One of my colleagues from the Charlottesville office was in town this weekend, so we teamed up to see some of the sights of Hong Kong. We ended up doing two very different tourist attactions - the Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tan Buddha at Ngong Ping Village, Lantau Island, and Victoria Peak, the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island.
Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tan Buddha
We left for Ngong Ping mid-morning and arrived with the crowds around lunchtime after a 30-40 minute cable car ride up the mountain. The Monastery is one of the largest in the region, home to many monks, although we did not see any during our visit. The buddha is one of the world's largest, sitting well over 100 ft tall. After a brisk climb up to his peak, we were rewarded with some hazy, though still spectacular, views of the island.
Keep scrolling down after this set of photos...There are more below.
Keep scrolling down after this set of photos...There are more below.
Victoria Peak
After lunch and a gelato break (high humidity plus 90+ degree temperatures made that a necessity), we traveled back down the mountain by cable car, and back to Central Hong Kong for a harrowing bus ride up to Victoria Peak. The Peak is home to several restaurants and shopping centers, and offers panoramic views of Central Hong Kong and Kowloon. After dinner at one of the Japanese restaurants in the Peak proper, we were rewarded for our long day with the nightly light show offered by the many skyscrapers of Hong Kong.