I Heart Travels

Ngong Ping Village Hong Kong The Ngong Ping Village is at the foot of the Tian Tan Buddha which sits on a 1.5 hectare portion of land on Lantau. It offers a lot of of interesting attractions like the Ngong Ping Tea House, Walking with Buddha, Monkeys Tale Theater, plus other establishments including restaurants, a spa, and a Starbucks outlet. We arrived around 2 in the afternoon via Ngong Ping Cable Car. We were lucky in having a great weather, less crowd and shorter queues. The walk up to Big Buddha is approx 10-15 min.  I really enjoyed browsing around the shops and restaurants in the area. Even though the village is a tourist development it is still a thoroughly enjoyable place to wander. The Big Buddha was inspiring, The steps up are a challenge for those not as young or as fit as they used to be. I also learned the ethos about patience and calm, walking around the village reminded me a quote from Buddha "The greatest prayer is patience". How to go to Ngong Ping...

Wisdom Path Ngong Ping Village After wandering around Ngong Ping Village, we followed a clear signage that leads to "The Wisdom Path which is on the right side of Tian Tan Buddha. A scenic 15-20 minutes’ walk pass a tea house, Po Lin Monastery and Tea plantation brought us into the trail revealing the Wisdom Path at the foot of Lantau Mountain. Wisdom Path traces a series of 38 wooden steles (upright monuments) containing verses from the centuries-old Heart Sutra; one of the world’s best-known prayers revered by Confucians, Buddhists and Taoists alike.  These stales display the Chinese version of the prayer, based on the calligraphy of famous contemporary scholar Professor Jao Tsung-I, and are arranged in a pattern, which represents infinity. I may not understand the Chinese words or the Heart Sutra but I really enjoyed walking the trail because it is an amazing place where the tranquility of the natural environment matches the calligraphy inscribed on the thirty-...

Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) Hong Kong  One day trip that we did manage to squeeze in was the Giant Buddha on Lantau Island (also the island where Hong Kong Disneyland is situated). We caught the bus from HKIA to Tung Chung Bus costing around HK$3.5 - so reasonable! The Big Buddha Hong Kong statue is one of the city’s most impressive sights and was the last place to be visited in our sightseeing list. Opposite the statue, is the Po Lin Monastery home to many a devout monk. We hiked up the steep steps not minding our aching legs, although we stop to take a quick rest :P. I really enjoyed the day - it was peaceful, relaxing and super nice emo time. It is also a great place to have a look at the random visitor that was walking along the streets.  There is an entrance fee of HKD 25 to visit the museum inside the statue but photography is not allowed. The fee entitled a visitor to get a free vegetarian snack at Po Lin Monastery Vegetarian Restaurant. For an extra...

Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Tung Chung Hong Kong  The most enjoyable way to reach the Big Buddha is via the Ngong Ping Cable Car from Tung Chung MTR station. The cable car offers outstanding views over Lantau Island, tickets, however, are not cheap. You can choose from Cristal Cabin (205 HK$) and Standard Cabin (135 HK$) roundtrip fare. Of course we choose the cheaper one :P. I don’t know the difference between the two but based on our observathggion, if you pay the extra for the glass bottomed gondola you will end up in a slightly shorter queue at both ends of the journey. Our tip, don’t forget to bring your cameras while taking the Ngong Ping up the hill to the Big Buddha, because you don’t want to miss the superb natural surroundings. How to go to Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car The MTR is regarded as one of the world's leading railways with an extensive network. The system covers 81 stations on the Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, Island, Tung Chung, Tseung Kwan O, East Rail, West Rail...