Annette goes hat shopping
Lantau is the biggest island in Hong Kong, home to the international airport, Disney Land, and the famous "Giant Buddha." On a sunny Saturday in October, we decided to go have a closer look at the Buddha.. though I had to promise Annette we would come back later and go to Disney Land.
Our trip began with a subway ride out to Tung Chung, a city on the tip of Lantau. From there we caught a bus which took us across the island to Po Lin Monastery, home of the Buddha. Once there we checked out the impressive Buddha, which at 34 meters is the tallest seated Buddha in the world. But, Annette is somewhat hard to impress. She quickly got bored and went hat shopping. She tried on a traditional straw hat but later settled on a cloth one.
Next week took a walking tour of the monastery, where the air was rich with the smell of burning incense. As we wandered about the temple we admired the intricate decorative carvings and Chinese architecture.
Checking the monastery directory... we thought they respected their elders?!
Burning incense outside temple
Lily in a fountain in the temple
Stone carvings on temple wall
Circular portal
Leaving the temple, we headed off on a trail leading back to Tung Chung. The trail took us past more monasteries and through a densely forested valley.
Hiking down from the mountain
Ah! A boulder! Annette clears the path.
After over an hour of hiking (thankfully mostly downhill), we made it back to Tung Chung, where we stopped at the Tung Chung Fort, which was built in 1817 to defend against pirates and opium traders.
Tung Chung Fort
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