Hong Kong Tour (Day 2) – Lantau Island Tour (Part 3)

Here are additional things you might expect in Lantua Island, the Po Lin Monastery. I should not be writing any about Po Lin Monastery as unfortunate events. To enumerate them:

1. We can’t right the Ngong Pin Cable Car due to its annual maintenance.
2.  It was too hot and we don’t have any umbrella with us, something I can endure.
3.  Po Lin Monastery is under renovation.

It does suck but what else to do but enjoy whatever you can find during the tour. I’m hoping to see what Po Lin Monastery is going to be after renovation though. Something to look forward… J

Even there are some unwanted events going on, I still find some of these things amazing and hope you too:

The Monks

When I was in Thailand I saw some Monks wearing orange cloth around their body and a bald head. Here’s something different. I saw 3 monks during our tour and they wore gray Chinese man clothes but without the intricate golden designs. Just as play as gray.

I saw one wearing a conical hat or dǒulì in Chinese or salakot in Filipino. What made my day was the monk I saw was thumbing his mobile phone. Isn’t it cool?

The Buddhist/s

If we can find Buddha, we surely find some Buddhist and I adore how they show their faith. I even saw a couple who went up the Giant Buddha and they were saying prayers then stop, kneel, and then bend. After which I saw the couple roaming around the Big Buddha while praying. I’m of a different religion but I feel how serious and sacred it is to be that place.

There were also believers who light their incense as offering. For those who have some allergic reactions to the following essence such as cassia, sandalwood, styrax, cinnamon, etc. You might want to bring some antihistamines with you and take them before going to the site.

The Incense Holder

The humongous incense holder and jars were all over the place. This is something you expect mostly on temples and shrines.

The Gods

If you are in any monastery, temple, or shrine; expect to see statues of their Gods. These representations were of reminders to the believers of Buddha and their Gods.

                  

                  

                     

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

To not keep you waiting, after walking the pathway of the Twelve Generals you will find a piazza in front of the Giant Buddha staircase. The piazza has ponds on around the first platform and they were planted with Lotus. We all know that Lotus is one symbol of Buddhism’s fortune which means rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment. There are 2 lotus flower colors that grow in the piazza, Pink which represents the history of Buddha and historical legends of Buddha and Violet which talks spirituality and mysticism.

In front of the piazza is the staircase to a remarkable Giant Buddha statue which is about 268 steps up the mountain top. If you wanted to enter the Giant Buddha's stomach you are allowed as long as you paid for HK$ 30 with free vegan dumpling and bottled water to go.

After going up, we went down another 268 steps while the sun is up and were all sweating and find our way to the Po Lin Monastery. It was an unlucky visit as the monastery is under renovation. Even though, I still took pictures inside the monastery and went in to feel the solemnity of the place. Incense fills the air as those who pray offer it to Buddha.

After the climbing and the capturing every moment we had at the Ngong Ping, we found ourselves enjoying some treats from the Vegetarian Deli restaurant near the monastery.

We went to the shop area but did not get any for souvenirs then head back to the bus terminus and lead to the Citygate Outlets for shopping. I personally did buy any. I can’t find any climacool from the Adidas outlet. I just took my time sitting on one of Pacific Coffee’s chair enjoying my ice cold café latte.

We did went to Mongkok to buy some giveaways <pasalubong time!> for our relatives and friends.

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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.

Hong Kong Disneyland Tour Tips

Visiting Hong Kong Disneyland is indeed one thing you want to do in Hong Kong unless you are more of a shopper and/or a person who wanted to learn new culture. Here are the things I can share as tips when going to Hong Kong Disneyland.

An umbrella for a change of weather.

It is important to bring your umbrella around just in case the weather changes. I remember arriving at Hong Kong Disneyland without it and it was way too hot. So we just take the heat of the sun and enjoy instead. Best thing to do is check the weather before heading to Hong Kong Disneyland so you could further prepare.

Bring as much cash as you can especially when kids are with you.

Having kids with you may have you spend more than what you have planned for the day. Especially when they saw goodies or things that attracts them. Remember, you’re on a kid’s paradise which means greater stuff kids love are just waiting around the corner. Also bringing extra cash is always a good thing to do when going out. In cases you would need money for any unwanted fees, you have yourself all primed.

A bottle of water or drink per person might help quench your thirst.

The guard informed us that we are not allowed to carry more than a bottle of water inside the theme park. And being inside a theme park, prices of goods typically is twice as much as what it is outside, so bringing a bottle of water will save you bucks. There are drinking fountains around so you should be good refilling your bottle of water whenever you wanted. I betya'll be thirsting yourself up after riding and walking around Hong Kong Disneyland.

A snack or two might save some penny.

Just like the latter you are not allowed to bring too many bags of chips or bread, etc. when you’re inside a theme park. Therefore, you may want to bring just enough and also you might want to taste some of the food Hong Kong Disneyland offers such us Mickey waffles, sausage sandwich, and weird pumpkin designed doughnuts, etc.

Wear proper clothes and shoes.

You should know what are the dos and don’ts when visiting a theme park. Just like any other theme park, Hong Kong Disneyland offers lots of rides which your clothes might either get wet or flown or worst get torn. I would suggest you wear comfortable clothes and shoes so you can walk around and ride without any other things to bear in mind. Wear something that will not bother you. You don’t want your feet starts killing you in such short time else you will ruin the fun.

Extra clothes just in case.

Some rides might get you wet or sweat so having an extra clothes with you will make you feel comfortable at most. You know kids as well, so better be ready.

Meds for headaches and motion sickness.

Most people enjoy the rides but you would not know how long you can stand those fast and head turning rides. Just keeping a tablet or 2 for headaches and motion sickness might save the day.

Take lots of memories.

Not only experiencing all the best things in Hong Kong Disneyland but taking pictures might help you saving up some memories which you can share to your families and friends. Get yourself a good camera, point and shoot are what I could suggest for non-prof photographers, to capture every magical moment you have in Hong Kong Disneyland.

Enjoy some rides or as much as possible all rides.

Hong Kong Disneyland is a theme park and your ticket says “a day pass”. So what are you waiting for, enjoy all the rides and ride ‘em all till you drop.  Enjoy!

Plan your tour around the vicinity.

When going to any kind of park you might want to have your route planned for the map you have. Deciding where to go first then last is the best way to make sure you will be able to do all things and got no problems on the way out. Also, this is a theme park so you might want to not go with the flow as people stack up per ride.

Know what’s new.

It is a must to know what the theme park’s new attractions are and their monthly theme. This might help you in getting dressed or maybe there are some contests or freebies you can get if you followed their set theme. Which I will be sharing on the next article – “Disneyland’s Halloween Celebration”.

Hope this helps out. The next article is about Disneyland's Halloween theme which I actually took some photos and hope you like them as well.

If you have any query just let me know. Like my page at www.facebook.com/travelingwithyu or visit and email me at my blogsites: http://travelingwithyu.blogspot.com or https://travelingwithyu.wordpress.com , or twit me at @travelingwithyu anything you have in mind, comments, suggestions, reactions, etc.