Back in the Ngong Ping village I am looking for a way to get down to the fishing village of Tai O. I read on the net, that the public bus service is much cheaper than an organized tour. I just have to find the bus stop and them hope that there is a bus. Again Google maps is of big help. There is one bus every hour to get down there and I only have to wait 20 minutes. As every nice person here, I line up in the line they build at the bus stop. The bus comes and I even get a seat (being early is not a bad thing). The bus fills up fast.

The tour down to the village is on winding roads. Doesn’t take to long and the bus stops at the only bus stop of the village.

I am entering another world – and quiet a culture shock. The village depends on fishing and tourism. The streets are free of cars,but full of people. The smell of dried fish hangs over the stalls, which are selling every kind of dried (sometimes fresh) seafood you can think of. Not the best place for a guy who doesn’t like fish at all. 😀 And some things are just ugh. And some thinks I don’t want to know what it is. But it is interesting. many people of Chinese origin, few western tourists today. Again the Chinese holidays hitting.

I wander around the narrow roads and wonder, how you can live like hat. Small huts of the most basic standard (but most have AC and many have flat-screen TVs), not as clean as downtown Hong Kong. And the smell everywhere.

My goal is to find some geocaches here. I just have to follow the main road in the village along the shore. Now I know what the most pungent smell is – shrimp past that is made here. No thank you. I find one of the four caches I wanted to find. two were DNFs and one Letterbox was unreachable and to crowded. But after all I got a nice walk along the shore. I just have to get all the way back.

Of course my phone has no energy left and I have to recharge it (thanks power bank). And I have to change my plans to take 2 more caches when I get to the center of the village close to the bus stop. I have NEVER in my live seen a line for the bus that went from the bus stop, around 2 corners into the village. There are only 2 buses that leave from the village and I can only take one of them to get back to the Metro station. The other one takes much more time and only has few tours. So I have to stand in line, too. No more caches if I want to make it home before night.

The buses are coming quiet often – that is good. But they are packed with people and the ride to the metro station takes 90 minutes. I don’t want to stand all the time on this roads. But I get lucky. When I am close to boarding the bus driver closes the door and I am number four in line for the next one. Perfect. I get the seat at a window and there are some people that have to stand all the way.  The ride is very nice. Some beautiful landscape here. Lakes, forests and some more high priced housing (more like gated communities).

Back at the metro station a short tour into the outlet mall (nothing I need to buy, just taking a look). And them back to Central. The way back to the hotel is well known and no problem. You get used to the system here and you always find a bus that takes you where you need to go.

Tomorrow i another day with new things to explore.