Really Big Buddha

The views from the cable car that takes you from Tung Chung to Po Lin are said to be spectacular, laying out the entire panorama of Lantau Island's northern coast.

I wouldn't know. When I reached the MTR terminus on Lantau this morning, the cable car was down for annual servicing. That is how I found myself, a few hours later, hurtling downhill on a bus driven by a NASCAR-racer-wannabe.

Actually, this guy could have given the NASCAR rednecks a run for their money. Not only was he fast as a lightning bolt, but he could make both left and right hairpin turns on a steep downhill slope.

I sat in the back of the bus clinging to a handrail and listening to a group of drunk Australians cracking jokes. As we pulled up to a small bus stop, I heard:

"Don't get on the bus! Save yourselves!"

As we passed a cow roaming the roads, and yet another sauntering through the bus station leaving steaming piles in his wake,

"I guess we know who's calling the shots around here!"

Just confirming my long-held opinion that all Aussies are awesome.

The main draw on Lantau Island, apart from the beautiful cable car views and self-important bovines, is the Tian Tan Buddha. It is a 110-foot tall, 280-ton seated Buddha, one of the largest in the world.

I guess the Buddhists like their deities to be larger than life. I am trying to think if there is any similar Christian or Muslim statue. Does anyone know of any gigantic Christs or mammoth Muhammeds? If you can think of one that is as big as this, then I will send you a postcard from my next stop (Vietnam).

You have to walk up 268 steps to reach the statue's base, where there are lovely views of nearby Po Lin monastery and the lush island mountains. Since it was relatively clear out, I even had a nice view of neighboring islands as well.

What struck me as a little funny was that this Buddha is perched not only upon a lotus blossom, but an arcade full of souvenir shops and ice cream stands. Anything to make a buck, I guess.

I had lunch at the Po Lin monastery, the largest in Hong Kong. Once again I was the only non-Chinese patron, and once again it was vegetarian. For a fixed price I got an entire pot of soup, an entire pot of rice, an entire pot of tea, a plate full of egg rolls, a dish of tofu and peppers, and finally a plate of steamed mushrooms and baby bok choi. It was enough to feed about four of me.

However; I did manage to get my first rice bowl photograph, as promised.

I should mention that the Chinese family sitting next to me got a real kick out of my attempts to photograph myself eating rice.

All in all it was a short but rewarding trip. It took me about four times as long to get there than I actually spent on the island, but, as my bus ride demonstrates, getting there is sometimes four times the fun!


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Part of trip: Roving, Roving, Roving

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