Returning to roots in Tai O

Meet Veronica.

She runs Espace Elastique, a cosy upmarket B&B in Tai O.

The building it is housed in (57 Kat Hing Street) belongs to her family.

From the rooms, you have a view of the river and also of the two-storey shophouse opposite, which used to belong to Veronica's grandfather and has now been passed on to her father. It used to house a textile shop.

The building is in the process of being conserved by the family but Veronica very kindly offered us a sneak peak into the place.

The steep, steep staircase. Veronica's cousin once fell down these stairs in her walker... but was none the worse for the experience.

All the furnishings and fixtures in the place have been preserved. The floor tiles are to die for.

How cool is that solid wood bed?

The sad thing is that Veronica and her family have been applying for help from the heritage board to preserve this place but haven't gotten any response.

She wants to open it either as a B&B – she's already put in two modern bathrooms – or as a museum but the official response has been that the stairs are too dangerous, as are some of the original fixtures.

She can get permission if everything were modernised but, as she said, that is really missing the point of the whole exercise.

What a pity. It's a really wonderful slice of Hong Kong's history, which wouldn't have existed for so long without the dedication of Veronica and her family.

Special shrimp paste

Mention Tai O and the locals will go: "Ah, har cheong!" The place is known for its very aromatic (some will say smelly) shrimp paste that goes with virtually anything – some have it with beancurd. To find the place, turn left at Tai O Market and continue walking past the public toilets. You will soon find a very distinctive smell pervading the air.

The ground-up shrimp is left to ferment in blue containers until it becomes this smooth paste that is packed with umami.

Some go into bottle while others are dried in blocks.

I'd think I were in heaven too if I were a cat.

Tai O on a sleepy Monday

I had a day off today so we went on a photo frenzy in Tai O. It's great going there on a weekday because the crowds thin and you get to see bits of the town you don't normally go to and see activity that doesn't usually happen over the weekend.

Like the building of the lift that will connect the luxury hotel that will open at the former Tai O police station. Doesn't that remind you of the Peak Tram?

The shy cats don't need to hide as there are fewer visitors.

View from the Dolphin Watch trail.

Refueling. Squid with spicy salt, egg with salted egg yolks, sweet sour pork. There was roast pork too but we were so hungry we ate that before we thought of taking photos.

Chinese pancake at Tai O

I had a day off on Friday so we decided to try Tai O on a weekday, when it is quieter and we can try the stuff that usually has long queues. Like the Chinese pancake at HK$20 each.

It doesn't look difficult but it tastes so good. First, flour and eggs...

A sprinkle of spring onions and coriander...

Some preserved vegetables...

Sweet sauce...

And some crackers for added crunch. Bon appetit!

Mui Wo FAQ for tourists

I started this blog to record our life in Mui Wo and community happenings for our family and friends.

But I have been pleasantly surprised to get some comments and emails from strangers from abroad who plan to come over to Hong Kong for holiday and want to know what they can see and do around here.

So here are a few quick FAQs about Mui Wo and Lantau Island:

What sort of accommodation does Mui Wo have?

There are hotels. Silvermine Beach Hotel is the largest and closest to the ferry pier. It is run by the Miramar Group. The new wing is nicer than the old one but has only side sea view.

Further down the beach are Seaview Holiday Resort (Tel: 2984-8877) and Mui Wo Inn (Tel: 2984-7225). Be warned: Don't expect a lot of frills but the hotels do have a sort of retro charm (if you can convince yourself it's 1970s ironic and not a haven't-been-updated-for-decades look).

Off the beach but closer to the River Silver is the Silverview Resort Holiday, which looks like low rise flats cobbled together to make a hotel. The rooms look pretty basic but you can get a 400 sq ft apartment from HK$480 a night.

There are also holiday flats to let – a lot of them are in Wang Tong. You can ask any of the estate agents in town or check out the kiosks (Tel: 2984-8982) showing photos of the flats available at the ferry pier and next to the seafood centre.

What is there to see/do in Mui Wo?

Well, there's the beach, which is what makes Mui Wo popular with day-trippers. Behind the beach, past Wang Tong village, is the Silvermine Waterfall.

There are also lots of hiking trails. Or you can hire a bike from one of the three bike shops around to explore deeper into the villages.

There isn't much touristy shopping in town but you can grab a Mui Wo T-shirt from the pier or the stalls next to the seafood centre. On Sundays, a T-shirt seller sometimes sets up his stall outside Park N Shop. There's also Renge House, which is my present addiction.

Photo ops?

Plenty in Chung Hau village, and the surrounding area. Don't forget to get the prerequisite photo with the dragon at the entrance to the beach.

Toilets?
One public toilet next to the seafood centre as you come off the ferry, one in the Mui Wo municipal building, a couple along the beach and one at the entrance to Wang Tong (next to the Toilet Bar). McDonald's and China Bear has toilets too. If you eat at any other restaurant, you will have to ask for the key to the patrons-only toilets.

Tours?

There is a shop offering Lantau tours beside the McDonald's but it is quite easy to get around on your own as long as you have an Octopus card, which you can buy at the pier.

There are three main bus routes you must know: The 3M to Tung Chung (for cheap cheap outlet shopping at Citygate mall), the 2 to Ngong Ping and the Big Buddha (for the Po Lin Monastery, vegetarian meal and photos to remember your trip by), and the 1 to Tai O fishing village (for old Hong Kong, cheap seafood and souvenirs – that hat-wearing puffer fish is a hoot).

Other tourist necessities

Mui Wo is a cash-only town. The money changer is at the pier there are two ATMs (BEA and HSBC) which have Cirrus. For insect repellent, emergency beer rations, etc, there are two supermarkets and a 7-11. The stalls along the beach also stock stuff like plasters.

Can I do Lantau in a day?

Sure! My suggestion: Take the ferry to Mui Wo, get a dimsum/local breakfast at the seafood centre, mooch around the beach for a bit, then hop on the bus to Tai O for lunch. After lunch, take the bus to Ngong Ping and then the cable car to Tung Chung.

From Tung Chung, you can catch the MTR back to Central. Or if you still have the energy, catch a bus to Discovery Bay for dinner and then a ferry back from there to Central (if you spend above HK$100 per person at one of the designated restaurants, you get a free ferry ticket).

I have left out Disneyland as you need a day to do justice to that.

Is it convenient for Disneyland?
Ironically, no. Disneyland Hotel has a pier but Disney can't get an operator/permission (depending on who you ask) to operate ferries direct to the resort.

Disneyland and Mui Wo are on South Lantau but you have to go all the way to Tung Chung in the north to catch the MTR to Sunny Bay and then the Disneyland express to the resort - about one hour each way.

More info

Those thinking about making Mui Wo their home can look up my other FAQs about the amenities here.

Tai O day trip

I've always seen people queuing up for the No 1 bus to Tai O during the weekend. It looked like a fun place to go for a day trip. We finally made it there yesterday.

The 45-minute bus ride had lovely views but I got terribly car sick. Must remember not to sit on the side of the slopes again because it can get quite claustrophobic.

But it was worth it. The fishing village on stilts was unbelievably filmic, with fish laid out to dry, live seafood splashing round in tubs and pretty houses the size of a garden shed everywhere.

There's lots of eat along the streets: grilled scallops (with extra garlic for serving), maltose syrup candy sandwiched between two crackers, glutinous rice cakes, pressed squid... you could fill your stomach just walking through the village.

But when it came to nice sit-down restaurants, there didn't seem to have many. Most were simple cha chan tengs decorated with an abundance of mosaic. Finally, we found a lovely spot along Kat Hing Street.

Shop-cum-restaurant The Balcony is a fairly new place, overlooking the river and a nice renovated stilt house. It serves espresso coffee (very important for Buffalo Wilbur), a selection of snacks and some local dishes. Go for the egg-yolk prawn. They peel the prawns for you so you can just pop them into your mouth like bar snacks.

How to find it: Cross the swing bridge, walk to the end of the road to Fook Moon Lam restaurant, turn right then continue on till you get to No 86 Kat Hing Street. (Tel: 9153-7453).