Living and Working on Stilts

Today we went to Tai O, a fishing village on the southwestern point of the island of Lantau, west of Hong Kong island. 

The MTR took us all the way to Tung Chung, which is the last stop before arriving at the international airport. We must have crossed over bridges but I can't remember them. Lantau also hosts Hong Kong Disneyland, apparently one of the biggest attractions for many, including the checkin clerk at Heathrow! Julie, Michael and I took a taxi to Tai O.

Tai O means 'large inlet,' according to Wikipedia. It's been built on tidal mud flats skirting the shores of two rivers. You will spot the occasional mangrove tree.

Wikipedia also tells me that the fishing trade has become merely a means of subsistence. Younger people migrate to the city. Tourists provide the main source of income. 

Though the houses may look quaint built up on stilts, wikipedia also tells me that most of the dwellings are squatter houses which explains some of the official notices I saw warning inhabitants about risk of landslides. On land, the houses seem to have been clad in a silvery colour 'skin,' which presumably protects them from the weather. The village borders the South China Sea.

Although originally a Tanka village, many of the people there now have fled from mainland China.

Local boatmen offer boat rides in craft that it may not pay to examine too closely. The first one we saw almost capsized when the big, burly Western tourists chose to sit all on one side. They were directed to even themselves out over the seats.

These boats take you up the river to view the remaining stilt houses before going out to sea to try and view dolphins. Every house has at least one boat moored at the bottom of an access ladder and many carry bundled nets, so the fishing trade is obviously not that extinct.

On our first excursion into the sea, we were lucky to spot a Chinese white dolphin. Unlike their cousins elsewhere, who are usually very nosey and love to investigate boats, the Chinese white dolphins are shy and prefer to keep their distance. Julie got a photo of one showing its eye. No mean feat.

Then we walked up the main street lined by dry sea goods, including one with a dried shark, and stalls selling nice tourist trinkets. An ancient man riddled with arthritis sold me a lovely little ceramic turtle. I was getting tired and wanted to sit down. There's only one way to do that in Hong Kong and that's by going into a restaurant and ordering food.

I can't remember its name but the manager was extremely helpful, spoke excellent English and understood my request not to have my food sprinkled with soy sauce. Michael and I shared the platter of the day, fried prawns with garlic, boiled rice followed by fresh, steamed fish. And of course, pak choi. 

There was a minor incident. Although I was wearing my denture, its chewing power is very ineffective and a stem of pak choi started going down the wrong way. I began to choke. Everyone was very concerned. The manager came to see. He took me outside a side door for fresh air. I don't know what he thought when I grabbed his arms to put round me to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre. 

Relief. I sat back down at the table. This was probably the most authentic Chinese food I had in Hong Kong, and I was able to eat it. The meal was served with pots of green tea.

Afterwards, we walked back to the harbour. Michael and I went out a second time on a boat but there were no dolphins on this occasion. There is a huge bridge being constructed out at sea beyond Tai O. I think it's meant to link mainland China with Macao on the other side of the Zhujiang Estuary.

Enough excitement for the day. We caught the number 11 bus back to Tung Chung. There was neither time nor opportunity to go and visit the famous Big Buddha on the island. In hindsight, I think I might have enjoyed the Big Buddha more. I had a particular project in mind for this venue which I was unable to fulfil. The viewpoints would also have been fabulous enabling more genuine landscape photography.  The fishing village is all very well, but doesn't offer too much scope for genuine photography on the basis of quarter of a day sightseeing. We never got to see the temples.

The tour was beginning to wear me and I was getting slower and slower.  Glad to get back to the hotel.

Extra is of the only means of transport in the village: bikes. See the photo album of Tai O on Flickr.