My last full day in Hong Kong, and I chose to spend it all on Lantau island. I took the MTR from Mong Kok -> Lai King -> Tung Chung to get to Ngong Ping.
It looked sunny outside — I just hoped it would stay that wayLantau is also where Hong Kong Disneyland is locatedThis was the stop to get to the cable car stationThat’s the MTR station in the back, and a fountainThere’s no escaping high-rise apartment buildings anywhere in Hong Kong; it’s a necessityThis is also where the major bus stop for Lantau island is locatedI made my way to the cable car station
Because I had printed out out my online booking, I didn’t have to wait in lineWhich was a good thing, because the line was looooooong. So there’s a tip for ya!There are two types of podsThe regular ones are what you see on the right. The one before it has a clear glass floor; that costs HK$149 for a single trip.I opted for just a single trip (HK$86) as I would be heading to Tai O village from Ngong PingUp I went
This was going in the opposite direction
From here it turns left
And we go higher upThat’s the airportBuilding apartments wherever they canYou would never have imagined Hong Kong offered such landscapesYou get a pretty good view of the entire airport from up hereChek Lap Kok airport, one the best in the world. All built on reclaimed land.This is a tight crop of the main airport terminal, thus the poor quality
The steps you see below are a trekking pathPart of the Lantau Trail, if you have the time and the energy, you can trek across a good chunk of Lantau IslandApparently the trail extends nearly 70kms
There seems to be a station here too, in case you get too tired to trek all the way to Ngong PingYou can see the final station from this farThis is a side to Hong Kong that doesn’t get as much attentionPo Lin Monastery and Big Buddha statue from afarAfter a 10 minute ride or so, you reach the final stopThe main reason why I delayed coming to Ngong Ping until today was because they were going to have a Shaolin martial arts showcase beginning today. Oddly enough, this sign said “Cancel(led)”.I still made my way to Ngong Ping villageThis is the entry to the ‘village’Looks like the stage was all setBut I was hungry, so I decided to eat before I walked any further. Went to Ebeneezer’s.Ordered a Tsingtao for the first timeChicken shawarma and fries (HK$72), because it’s one of my favourite combosBut just as I was about to bite into my shawarma, I heard a lady announcing something outsideLo and behold, the Shaolin Masters held a showcase!It was all pretty impressive
The first troupe gave way to these guysNot real swords, more like aluminum strips — but they do the job of making the sound when in contact
But why bother with images, here’s a video I recorded:
I went back to Ebeneezer’s, finished my lunch and moved on.
It was freaking hot, but I had to check out the rest of the ‘village’Ngong Ping has a lot of other attractions tooThis is the exit to the bus station
They had cable cars from all around the world, and from different eras
I decided to walk up to the Big Buddha statue firstThese were stalls selling t-shirts, souvenirs and drinks
They had statues of 12 Chinese generals
Way to the Tian Tan BuddhaSteps, my worst enemy when travellingTook a break to have my photo takenThe view from up here is pretty grandTian Tan Buddha, once the “world’s tallest outdoor bronze seated Buddha”
There are great views all around
Someone was paragliding in the distanceThese were statues depicting gifts and blessings offered to Buddha
You can see planes landing pretty much every five minutes from up herePo Lin Monastery is on the left, and that’s where I was heading to next
Going back down, the easy part
Off to Po Lin Monastery I went
Not the main monastery, just an entrance
This is Po Lin monastery, built way before Ngong Ping 360 and the Big Buddha statue ever existedI went inside
No, you can’t touch it
Some exterior shots
I was really thirsty and craved something cold (again). This is the only eatery inside the monastery grounds.I ordered some chilled tau huay (or soya bean curd) with sugar syrup (HK$10)…… and had a Pocari Sweat in what seemed like ages 🙂I cooled off and relaxed for a whileAfter shooting a timelapse sequence of the Tian Tan Buddha, I made my way outIt was time to leave Ngong Ping and head to Tai O fishing village
My initial plan was fit the entire day’s photographs in just one post, but at 110 photos so far, I’ve kept Tai O village for a separate post.
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2 Comments
Jim
02/09/2014
Could you tell us how long it would take from the cable car to the top of the mountain?
We’re not sure if we have enough time to see if we went in the afternoon.
Well, if you buy your ticket online and go, that lets you avoid waiting in line at the ticket counter and will save you a lot of time. Then from starting station to the point where you get off, it’s like a 20 minute or so ride. Not that long. Of course, if you buy a return ticket, that’s another 20 minutes to get back.
Jim
02/09/2014Could you tell us how long it would take from the cable car to the top of the mountain?
We’re not sure if we have enough time to see if we went in the afternoon.
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
September 2nd, 2014 at 12:14 PM
Well, if you buy your ticket online and go, that lets you avoid waiting in line at the ticket counter and will save you a lot of time. Then from starting station to the point where you get off, it’s like a 20 minute or so ride. Not that long. Of course, if you buy a return ticket, that’s another 20 minutes to get back.