In a world lunging forward, I found myself rebelling against the Hong Kong momentum by taking a day trip to the fishing village of Tai O, located on nearby Lantau Island. The village won't be there much longer, or at least, it will have to rely on memories to maintain its dignity. With its student population leaving for white collar pursuits, those left behind have grown old. They still ride their bikes to and from stilt-house to stilt-house; they still know one another by name and family stories; they still hang fresh catches out to dry and cure in the open air. But now, foreigners like me come to snap their photos with their fancy cameras, smiling as we pass through the narrow lanes of town.
Maybe they meet the demise of their village and the increase of flashbulbs with some resentment, but maybe one of them saw me pausing to take it all in and thought, "Perhaps she'd give just about anything to hop in that boat and cast out a line." And they'd be about right.
ABOVE: Getting to Lantau requires a subway ride and then a much more scenic seat on a skycar
ABOVE: The skycar terminus is near the Po Lin Buddhist Monastery, home to the world's largest sitting bronze buddha.
ABOVE and BELOW: Countless come and leave their most burning requests at the feet of one who can neither hear nor see them.
ABOVE: a vegetarian lunch at the monastery
ABOVE and BELOW: Tai O
ABOVE: I kept running into this lady throughout my Tai O walk. I guess it doesn't take long to know one's neighbors around those parts.
ABOVE: butterflied and set out to dry
ABOVE: Egg yolks are separated, sprinkled with coarse salt and set out to solidify underneath the sun. They are then sold as solid edibles. I wasn't brave enough...
ABOVE: There she is again.
