Island Hopping: Tai O, Lantau Island

Yesterday I had a breakthrough. This may sound strange, but yesterday was the first day I actually realized I was living in Asia.

It is true. I have been here almost 7 (gasp!) weeks now.  And you would think that living in a city where the majority of people on the streets are Chinese and are speaking (aka yelling) Chinese, I would have realized this a lot sooner. But the truth about Hong Kong is that it is a world city. It is incredibly international and modern and you’d be hard pressed to walk through downtown Hong Kong without passing a Cartier or a Louis Vuitton while sipping your Starbucks soy latte and feeling just like you’re on 5^th Avenue.

Mangroves and mountains in Tai O.

My breakthrough happened on my third and final Foon Ying trip to Tai O, an old fishing village on the northwest coast of Lantau Island. From Hong Kong Island, Tai O is a 30-minute ferry ride to Mui Wo and then a 45 minute bus ride. The bus ride was beautiful, taking us along the coastline, winding around foggy mountains, and even stopping as cattle crossed the roads.

Tai O is known for its stilt-houses (pang uk in Cantonese) and all along there are hundreds of homes sitting high above the water. I’ve heard this town referred to as the Venice of Hong Kong, but I’ll let you be the judge of that! It was amazing walking through the community and peering into the home’s open doors, where you would see men playing mahjong or napping and elderly women sitting on the stoop, laying shrimp on baskets to dry in the sun.  Because this is a fishing village, the streets are lined with market stalls selling both fresh and dried fish and the town’s popular shrimp paste.

I’ve heard that Cambodia and Thailand have areas that feel very similar and I can’t wait to start traveling to check them out. But yesterday, just an hour and a half after eating my imported Greek yogurt in my air conditioning, there I was in this amazing village. I could have been a million miles from home. But I wasn’t. I was in Hong Kong. Where I live. Amazing.

In case you were worried that my awe would inspire me become a Buddhist nun, fear not. We finished up the day with a glass of wine at the brand new Tai O Heritage Hotel, Tai O’s refurbished police station. The hotel has only nine rooms and is truly spectacular, boasting beautiful architecture, stunning views and an absolutely tranquil environment. I’ll be putting my name down on the wait list for a room but rumor has it the wait list is 2 years long!  So for now I’ll have to settle for a day trip now and then. I think I can handle that.

Check out the bamboo scaffolding used for construction.