Fred Van Liew

Apr 10, 20232 min read

Tai O

It can be a good thing to start the day with a plan, have it vanquished by poor timing, and have to start over.

My landlady for the week stopped me on the way out:

“What you do today?”

“I’m taking the cable car to see Tian Tan Buddha.”

“Not good idea.”

“Why?”

“Its holiday.”

“What holiday?”

“Easter.”

“Easter was yesterday.”

“Easter four days in Hong Kong. Start Friday, end today. Many people see Buddha today. You go to Tai O. Much quieter.”

Soon enough I was on the Metro to Central Station. From there the underground walk to Hong Kong Station, the train to Tuan Chung, and Bus 11 to Tai O - two hours from the heart of the city. It ought to be quiet.

On the way I learned that Tai O, on the far western shore of Lantau Island, is the historical home to the Tanka boat people. Still a fishing village, it’s also home to a favored market, drawing people from Hong Kong and elsewhere. It might not be quiet after all.

Stepping off the bus, I was immediately in the thick of it.

It was lunchtime for some,

and shopping time for others.

Still a fishing village,

other foodstuffs were to be had as well.

As much as I like the hustle and bustle of the marketplace,

I’d come for quiet.

“Walk on” the voice said.

And soon enough the market vanished, giving way to back streets

and private lives,

of altars

and places of reverence.

Though I wanted to linger, the voice whispered “walk on”.

And a new world appeared.

A world of fishing boats

and stilted homes.

The world where the Tanka people live,

and earn a living.

I lingered for a while, but the voice whispered.

So I left the Tanka behind

and was greeted by countryside

and hills overlooking.

Not long, though, and I was at the path’s end,

or so I thought.

A middle age couple from Hong Kong asked if I’d take their picture, then wondered if I’d been to the top. Unaware of its whereabouts, they gave me directions to steps leading up,