Again, more pictures when my friend gets back from India ':)
Victoria Peak is very famous in HK because of its stunning views over the city and surrounding hills/mountains. We took a long but cheap bus ride up to the top and enjoyed the free viewing platforms with traditional decorations.
I love breath-taking views, and this certainly was amazing – especially as the sun was setting so we were privileged enough to see the sunset in the horizon as well as all of the beautiful city lights. My only complaint was that it was a little foggy, but that definitely didn’t ruin it for me.
The whole area of VP was pretty commercial with a massive mall on the top selling everything from souvenirs to books and clothes. Despite this, I didn’t see many foreigners except outside Madame Tussauds and people were looking at myself and Ruth with interest, much to Ching’s (Jane’s) amusement.
I enjoyed an ice cream despite it being January because hey, every time is right for ice cream. Restaurants and kids play equipment lined the road to a viewing area, but if you really wanted you could pay extra to go even higher. Our frugality and tiredness meant that we decided to queue up for a bus back before it got too crowded; which was just as well as not only was there a long line for buses but when we did get on I felt slightly violated by the close contact with all of the people.
Another place with great views of the city is Tsim Sha Tsui which has a show called The Symphony Of Lights every night. Many sponsored buildings light up with different colours to music and flash with laser effects. It was also pretty foggy when we went, which was a shame but it did give the whole show a smokescreen/dry ice effect which I thought was pretty cool. It’s a lovely walk along the river with the reflections of magnificent buildings twinkling in the water and you can see the whole length of the city almost. A truly magical night I will never forget certainly.
The other side of the walkway are cool places like the Space Museum and Ben Hongkey (please note this was named by us as the Cantonese version of Big Ben tower. Hong Kong – Honkey – get it?) and then you can climb up to an elevated walkway for an even better view. Photographers advertise photos for $20 (less than £2) printed in 2 minutes – an amazing deal but I think we were very tired and wanted to sit down more. We got a lot of that later as we took the ferry back.
I don’t get sea sick although I am wary of the water, but the ferry was amazing fun. Two Cantonese ladies were laughing their heads off as my hair blew drastically around my face, and I enjoyed the seats whose backrests you could flip over depending on the size of your party. Again, this method of transport was very decently priced and was a fantastic way to see the city in a different way.
So far, all of the places I’ve written about have been very urban, so here is a place of natural beauty.
Lantau Island is, well, an island off the mainland. Dominantly Bhuddist, no meat was allowed. *Choirs of angels start up* HALLELUJAH! Vegetarian meals! Good ones! I was in heaven. When we first got off the (long) bus ride where we passed Jane’s Aunt’s restaurant (after a long train ride; we could have taken a cable car with a glass bottom but it was a bit expensive) we saw a calf just wandering aroung Ngong Ping Village. In fact, a lot of animals were just wandering around. Cows, dogs – animals of the Chinese Zodiac and therefore pretty sacred were meandering around and seemed to be well treated by locals (except in one instance where a cow got too close to a shop).
Ngong Ping village was awesome :D Capsule machine land, sweet shops, traditional craft shops, souvenir and gift shops, A Monkeys Tale Theatre as well as a massive golden dragon with dragon mascot inside and examples of different cables cars from all over the world are just some examples of what is there to see and do. My personal favourite was the Wishing Tree. In one shop, you bought a wooden tag and pouch of lucky mineral salts in a coloured bag. I got the yellow one for wealth (hehe) but there was also a pink one for love (aww). You then write on the tag a wish or hope for the future and you can then hang it up on a peg board under the Wishing Tree. I have quite a few wishes so covered both sides of the tag but I really hope at least one comes true J Some people (my guess is devout Bhuddists) chose to hang them on the trees lining the stairway up to the Tian Tan Buddha Statue (although they were more exposed to the elements and could fall off). It was more natural there but I hope that everyone’s wishes got consideration.
The steps on the way up were plentiful, but luckily walking dogs has gotten me quite fit ;) It was worth it when we got to the top as well – although windy, you could see the whole surrounding area rich with lush greenery and life. The Big Bhuddah was awesome – surrounded by statues of smaller figures of significance, he looked happy, calm and peaceful. There were statues of pugs as well as a real pug cross-breed walking around so I felt a bit of home had followed me half way across the world!
Po Lin Monastery was our next stop and the way there was very scenic. Stone statues of warriors each representing an animal of the Chinese Zodiac lined the pathway and at the entrance were massive area for burning incense. I bought a small bargain pack and although I thought there were a lot of decently sized sticks, someone had got a MASSIVE one that was bigger than me! I wondered how they fitted it into the lighting station (neat little oil lamp fires in a metal holder) as it looked very heavy. I lit my sticks and payed respects to all of the people, deities and animals of this wonderful land. Others had left food and flowers on tables in front of the incense by the kneeling desks to show extra thought and appreciation.
The monastery itself was a collection of several beautiful buildings awash with red and gold. The statues and building design were exquisite, and the furnishings, ornaments and decorations were elaborate and very pretty. There was renovation work going on, and when it’s done the place will be even larger! As it was a working monastery, I caught a glimpse of a few monks, but as they were following their religion, I thought it would be rude to stare or take pictures. We used sticks to tell our fortunes (on slips of paper in kanji and riddles so hard even Jane couldn't read them) and generally had a good time. :D
I had an amazing lunch (Fanta, vegetable noodles, spring roll and turnip cake for under £3!!!) and enjoyed looking at the terrapins inside a mini enclosure. It was then off to the path of wisdom. We didn’t get any wiser on our travels there – in fact it was so long I think we began a slow decent into madness. I can’t remember our exact conversation, but it definitely involved kidnapping pandas and releasing them into the wild. The houses, fields and restaurant we passed on the journey (by foot) there seemed derelict and unkempt, but the area had an ancient mystical beauty that couldn’t be denied. We got there eventually, and saw the sticks of wisdom (I don’t know their exact name so have just called them that. You must admit it has a ring to it) sticking up on the edge of the hill.
Next to them was a nature trail/ramblers walk, so you can imagine how lovely the area was. As it happened, the sun was setting too, so you could see the distant figure of the Big Buddha statue in the glow of twilight. It was also nice to take photos of each other on a rock with the red evening glow and landscape in the background.
Next to them was a nature trail/ramblers walk, so you can imagine how lovely the area was. As it happened, the sun was setting too, so you could see the distant figure of the Big Buddha statue in the glow of twilight. It was also nice to take photos of each other on a rock with the red evening glow and landscape in the background.
That’s pretty much it for Lantau Island, although on our decent it was gorgeous seeing the statues lit up and the animals frolicking. It certainly was one of the highlights of my trip.
To see a collection of video clips and more pictures, visit my other YouTube channel (finnythewiser) or follow the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I5pLT8RlpY&feature=channel_video_title
I’ll be dancing with my friends at London Anime Con soon – hooray! I’ll also be in the fashion show wearing Country Lolita!
Hyper Japan soon after that – I can’t wait! Then Bunkasai and May MCM Expo 2012 – phew *_* It’ll be busy, but a lot of fun!
Finny out ;)
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