Lantau Island, Big Buddha, and Tai O fishing village, Hong Kong (part 3/3)

Out of all my excursions in Hong Kong, this was one of my favorite experiences except for one issue which I’m willing to overlook. I’m not a big fan of tour buses, but every now and then, it’s worth it. This was where Dominika and I split and decided to do our own thing, and meet up later. She didn’t like bus tours because of the type of crowds it attracted, and decided to go to Tai O on her own. It turned out that she was wrong and this tour had people of all ages and most of them were a lot of fun to hang out with. I befriended a twenty something year old named Jill, who was in Hong Kong for work, and who became my Facebook friend. The above pix is of the view of the Tung Chung Bay.

A van picked me up at my hotel, and later transferred a bunch of us to a big bus which traveled to downtown Tung Chung.

From there, the Ngong Ping cable car carried the passengers to Lantau Island. A few notes: When you go on a tour, you bypass long lines, cut to the front, and go straight into the Cable car. The group gets split because each car only allows a small group. So there is no problem of people squeezing together like sardines. And, I think, the tour is the only way they allow you to dine inside the Po Lin monastery.

  

The cable car arrived at the Ngong Ping Village.

North Lantau Country Park

Tian Tan Buddha aka Big Buddha – is a land mark, took twelve years to plan and build, and is the largest sitting outdoor Buddha. The right hand represents the compassion of the Buddha to save people from sufferings. The left hand that rests on the lap gives blessings and happiness. Our tour guide with the camera in the photo was pretty funny, and said the reason Buddha’s hands are like that is he’s saying stop with one hand and give me money with the other hand.

 

There are six celestial Bodhisattva statues. Similar to saints, they represent those who have reached enlightenment, but have delayed becoming Buddha and dedicated themselves to helping others.

There is an exhibition of the life of Buddha in the circular looking structure.

Views of mountains of Lantau Island

Po Lin Monastery – a Buddhist monastery founded in 1906 by three monks.

Lunch at Po Lin Monastery. They only serve vegan food which was music to my ears, but not so wonderful for all the people on the tour who were carnivores and starving. There was this extra-large ceramic looking Lazy-Susan in the center that guests could turn to choose the food they wanted. I wanted to take a photo, but they inhaled everything, were still hungry, and complained about the bland food. I thought the food was perfect.

Once we left The Big Buddha, we headed towards the Tai O fishing village. A bit of warning: do not go here at peak tourist hours or else you will experience something that many have never ever experienced.

So, I was calmly following my guide and the people on the tour when suddenly a massive, and I mean a maaaassssiiiivvvve number of Asians chatting in Chinese joined us. First off, the alley toward the bay is narrow, and perhaps fits five strangers comfortably in one row. Now, imagine hundreds of people smooshed, and when I say smooshed, your head is literally touching someone else’s head from both sides. It’s almost like several hundreds of people not walking, but shifting forward as a unit. Like if you were holding a hundred crayons in your hands and gliding it on a table is the best I can describe it. You cannot move, turn or bend. Even so, I was so tempted to push people, turn around and leave. This was the worst part of the tour. Later when I spoke with Dominika, she told me that she had a similar experience and took a four-hour nap after this excursion. I have to say that on the way back from the bay, maybe around 4:30/5 p.m., it was not so bad because the crowd had dispersed and I could actually visit some of the mom-and-pop shops.

On to the bay…another unexpected thing which was a bit odd at first, but I adapted. We were put on a tiny motorboat with way too many people to a point where they told everyone where to sit to balance the small space.

This motor boat was old, made a loud gurgling noise, and sat as though it was flush with the turbulent water. That is why my above mini video is shaking up and down and side to side. But this trip was so worth it. Watching dilapidated stilt homes took me back in time to the old China.

These friendly people were waving as I was taking their picture.

The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB), which links Mainland China to Hong Kong to Portuguese Macau, is the world’s longest sea crossing bridge. Before, the only way to visit Macau was by hydrofoil. The new bridge, consists of three bridges and an undersea tunnel. Macau residents and Hongkongers were not happy about it, because they thought that mainland China was exerting its power over the autonomous Portuguese Macau, and the former British Hong Kong. What’s interesting is when you look at the bridge from another angle, it looks as though it’s heading straight into the water.

I did a lot more things than the part one, two, and three series in this blog. These were just some of the highlights. My schedule was jam packed, and in fact, the night before my departure back to Japan, I was supposed to meet up with Dominika and Jill at the Mong Kok Ladies Market, but had to cancel. I had no energy left in me, and just crashed. For such a tiny Island, there is a ton of stuff to do in Hong Kong. I probably just touched the surface. Overly curious by nature, I love traveling and going deep into various cultures. I have learned over the years that I need to slow down, and to sometimes say no to that child within me who wants to run wild and do everything.