Ngong Ping 360 Cable car is the biggest cable car in the world and is 5,700 metres long and takes 25 minutes to reach its destination on Lantau Island. We were on our way to see the Tian Tan Buddha! We were warned of poor visibility and some monsoon warnings had been issued, to our awe the result was some dense layers of cloud being blown over and in-between the buildings and the mountains which was stunningly beautiful. As we neared our destination, the cloud shifted and we got our first glimpse of the Buddha perched on the mountain 'waving' through the clouds.
Hot Tip - Buy your ticket online! it will save you a lot of money, no matter what option you go with. Plan to do this early in the morning, try and avoid weekends and Chinese holidays. The cable car starts operating at 10am, we were at the gate at 10am on a Saturday, tickets already brought and still had a 20 minute waiting time and had to share our cable car with 6 other people. It can be cold on the mountain so pack a jumper!
Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha is a large bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni and was completed in 1993. The Big Buddha symbolises harmony and the relationship man shares with nature, people and faith. For us the journey to the top involved walking up 268 steps, however there is a bus option that can take directly to the top. As you can see by the 'relatively small crowd' this place can get very busy with worshippers travelling miles to pray in front of Buddha and light incense. It is a major centre of buddhism in Hong Kong. Surrounding Big Buddha are more smaller buddhistic statues, these are known as "The Offering of the Six Devas". No photos are allowed to be taken inside the big Buddha, but there is a history of Chinese Buddhism and photos of the statue in construction to be found online. This magnificent site was laid out with many of places to pray, make an offering of fruit and light incense.
Po Lin Monastery is a Buddhist monastery that was established in 1906 by 3 monks that were visiting from the Jiangsu province. Po Lin Monastery, translates to 'Precious Lotus Zen Temple'. In Between some of the temples you will find big statues of the Lotus flower surrounded by a pond full of koi fish and many people praying and offering coins. The monastery boasts many amazing and architectural temples, including the shrine hall of Buddha & the hall of Bodhisattva Skanda. The main big temple, originally known as 'The Big Hut' houses 3 bronze statues representing Buddha's past, present and future lives. Surrounding these statues is many buddhist scriptures, offerings of flowers, fruit, a donation box and incense. It is a very spiritual place and it is very overwhelming to see so many people, old and young praying. The inside of the temple's are not allowed to be photographed and in some halls visitors are not allowed entrance. Words fail to describe the intense rich colour, detail and architecture that makes the floors, walls, statues & roofs of these temples so impressive inside and out. No matter your religious preference, if any, visiting a buddhist place of worship will be a memorable one & something we highly recommend.
The Wisdom Path is a 15 minute walk from the Po Lin Monastery and is a series of 38, 10 metre tall wooden beams with Chinese inscriptions on them. Set in the hills, with the clouds rolling around them, this place feels very spiritual and natural. There is no english interpretation at the site, but the inscriptions are a popular Buddhist prayer called the Heart Sutra. The beams are arranged in a figure 8, which represents infinity and curiously, one of the beams is a little bit taller and contains no inscription. This beam represents the meaning of emptiness.
Hot Tip -Allow yourself at least half a day to see Ngong Ping village, which is mostly souvenirs and food, the Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery & the walk of Wisdom. We spent 4 hours and walked 9km's exploring. Lantau peak is the second highest peak in Hong Kong and offers amazing views. There are options for hiking if the weather permits and many starting points. One of the most popular ones takes you along stage 3 of the Lantau Trail and takes approximately 3 hours to ascend and descend to the monastery. We saw plenty of people doing the hike while we were in the cable car. Just beware of how much walking you will also be doing inside the monastery after the hike, it very quickly becomes a big day!
The journey down the mountain in the cable car had increased visibility due to stronger winds and we got glimpses of the other mountains, the ocean, the airport and some more of the buildings. Hong Kong is a Geographical beauty!
Alli & Tom
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