Thursday, December 7, 2006

Lantau Island and Po Lin Monastery

We wanted to get more out of Hong Kong, than what we have so far. So we decided that maybe a tour was in order. The one we decided on was to go to Lantau Island. There we would check out the largest beach in Hong Kong, Cheung Sha Beach, which is 3.2 kilometers long; explore an old fishing village, Tai O Village; then on to Po Lin Monastery where we would see the world's tallest Buddha and enjoy a traditional Chinese vegetarian lunch; finally we would take the skyrail that is 20 minutes long and you can see the island from above.

It was a great experience. The fishing village was my favorite. We got to see a way of life that is so simple, yet so far from what we know. The best part about the tour is that they take you to these places and you are able to roam around on your own. It was nice to explore, see and learn.

Right before lunch, Shawn and I were walking through the shrines and temples. I heard chanting coming out of a building and I told Shawn I'd like to see the monks and possibly take some pics. After a few minutes, he says to me " I think the chanting is coming from that woman." Half not understanding and half not believing, we discreetly followed the woman. But the chanting had stopped. A little while later, we were outside at the incense pot. Lo and behold, she had chanting coming out of her backpack (photo). It was really strange, but really funny.

Also, at the shrines there were these flowers that had little flowers inside of them (photo). They were very beautiful and like nothing I have seen before. The photo doesn't do it any justice.

The world's tallest Buddha was just that. If you stand below, you couldn't see it all that well, so it was best to view from far away. But I'd have to say, that I was surprised by how far away you could still see it.

Our experience of Hong Kong was started to look brighter. :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Amazing!! I love the turtles, the dragon/incense thingy, the flower-in-flower and the path/skyride to see Buddha!! All incredible! Love you guys!

Kelley