Po Lin Monastery and Ginger Infused Tofu

Once we reach the last step down the Big Buddha, we rested for a while before proceeding to Po Lin Monastery.

Po Lin Monastery is also a top destination for tourists to experience the natural and cultural side of Hong Kong. It is one of Hong Kong’s most important Buddhist sanctums and has been dubbed ‘the Buddhist World in the South’.

Continue walking from the arc until you see this souvenir shop where you can also get incense sticks.

And right before the entrance, we saw this tree full of orange fruits.

As we were so hungry, we didn't visit the monastery. We just took our pictures outside.

On our way back to the cable car station, we saw this small eatery and we tried their samples.

We loved this tofu dessert with the ginger infused sweet syrup.

How to get there:

• MTR Tung Chung Station Exit B, then take Ngong Ping Cable Car, which takes around 25 minutes. Then walk for around 10 minutes to the Monastery.
• MTR Tung Chung Station Exit B, then take New Lantao Bus 23 from Tung Chung Town Centre, which takes around 45 minutes. Then walk for eight minutes.
• Catch ferry from Central Pier 6 to Mui Wo, then take New Lantao Bus 2 to Ngong Ping Village, which takes around 40 minutes.

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Enlightened at Tian Tan Buddha

From Ngong Ping Village, you can already see the Big Buddha statue on top of the hill. Before Disneyland, the Tian Tan Buddha is the most famous landmark in Hongkong.

The statue is made of bronze and is one of the five large Buddha statue in China. It is 34 meters (112 ft) tall, weighs 250 metric tons (280 short tons).

We climb the 268 steps in order to reach the Buddha. Good thing the sky was clear. Though the weather is cold, we were sweating when we reach halfway. 

While catching our breaths, we took some photos of the beautiful view.

We were so proud of our mother, who despite the pain in her legs and difficulty in climbing stairs, she reached the top. 

Access to the outside of the Buddha is free of charge, but there is an admission fee to go inside the Buddha. There is also a restaurant inside and what looks like cemetery. Too bad cameras are not allowed inside. 

The Buddha is also surrounded by six smaller bronze statues known as "The Offering of the Six Devas"

Visitors can reach the site by bus or taxi, travelling first to Mui Wo (also known as "Silvermine Bay") via ferry from the Outlying Islands piers in Central (pier No. 6) or to Tung Chung station via the MTR, or cable car. Visitors may then travel to and from the Buddha via the following bus routes:

• Mui Wo ↔ Ngong Ping — NLB No. 2
• Tung Chung ↔ Ngong Ping — NLB No. 23

The Ngong Ping 360 gondola lift between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping (25 minutes).

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Ngong Ping Cable Car and Ngong Ping Village, Lantau Island Hongkong

The next day, we woke up early to visit Ngong Ping 360 in Lantau Island. It consist of the Ngong Ping Cable Car and the Ngong Ping Village. This is also  home to the Po Lin Monastery and the Tian Tan Buddha, both already significant tourist attractions in Hongkong.

 

We left the guesthouse at around 8:30am and took the MTR going to Tung Chung. By 9:30am, there was a long line already.

The stairs welcoming the visitors.

And then upon reaching the top, there was the long cue to purchase our tickets. We chose the roundtrip standard cabin HK$150. If you wish to see clearly what's below, you can try the crystal cabin for HK$235. 

After almost 30 minutes of roller coaster line, we finally rode the cable car. I have a fear of heights but I managed to ride the 25 minute cable car ride but my husband was so scared.

Ngong Ping Cable car is a 5.7 kilometer long bi-cable gondola lift system. During the 25 minute journey, you can see panoramic views over the North Lantau Country Park, the South China Sea, Hong Kong International Airport, the Tung Chung valley, Ngong Ping Plateau and surrounding terrain and waterways. As visitors approach Ngong Ping, they can see The Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery. 

Before entering the village, you will passed by their souvenir shop where you can buy merchandise. 

I so loved the weather. It was so cold in the middle of March.  We were under direct sunlight but it was nice and breezy. 

I was surprised to see Starbucks Coffee and Subway inside the village. The last time I went back in 2007 the only stores were the Gelatto and Noodle house.

Because of the show schedule, we were not able to see the multimedia attraction called Walking with Buddha.

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