Hong Kong (Day 2) – Religious Tour at Lantau, Hong Kong (Part 1)

One thing I have on my list is the places of worships that the country I’m visiting is popular of such as the St. Peter and Paul’s ruins in Macau. This time I would expect more of temples as we talk about Hong Kong. I’m visiting not their typical temples but their monastery instead. A must visit place; I may put on my “Places to Visit in Hong Kong”, the Giant Buddha which stand tall atop the mountains.

We started our day early for our Day 2 in Hong Kong as we planned on visiting the Giant Buddha. We found out during our research that the Ngong Ping 360 cable car is not available so we decided to take the bus from Central Station to Ngong Ping. Actually all the cable cars in Hong Kong were on their annual maintenance when we arrived. Things that we don’t expect to happen on our trip but can’t help it we can try it on our next visit, I think.

Before we hit the road, you might want to take note of the following:

Things to bring with you

• An umbrella
• Cash
• Water
• Comfortable Clothes
• Hiking Shoes
• Towels or Handkerchief
• Extra Clothes
• Shades or Sunglasses
• Map/Travel Guide book <Google it! Print the map or screenshot it.>

For those who do not want to get some tan, bring some sunscreen with you. Why did I list the items above, simply because you will be doing some hiking.

To get to Giant Buddha from Tsim Sha Tsui, you need to ride the following:

East Tsim Sha Tsui Station – Nam Cheong – Tung Chung

Tsim Sha Tsui Station – Lai King – Tung Chung

From the MTR Station you need to walk to the rear side of the Citygate Outlets. <Drop by here to find some great discounts on products such as Nike, Adidas, Versace, A|X, Coach, etc.>

As aforementioned, the cable car is closed for annual maintenance, ferry or gondola ride is not in our list of rides <because the travel time is longer> so we took the bus instead; it was a short 20 - 30 curvy minutes ride to the Ngong Ping terminal. Bus fare is at HK$17 during weekdays and HK$27 during weekends.

After the long ride is a long walk towards the foot of the long staircase leading to Giant Buddha. You will consider yourself entertained with the 12 statues, 6 of them standing each side of the pathway called The Twelve Generals. I took some pictures of each statue and hopefully they will stay the same if you plan on visiting:

General CATURA

General CATURA represents 1AM – 3AM of the day and Ox of Chinese 12 Zodiac. Armed with a sword on his left arm pointing to the ground.

General KIMNARA

General KIMNARA represents 3AM – 5AM of the day and Tiger of Chinese 12 Zodiac. Armed with a rope dart or rope javelin.

General MAKURA

General MAKURA represents 5AM – 7AM of the day and Rabbit of Chinese 12 Zodiac. Holds an Axe on his right hand as a weapon.

General PARJA

General PARJA represents 7AM – 9AM of the day and Dragon of Chinese 12 Zodiac. Armed with a bow and arrow.

General INDRA

General INDRA represents 9AM – 11AM of the day and Snake of Chinese 12 Zodiac. Holding a staff in his right hand stood General INDRA with fierce.

General SANDIRA

General SANDIRA represents 11AM – 1PM of the day and Horse of the Chinese 12 Zodiac. Handling a conch shell, General SANDIRA raising it holding up from his right hand.

General ANILA

General ANILA represents 1PM – 3PM of the day and the Sheep of the Chinese 12 Zodiac. General ANILA is holding an arrow pointing downward as a weapon.

General ANDIRA

General ANDIRA represents 3PM – 5PM of the day and Monkey of the Chinese 12 Zodiac. General ANDIRA holds a mallet as weapon.

General MIHIRA

General MIHIRA represents 5PM – 7PM of the day and Rooster of the Chinese 12 Zodiac. General MIHIRA holds on his left hand the Vajra as his weapon.

General VAJRA

General VAJRA represents 7PM – 9PM of the day and Dog of the Chinese 12 Zodiac. General VAJRA is armed with a sword held in his right hand from waist pointing a little downward.

General KUMBHIRA

General KUMBHIRA represents 9PM – 11PM of the day and Boar of the Chinese 12 Zodiac. General KUMBHIRA is holding a broadsword in his right hand levelled from his chest.

General VIKARALA

General VIKARALA represents 11PM – 1 AM of the day and Rat of Chinese 12 Zodiac. Just like General MIHIRA, General VIKARALA holds a Vajra as weapon but on his right hand.

To be continued...

Part 2 of our Lantau tour or Hong Kong (Day 2) will be posted soon. Please like my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/travelingwithyu and check my blogs for update: http://travelingwithyu.blogspot.com or http://travelingwithyu.wordpress.com and follow me on twitter @travelingwithyu. I'm working on my Instagram and will add the link soon.

Thanks for following and reading! Enjoy!

I'd like to take this opportunity to great my dear friends Happy Birthday:

Sisylson Beroy - 9/20

Alvin Velasquez - 10/01

Rashan Raza - 10/09

For any question don't hesitate to leave me a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible.