I continue to explore Hong Kong today by taking a bus tour to Lantau Island. The tour leaves Tim Shat Tsui at 9:00 AM, and I am supposed to meet the guide at 8:45. Iget up about 7:15, get out of the house about 7:45. I take the MTR to Admiralty, transfer, and get off at Tsim Shat Tsui. Hmm, I am a bit early, so I have time to go to a nearby McDonalds and get a bite to eat. OK, that's better. I meet the tour guide (Ms. Lee) and the rest of the group (about 50 people, mostly Chinese) at the appointed corner, and we are soon on our bus.
We head north out of the central area for about 15 minutes. We exit the highway and go to an observation point that overlooks the bay and two new bridges--the bridge that will take us to Lantau, and another bridge that takes traffic northwest towards the New Territories. Before the bridge to Lantau there was only ferry service to Lantau. But, when it was decided to build the new airport on Lantau it became necessary to build a bridge. The observation area is very nice, with an info center with displays about the bridge construction, and a viewing area at the top of the hill.
After about 30 minutes we get back on the bus to go to the Po-Lin Monastery and the giant Buddha statue--at 110ft high said to be the largest seated bronze Buddha statue in the world. We first drive to Tung Chung, a small city on the north side of Lantau near the airport. There we change buses (buses on Lantau island have a different license; I don't know why). The ride to Po-Lin is very interesting. Lantau is very mountainous and the roads are narrow with lots of twists and turns. We slowly go up, and then down, to the south side of the island, often stopping for vehicles going to other way (at times the road is single lane only). We then head west, passing some small villages and a prison (great waterfront location; low rates!) on our left, and the Shek Pik Reservoir on the right. Soon after we turn right and head north uphill towards the monastery, also on a narrow and twisting road. The scenery is veru nice, with lots of trees, sometimes breathtaking views downhill towards the ocean, etc.
We reach the monastery about noon. Although the Buddha statue is at the top of a hill, with 270 steps leading up to it, we are lucky. The bus drops us directly behind the statue--no need to walk up, even though it would have been very good exercise! The Buddha sits on a base that houses some displays, and after a quick walk-thru we are released to roam around the monastery grounds until lunch. At about 1:00 we meet at the main gate to the temple and walk to the restaurant for lunch (included with the tour ticket). There are many other tour groups, and it is clear that the statue and monastery is big business. There are several places to eat, but we go to the main vegeterian restaurant. There are ober 100 tables that seat 12 people each. Lunch starts with soup and tea, and soon we have several platters of food at the table to share. Very good food!
At about 2:00 we get back on the bus for the ride to Tai O, a small village on the west side of Lantau. Today it is pretty quiet, but on the weekends it attracts crowds with its narrow street, small shops, and quaint atmosphere. It is most famous for its stilt houses, which have been built here for several hundred years. There was a big fire a few years ago, and so many of them are newer, having been rebuilt.
We then get back on the bus for the ride back to Tung Chung, where we change buses once again and come back to Tsim Sha Tsui. It was a very nice day trip. I really enjoyed it!
Today also marks the beginning of 10 days where I will have the apartment to myself. My flatmate and her father left this morning for a vacation trip to Toronto. They will meet the rest of the family (who live in Sydney) in California; from there fly to Toronto; and on the way back they will stop in Vancouver, B.C. before arriving back in HK on Xmas day.
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