February 12-18, 2010 --- While Nathan and I lived in Taipei, Taiwan, I thought it would be nice to visit other countries around East Asia, and Hong Kong came to my attention when I found a cheap air ticket to Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. Of course, I didn't think about the crowds of Chinese people during their biggest holiday, so I immediately booked the trip.
February 12, 2010 --- We got to Hong Kong International Airport early at night. We stayed at Silver Mine Beach Resort Hotel on Lantau Island. It was a very nice hotel; it was isolated from the crowded city and offered great breakfast buffet. We could go anywhere from here by taking a bus or a ferry. There are also many seafood restaurants at the waterfront, McDonald's and a supermarket close by. Nathan and I each bought an Octopus Card, an electronic card that is accepted by most public transportation, restaurants and stores. It was very convenient to make a deposit, and we didn't have to worry about carrying cash or change.
February 13, 2010 --- Sine we were already on Lantau Island, our first mission of this trip was going to Ngong Ping Village. We took a bus near the hotel to Ngong Ping 360 for a cable car ride to Ngong Ping. There were two choices of cable cabins: standard and crystal floor cabins. We got in the standard cabin because it was cheaper and it was too foggy to see anything from the air anyway. The ride was very smooth but scary because it was the highest cable car ride I've ever ridden in my life, plus the fact that I couldn't see anything made me worried about the height.
Ngong Ping Village is very small but interesting. There were many nice shops and tourist activities like Walking with Buddha and Monkey's Tale Theater. Nathan and I went to the Monkey's Tale Theater, but I don't remember it being worthwhile.
Po Lin Monastery is a short walk from Ngong Ping Village. There is the famous, world's tallest, outdoor, seated bronze Buddha called Tian Tan Buddha built in the early 1990th as the center of everything in the monastery. Nathan and I climbed over 200 stair steps to get to the Buddha's base. I remember there are exhibition halls and shops selling souvenirs beneath the Buddha statue.
Po Lin Monastery is the must-see destination for tourists who love nature and want to learn about the culture of Hong Kong. If you are afraid of heights and can't take the cable car, you can come here by bus instead. Check the Hong Kong Travel website for more information.
Tai O Fishing Village was our next destination. It's located at the northwestern coast edge of Lantau Island. Tai O Fishing Village was not what I really expected to see in the highly developed place like Hong Kong. The stilt houses in the village are made of aluminum walls. The fishing boats were just like the old-fashioned wooden boats I have seen in South-East Asia countries.
Nathan and I took a walk through the village's market, residential area, and around the waterfront. There were a few temples there. We noticed that every house had a small religious shrine in front of the house. The main statue in each shrine wasn't clear, and we couldn't tell if it related to any religion.
People in the village were nice. I love walking around seeing their peaceful life. I bought some grilled BBQ meat in the market, and it was super delicious. :-)
Aside from the cold weather, our first day in Hong Kong was very nice. We toured around Lantau Island and learned a lot about the natural and cultural side of Hong Kong that not many tourists know about.
We took a bus back to our hotel in the evening and had a fabulous dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants. Nathan claimed that he had the best fried rice ever there.
February 14, 2010--- We were still on Lantua Island of Hong Kong, and we knew that this island still had more to offer, so Nathan checked the map at the hotel and found that we could take a short hike to Silver Mine Waterfall and Silver Mine Cave.
It was a pleasant walk through the local residential area and then the mountain. Nathan seemed to learn a lot about local shrines and religions here.
The Silver Mine Waterfall isn't very big, There wasn't much water flowing when we visited, but it was quiet and peaceful to hang around. The cave was closed to the public, so we couldn't really see what was inside the cave. We met a few people hanging out at the garden and the waterfall with kids. This island is a really nice place to live if you don't like a noisy, crowded urban area like Kowloon Island.
In the afternoon Nathan and I took a ferry from Lantau Island to Kowloon because there would be a parade in town that night. There were millions of people on Kowloon Island waiting for the parade. Many people reserved a spot along the sidewalks and on the pedestrian bridges, making it difficult for us to walk around the city that day. Nathan and I found a random temple in the middle of the city, so we went in to check it out. The most interesting thing for me was the curling incense hanging on the temple's ceiling. I've never seen this kind of incense anywhere else in South-East Asia.
We still had a lot of time before the parade, so we took a double-decker trolley to explore the city. Later we went to Kowloon Park, the biggest public park in the middle of the city. There were a ton of people everywhere we went. Anyway, dinner was the best, and the parade was worth for waiting. Celebrating Chinese New Year in Hong Kong wasn't bad at all.
After being able to accept and adjust myself to the new hostel, Nathan and I took the subway to Wong Tai Sin Temple, a Taoist temple established in 1921, which is one of the most famous temples in Hong Kong. There were hundreds of people here worshiping their god/goddess. For more information, you can visit this website: http://scenery.cultural-china.com/en/128Scenery6197.html
Then we took the subway to Nun Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery. These are the most beautiful places in Hong Kong I have ever seen. The garden was gorgeous and looked exotic in the middle of the modern city. This scenic garden was built in the ancient style of the Tang dynasty (AD 618-906), and the Buddhist nunnery has Tang dynasty architecture. For more information, click on this website: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attractions/culture-chilin-nunnery.html
Nathan and I didn't have a chance to get inside of the nunnery because we got there too late. If we ever go to Hong Kong again, this will be on top of our list. ^__^
{{February 16, 2010 --- Nathan and I took a ferry from Hong Kong to Macau for a day trip. I will put that separately in the Macau page.}}
February 17, 2010 --- A lot of people come to Hong Kong for Disneyland, but I have visited Disneyland in California already, so Ocean Park was my first choice for going to an amusement park in Hong Kong. I was impressed! The rides were so much fun. I felt like I was riding a train in the air over the ocean! It was scary but so much fun.
At the end of the day, we decided to go to The Peak. It is the most popular attraction in Hong Kong, and during Chinese New Year's weekend, the line to get on the tram was unbelievably long... We were already there, so we went for it. It took us many hours waiting in line...push and pull... Once we got to The peak, the view was incredible! We walked around taking pictures and shopping for souvenirs for family. On the way back, we didn't feel like waiting in line for the tram, so we took a bus down.
February 18, 2010 --- On our last day and night in Hong Kong, we decided to explore the New Territories. I don't remember the name of any places we visited or how we found out about them. We just took the subway to everywhere. It was fun, and we wish to come back to explore more of this part of Hong Kong.
On our last night, Nathan and I went to the waterfront along Tsim Sha Tsui to watch the daily Symphony of Lights. It plays everyday at 8 p.m. for free public enjoyment. Anyone who comes to Hong Kong wouldn't want to miss it.
Our one week in Hong Kong was fantastic, aside from the freezing temperatures, horrible hostel, and the crowds on a Chinese holiday. Nathan and I have always wanted to come back to Hong Kong for more exploration of the New territories and to go across the border to southern China....
