The Venice of Asia: Tai'O Fishing Village

Over a year ago I learned about this fishing village in Hong Kong which is called the Venice of Asia due to people who live there in houses propped up by stilts. I found out that the area was located on Lantau Island, not too far from the Tian Tin Buddha which I went to see during my first vacation to Hong Kong in 2012.

As soon as I heard about this village I knew I was going to visit it at the next chance I got to go to Hong Kong. January 2017 rolled round and I had that chance. 

Heading there was very easy. We got the subway to Lantau Island, Tung Chung MTR station. Then we got bus 11 from there to Tai O. It was easy enough but Tai O is a bit of a trek.

Once we got out there I couldn't help but notice how peaceful it was there. We took a boat out to see the houses and keep our eyes out for Chinese dolphins... (There weren't any.) We looked around at the stilt houses. They were so fascinating because they are very traditionally Chinese and a little run down but still lovely to look at in a charming way. The science behind stilts holding up a house still eludes me. 

We ate at a local restaurant and enjoyed some classic Chinese dishes and after about half a day there, we headed back to Kowloon. 

It was brief but wonderful. If you are looking to do something a bit different from the daily hustle and bustle in Hong Kong, Tai O fishing village is the place you need to be.