Tai Wo

I was running out of ideas for this trip in Hong Kong because my initial plan was not for travel, and because of the circumstances, and me not wanting to stay home doing nothing, I decided to make a trip to a random place that I had never been to during my lifetime in Hong Kong. I opened up google map and searched for a place that seemed pretty far away and seemed interesting, location wise. This random place that I had decided to visit was Tai Wo. 

Tai Wo is located on the northern district of Hong Kong, Kowloon to be more exact. Tai Wo is an area that is pretty close to the boarder of China, and just from being there you might be able to see some slight differences in terms of lifestyle. It's hard for me to describe accurately, but I would say things are laid back in comparison to the busy lifestyle of Hong Kong. 

I didn't exactly have an itinerary so I didn't have any clear directions. I knew that I wanted to go to a park area that I saw on Google map, but I had no internet on my phone so I had to rely on the signs and just generally ask people around. My first few destinations were not too difficult to find, because all I had to do was follow the signs. This was really convenient because it offered me a random event that I could participate in. 

My first destination was the old Tai po police station that was being reused as a museum. It wasn't the most interesting experience but it was a very well decorated area and the people working there were very kind and informative. If it wasn't for one of the employees in that area I would not have entered the estate and I would not have been informed about the general direction that I should be travelling in. 

After wandering around the Tai Wo area I eventually came across a stream of some kind. The walk along the stream was pretty long and it took me about an hour to get to my destination, but it was a nice walk because it was a nice opportunity for me to take some pictures and really absorb the warm spring weather that is not yet available in Korea. Also, it was a good opportunity to study the people and their daily routines. Something that caught my eyes were how I saw random laundry hanging around public spaces such as basketball courts and the railings across the bridge. Hong Kong has a really humid climate, and the laundry does not dry well, so it makes sense to see people hanging their laundry outdoors. It's just interesting because this is something that you would not see in the Hong Kong island area. This scene gave off a very rural scent that I would have seen 20~30 years ago, back when things felt a bit friendlier and safer. 

Eventually, I made it to the park. The park was actually quite a large area that followed the coastline for a good 2~3 kilometers. I wasn't bothered to go all the way to the end (unless I had a bike), so I stayed around the vicinity of the main park area, where most of the activity was. There was a nice open grassy area where children and moms were running around and blowing soap bubbles, there were families flying kites, there were couples taking selfies and there were friends just hanging out. There was one observatory that you could climb to get a nice scenic view of the park and the general landscape around you. Besides that there wasn't all that much to do around here. 

The sun was starting to set and I didn't have anything else planned for the day so I made my way back to Tai Wo. It was around dinner time, so the town center area was bustling with people. There were people looking for food, people just sitting, children running around and just general activity energizing the scene. The weather was cool with a hint of warmth. The light breeze was warm so it was perfect for a picnic. There was a large selection of food but I was most drawn in by the dim sum stand. They were selling the dim sum for a very fair price, and it was literally buy one get one free so I bought a variety of stuff. I also got some Siu mei (a type of roasted meat selection), because they were being sold for cheap. I only had a few pieces and then the rest I packed up to take home. I could have finished everything if I had wanted to, but I wanted to leave some space in my tummy for something extra. I was lucky enough to find a place that served beek brisket noodles, so I topped off my dinner with the noodles and called it a day.