The China Visit - Part 6
Monday morning started with the usual trek over to the grocery store for bagels and stuff, then we figured out how to get to the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery. The Monastery is located in the New Territories, so we’d have to take a different train system than we’ve been using so far, the now familiar MTR. We hopped in a cab at Parkview and took it down to a subway station, rode the MTR for a short bit, then transferred to a KCR light rail train that services the portion of the New Territories we were visiting. (I don’t have my travel guide with me as I write this, so I’m not sure where).
Now, when we left the apartment the front desk said take the KCR to the New Territories, then flag down a cab to take us to the monastery. When we arrived at our destination, we just did that, at which point Jimmy was yelled out of the cab. “You walk! You walk!” He wasn’t particularly rude, just insistent! The cabbie was right. The monastery was a short walk from where we were. But that’s where we were faced with a big surprise– the 10,000 Buddha’s were located high up on a mountain and the only way to get there was by climbing hundreds and hundreds of steps.
Well, we weren’t going to let any steps stop us, so we began our climb. The path the entire way up had life sized buddhas of all sorts on both sids of the path. The path was long, very long, a bit slippery, and the steps weren’t exactly the best made steps ever made. And while the weather this day was rather nice, no rain at least, it was quite hot and very humid, typical for Hong Kong at this time of year. The climb wasn’t easy. We’d have to stop every three or four stories to mop off with the towels we stashed in our bag from the apartment. Jimmy pointed out that this may have been hard (and it was), but it was nothing compared to the Great Wall. 10,000 Buddhas were just a warm up. Add to all of this that I now had a full blown cold and well, damn, it was a tough climb.
The Buddha’s littering the sides of the path came in all sorts. Some fascinating looking Buddhas, my favorite of which I took pictures of which I’ll post later. We finally arrived at the top after a 15 or 20 minute climb. I can’t be certain how high up it was, but I’d say at least 10-15 stories. Once on top we saw the various temples and Buddha’s located up there. The main temple had thousands and thousands of small buddhas inside. There was a beautiful Pagoda that you could go up inside, as well as what looked to be a mausoleum housing possibly thousands of ashes. I could be wrong, though.
The 10,000 Buddha’s monastery is a relatively new creation. Once again I don’t have the pamplet from there, but it was built in the late 1940s by some famous monk. It was all very colorful and quite beautiful. We spent some time up top, stopping to have a drink in their small reception area (when I say reception it’s a very modest room with some tables and plastic chairs). I’d say there were maybe 10-15 visitors up there total, which included a handful of worshippers. After about half an hour or so we began our trek down. There are two ways up to the monastery, so we took the other way down which afforded us a look at even more buddhas. All told there are actually 12,800+ Buddhas, but really, does the 12,800 Buddha’s Monastery sound quite as cool? I think not.
As we came down the mountain we were left off in a small, rather poor looking community. A vendor was there selling all sorts of vegetables and dry meats. I would have bought some, but with the cold I wasn’t feeling very adventurous. We got back on the KCR and stopped in TST on Kowloon Island, across the water from Hong Kong.
At this point we were all rather hungry and needed a beak (as Jimmy said, “10,000 Buddha’s kicked my ass!”). We were all soaked through and just needed something familiar to eat. Before I came here I said, “No American Food Stuffs!!!” Well, I broke that rule on Monday by suggesting we just go to McDonalds since the other places near by contained mostly mystery food and we all wanted something fast. Before heading to McDonalds I changed my shirt (taking along an extra shirt is key in Hong Kong), then got my lunch– a Big Mac value meal. The Big Mac tasted quite different than its American counterpart. The sauce was slightly different and the meat didn’t taste quite the same. But the large Diet Coke and food really hit the spot.
We left the Golden Arches behind and walked to the Star Ferry. Early on in the trip I told Jimmy about my weird public transportation jones, so he wanted to make sure I conquered all styles of public transportation while in Hong Kong. On the way to the Star Ferry we stopped for some day light pictures of Hong Kong Island, then hopped on the Ferry across the water to Hong Kong Island, about a five minute boat ride or so. Mostly smooth, but rocky enough to bother my sister Sharon who just doesn’t like that sea motion.
Once we arrived on Hong Kong Island it was time to take a bus to the funicular that would take us up to the top of the Island, or as it is called “The Peak,” to get a view of both sides of the Island. The bus was uneventful, as most buses should be, but it did have air condition which offered us a brief respite from the beat down the heat was giving us.
When we arrived at the funicular station, it was jam packed with people. Jimmy said he’s never seen it that busy and has taken it up there a number of times. So, we waited in line for another half hour, which is when my cold really started hitting me. Blech! But I wasn’t about to let that stop me.
By the way, I should mention here that that Octopus card I mentioned earlier, the metro card, can be used everywhere in Hong Kong basically as cash. The Star Ferry, the KCR, the bus, the funicular, even McDonalds or a host of other stores such as Starbucks, all honor the Octopus card. It makes getting around very very convenient, and it’s still rather cheap. Most bus rides were less than a buck US.
The funicular ride was amazing. The car was jam packed (we were in the front of the line, but a chain of girls, who all held each other by their waists, pushed their way in front of us, so we ended up having to stand on the ride, which wasn’t exactly easy. See, the climb up the mountain is steep. Very steep. Sharon and I each had a wall to lean against, but Jimmy was standing in the aisle at almost a 45 degree angle at times. The funicular would stop occasionally as it made it’s climb. In fact, there are two stations before we reach the peak for people to get off at. Jimmy said one time when he went up there he saw a little boy, appearing as having come home from school, get on at the first stop, then get off at the second stop. What a way to get home from school.
Once we arrived at the peak we took in the view, which was spectacular. I took a bunch of photos, but I dare say they don’t do the view justice at all. It just doesn’t capture the size and beauty of it all.
Now, at the top of the peak they’re building a new viewing station. It’s still under construction, but you can go in it at this point. Jimmy said we should shine it on, and instead make our way to the viewing platforms at the top of the Peak Mall. That’s right, there’s a mall at the Peak of the Island. They put them everywhere! So, we did just that, going up the escalators to the top of the Mall. The views from there were fantastic and gave us a look at both sides of the Island, the highly populated “downtown” side, then the other side of the Island which plays home to the Stanley Market, a trip to which we’d make on Wednesday. If you ever make it to the peak, shine on the viewing station and just go to the mall. You’re afforded fantastic views with no wait and not as many people. Jimmy said the day we went was one of the busiest he’d ever seen it and there were maybe 10 people up there total.
We spent some time taking in the view and even did a little bit of gift shopping, at which point we took a cab back to the apartment. It was time for some rest.
This was the point at which I realized there’s really not much to do in Hong Kong other than party and shop when Jimmy and I had discussed what to do the next couple of days we were in the city. He said Sharon and I might want to check out the Big Buddha, but that he’d already seen it and didn’t really need to go back. See, I was under the impression that the Big Buddha was thousands of years old, but when I discovered it was erected in 1976, suddenly it didn’t hold quite the same appeal. Jimmy said the bus ride up there was long and a major pain in the ass, so I said let’s screw it. We’ll find something else to do.
That night the three of us made our way over to Kowloon Island again to meet Carrie at the Intercontinental Hotel for drinks. This is a must visit for anyone who goes to Hong Kong. It’s got a fabulous bar that affords you a spectacular, and I mean spectacular view of Hong Kong at night. During the summer months at around 8:00 at night the buildings on Hong Kong Island all take part in a fabulous light show. Just amazing looking. It’s a bit like Vegas, but all in a row instead of on two sides of a road way. Plus, there’s many, many more tall buildings, instead of just expansive building after expansive building. Just amazing.
We had drinks until about 9:30 or so (this is the one place we visited where drinks weren’t cheap, but that’s perfectly fine. You’re paying for the view), then Sharon and I left Carrie and Jimmy and walked outside to take some pictures of Hong Kong from the Avenue of the Stars, pretty much a walkway on the water with kind of a Hollywood Walk OF Fame, but once again it was Hong Kong style. I didn’t recognize any of the names, hoping I’d see some familiar Hong Kong action stars among the mix. We did see plenty of Asians placing their hands in the cement casts of some of their favorite stars, or taking pictures along side of them.
After we were done taking in the breathtaking view, Sharon and I picked up a cab and headed over to the Temple Street Night Market for some bargain shopping. The heat was still pretty awful and I was feeling damned sick, but we pushed our way through. Now, this was really the first time Sharon and I were on our own in Hong Kong…and it was at night. A bit intimidating at first. The cabbie dropped us off at the night market, about a $15 HK ride (just about $2 US). The night market is a loud and busy place, with all sorts of vendors around to bargain with. Lots of junk, lots of fake stuff including fake Rolexes and pirated DVDs. If you’re not in the mood to haggle or are intimidated by pushy, pushy sales people, this isn’t for you. Hell, Hong Kong isn’t for you. We arrived at the night market around 10:00 at night, but didn’t know what time the last train to Hong Kong was, so we only stuck around for an hour, which wasn’t nearly enough time to take everything in and make the necessary purchases. Plus, the cab situation in Hong Kong was still a bit alien to us. Certain cabs stay on Hong Kong Island, certain ones stay on Kowloon and only some go back and forth. So, we decided to play it safe and made our way to the Jordan subway station to head back over to Hong Kong Island. We got off at Pacific Place station, got a bit lost as we left the station, but found our way to the United Centre to catch a cab back to Parkview. Not a problem really as Hong Kong is a very safe city.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was Monday.
