I came across this jem of a place on instagram and through google. After asking about it with my hong kong friends i knew this would be a good wanderlust day trip in the outskirts of Hong Kong. Here's shauneeie review on Tai O.
How to get to Tai O:
1. We took the Ngong Ping cable car to Ngong Ping Village (about HKD 200 per person, around 30 mins ride) at Tung Chung MTR and hailed a cab from the Ngong Ping Village terminal (HKD60, roughly 10mins). Another way would be to take bus 21 from Ngong Ping VIllage bus terminal (Much cheaper but takes around 20mins).
2. Another cheaper but less scenic way is to take bus 11 from Tung Chung MTR which takes roughly an hour.
amazed at our high can these cable cars go
the sun was at its worst, which made for a worthy shot
michelle here was admiring the greens around
our see through cable car. it was actually quite scary
the taxi driver was crazy but it was dope. Turning and swiveling around bends.
Getting around Tai O:
Walk. Tai O is relatively small and a stroll around the village would be the best means of getting around.
What to do at Tai O:
Tai O Fishing village is really just a small, scenic, traditional decades old looking village. When i was there, tourists were mostly locals and the folks were all friendly and chatty. We could cover the village in 4 hours but that is because we came over a tad too late. A whole afternoon would be good as there were small lanes that we did not cover. There were small seafood shops, stalls selling very original hong kong snacks as well as a modern Tai O Hotel perched at side of the hill. Good for picture taking
here's michelle and the Tai O welcome sign. abit small
it was low tide
the river which made tai o village
she was complaining about the low tide
the ah ma's were picking crabs which are sold at the shops in the village
we were trying to trespass into the inner lanes of tai o
Don't be lazy and please walk all the way to to end of Tai O. A new modern hotel, perched on the hill side will greet you. The Tai O lookout is a very scenic restaurant to cool down and have a beer. Its interiors are nicely done and i believe at night would be all so romantic.
what's for dinner?
amazed at how vast the south china sea can be
another view of the restaurant. and my new cap for just HKD39
What to eat at Tai O:
The part everyone is waiting for. Eats in Tai O. Truthfully, we did not expect to eat much in Tai O because there weren't much being recommended when i googled. nontheless, kept my expectation low and we were pleasantly surprised.
1. The mala fishballs (shauneeie4hands)
the fishballs were awesome. i am not a fishball guy but i was completely sold to it. Almost as if the fishballs were cooked in the sauce for days! every bite was palate teasing.
2. Egglets (shauneeie5hands)
how else to describe it. Great setting. A grumpy old man. Scent of egglets which linger around the area. A queue. Taking his own sweet time, the uncle will make one set of egglet at a time. using charcoal and an electric fan to cool down the piping hot egglets, they were so good.
look out for this hut!
where old meets new, when technology meets tradition.
even the mixture smells so good
because the egglets were to yummy to be eaten
3. Grilled cuttlefish (shauneeie5hands)
Most asians country will have their own version of the cuttlefish. Be it in Taiwan or in Indonesia, i will definitely spot this scene. Hong Kong is no exception and this old man here is quite a show boater. The way he grills and prepares his cuttlefish will leave you in no doubts that every job can be made interesting if you are passionate about it. 5 hands from me for his entertainment (as well as that fresh cuttlefish).
4. Tai O's version of 煎饼
Didnt get to try this because we were too full. Sometimes its really tough travelling with the two of us. We often miss out on trying food because we are too full from the many varieties to choose from. The locals recommended us this: Tai O's version of the pancake. The pancakes were thinly fried over a large pan and seafood were the main ingredients. Smelling too good!
5. Seafood (shauneeie5hands) Logically, in a fishing village, the main delicacy would be seafood! Yes, neatly done, the fresh seafood were grilled over charcoal and you can eat it fresh or with sauce like cheese, soy sauce or wasabi. My choice would be to eat it with cheese. yumm
6. Prawn Paste sauce (to be rated)
Along the pathway to Tai O lookout, you will definitely notice this small family factory. What lies inside is really something we in Singapore won't get to ever see. How they make the awesome har cheong gai paste (Prawn paste chicken). Thank god i was not lazy and bought a bottle home. will try to make a shauneeie version prawn paste chicken soon.
The preserved prawn aroma filled the air around tiny shop. Being a busybody, i snuck around and caught glimpses of how they make this paste. Really hard work i must comment.
And thus goodbye Tai O, although we only got to spend 5 hours here, You will be remembered. Here are other sights and OOTDs that we did in Tai O.
