[in Hong Kong] What I’ve planned today? He he he…a trip to Lantau Island. In my Itinerary, we were supposed to have breakfast at 9am. Ha ha ha…was too tired after the long walk the day before, his parents suggested to wake up later. We ended up leaving for breakfast at around 1130am. Had the breakfast at our favorite place :p
We are going to the Po Lin Monastery (寶蓮禪寺) and Tian Tan Buddha (天壇大佛, also known as the Big Buddha), near the Ngong Ping Village (昂坪市集) and the Ngong Ping Cable Car Terminal.
How to get there?
- MTR Tung Chung (東涌) Station (Exit B), take Ngong Ping Cable Car (around 25mins ride). Walk for around 10mins from the Ngong Ping Cable Car Terminal to the Po Lin Monastery.
- MTR Tung Chung (東涌) Station (Exit B), take New Lantao Bus 23 from Tung Chung Town Centre to the Ngong Ping Village. Journey takes about 45mins.
- Take ferry from Central (中環) Pier 6 to Mui Wo (梅窩), take New Lantao Bus no2. Journey takes around 40mins.
Well, his mom is afraid of height, so am I. Ha ha ha…phew, Cable Car is out! Happy! So, as planned, we took Bus 23 to the Ngong Ping Village and later in the evening we will take ferry from Mui Wo to Central Pier where we can then take bus to the Peak Tram Terminus to go up to the Peak. Anyways, you can choose to pay for the bus ride using Octopus Card (HK$17.20) or buy the Day pass at HK$35. The day allows you to travel on all bus routes (except N, S, 1R, B2 & B2P routes) in Lantau Island on the day. For details, you can visit the New Lantao Bus website.
I suppose it is a must visit place because most of my friends will visit the Po Lin Monastery and The Big Buddha when they visit HK. The Buddha statue faces north towards China, sitting 26.4m atop a lotus throne and is 34m high. You can see it from afar or climb 268 steps up to have a closer look. It’s really tiring for me…ha ha ha…his folks climbed faster than me :p If to go there again, I’ll wait at the bottom for my friends…ha ha ha…been up there too many times. But the view was nice!
It’s a pity that the Main Hall of the Po Lin Monastery was temporarily closed for renovation and is expected to re-open in December.
We shopped around the small shops in Ngong Ping village before hopping onto Bus no21 to Tai O (大澳). Wanted to go to the Kwan Yin Temple (大嶼山觀音寺) but think we not sure where to alight and missed the stop, ended up in Tai O.
Tai O is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. It is home to fisher folks who built their houses on stilts. You can smell the Hong Kong’s fishing heritage through the delicacies produced in the village. Shrimp sauce, shrimp paste, salted fish, dried seafood, etc. If you have the time, you can also visit the shrimp paste factories. A peaceful and quiet afternoon spent in Tai O. Think it’s also a nice place for Photographers. He he he…
Manage to capture quite a nice sunset at Tai O
It’s getting late, took bus from Tai O to Mui Wo Ferry Pier. Oh, you have to pay for the ferry as it is not included in the Day pass. Didn’t expect that the bus rides took so long, it’s already 7+ when we reached the Pier. Ferry journey from Mui Wo to Central Pier was about 35mins. Since all were tired, we went to Causeway Bay for dinner and went back to Hotel.
There’s not only the Ferry Pier in Mui Wo. It is a rural town on the eastern coast of Lantau Island. Besides enjoying the views at the Silvermine Bay beach (銀礦灣 – northwest of Mui Wo), you can also hike to the Silvermine Waterfall (銀礦瀑布) near the old Silvermine Cave, visit the Man Mo temple (文武廟). There are also several old granite watchtowers built in the late 19th century. Bikes can be hired from the bicycle shop and there are several decent places to stay and eat in Mui Wo. Good for those who wish to stay away from the bustling areas in Hong Kong.
Another tiring day :p
Still have yet to explore other parts of Lantau Island. Hopefully, will have chance to explore more of the Outlying Islands in my next trip.
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