Spring Breaking in Hong Kong: Tian Tan Buddha

After our long, eventful day in Macau, we decided to take it easy for our final full day in Hong Kong.  We decided to head to Lantau Island to check out the Tian Tan Buddha, a large bronze Buddha statue as well as the Po Lin Monastery.

In order to reach the area, we took a cable car to the island.  The cable car ride itself was pretty nice, despite the heavy fog.  In fact, the fog made the ride feel more exquisite.  At first, while we were crossing the sea, we could see a decent amount outside the windows.  However, once we reached the island and increased the altitude, it became super foggy to the point where you couldn’t see anything outside the window.  The only thing you could see where the wires that we were hooked on and occasionally another cable car going to other way and into the mist.  It felt really relaxing.  My friend who doesn’t like crossing bodies of water was a little freaked out though.

Going up.

Fog everywhere.

The monk in the picture started talking to us halfway through the ride.  He explained to us that some monks go down into the city once in awhile to relax.   He also said that the area we were headed to was heavily commercialized, to the point of there being a Starbucks there.  It was nice to chat someone local for once.

When we finally arrived, it was raining a little bit.  However, it wasn’t enough to make the day go bad.  From the entrance of the area, we could already see the Big Buddha.

Over there!

We headed our way over there while taking some photos along the way.

Before you get to the Tian Tan Buddha, you have to climb a long set of stairs.  It wasn’t too bad but the rain had started to pick up.  By the time we got up there the Buddha statue was completely covered in fog.  I thought I was going to get screwed over just like our visit to the Peak  but I was luckily mistaken.  After hanging around for a few minutes, the fog went away and gave me some clear shots of the Buddha.

Let the climbing begin.

All fogged.

There were brief moments where it cleared up.  Luckily I got some shots in.

Around the area.

It was a fantastic view and the fog made it more serene.

By the time we started heading back downstairs, the rain had started to pick up.  Each step was flooded with water which had started to soak our shoes.  We had originally planned on heading to a fishing village nearby but once again, the rain had altered our schedule.  We decided to call it a day early and headed back to our area to do some last-minute shopping at the markets.  While we were there it started to downpour.  I headed back to the hotel early to dry up and call it a day.

Overall my trip to Hong Kong was a fun one.  Even if it rained for three days, we managed to get a nice chunk of the stuff that we wanted to done.  We were only screwed out of the Peak and the fishing village so it wasn’t too bad.  I couldn’t ask for better travel companions!  Despite not knowing that as well as some as my other friends, we cliqued really fast and never got in each other’s way.  I hope we can travel again sometime.

Spring Breaking in Hong Kong: Markets and the Nightlife

So, it looks like I made a goof!  I accidentally posted the third day of my trip before the second one went up. Oh well.  And so, without further ado, here’s what we did the day before visiting the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery.

The second day in Hong Kong was just as busy as the first one.  We started the day out by having a brunch with friends who coincidentally were also visiting Hong Kong the same time we were!  We went to a well-known restaurant:  Din Tai Fung.  It apparently has a one star from Michelin.  We took awhile to find our friends since we only could communicate where wi-fi was available but luckily by the time we arrived, the restaurant was just about to open and only had a small line.

When the doors finally opened, all the chefs and waiters/waitresses bowed and greeted us as we walked down the carpet.  I know this isn’t too strange if you’re the first customers to come in but it still felt really nice.  The food itself was pretty good.  For a one-star restaurant, things were really cheap when we split it up.  I’d recommend it!

Outside the restaurant

Some of the food we were eating. I had dim sum for the first time.  So good!

After we parted with our friends, we decided what to do next.  I was very impressed how one of my friends had a ton of information of the area in her purse and had a general idea what she wanted to do.  Usually the people I traveled with in the past were super laidback and just walked around, hoping to find something.  While that’s nice sometimes, I prefer to have a list of things I want to do and have a general idea where they are so it felt really good to have someone with a similar mindset.  My other friend Shawn was also very helpful in trying to figure out our general game plan for the day.

Figuring out what to do next.

We decided to hit the markets as my friends wanted to get their souvenirs out of the way.  Hong Kong is pretty well-known for their markets having just about everything you are looking for.  Prices vary depending on good of a haggler you are.  Sure, you can buy something at the price the seller is giving you but you can usually get what you want for 40% off and even more if you’re good at haggling.  I think that’s the most important thing to know when you’re shopping down the markets: haggle, haggle, haggle!

Our first stop was the Ladies Market.  The name really has nothing to do with the market itself, it’s probably the biggest and most well-known market in Hong Kong.  Although I didn’t buy much, I could see myself dumping most of my money here.  You could find just about anything for cheap.  Peru had similar markets but were nowhere near as big as Ladies Market.  Even if you weren’t shopping, it was great to just browse stuff and people watch.  I saw a lady trying to get a middle-aged guy to buy this one army pouch.  They would keep exchanging prices on the calculator and the man would begin to walk away from the store.  The lady would then quickly pull his arm and start saying something (which he didn’t clearly understand) and they would haggle again.  This happened at least three times until he finally bought the pouch.  The lady laughed and thanked him, even giving him a hug in the end. I’m sure this stuff happens all the time but it was great to watch.

The Ladies Market.  If you were in need of a phone cover, you could probably find something to your tastes as they were everywhere.

I loved these signs.

FOUR WOLVES?

After spending a nice chunk of time at the Ladies Market, my friend wanted to go to the Temple Street Night Market which as the name implies, opens at night.  Luckily the market was nearby our hostel.  After taking a small break, we were on our way to the market.

The Night Market is more or less the same as the Ladies Market except there is a lot more food stands around.  Despite not eating there, the food looked really good.  The market itself wasn’t as big as the Ladies Market but had stuff that wasn’t available there.  There was also a hilarious block where they sold sex toys, particularly dildos.

The Night Market.

There were at least four other stands that were selling similar things.

After getting our fill of markets, we were off to the Avenue of the Stars one more time.  We noticed that you had a nice view of the skyline (albeit the fog from yesterday) so we figured the skyline at night would be great.  After all, you would see pictures of it everywhere if you researched Hong Kong at all.  Lucky for us, the day was pretty clear out compared to the first day so we felt we could make up from yesterday’s mess at the Peak.

How right we were!  The skyline from the Avenue of the Stars was breathtaking.  There were loads of people there but we managed to get to the very front.  We hurdled over the bars and just sat down and enjoyed the city lights for a very long time. The pictures I took don’t do it any justice.  I could’ve been there forever but I noticed my friends were get fidgety after a half hour so we decided to head towards the nightlife:  Lan Kwai Fong.

I took many pictures and didn’t have the heart to delete any of them.

This definitely made up for The Peak.

Understandably crowded.

Lan Kwai Fong was one of the hot spots for clubbing and drinking in Hong Kong.  My friend who had been here before had also recommended it so we decided to make it our final stop.

The prelude to an…interesting night.

The place was…bizarre.  Foreigners and expats were everywhere.  Mostly guys in their 40s and 50s and people in costumes were walking around the area.  I didn’t really see any people from Hong Kong.  As the night grew later, the streets became jam packed with people.  My friend read my mind when she said “I’m not drunk enough for this yet.”  It just felt weird.  Prices for drinks at most bars and clubs were super expensive!  I’ll admit, I got a little drunk and paid for several drinks.  Still, the amount I drank didn’t equal to how much I would pay back home.  Shots ranged from nine dollars while beer and cocktails were around 8.  Even when drunk, the environment was just odd.  Let’s just say it was my first and last visit there.

Tons of people flowed the streets.

In an attempt to sober up, we drunkenly headed to McDonald’s and had a midnight meal before we were off to bed.  Something told me that we weren’t going to have an early start the next day and I was right, as we only had time to check out the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery the next day 🙂

Spring Breaking in Hong Kong: Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery

As predicted, we had a very late start the next day after drinking too much.  We decided to take it easy and I suggested to visit the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery located in Sha Tin.  Since no one else had a clue about it, I was assigned leader for the day.

The monastery itself isn’t considered a monastery—no monks are there and ordinary people run it.  I was interested in it just because it seemed really cool to be surrounded by thousand of Buddha statues as you climbed the long stairs up to the top.

It really was quite the climb.  I was okay but my friends needed a couple of breathers.  The best part of the monastery was the statues themselves.   These weren’t your average Buddha statues, most of them had awkward, strange and funny faces.  I don’t know the reason why but I thought it was a nice change of pace to the serious looking ones you always see at temples.  My friends took a few poses with them and I can’t help but laugh every time I see them.

The climb begins.

 

Finally, we reached the top.  The top was really nice and continued to have odd statues.  However there were “normal” statues now too.  There was also a pagoda, two pavilions and a tower.  Perhaps because it wasn’t a “real” monastery, you were able to take pictures of the main hall where the founder, Yuet Kai’s body is preserved.  It fascinates me that he and his disciples managed to climb up the monastery countless of times to bring up the materials to create the monastery. You also had a nice view of the city below.  You could go even higher to another level but we decided to call it quits since my friends were tired and closing time was approaching.

That’s one long arm.

 

The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is a nice side trip if you’re looking for something cultural and somewhat amusing to do in Hong Kong.

Spring Breaking in Hong Kong: In the City

Not too long after the Nipponbashi Street Festa, I was off to Hong Kong with a couple of my friends from the JET Programme.  It’s been a long time since I have done an overseas trip with friends, so I was pretty excited.  I really prefer to travel with someone as opposed to myself because I like to experience things with people rather than just myself.  Hong Kong is a place I have been meaning to go for awhile.  I honestly didn’t know what to expect besides a ton of good food, markets, and a crazy skyline.

It was pretty muggy when we arrived, something that felt nice since it was still chilly in Japan.  Our hostel was located by Jordan Station which is nearby Kowloon.

The scenery felt familiar and new at the same time compared to Japan.

One thing that my friends took awhile to get adjusted to was the atmosphere.  Hong Kong is the complete opposite of Japan; people are not apologetic, they’re in a rush and not afraid to push ahead and you will get flagged down to buy something you don’t need aggressively.  Peru is a bit similar to Hong Kong (albeit probably a bit more polite) so it didn’t take me too long to get used to it.  It even felt nostalgic in a sense.

Our first day was pretty jam-packed since we arrived pretty early.  After checking in at our dinky hostel, we were off to explore the general area.  There were tall buildings everywhere and half of them were banks.  We went through various districts and a lot of them looked really fancy.  My favorite area was still the one at our place near Kowloon since it was very colorful and had plenty of food options.

We took a walk through the Avenue of Stars, which is Hong Kong’s version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  There were a ton of actors that I didn’t recognize except for the big ones like Jackie Chan and Jet Li . It was a pretty hazy day, whether it was from the pollution or the weather, I didn’t know.  It was blocking what would be a nice view of the city though.

So hazy…

A comparison to what it was like in the old days and today.

Bruce Lee’s statue is the most famous landmark around here.  Getting non-crowded picture of it was impossible

During the evening we decided to check out the famous Peak, a high-altitude mountain area with a mall and observation deck to see the beautiful city of Hong Kong below.  This was one of the things I wanted to do the most since I have heard it has a gorgeous view.  We decided to ride the tram because we heard it was an unforgettable experience.

Except that it was.  It was completely forgettable.  First the line for it takes at least thirty minutes to buy your purchase and get on.  When you do get on, you are only on there for a few minutes.  Since the track is slanted, you are looking at everything diagonally which messes with your eyes after awhile.  Of course, you’ll be lucky to see something; seats fill up fast and we only managed to be in the middle of the aisle.

We’re finally about to get on!

The worst part was that it was completely foggy.  I should’ve known this would’ve happened after checking out the Avenue of the Stars but we decided to press on because the chances or rain in the following days was high.   We caught very little on the way up but the observation deck was probably the worst part of the day.

You couldn’t see anything.  The entire city was completely covered in fog and left me and my friends really angry and disappointed.

Yep.  That’s the view.

Sigh.

Hey I think I see some lights!  I wish.

Yeah, fuck that place.

We were unlucky but still, I wish they would warn you about it.  It was by far the most disappointing event of the whole trip.  I’m sure it looks great on a clear night but we never had that chance.  Defeated, we went back to the mall area and got some Hong Kong milk tea which was really good.  I could definitely get on board in drinking it everyday.

It’s pretty strong though.

After that we went back to Kowloon and walked around some more.  It looks cooler at night:

 

And that was our first day in Hong Kong.  So exhausting!  But we got a lot done.  Still, we had four more days to go!