Hong Kong: Lantau Island

Today was a really fun day. I must admit that on my first day of arrival here in Hong Kong I was rather skeptical about this stop-over. I was tired, jet-lagged, inexperienced in backpacking and feeling a bit alone. However, after a good night of sleep I became a changed person and felt like doing some fun! So I started my day by eating breakfast in a typically Chinese restaurant and ordered Dim Sum.

Luckily I practiced earlier with using chop sticks, because Western cutlery was absent. After this experience, I went to Kowloon Park where I was witnessing Chinese people searching for inner peace by making movements as if they were being possessed, very interesting. I think that if they were to perform those same moves in Vondelpark at Amsterdam they would be arrested for drugs abuse. Then I made my way to Mong Kok, the so-called Time Square of Hong Kong. I thought it was a bit over-rated and decided to take the metro back to the south to get on a ferry. God, at first I did not understand a thing about the metro in Hong Kong. But after a good body language session with the Chinese

locals I managed to work it. I’ve been told that I should take a

ferry to Lantau Island to observe the largest Buddha in the world: Giant Buddha. So I did. The ferry trip was very nice and it took around 45 minutes t get there. The Chinese sea had something

peculiar to me. It had a scent typically of what I expected China to smell like. Also the colour had something different to it: more light blue, whitish, with a green touch, and the waves were rather thick.

Is this my bus stop?

Finally, I arrived at Lantau Island and there I took the bus to Ngong Ping Village. The bus ride was rather wild and it took me high up in the mountains, as I could feel by the nausea in my stomach and by the pressure in my ears. Upon arrival, I could see where Giant Buddha got its name from. It was enormous! Besides this huge statue, Ngong Ping Village had more to offer. I followed a route called Wisdom Path which guided you through the mountains and took you to herbal tea plants. The entire route had a smell of Chinese tea and that was magical and relaxing. I wanted to get back to Hong Kong City Centre and therefore I had to take the cable car ride, as that was the only way of traveling to reach the metro. That was not a punishment at all! It gave me a gorgeous view of the Chinese mountains and nature.

The terminal of the cable car happened to be a large clothing outlet store! I had some pleasant window shopping, but suddenly I had a reality-check, as I realized the weight of my backpack. I did what no other self-respecting gay guy could do: I left the outlet shopping mall without a clothing bag.

It was starting to get dawn and I hustled to reach

Victoria Bay to see the Symphony of Lights.

No, it’s not a concert. Every night at 8 P.M, Hong Kong Island produces a show of lights projected from skyscrapers on the rhythm of music. That was awesome!

I am now at Hong Kong Airport waiting for my plane to Sydney! xxx