Advertisement
Published: February 19th 2007
Edit Blog Post
It was 3:20 in the morning (Saturday) and I departed form Gumi to Inchoen. After 4 hours on the bus, my plane was delayed (suppose to leave at 9.20) because of the snow they had to defrost on the wings. After a stop in Taiwan I was back in Hong Kong. I must say that at the moment Hong Kong is my most favourite city in the world!
I caught a bus to Kowloon where I wanted to lock my suitcase up and make a run for Sha Tin to go the the Monestry of the 10 000 Buddhas! I got of at Mong Kok but couldn't find any lockers so I decided to go to Sha Tin station.(time was running out!) At Sha Tin train station also no lockers so the suitcase had to come with.
Then, to find the Monastery of the 10 000 Buddhas, I asked a Chinese girl but she couldn't help. Like always if you just follow the crowd in China you are going in the right direction. While following the crowd I bumped into 2 Americans who gave me directions and off I went.
first I found the the Po Fook Hill where
there is a huge Buddhist cemetery, some Buddhas and a very long escalator that you can go up with to see the graves. Finally, some ladies behind a desk explained to me that this was not the Monastery and that I should go around the building to the front of the cemetery.
My arms were getting tired of dragging my bag behind me but I couldn't give up then, I was so close! Finely I found it! You can't believe all the Buddhas sitting next to the walkway up to the monastery. I climbed up and up and my suitcase was getting heavier. I saw on a sign that indicated that the monastery would close at 5:30 and it was already 5:05... I had to go faster. I decided to hide my bag behind one of the Buddhas and make a run for it! At that point I thought they should change the name to the 'Monastery with 10 000 000 steps' because I climbed and climbed and finally I got to the REAL monastery!
Once there, I saw the statue of the giant dog and some giant Buddhas and inside the monastery I saw why they call
it the Monastery of the 10 000 Buddhas. There were thousands of 8 cm high Buddhas stacked up against the walls, up to the ceiling. You can't believe what you see - everywhere just small Buddhas. As they were closing the gates it was time for me to go. The Buddha did a good job looking after my bag and I went back to the train station.
I took the MTR to Hong Kong Island to find my hotel, The Emperor Hotel. I got off at Wan Chai Station and walked for about 2 blocks and there is was - my feet sighing with relief - they needed rest! In my hotel room I took a shower and relaxed for a while. It was still early so I decided to explore Wan Chai and found a park where people played soccer and basketball, near a Computer and Electronics Center. There one can buy all electronic goods at great prices... I wondered in the streets until the shops started to close and by then my eyes wanted to close as well.
The next morning I was on my mission to go and see the Giant Pandas at the Ocean
Park in Aberdeen (Hong Kong Island). After a bit of confusion of what bus to take I finely got there. It was very expensive but I did not mind - I was going to see the Giant Pandas! Disappointment! The Pandas were closed!? (for some or other reason). I walked around for 15min but couldn't see any of the other animals - they all had to perform in their shows at certain times of the day. That was it!!! I WANTED MY MONEY BACK! I marched to the customer care office and demanded my money back. After 10min they gave up and refunded me my 185HKD (R185). I wasted so much time getting there and then had to go back for nothing!
I decided shopping will lift my mood and of I went to Mong Kok. When I got there I was a bit lost - I couldn't find the Ladies Market. There were so many streets and people it totally confused me! Finally, and by accident, I found it.
But once there, if you look at something - they'd crowd you, beg you to buy and if you walk away, they'd ask what you want to pay. You
offer 70% off the price and they would argue. You then keep on walking away until they settle on 60% off!! Others grab your arm and hang on for dear life but who really wants a pink and gold hand bag!
At the Apliu Street market you can buy all the electronic goods. There are whole sale clothing factories but you have to buy in bulk. Actually, most markets have the same goods - nothing unique!
I tried to make it for the 8 o'clock laser show at the Avenue of Stars but missed it, the view was still breathtaking!
Monday morning I took the airport shuttle to Hong Kong Station and the train to the airport. After checking my luggage in, I caught a bus to Tung Chung Station where I took a 5.7km cable car ride to the Ngong Ping Buddha (Giant Buddha). The view from the cable car was amazing - you can see the whole airport and the beautiful mountains of Lantau Island. The cable car ride took about 30min. You first walk through a tourist village, then up 268 steps that lead to the 34m high, 250 ton bronze Buddha. After exploring the
area it was time for me to catch my flight back home...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.111s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 10; qc: 19; dbt: 0.0883s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb