Response was so great to the Easter Island post that today’s post will be about Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

March 11&12, 2012

Sunday, March 11, 2012

The sail in to Hong Kong harbor is supposed to rival the sail in to Sydney, but unfortunately, we arrived on a cold, foggy, dreary day. So the scenery was quite dim with cloud-shrouded peaks.

Hong Kong Harbor

I signed up for an 8-hour tour because the 4-hour tour with similar stops was sold out. Our first stop was to the Lantau Link Visitors Centre - not one of the stops I cared about. They are very proud of the suspension bridges they have built to accommodate the airport on Lantau Island which services Hong Kong. The eye-opener to me was not the bridges, but the beauty of the viewing point. It was wonderfully landscaped with many planters in addition to the loads of azaleas blooming on the hillsides.

Lantau Link Visitors Center

We only stayed there long enough to look at the vistas, mainly because it was rather wet. They also had bridge elements scattered around with descriptive text about what you were looking at. I did not bother going into the shop as none of the stuff visible through the wrap-around windows looked enticing.

Our next stop was the Tai O fishing village on Lantau Island. It is considered a tourist attraction showing a fast-disappearing way of life and our visit showed why! The guide told us that the houses of the fishermen are built on stilts. I pictured the sturdy pilings used under some of our

Tai O Fishing Village

New Jersey seaside construction, assuming a language disconnect. But he was right! The underpinnings really look like stilts. Note the potted plants and the roof antennas.

After crossing the bridge we walked through a dried fish market where an amazing, if unidentifiable, display of fish could be seen. And smelled! Our trek through the market led us to the temple of a war god whose name I didn't catch. Some of the statues looked more fierce than others. This is the main one, looking quite angry and martial. Can believe he would smite your enemies for you. If he liked you. Or if your offerings were acceptable.

War God (Behind Incense & Banners)

Back we went, through the fish market, which did also sell live fish swimming around in small tubs. Over the bridge where we stopped to watch a couple of boat crews practicing for the dragon boat races held in July. The boats looked more like our racing sculls, although they were paddled more like canoes and had no decorations which would lead one to assume they were dragon boats. As we watched, one boat went under our bridge, but another appeared to be approaching, then started to recede. We realized that the second boat was backing up without bothering to turn around. Everyone just started paddling backwards!

Our guide was very good about pointing out toilet facilities - and rating them. He called the ones at the Lantau Link Viewing Centre "5 star." Then before we boarded the bus again at Tai O Village, he said the ones there at the bus terminal were "3-star." Every other door in this facility had a symbol (I didn't think taking a picture appropriate so you're going to have to use your imaginations.) with two vertical lines connected by a horizontal line in the middle.

When one of the stalls became free, I pointed it out to the lady in front of me who was with our group and she said she was waiting for one of the symboled doors to open. So I went ahead. To find that the unsymboled doors hid a porcelain hole in the ground, so I'm guessing the others had a more western style of toilet. This is where my practice of spending a minute and a half a day in a full squat to keep my thighs strong finally paid off!!! They did offer a grab bar to help you get back up, but fortunately, I did not need to use it.

Back on the bus for another lengthy ride to "the Big Buddha." There are 300 (or 256, or 263, depending on who you talk to) steps to climb to get to the bottom of the Big Buddha. The tour listing said walking up the steps was optional, but because of the rain - and I suspect because he had assessed the hardihood of our group - the bus took us right to the bottom of the statue. It was so foggy that it was almost impossible to see him.

Fog Shrouded Big Buddha

We were hustled inside and up into a wonderful exhibit where we did not have nearly enough time to look at the beautiful carvings and paintings. Photographs were not permitted, but I figured they would not let us get out without going through the shop area. Wrong! It felt like B. T. Barnum's "This Way to the Egress!" which got people moving through his exhibits in record time. I followed the people in front of me and suddenly we were back at the bus again. Now, it was seriously raining at that point and I didn't have an umbrella, although my windbreaker was hooded and waterproof. Anyway, I probably could have gone back up to the gift shop, but did not.

We were then driven back down the length of the steps to the entrance to the monastery grounds where we were scheduled to have lunch. Another pit stop with those of us not needing it standing around in the rain waiting for those who did. Then on into the monastery. Our lunch was served at large tables with lazy susans in the middle. Tea was brought first and we all cradled our cups in our frozen hands. (Cold. Rain. No heat on the buses. Just air conditioning.) Then we got a platter of spring rolls followed by platters of various vegetarian delicacies, some of which were identifiable, but all of which were delicious.

Temple Exterior

 Following lunch we had time to wander around the monastery grounds in the rain. The temple itself was large with the monks having lunch on the ground floor and the "reception room" above them. This is a picture of the exterior of the upstairs of the temple. I did not take any photographs inside, but got lots of pictures of the incense burning outside. But those pictures are mostly rain and fog and smoke.

Incense Pot

When our group had collected again, we walked out to the plaza outside the monastery gates. The fog had lifted and we were treated to a view of the monastery gates, the Buddha, and the steps leading up to him. Our final stop was a shopping area, but there were no post cards. Not even of the Buddha. Then back in the bus and the other bus and back to the ship to warm up and get dinner.

Big Buddha After the Fog Lifted

Our ship was docked next to a huge elegant shopping mall, so after dinner I toddled out to look it over. It was very upscale with stores offering all sorts of goods I was not interested in buying, although I did see the most beautiful jewelry there. Eventually, I tired of the mall and returned to my little bed in my little cabin on the ship.