南生圍 & 流浮山 - 20120322

Last Saturday, we wandered in the western part of N.T., together with some friends of J.

We first had a little walk in the famous 南生圍. Situated in Yuen Long, the place is always associated with the not so likable crocodile Bui Bui, which was caught there and relocated to our wetland park and has been living there since then. It is stupid yet common that good things are always adhered by irrelevant stuff, by chance.

南生圍 is a funny place. It could be reached in a 15-minute walking distance from the MTR station. The place is separated from the busy world by Shan Bui River, which is more like a ditch. To cross the river, we got on the hand-rowing sampan that costed each of us $5. Just another little exotic experience. Then we took some drinks in a local store. I was allured by those handmade local pastries. The stuff was baked by wood and fire. However, I was restricted to complete the transaction. What a pity.

We then started our walk. It was already 4:30 pm. Luckily, the weather was excellent. The sky was blue, the air fresh and the scene stunningly beautiful. Strolling along the mud path, we could enjoy the natural landscape. The yard was wide-open, there were some low hills at the far end. Right in front of us, there were the neat vegetation, small ponds and few houses sparingly stood on the ground. It was like Greece, and a reminiscence to Theos Angelopolis' movies. However, I was waken up by packs of crowd.

It was a Saturday and thus collision with crowd was inevitable in each and every corners of HK. We saw cyclers, youngsters and many amateur photographers. A lovely Pug impressed me most.

Then we went to 流浮山 for dinner. I haven't been there for over 25 years. It was then a little village. The vivid image of myself standing on the herd of oyster shells, feeling the breeze and facing the sea, trying to have a far glimpse of 蛇口 at the opposite side is still with me.

We took bus in Yuen Long. The fare was under $4 yet the traveling time was 45 minutes. What a real bargain. The bus was packed from start to finish. We got off, and some of the ladies rushed to take photos with the 小桃園酒家, which raised to fame because of a mysterious gathering. After the ladies shared their photos with friends via iphones, we could proceed to our restaurant.

Before reaching our destination, we had to go through a bustling path filled of small stores selling local things. We saw dried seafood, dried nuts, local pastries and so and so. It was the typical set up of any seafood street, but the scale in 流浮山 was smaller.

We ordered abalones, oysters, razor clams, shrimps, and scampi in the seafood menu, and some other common dishes like chicken rings and sweet and sour pork to ensure our stomachs full. The food was delicious, and the price was acceptable, with three red notes slipped out of everybody's wallets.

So, we left at 9:30 pm and arrived home around 11 pm. The little trip was a happy one.