Exhausted from our first experience of flat hunting, the next day Katy, Alicia, Rebecca and I decided to head out to the Big Buddha in Lantau Island. We met at Central and took a 40 minute boat ride from the pier. It was a rather bumpy but amazing trip because you head out from the skyscrapers and the chaos of central and in 10 minutes you are seeing traditional Chinese fishing boats and beautiful green islands. You then get on a bus across the island which was amazing since it passed by reservoirs and through the beautiful Lantau South Country Park. country park.
The Buddha itself is incredible. It is 34 metres high making it the largest bronze outdoor seated Buddha in the world.You spot it from the bus on top of one of the hills and it looks magnificent. There is a long and hot climb up the stairs to reach it but it is completely worthwhile. Not only do you get to see the true scale of the Buddha, but also you have amazing views of the surrounding area. It is part of the Po Lin monastery which is surprisingly peaceful considering the number of visitors every day.
As we arrived back on a very bumpy, (not for the weak stomached!) boat trip back, at central at dusk, I was so excited to be back in the city, seeing the skyscrapers of the island, lighting up and felt so very privileged to be able to experience this day in day out. There was a sense, of almost being back home after a trip away!. I am not even nearly ready to leave, indeed I have hardly begun on all the things I want to experience and try here. What is incredible to get your head around is that you can be in the centre of hong kongs financial district, and then in 40 minutes be on a bus in a beautiful national park with beaches and parks, and barely any buildings to be seen. The place seems to have it all.
The longer I am here, I can feel myself being more and more drawn in to this place. I expected myself to be really unsettled and homesick at first and for me to take quite a while to feel a part of the life here to readjust, being completely different from anything else I had experienced before. However, I have my moments of real nostalgia and homesickness, but on the whole, this place is incredibly exciting. The energy and dynamism of this place is almost tangible. Wandering around Mong Kok, in the swarms of people, you can feel the energy. It is so bright, so noisy, so busy and there is such energy, no matter what time of day or night. I am just so desperate to have my beautiful family and friends come and share in it too….book your flights people..!
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