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Published: January 8th 2010
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Ni hau!
I’m back in China! I had a great time in Thailand but I was ready to leave. I’m sick of the sight of the sun, sea and sand. It has been unbearably hot over the past few days. I have heard that the weather in the UK is really cold, so I appreciate that you might find it difficult to emphasise with me!
Jodie and I are now staying in a hotel in Tseun Wan. We got a fantastic deal on lastminute.com. Our 4 star hotel costs less than the youth hostel in Hong Kong. We had a look at the prices down stairs and what we paid online for 8 nights doesn’t even cover the cost of the standard rate for one night! We are both enjoying the small things in life e.g. waking up in a bed with no sand, having hot water, having air-con and living without cockroaches! It’s nice to feel settled and know that I don’t need to move accommodation again.
The weather is Hong Kong is definitely a lot cooler, it’s around 15 degrees which is just perfect. This morning we went to visit The Ten Thousand Buddha’s which is
a famous monastery in Hong Kong. There are actually 12,800 Buddha’s so it’s a bit misleading, I think they need to change the name - get it sorted haha. The monastery was founded by Reverend Yuet Kai. He decided to build the monastery to disseminate Buddhism to people in hope that it would benefit them. It took eight years to complete all the buildings in the monastery and another ten years to finish the Buddha statues. Each statue is different and they all have different expressions. I really liked the monastery because it was away from the busy city centre. It’s the sort of place you could just go to on your own to escape from the world. I went into one particular temple and the walls were covered in gold boxes with individual numbers. There was one box open and I then realised they were Buddhist shrines. Relatives can purchase a box and use it as a sort of memorial for their lost relatives. The one I saw had a photo of a young boy and it was full of cards and letters. It was quite sad but such a beautiful way to pay respect to their relatives.
In the evening Jodie and I went for a stroll along Victoria Harbour. We were going to stay for the light show which starts at 8pm every day of the year. However, the thought of going back to our 4 star hotel seemed more appealing haha. The transport system in Hong Kong is fantastic. They have some thing similar to the London Underground called the MTR. In Hong Kong every one uses ‘octopus’ cards’ which you can use to pay for transport, food, drinks, events etc. You top them up with credit and just swipe them at checkout points. They are so convenient and save a lot of hassle when jumping on and off the MTR.
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valentine
non-member comment
FUN!!
Hi Kay Happy new Year it all looks amazing. You are some person and really make the most of life. It is great seeing all the pictures and your commentary is very good. See you Valentine