an interesting courtyard where windows were drawn on the building. Quite interesting.


There are also interesting houses like the Snow White and the 7 dwarves below. For your information, I think Snow White at Tai O is looking for a husband. :)


An interesting shuttled shop below.


I find it interesting that they have metal buildings around Tai O. I wonder if it helps keep the heat out.


After walking past many buildings, cats and dogs, I finally saw the tidal flats of Tai O. You may not be able to see in the pictures below but there were a number of people working at the tidal flats. I'm not sure what they are collecting though.



However, I did see a number of crabs at the tidal flats, like the one waving at me below. :)


After walking so long, I've finally reached the Pavilion. Below is the picture of the Pavilion. 


My advice? Umm... You can stop at the tidal flats. :) 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

adsventuresinchina.com/2011/05/12/hong-kong-part-2/ -

12 May 2011 – Tai O residents live in "stilt houses" above the water. Most of these houses are wrapped in sheet metal to keep out the elements. ...

chantc said...

Hmm, do you happen to know what's the difference between sheet metal and normal bricks in keeping out elements?

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