Hong Kong Day 4: Fishing Villages and Big Cities

I met up with my Korean friends early in the morning and we departed Hong Kong for nearby Lantau Island, easily accessible via metro. Once there we took a cable car up through the hills of Lantau to reach Ngong Ping Village, located atop a mountain in the island's interior. Normally the wait to get on a cable car would have taken several hours, but my friends had the foresight to reserve tickets a week before our trip. The cable car ride was a thrill, with glass bottoms that let us get a better idea of just how high up we really were. Amusingly, the other family shoved into the car with us was also Korean. I sat by while my friends and the family conversed in Korean and helped each other take a plethora of Korean-style family and group photos. If you're unfamiliar with how Korean family photos look, just imagine v-signs. Lots and lots of v-signs.

First stop in Ngong Ping was the Po Lin Monastery. While it is currently occupied by monks who are busy with their day to day duties, the monastery, and its cafeteria, are nonetheless open to the public. We ate what the monks eat, and since Buddhist monks don't consume meat, we enjoyed a Chinese-style vegetarian lunch. I don't typically go for the vegetarian entree when I eat out, but what we had at Po Lin was possibly the tastiest vegetarian-style meal I've ever had.

After lunch we climbed up a nearby hill to take in the Tian Tan Buddha, the largest seated bronze Buddha in the world. I was easily dwarfed by the Buddha, and yet standing next to it and looking out over the ocean, I couldn't help but be filled with a sense of calm and serenity.

I parted ways with my friends following the visit to Buddha; they wanted to go back to the mainland to do some shopping, and I wanted to continue exploring the island. I took a bus down to the northern coast of Lantau to visit Tai O, famous for being an authentic fishing village where the people live in stilt houses. Having recently become a popular tourist destination, signs of development are beginning to show in Tai O, but fortunately at the time of my visit the village appeared to still be a drowsy, peaceful little town of fishermen and peddlers. I took a speedboat tour of Tai O and the surrounding waters, then used my feet wander up and down its tight narrow roads and along its creaky wooden stilt walkways. I probably was too nosey for my own good, allowing my curiosity to practically take me into people's living spaces, but none of the locals seemed to mind. They were too busy talking with neighbors, or watching tiny television sets, or drying out fish. The only one to pay me any heed was a dog who came to say hello as I stood on a walkway outside someone's home.

I returned to Ngong Ping Village and rode the cable car down to the metro station, where I hopped on a train back to the mainland. I was feeling a craving for dim sum take hold of me, so I found a restaurant and consumed more than I probably should have. It was then time to reunite with my friends to see the Symphony of Lights. Although I had already watched the show a few nights prior, they hadn't, so we got a seat along the harbor to enjoy the magic. I didn't mind a second viewing, as it gave me a chance to experience the show from a different vantage point.

Our last activity for the day was a trip to the Ladies Market, yet another outdoor market, but this one well-known for being one of Hong Kong's biggest. Contrary to its name, the Ladies Market sells goods aimed at a wide range of demographics, and though I had already spent more than I had budgeted for the Hong Kong segment of my trip, I couldn't stop myself from walking out of the Ladies Market with a new leather bag. It helped that one of my companions is probably the best haggler I've ever met, and she secured me a deal for 50% off.

It was then time to part ways, as my friends would be returning to S. Korea the following morning. I would remain in Hong Kong. I had one more day left in the city before I got on a plane to go to my next destination.