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LANTAU ISLAND and Central Hongkong Tour

It was another day of hit and missed targets. This is the difficult reality when you visit somebody and stay in their place instead of having your own accommodation.You are in a tour with limited time but you also have to take into account their schedule. I just reminded myself that we are in Hong Kong for two reasons, to look around and pay tribute to our godmother who was Teresa's life saver when she went to Hong Kong a few years ago. Keeping the two in check was definitely a big challenge.

 We woke up the next day at around 7am knowing that there is  a ferry the leaves Cheung Chau island at 8am and every hour afterwards. We missed the 8am ferry and was shocked when I found out that the next trip to Moi Wu in nearby Lantau Island will be 10:50am. I was starting to worry then but since there's nothing I can do about it, I just took the opportunity to go around and take some pictures of shops.
Tian Tan Buddha 
 Lantau Island Hongkong

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We boarded the next ferry from Cheung Chau to Mui Wo which is 30 minutes away at the cost of  $HK18 and from there took the bus to Ngong Ping for $HK 27.

Hongkong Islands
Lantau Island from the South

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Mui Wo--Lantau Island

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The road is winding as Ngong Ping is on top of the second tallest peak in Hong Kong.

Lantau from Moi Wu

We were here for a special purpose, that is to see Po Lin Monastery and the Giant Buddha otherwise known as Tian Tan Buddha.

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Po Lin Monastery

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Po Lin monastery was founded in 1906 by three monks visiting from Jiangsu  China. It was initially known as "The Big Hut", later renamed Po Lin in 1924. The main temple houses 3 bronze statues of the Buddha representing his past, present and future lives as well as many Buddhist scriptures.
Tian Tan Buddha, the giant Buddha statue was completed in 1993 as an extension of the monastery.

Tian Tan Buddha
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more on the Giant Buddha on a separate post soon

It took us until past 2pm to stay here as the stairs leading to the Giant Buddha Statue is really high. I missed wisdom path as we had to leave the soonest possible time for Disneyland. There were two possible routes, 1. to go back to Mui Wo and take the ferry to central and 2. ride the Chong Ping cable car which is kinda expensive. We opted the first alternative despite knowing that we have to wait for almost an hour for the next ferry schedule. Good thing when we were lining up at the bus queue, we discovered the 3rd and easiest alternative--- by bus, from Ngong Ping to Tung Chung for another $HK 27.

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Tung Chung below

By this time, I was already having 2nd thoughts weather to go to Disneyland or not. From Tung Chung, we could easily take the MTR to Sunny Bay and from there take the Disneyland train. But I heard many feedbacks about Hong Kong Disneyland and many of my friends said it's for kids. For the likes of adults, Hong Kong Ocean Park would suit well.

So goes my last ditch decision to go straight to Admiralty and from there take the bus to Ocean Park. We ended in Central Station after my friend Lerry who lives in Hong Kong texted me of the advisory that Ocean Park was already closed for admission that day due to very long lines. Yeah, yeah, it's lunar new year after all. I already noticed the long lines back in Tung Chung. I never thought this small territory already packed could get more crowded.

MTR-central station
MTR central station

Frustrated, we just decided to roam around central and pose for a few photos.

central hongkong
central Hong Kong

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central Hong Kong
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I said to myself before "makita ko lang tong dalawang buildings na to sa personal, solve nako"" D:

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St. John Cathedral

Knowing that we have to leave early the next day, we decided to go to the nearest attraction, that is, the PEAK. We walked past HSBC tower and to St. John's cathedral and to THE PEAK tram station. I was shocked when I saw the long line and the sign which says 2 hours waiting time. Taking the tram is definitely the most classy way of going to the Peak but the long wait was something we couldn't afford. Good thing there is another option. We took the bus to central ferry terminal and there took bus 15-A for only $HK 15. It took us 1 hour 35 minutes to ascend the normally 30 minute journey. It's Lunar New Year remember? hahaha. patience patience patience.

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double decker bus
bus 15-A to the Peak

the patience really paid off. We got to the peak at around 7:30pm. It was chilly and windy. The view was really amazing. There are shops and restaurants and many other attractions here which I will be blogging separately next time. We spent more than 30 minutes in the SKY TERRACE despite the chill. It was such a romantic experience.

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HONG KONG PEAK
PEAK Hong Kong
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 The Peak 

Exhausted, we boarded the bus back to central ferry station. We didn't have much energy left so I didn't even try to convince my wife to stop somewhere for a while and take night shots of some famous landmarks try some restaurants We took the fast craft back to Cheung Chau for $HK 32 each, ate street food and called it a night.

The flight was 8:25 am the next day and comes with it the realization that time was really too short for us to cover Hong Kong. Anyway, we could always go back next time, maybe exclusively for Disneyland and Ocean Park. I really wanna know personally which is better.lol

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Comments

  1. Nice pictures of Hong Kong.
    I really like that city !

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  2. bulb yung last shot?

    MTR is very efficient, ayoko lang ng 10 million exits per station! kakabaliw!

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  3. nakakarelate ako sa sinabi mo..first pragraph hehe...ganun din kami sa Sg nun eh...kaya feel ko a lot of time was wasted sa kakaantay ahw hehe.pero ayos na yun enjoy na enjoy mo naman ang travel with wifey

    hmmm ....san kaya kami dumaan nun papunta kay buddah..basta di namin tinahak ung 200+ steps ba un..nakakamiss pala ang hungkung nyaha...

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  4. ang pinuntahan ko lang sa hongkong eh disneyland at night market hehehe

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  5. Yun oh! hehehehheheh... more pictures pa! saka kwento san yung maisusuggest mong mga must see na place... hehehhehe

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  6. pwedeng mainggit sandali?
    sandali lang naman eeeeeh!

    The St. John Cathedral... may kahawig na church na nakita ko before hindi ko lang maremember kung san ko nakita at anung church..

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  7. ganda tlga. napagod ako sa mga pics, andaming pinuntahan.. ambusy.. eto feelingero lng.. ramdam ang pagod at saya LOL

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  8. question sir, yung bus ba na up and down, tumatakbo via electronic cable? para kasing may nakita kong antenna na nakakabit sa kawad ng kuryente e.

    at the best yung shot na kita ang hongkong in a night view.

    sana makapag hongkong din ako

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  9. ang ganda ng mga pictures lalo na ng the peak..napakaromantic ng dating..=)

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  10. Nice shots. And napansin ko na sobrang linis ng streets nila. It's just a pity na hindi ko maintindihan yung mga chinese na nakasulat. Sana makapunta din ako ng hongkong this year. :)

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  11. love the night time shot of The Peak, umaga kami napadaan dati, iba talaga kayo mag-explore ah, marathon din :)

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  12. Ton. I really like structures especially the Peak, is that the name of that building? The best place to visit is the monastery. That Buddhist Monastery. Especially their teachings, tagos sa spirit. Ganda ng mga photos tonz.

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  13. Lantau Island from the South parang puerto ung dating astig sarap talaga magtravel pag mdating money hehehe :D

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  14. gusto kogn pumunta jan! hehehe :)

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  15. Idol talaga kuya Pusang Kalye ^_^ hehe.. sana one day makapunta rin ako sa HongKong! hmmm bkit nga ba one day lang hehe sana pla one week ^_^ God bless kuya!

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  16. ayoko magcomment dito kasi baka ma spoil ko sayo kung bakit mas maganda ocean park kesa sa disneyland... hehe

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  17. The Peak is the good compensation even if you didn't see the Ocean Park and Disneyland. The nights views of the city is interesting... mahirap talaga pag holidays kasabay mo ang locals sa tours and sightseeing kaya patience talaga..

    I think its a wise decision not see Disneyland this time as it is really for the kids.. they are the ones who will appreciate it much but if you're into sort of feeling returning to childhood again, Disneyland is the best place to relieve childhood. I like this detailed trip.

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  18. The Peak is the good compensation even if you didn't see the Ocean Park and Disneyland. The nights views of the city is interesting... mahirap talaga pag holidays kasabay mo ang locals sa tours and sightseeing kaya patience talaga..

    I think its a wise decision not see Disneyland this time as it is really for the kids.. they are the ones who will appreciate it much but if you're into sort of feeling returning to childhood again, Disneyland is the best place to relieve childhood. I like this detailed trip.

    ReplyDelete

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