Hong Kong Part 3: The Sights!

The best view of Hong Kong, at Victoria's Peak. Hong Kong Island is on this side of the water (Victoria Harbor), and Kowloon (not part of the island, but still Hong Kong), is on the other side of the water.

We took the Peak Tram to get up here. At times, it feels like a nearly vertical ride up. I told myself the whole way that I wasn't scared, that we weren't going to plummet backwards to our death and that I was really enjoying the exciting adventure. It sort of worked. You can also take a bus to the top and, if you're crazy, you can walk. The tram, however, is the way to go, even if it is slightly scary.

There's a little mall at the top, little stalls selling souvenirs, but the view is really what it's all about. I mean, look at it! You can see everything!

The Kowloon side of Hong Kong looks pretty far away from this angle, but it's only a few minutes by ferry or subway. We made the trip a few times because the shopping on Kowloon was awesome. Ladies Market was my second favorite market we visited. It was one long, narrow street filled with stalls and shouting vendors. "Missy! Missy! Over here!" I can only assume I was "missy," but I didn't turn around to look. They were very good at sucking you in.

Between Ladies Market and Stanley Market (which is on Hong Kong Island), we bought a ton of stuff. I'd love to show you the bag full of goods we brought home, but as most of them are Christmas presents, and the receivers may read this blog. Alas, this section must remain picture-less.

Instead, here's a picture of the Big Buddha:

Tian Tan Buddha

Asia is home to a lot of Buddha statues. This statue is actually bigger than the Giant Buddha in Kamakura. It's a fairly new construct, finished in 1993. It overlooks Lantau Island, which is an outlying island of Hong Kong. To get here, we first took the train, then an amazing cable car ride.

Here is a view of Lantau Island from the cable car. It's lush and beautiful. The part of the island we visited was tucked away between the hills and mountains. Not only is it home to the huge Buddha statue, but also the Po Lin Monastary.

They're building a huge addition to the monastery behind it. There really are bald guys in robes walking around everywhere, but frankly, I don't know how they get any monking done with all the tourists.

It's a really neat little village-like place, a mix of beautiful statues and and modern shops (like a Subway and Starbucks).

It was a nice break from Hong Kong, which is a true city. It even smells like a real city. Tokyo does not. Tokyo doesn't smell bad at all, which is a kind of weird for a city that size. Hong Kong has the trash-like smell that usually accompanies a place with so many people and vehicles.

One place with a particularly distinct smell was the Man Mo Temple. It had so much smoke and smell that it made my eyes water. Mostly because of these:

Incense coils. My other pictures of the temple came out a little screwy because it was dark and all the smoke messed with the flash on the camera. Between the bright colors, the incense and all the gold painted statues, it was sensory overload.

There was so much to see in Hong Kong that Blake and I would love to go again. It was an amazing port call, and an amazing experience.

To end the Hong Kong posts, here are some pictures from Blake's camera.