Walk a km, glide 5.7 kms and then climb 253 + 43 steps to see HIM wreathed in mist – the Lantau Buddha.

Lantau is Hong Kong’s largest island, south west of it; an interesting place as it has modern tourist spots cleverly designed to look ancient and interesting! An art the Chinese have perfected throughout China. Lantau’s primary attractions are the Big Buddha statue, The Po Lin monastery situated at Ngong Ping. There is also the old fishing village of Tai O and various beaches.

I wanted to see the Big Buddha and experience the cable car. To do that, I took the MTR from Causeway Bay to Tung Chung. The MTR system is efficient but it involves long walks, with and without steps, to your destination. At Central linked to Hong Kong station, the walk is really long. Exiting at Tung Chung, famed for its retail malls which allegedly sell items cheaper than down town, you walk still more to reach the cable car.

This is where you get the cable car to Ngong Ping, SW part of Lantau. The 5.7 kms cable car ride is awesome, especially the stretch over the sea where there is no supporting pillar in the sea.

 The ride is dramatic as you see not only the whole harbour, the container terminals as well as the airport, but as you climb, you see waterfalls and the steps going all the way up, under you, to the cable car junction area.

The Big Buddha is another story. At 34 metre height, the bronze Buddha statue sits atop Mount Muk Yue, 482 metres above sea level. I had been told about the cable car ride but not the climb! Mainly because those known to me had never really experienced it themselves. 

The cable car offers different packages. Whilst HK MTR permits senior citizens of any country a discount, the cable car restricts the discount to HK citizens only, knowing full well that the majority are tourists.

Reach early so you don’t have to queue too long for the cable car. At 11 am,it took me an hour’s wait. The arrangements are excellent. Reach by 10 am so that you avoid the long queue up. The ride takes about 30 minutes and ensure you sit facing the direction of the ride. Try and get a window seat rather than in the middle. If the windows are dirty, lift the small upper window louvers and take your photos clearly from there. Nobody stops you. 

Tower 2B gives a spectacular view of Tung Chung Bay and Tower 3 of the whole airport.

                                                    

At Ngong Ping, as you walk towards your goal, you pass a complex where tourist kitsch is sold and where you can get food. Right there under a Bodhi tree, someone has created a Bodhi Wishing shrine; talk about commercialism ! Lantau actually has attractions for nature and wildlife as well as local delicacies. 

The day I went, it was cloudy and sunny, the sun playing hide and seek. When I reached the area in the centre, all I could see was the huge central circle and the Gate, which I called the Gate to Heaven.

I missed the entry to the steps due to the mist and landed up in the monastery instead. 
The Po Lin monastery was built around 1900’s and is rather basic as it houses a library and a meditation hall. Except for the beautiful floral display lining the steps to the monastery, it was mediocre.

Then I found the entry to the Buddha. 

 

My Russian ‘friend’, who had queued up in front of me at the cable car and who had taken the special ticket for the cable car at extra cost, was right there about to start his climb. The steps were wreathed in mist. Cleverly designed so that you don’t see them all at one shot, and thus get disappointed, they are in batches of around 12 to 15 steps. Its halfway through that you realize that you are nowhere near your destination which looks so close. At this stage, the mist was still covering the top of the Buddha’s head.

 

Reaching the top, with a sigh of relief, you walk around the whole Buddha. Its then you notice more people above you, near the lotus flower petals and try and find the entry to those steps. Pay a small fee, climb 43 more steps and you get a free ice cream and free water on exit. 

It’s really here that you get to see the relic of the Buddha and the fantastic view. In this area, you see the stone inscriptions which are really old and the Relic which you can’t see clearly as it’s six feet away and its small in size. 

It was only on the way down that I counted the 253 steps, as on the way up, you are far too busy getting back your breath and trying to climb without being mentally hassled at this exercise. The walk down is easy but you need to watch the steps due to the slippery mould at corners.   

Then go to the Chinese medecine shop and buy /try out some of their interesting products. i bought the dried ginger for dry throat.

I did not visit the other tourist spots as I had no time, my nieces and their families were waiting for me at Tung Chung retail mall where they were having a shopping jamboree. After 15 minutes, I left quickly as I had to get back to HK. On the whole, i felt it was a worthwhile trip as compared to going shopping! 

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