The Big Buddha and cable car

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I doubt that many tourists visit HK without going to see the Big Buddha up close. You see it from so many parts of the city, sitting calmly in the distance, drawing you in until you just have to go there.



Erected in 1993, its true name is the Tian Tan Buddha. It is an impressive 34m high and looks down onto the Po Lin monastery and Ngong Ping village, both of which are great to visit.



You can get there easily by yourself or, like me, you can try to pack as much as possible into the day and grab a tour. The best part of the tour was being dropped off at the actual Buddha and not at the bottom of the 268 stairs that lead up to it! This way you can wander round inside the Buddha and then casually make your way down the stairs, sniggering at the poor people who started at the bottom and have to make frequent stops on the way up in order to catch their breath.



The village is a great place to explore but that is one problem with doing a tour - you may not have much time to spend there. My favourite shop was the Chopstick Gallery which was naturally near the opposite end of the village to the cable car where the tour was going to regroup. The Gallery has over 400 types of chopsticks so there something in every price range and style. The staff are lovely and will let you choose your chopsticks and the colour of the boxes and packaging. Just remember that your bags can take up a fair bit of space if you are going to be using the cable car. www.np360.com.hk/



Part of the Lantau Island tour was having lunch at the vegetarian restaurant at the monastery. The food was fantastic. Our guide asked us how many of the dishes we tried contained tofu. They all did. So much for thinking I was enjoying corn chips. Great food, fast service.



If you don't like heights or are claustrophobic, get a bus back to HK. Don't even attempt to go on the cable car. You would suffer a 25-30 minute, 5.7 km long ride. But if you love heights, you will love every minute of the journey. The views are amazing. I chose to get in a standard cabin as I didn't want to have to queue for ages and pay extra for a crystal (glass bottomed) cabin. I didn't see the point. It was so peaceful and quiet in the cabin and then I found myself in a souvenir shop at the bottom of course. And of course a souvenir or two left the shop with me as I wanted something to show I had actually been on the cable car.

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Photos

The Big Buddha
Great views from the Buddha.

The stairs
This might give you an idea of just how many stairs there are and how steep they are.

Cattle
I didn't expect to see cattle roaming amongst the tourists.

Vegetarian food
Tofu, tofu and more tofu. Yum!!

Fast food
Yes, there is even a Subway there. Avoid it and try the vegetarian restaurant at the monastery instead.

Cable car
It is a steep descent in the cable car.