Han's perspective

Han asked if he could write in my journal once in a while. I think it’s a great idea - I get a break and you get another perspective. So, today Han will present to you our tour.

After a well rested night of sleep, we woke at 6:30 and decided to take a stroll to Victoria Park, just around the corner of our hostel. We saw a mass of elderly folks practicing Tai Chi and jogging around the park. Steph and I kept forgetting where we were and the direction of traffic so we got in the way of people on their daily activities. Everyone looked great and smooth with their movements. We were too shy so didn’t join in with the crowd.

We went for breakfast after walking around Victoria Park and found a small restaurant a couple of blocks away. The food was expensive and it wasn’t great. They tried to cheat us a few times but Steph was careful with the money and pointed them out. Afterward, we went over to Bank of Hong Kong to exchange our money but the fee was so ridiculous (even worse than at the airport) that we were determined to find one with a better rate as we go on during the day. With no surprise, we did indeed found a much better rate as soon as we head down to the MTR (a high speed train) heading to Tung Chung for Lantau Island. The train and station is much more advance and cleaner then in the states, not to mention faster.

From Tung Chung, we took bus 23 to Ngong Ping where the big Buddha sits. The road consists of hilly terrain, magnificent views and scenery, and a very narrow road. We saw the giant Buddha and Steph of course, got greedy and took a long time with her prayer. I wonder how many more things she asked for. I think the giant Buddha is still working on her list from 2003. Just across from the giant Buddha lies the Po Lin Monastery, where we enjoyed a great cheap lunch or better known as “snack” that was included in the ticket price.

After a delightful vegetarian lunch, we worked out by hiking the one of the many peaks on the Wisdom Path. Up top was a replica of the centuries-old Heart Sutra but to me looks like the very Stonehenge-like creation. The exhibit was built by great big logs, in the form of the symbol infinity which represents immeasurable splendor and the concept of nothingness. We took numerous pictures at the peak overlooking the horizon and the giant Buddha in the far distant.

It was 3pm by the time we decided to journey back toward the bus station to get back to the MTR back into Hong Kong. Steph wanted to hiked down the peak to Tung Chung Valley which would have taken us about an hour-and-a-half or so but her legs were bothering her. Otherwise, she probably would have insisted the hiked down to get all her money worth. Thank goodness because I didn’t want to put my knees through another hike down the peak like at Victoria Peak in HK.

Back in HK, neither one of us was hungry so we have agreed to roam the outdoor market areas for fruits. Steph tried to bargain with the locals but they were stubborn with their prices. Her good looks did no good that time! I have not had longan for many years so we bought 4lbs and munch on them all the way back to the hostel.

At the hostel, Steph tried to update her e-journal but the blog was not working so we went to bed at around 9:30pm.