Po Lin Monastery

Given the world's largest Buddha, there's no surprise in finding a Buddhist monastery nearby. The Po Lin Monastery was a huge complex containing a very large temple as well as residences for monks. Many people came to worship at both the statue and the temple.

Lighting incense in the courtyard in front of the temple:



The temple (construction of new buildings going on in the background):



Inside the temple with people worshipping:

The Big Buddha

After the cable car ride, we shopped our way through the Ngong Ping village and then went on to see the Big Buddha. This 34 meter bronze statue is the tallest Buddha statue in the world.

On the way to the statue:



Jacen with the statue in the background:



The stairs and the statue:

Book Review: Raising a Modern-Day Knight

I consider some books on parenting to be indispensable; every parent should read “To Train up a Child” and “Shepherding a Child’s Heart.” Other books are supplementary, good stuff that might be helpful. Robert Lewis’ “Raising a Modern Day Knight” fits into that latter category. The purpose of this book is help fathers turn their boys into men. Lewis defines a real man as one who rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, and expects the greater reward, God’s reward. Perhaps the strongest aspect of the book is on using ceremonies at key times in a boy’s life to remind him of the steps he is making towards manhood. The book is a short (163 pages) and easy read, more anecdotal than biblical, yet it’s still a good reminder of need for fathers to teach and lead their sons into manhood. I recommend this book.

Cable Car Ride

For our last day in Hong Kong, we wanted to visit Ngong Ping project on Lantau Island. We took the Tung Chung line from Hong Kong to the Lantau coast. We could have taken a bus to Ngong Ping (40 min ride around the mountains), but opted instead for the cable car (24 min ride over the mountains). Beautiful views of the mountains, a bay, the airport, and Ngong Ping.

Looking back, the airport on the left and the take-off point on the right:



Looking towards the highest peak (and yes, that's a path you could use to walk this trip; yikes!):



Looking towards our destination; the Big Buddha on the left:



You can read more about the cable car on Wikipedia.

Hong Kong Harbor at Night

After a day at the park, we stopped at the Hong Kong harbor once again, but this time it was dark. We walked along the Avenue of Stars and then watched the Symphony of Lights. A pleasant way to end our day.

Jackie!



Lasers from the symphony (a light show):

Ocean Park

We spent one (rainy) day at Ocean Park, a theme park on the south side of Hong Kong Island. It was part coaster park and part animal park. The rain kept us from doing some of the things we wanted, but it was still a good day.

The kids rode the water ride 4 times (couldn't get any wetter after all):



Ann didn't care for The Crazy Galleon, but we kids did:



And this was still part of China, so there was a panda:

Kung Fu

As part of Kung Fu Corner, the martial artists demonstrated a variety of weapons. They didn't actually spar--at least not while we watched--but worked through various forms.

Spear:



Sword:



Knives:

Chinese Dragon Dancing

Sunday afternoons in Kowloon Park, a martial arts school in Hong Kong puts on Kung Fu Corner, where they demonstrate, as you would expect, Kung Fu, and what you might not expect: Chinese dragon dancing. These are two-man costumes that are used to perform a coordinated dance routine or story.

Here's a dragon strutting his stuff during the opening:



Those who weren't dancing at the time made up the band:



Here's a story of a dragon who was so hungry he contemplated eating lettuce (apparently dragons are more carnivore than vegetarian):



Click here to see what happens to dragons who eat lettuce.

Kowloon Park

The next morning we started at Harbor City mall, probably the biggest mall we've ever been to. Unfortunately, it was for the most part way out our league. We enjoyed the Toys R Us, first one we've been to since KL, and the food court. The rest was window shopping.

After lunch we crossed the road and went to Kowloon Park. It was similar to the other parks we went to on Hong Kong Island. There were flowers, a few animals, a hedge maze, and even a play ground for the kids.

Eating in Hong Kong

Everything in Hong Kong was more expensive, including the food. Oddly enough, MacDonald's was among the cheaper (and easier to find meals). That means we ate at MacDonald's more often than we would have liked, though the kids didn't mind at all. :-) Still, we experimented where we could. Here are some of the pictures of the food we ate.

Dim Sun is a tradition in Hong Kong. It's essentially many small dishes, allowing you sample a variety of foods. Our dishes included turnip patties, stuffed peppers, and shrimp dumplings. Most of it was good, some of it was different.



Malls were everywhere in Hong Kong, and food courts were a clean, air-conditioned place to eat and try different food. Jacen ordered from a curry place and got this incredibly long piece of bread, which was used for dipping into the sauces:



I ordered from one place where they served raw meat. But it was in a skillet-like plate that was piping hot (no doubt some regulation would forbid this in America), so I literally cooked my own meal at the table, flavored by the sauces I chose:



Over all: delicious!

Flower and Fish Market

One entire market in Kowloon was dedicated to selling flowers and another selling fish. The former was jam-packed when we visited it; Ann figured out why: The next day was Mother's day. Most of the little shops sold cut flowers in a brilliant display of colors and shapes; I wish there was a market like that near our house. The goldfish market was a street where nearly every shop was full of aquariums and fish supplies. Most interestingly, they sold lots of fish in bags.



Mums, I think, but in a shape I hadn't see before.

Kowloon Markets (pt2)

Our favorite shopping in Hong Kong was not in the ultra-ritzy malls but the ordinary street markets, many of which were in Kowloon. They were crowded but offered a little bit of everything. Bartering was a must; typically we paid less than half of what was asked for, sometimes as little as 1/6. Here's a couple shots of the street.

Kowloon Markets

We got up early on Saturday and went to the Jade Market, one of the many markets in Kowloon, Hong Kong. We didn't buy much jade, though Ann got a nifty tea pot. Afterward we wandered around some of the streets nearby. This was what we expected streets in Hong Kong to look like:



Some dried fish for sale:



Need some meat? Don't buy it frozen, buy it fresh!

Flats in Kowloon

When we went to Hong Kong, we stayed in a flat in the Mei Foo neighborhood in Kowloon. They really know how to pack the people in around there. Our 2 bedroom flat had 450 square feet. Here's a look out our flat. Bonus: See how they dry laundry in HK?



A look at the neighborhood, where huge apartment buildings are crammed together one after the other.

The Peak

After visiting the parks, we took a tram to the top of The Peak, which sits atop of one of the mountains behind Hong Kong on Hong Kong Island. It offered a breath-taking view of the island and harbor (which we took full advantage of) and a plethora of generally over-priced stores to shop in (which we did not take so much advantage of).

Jacen in the tram:



The tracks leading up to The Peak. A view of Hong Kong Island, the harbor, and (in the distance) Kowloon:



Ann on the observation deck of The Peak: