Big Buddha, Lantau Island

One of the must see tourist destinations in Hong Kong is the Big Buddha on Lantau Island. We took the MTR out to the Island and then a bus through the winding roads up to the top of the mountain. This Buddha is HUGE! And there are a lot of tourists here milling about.



The Buddha is 34 meters high, weighs 250 tons, and is the world's tallest outdoor bronze seated Buddha. It can be seen as far away as Macau on a clear day. We have to climb up the 268 steps.



His right hand is raised, representing the removal of affliction, and his left hand points downward to the earth, signifying human happiness. He faces north, unique among the great Buddha statues. (All others face South.)

The Peak

Today we took a bus up to the Peak to check out the view of Hong Kong. You can see all the way across to Kowloon and the New Territories. At the top we watch a traditional drum ceremony and then hike down the mountain to the mid-levels and eat dinner in SoHo.

Nan Lian Garden, Chi Lin Nunnery

Today we went to the Nan Lian Garden in Kowloon. It's a beautiful park and all the plants are precisely pruned.







Inside the garden is the Chi Lin Nunnery. This place is truly beautiful and peaceful, one of my favorite places in Hong Kong. The architecture of the buddhist temple is of the Tang dynasty and made entirely from Canadian lumber from Vancouver. The grounds are filled with wonderful bonsai. There is a large gold statue of the Buddha and other bodhisattvas (no photos allowed). The serenity of the space is nicely filled with the repetitive chanting of orange robe clad monks singing mantra.

Dragon Ceremony

I saw this crazy dragon ceremony at the mall. They tie up a wreath made of lettuce above the stores and the dragon eats the wreath and then prances through the store. It must be for good luck and prosperity for the new year.

Twins Mission Premiere

Tonight we went to the premiere of my uncle Siu Ming Tsui's new film, Twins Mission. There's lots of hype about the film with posters and commercials everywhere. The twin stars of the film are a pop singing sensation group and there are tons of fans here to see them. Shiu Ming is a big Hong Kong action movie director (you may know of his film Holy Robe of the Shaolin Temple) and he wrote, produced, directed 2nd unit, and did stunt coordination for Twins Mission.



We have VIP access so we get into the press area past the barricades and the screaming fans.


Inside the theatre we get our photo taken with Shiu Ming, my aunt Amy, and their son Marco (he's hiding).

Lamma Island

Today Mom, Dad and I go to Lamma Island, one of the outlying islands surrounding Hong Kong. After taking a bus to Aberdeen (where they work at the Canadian International School), we catch a sanpan to the island.



At Sok Kwu Wan we hike for 2 hours through the hills to the port of Yung Shue Wan where we sit down for a few beers and do some shopping in the market.

Hong Kong for a day

After sleeping on the floor in their tiny apartment, Mom and Dad take me out for a day of shopping to outfit for Thailand. It was great to hug again when they picked me up at the airport; we all had big smiles on! It's been 6 months since I've seen them.

First we go out for dim sum and have a huge feast. They've gotten pretty proficient at ordering food. Mom tries to teach me some of the Cantonese that she's learned and starts with PLEASE: 'mm goi say.' Dad corrects her and says, "no, it's 'mm goi saai.' What you said means PLEASE DIE." I guess she still needs some more practice on her tones and phonemes? :p


You might be able to see me in the mirror here.