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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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Today we went to Lantau, a beautiful island that is most enjoyable on a clear day. Sadly for us, it was foggy and so we didn't quite have the views we were hoping for. Still, it was a fun day and it is worthwhile to visit Lantau in any weather. We took the Ngong Ping 360 Skyrail, a tram that takes you over the mountainside to Ngong Ping Village. It is very neat to be whisked over lush green mountainside by a tram, but as I said above, today was foggy so we didn't have many views. The village is really only a tourist lane, full of shops and places to eat, but it leads to the Tian Tan Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery, the two main attractions of the area.
The Tian Tan Buddha is the largest seated outdoor Buddha made of bronze in the world (isn't that a mouthful!) and is very beautiful. I especially liked the bodhisattva statues that surround it - six lovely gray figures, each holding something different. We were lucky to get a quick break in the fog so we were at least able to see the giant Buddha - when I was here 2 years ago I could see it from the bottom of the stairway, but today we couldn't even see the face clearly when we were on the platform itself!
When we paid admission to see the Buddha we got a meal ticket for a vegetarian lunch at the nearby Po Lin Monastery. We were glad we chose the normal lunch (rather than the deluxe) because there was so much food! There was a soup and rice, tea, a dish with celery, peppers, and tofu; a corn dish that we didn't like very much; eggrolls with crunchy carrots and waterchestnut; and a mushroom dish with bok choy. It was a yummy and fun lunch; we snuck glances at others to see just how they ate the many courses and what the etiquette was.
The monastery (which is also a temple) itself was just gorgeous! All the different colors were a feast for the eyes. On the inside there were some gold idols behind glass, surrounded by vibrant pink lotus statues, fresh orchids, red lanterns and banners hanging from the painted ceiling, and some lion statues. I really enjoyed just taking it all in. I also liked walking around the area and taking pictures of all the beautiful flowers.
To finish off the day we went to the Hong Kong Museum of History in Kowloon. I recommend this museum - it is cheap and you get a lot of bang for your buck! There are displays covering the history of Hong Kong from the moment the earth formed up until 1997, the year the British handed over sovereignty. I liked the video displays (we watched an interesting one on the opium trade and I watched another on Chinese opera) and I also found the section about Hong Kong during World War II very interesting. The museum is very organized and well-done.
previous travel blog entry
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