Monday 13th April Hong Kong
UNITED KINGDOM | Monday, 13 April 2009 | Views [113] | Comments [1]
Having completed our journal and our ice cream yesterday we went and found Sam the shirtmaker who carefully measured Paul for a custom made shirt. This was an interesting experience and we learnt very quickly that there are many carefully disguised con men trying to drag you off the street and offering you many shirts which seem very cheap and seem too good to be true - they are. We are led to believe they are actually 'off the peg' shirts with a monogram added and are not the genuine article. If you want a shirt made here, we suggest you find a local firm with a good reputation which has been here for many generations.
Having returned to the hotel for a shower and recuperation after a long day, we went and saw The Symphony of Light, which is a brilliant laser show across both sides of the harbour. It begins at 8.00pm every night and is set to music. It is in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest laser show in the world. This is again one of the MUST DO things here. After the light show, we dined at 'The Outback Restauant' - Yes we know this is an Australian Restaurant but we felt it would bring back happy memories of this time last year when we were in the Tenneessee mountians with Joe, Carolyn, John and Sam Murrow.
We then went off to find the local Temple Street Night Market. This was very interesting with lots of genuine and not-so-genuine items on sale. It was refreshing to just be able to browse and not to be hassled by the 'looky looky' men. It was a very vibrant and busy area but we did not feel at all intimidated there or during our walk there and back.
This morning we went out for a de luxe breakfast (including fresh orange juice) locally, which cost us the grand sum of HKD$39.60 which is 3 pounds and 96 pence for 2. Like most things here, be it travel or eating, it is extremely cheap. We then walked along the promenade of The Avenue of Stars (a bit like Hollywood but most of the names were unknown to us and finished in Wong!!). On this walk (approx 1/2 mile) we were amazed to see no litter whatsoever, only 2 cigarette ends and no chewing gum remnants. Since then we have seen signs and in nearly all public areas including parks and all open areas, cigarette smoking is banned with heavy penalties. Also there is an on-the-spot fine for littering and spitting in public. This place just gets better and better.
We then boarded a Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island (20p each), then onto a Ferry from here to Lantau (1.90p each), then onto a local bus to Po Lin Monastery the home of the Giant Buddah (cost 2.70p each). The whole journey took nearly 2 hours travelling on rivers, through mountains and along coastal roads manoevuring around cattle happily grazing by the side of the road. We then arrived at a remote village at the top of a mountain where we found the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze buddah and believe us, this is big, very big. You can walk around the outside free, but we purchased tickets to go inside the buddah which is a museum. Included in the cost of this ticket (cost 2.30p each) is a soft drink and an ice cream. This is well worth doing as an ice cream and drink cost approx 2.00p, so for 30p you get a look around the museum!!!! We then went round the Po Lin Monastery which is very bright and colourful but very peaceful and serene.
We travelled back by a different route. We caught a local bus to Tung Chung to catch the MTR train back to Hong Kong, and again the Star Ferry over to Kowloon. This journey cost about the same but was much quicker. As we came up the escalators from the train, we heard a familiar tune which we quickly recognised as 'A Pirate's Life for Me' from Disneyland. We realised that we were near the booking office for Disneyland Hong Kong. We have been singing "Yo ho ho its a pirate's life for me" all the way back, this brought back some happy memories.
We have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of making our own way to this local icon, which most people would take a conducted tour to. It was great to use the local transport system and travel with the local people.
If you want more information on our day out see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_Tan_Buddha
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