#52 Hong Kong N°2 – Temples, Buddhas and a smelly village

The city of Hong Kong is surrounded by hills, islands and beaches, all of which are easily reachable by public transport.

Picking our spots, we decided against the beaches as we thought the Philippines will have something waiting for us in that regard.
One day, I headed to Lantau Island to visit the Tai O Fishing Village as well as the Tian Tan Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery in Ngong Ping. The metro brought me to the island, from where I caught a bus that dropped me in the village about an hour or so later. I was expecting a cute, well preserved little town. Instead, Tai O was rather shabby if I may say so; besides the traditional housing of the fishermen, the streets were uninspired and lined with nothing else than raw and dried fish, not exactly an olfactory treat. After walking around for about thirty minutes I had enough and decided to take the next bus to Ngong Ping. I was also sure that I wouldn’t have fish for dinner.

Can you smell it?

Ngong Ping was only about fifteen minutes from Tai O. It’s also possible to go up there by cablecar, which unfortunately wasn’t running that day.
268 steps led me up the main attraction, the gigantic bronze Buddha statue called Tian Tan, prominently positioned atop the hill, and down again to the Po Lin Monastery.

Hey there!

Goldilocks

The other day, Barbara and I left the city to the north, changed the metro a few times and sweating considerably walked up the path to the Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery in Sha Tin. Hundreds of statues line the way up and like the thousands of smaller Buddhas in the main temple, every single one of them is unique, differing from all the others in facial expression, clothing, gesture etc.

View to Sha Tin

On the way back to the city, we made a little detour and also paid a visit to Nan Liang Garden in the Diamond Hill district, home to the Chi Lin Nunnery and the Golden Pagoda. It’s a relaxing walk through the beautifully laid out garden surrounded by contrasting skyscapers.

New member of the Chi Lin Nunnery?

Golden Pagoda with a modern backdrop

The last stop before finishing our sightseeing day, was at the Wong Tai Sin Temple. The Taoist structure is a busy place, bustling with worshipping locals and curious tourists alike.

Clearly, we could have spent way more time around the city, exploring additional Islands, the beaches of Sai Kung, Disneyland Hong Kong etcetera etcetera. But when our time in Hong Kong was up, it was time to pack our bags again, enjoy a last ride on Hong Kong’s smooth underground transport system and board an airplane to the Philippines.

#51 Hong Kong N°1 – Big City Life

Hong Kong wasn’t part of our initial plans, but in order to avoid needing a visa for the Philippines which allows only 30 days without one, we decided to spend five days and six nights there. And sometimes these itinerary adjustments turn out to be a great thing; Hong Kong is awesome!

First of all, it was nice to be back in a place where things are organized and work as they should. Our accommodation was in Causeway Bay, a few metro stops away from central Hong Kong, but with its many shopping malls, restaurants and whatnot, the area still felt very much central.

Causeway Bay by day

Causeway Bay by night

Breakfast at “home”

On our first day, we joined a free walking tour through some of the city’s most important neighbourhoods and streets. Our guide was a jumpy Englishman who has been doing the tour for a couple of months. It was definitely a good start to our stay and he gave several useful tips on how to explore other parts of the city.
We also did some sightseeing on our own in and around the city during the next few days. To keep it light, we will publish an additional post for the things to do outside the centre. Must sees within the city limits include the harbour area, Victoria Peak, Temple Street night market and street food as well as the mandatory enjoyment of one of the fantastic rooftop bars.

Harbour Area

Railway Clock Tower

Sideview of Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Golden Bauhinia Square

Hong Kong’s most famous export

One of a gazillion places to eat Egg Puffs

Korean Fried Chicken

Street market

Haiphong Road Hawker Bazaar

Temple Street at night

Streetfood corner

One of so many shopping centres

Bank of China Tower

View from Victoria Peak

Wooloomooloo Roftop Bar

Barbara has done her research on food options and restaurants worth trying out. Clearly, Hong Kong has more to offer than we can try out in just a few days. Additionally, travelling for such a long time also means that the budget doesn’t always allow you to splurge on all the excellent food out there. Nevertheless, Tim Ho Wan made it possible for us to try out world class and Michelin starred Dim Sum for very little money. The cue at the entrance was small when we arrived at around 2PM. The order is placed on a sheet of paper where one is supposed to indicate how many units of each available item are desired. As the instructions were not printed in English, we didn’t quite understand that we were ordering whole portions instead of single units. The waitress didn’t correct our very obvious mistake and so we were a little surprised when we received ten portions, each with three to four items.

Not only the skyscrapers are stacked high in Hong Kong

Well, it was good food and we were not going to waste it. So, we asked them to pack the rest and took it home. With a little modification of the takeaway boxes and hot water from the tea cooker we steamed them once again for dinner.

Necessity is the mother of invention – or adaptation

As mentioned above, we also went on to explore a few things outside the centre. Check out the next post for the beautiful temples and cultural sights in Hong Kong’s surroundings.