Tai O Trial

Being a photographer sometimes means getting up well before sunrise to reach certain destinations before the pre-dawn light begins creeping into the sky.

A trip to the stilt-house village of Tai O meant getting up at 3.30am and two half-hour rides in separate taxis.

The second trip would have been longer were it not for the heavy foot of the Lantau Island taxi driver. After I got into his cab, I was curious about the expected length of the trip.

He had no English, so I asked in Cantonese: "How long does it take to reach Tai O?"

He turned around and asked: "Is your seat belt on?"

Hong Kong taxi drivers never do that.

I had just enough time to realise he'd misunderstood the meaning of my question before he began driving like a refugee from the Macao Grand Prix, throwing the cab into every bend.

And wouldn't you know it, the road to Tai O is filled with kinks and curves. In most places, it's but a single track, with passing places for vehicles to pull into when other cars occupy the lane. With wee-hour traffic almost non-existent, he tromped on the gas pedal and flashed his high beams at every corner to warn oncoming vehicles of his presence.

While I bounced about in the back seat, I wondered whether he was going to meet a bus or delivery truck head-on, or put us into a wall. There's nothing like an early-morning white-knuckle ride to wake you right up.

When we reached the taxi queue at Tai O, he grinned and asked: "Were you scared?"

Scared, no. Concerned I might not live to see the sunrise, yes.

But I did, and from what I've seen of the photos so far, getting up at that insane hour and taking a ride with Mr. Maniac was worth it.

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