Day 4 in Hong Kong, Part 1 - We Meet Big Buddha and His Friendly Monk Caregivers

Being well-rested (see end of prior post), we set out early on Saturday in search of the Big Buddha. We stopped at the Three Sixty market in the Elements Mall to assemble a picnic for our trip – sandwiches (one called a "meat sandwich", the other "turkey and pastrami"), dried banana chips, Fuji apples (imported from the U.S.) and pita chips. We boarded the MTR to Tung Chung, the end of the line. 

The train was full of families and tourists also headed to see the Buddha, or Disneyland Hong Kong, the line for which being one stop before Tung Chung at Sunny Bay. Upon disembarking at Tung Chung, we were surprised to find of all things, a shopping mall. 

We soldiered on in the direction of the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, to take us over the river and hills to the Big Buddha. We opted for the Crystal Car, with the plexiglass bottom for maximum view. It was amazing to see the water and ground below as we ascended higher and higher. The Ngong Ping ride is 25 minutes and crosses 5.7 km (4 miles) of Lantau Island. 

Glass bottomed car

Looking down through the bottom of the cable car

The cable cars seat 10 and we shared one with a German guy and a family of three from the Phillippines. As we sailed past the Hong Kong airport, the German guy explained that the airport had only been located there in the last ten years. It was previously on a narrow strip in Kowloon. In the interest of prestige, safety and capacity, Hong Kong had undertaken a landfill project to create land for a new airport near Tung Chung. It helped to explain how the perfect location and convenience of the Airport Express train – they had built it that way. 

View of the airport from the cable car. All that land was created where water once stood.

As we descended over the last hill, Big Buddha came into view in the hazy distance. 

We exited the cable car and headed down into the village on the way to Buddha. Along the way, we passed a Starbucks. 7-11and a Subway (and the bread smells exactly the same in HK as it does in the States). 

We also passed a stand selling Korean barbecued dried squid - which Eric just had to have. It was salty and delicious. 

Moon, maybe as part of the Superbowl party?

Finally we reached the base of the Buddha. We posed for pictures and then began the 260 step climb to the plinth on which the Buddha sits. Along the way to the top, we encountered several groups of worshippers pausing on each of the 260 steps to say silent prayers. Which brought us to one of the best overheard lines on  the trip. Said a U.K. tourist to his friend about the Buddists praying on each step, "Who's got the time?"

We explored the base on which the Buddha sits, took lots of photos and enjoyed the view before our growling stomachs got the best of us and we set back down the 260 steps in search of a sunny spot in which to enjoy our picnic. There were signs throughout that made clear that littering and meat were not permitted. Well, we didn't litter and we were super hungry. Plus, it would have been wasteful to toss the meaty sandwiches and we hear Buddha is the forgiving type. (Rationalization now complete.)

After lunch, we wandered among the temples built by the Po Lin monks and gardens filled with burning incense. 

Then we headed back to the cable car to return to Tung Chung. We had a crystal cable car to ourselves and took advantage of the privacy to take turns laying on the floor and taking pictures. 

Looking down through the bottom of the cable car

Look ma, no hands!

It was nearly 2pm as we left Tung Chung station. Once back on the MTR, we studied the Eyewitness Guide to formulate our plan for the rest of the day – the Mong Kok Bird Garden, Flower Market and an evening trip to Temple Street Market for dinner and shopping. Stay tuned for our next post about twee songbirds, gracious orchids and haggling over Chairman Mao.