Hey everyone Aaron here let me start by saying thank you to the Alliance and the Gamma syndicate for such a warm welcome it's really great to be a part of what you are doing on steemit and if you're reading this and want to know more about the Alliance just search the hashtag #thealliance.
Now on to island adventures and first up is part 1 of Lantau island. I have to split this into two parts because I still have to go back and see the rest of the island, it is huge!! like the Jurassic Park islands or skull island from King Kong but fear not I will venture back to see what else this magical place has in store.
The guys and I had talked about choosing a different island near Hong Kong every week and making a good effort to step out of the city and venture out to explore some hidden gems. First up was Lantau island and it felt like we had hit the jackpot first time around. The island is around 30mins from the central pier on the fast boat or an hour on the slow boat each making for really nice trips with great views but more so on the slow boat as it's not quite as inclosed and the prices are good too, 31HKD for the fast boat and 15HKD for the slow boat.
We had a bit of a lay in that day so we didn't make it to the pier until around 12 ish and so we got some lunch and caught the 1.30 fast boat to the island. It was a perfect day and the sun was shining as we arrived at Mui Wo pier, as soon as we got off the boat it was great, just the sight of gorgeous blue water, long beaches, and fresh air was good enough for me and we hadn't even got started.
Due to arriving later than expected we decided to go and see the giant Buddha, the nearby shrines and walk the Wisdom path and just these few things made for an incredible day. We started at silver mine bay which was a great little town right next to the beach and there were plenty of local seafood restaurants to choose from too. Further, into the town, there were a few more shrines but we didn't get a chance to see that as we had a Bus to catch up to the higher parts of the island and the giant Buddha.
The ride up was actually pretty good as far as bus rides go and the views of the beaches and small villages you pass through while going up the winding roads, through the forests eventually leading to the small village around Po Lin monastery.
The island is also home to 5 of Hong Kong's prisons but they are very remote and hidden away. this is the only one we saw on the bus riide.
Upon arrival, you are greeted by none less than around a dozen cows or maybe they were some sort of Ox or water buffalo that are apparently located around parts of the island. Either way, they were very friendly and although you could see the massive Buddha poking up through the trees on a hill, we spent around 5 minutes watching one of them trying to open up a box of strawberries and that it did! followed by a round of applause from the tourists.
As I said you could see the giant Buddha protruding through the treetops and the closer we got the bigger it got. We walked towards the front side only to be greeted by a huge set of steps leading up to the feet of the Buddha, it was an amazing site and a good photo opportunity. After a few hundred steps we found ourselves staring straight up at a very peaceful looking Buddha with one palm up and the other one facing down and the bigger Buddha was surrounded by various different smaller ones. The views from up top were amazing you could see for quite a way, it wasn't crazy busy either so we could sit back relax and enjoy the views for a while before moving on. Inside the Buddha was a big circular hall with memorial pictures all the way around and places for people to light incense and leave flowers for their loved ones. In the center was a slightly different looking Buddha and a stairway which was unfortunately closed off so I will check that out next time.
It was time to head back down to see the massive Po Lin monastery and the surrounding grounds before walking the wisdom path. The monastery was really big, one of the biggest I have seen in China and I have seen a fair few. The amazing architecture is something to behold, every inch of this place was full of color and different pictures painted on the walls and ridge tiles of the roof. The pillars around the outside had dragons, birds and all kinds of different things carved into them and the detail was amazing. We arrived at the perfect time as the local monks were just starting their afternoon chants and prayer songs, it resonated throughout the whole complex, it sounded like there must have been 100 plus monks in there but the halls are so big it amplifies the sound a lot and it turned out there were only around ten monks in there. Inside the various buildings of the monastery, there were lots of prayer shrines with many different golden Buddhas each representing something different. We then walked up some stairs up towards the grand hall and grand it was! this huge hall was head to toe covered in amazing paintings of green, blue, red and gold. At the far end of the hall stood 4 big Buddhas glowing gold and the room full of chairs, I'm assuming for some sort of weekly mass. After a quick prayer of thanks, we headed down the other side of the monastery and saw the chanting monks returning to their living quarters, these monks were wearing brown robes and had the shaven heads and long beads in hand like most monks you might see across Asia.
On the way out of the monastery, we came across some sort of incense prayer area with some incense sticks standing 4-5 ft tall and 6-7 inches in diameter so a bit bigger than your standard smelly sticks at home. Alongside this area was a small building which seemed to be a cremation chamber full ashes, I'm not sure on the procedures when a monk passes but it seemed like that sort of place, plus there was a woman praying there too, maybe you guys know more?
It was time to walk the path of wisdom, now I'm not a wise old man but after walking this path I felt like Gandalf after he went super sayan and turn into a white wizard! it was a very special place to visit. The walk starts with some paths leading through the dense forest and along the way we came across some old abandoned building that seemed to have been damaged in a storm or something. Either way, it made for some good Indiana Jones style exploring just without the giant boulders of death, snake pits and so on, plus I forgot my whip that day. Anyway, we steadily walked up through the forest eventually coming to an empty area with a few paths leading in different directions but our path was clear. Up to the right stood huge 30-40ft logs cut clean in half leading up some steps to the peak of the area. It looked like something from a fantasy adventure movie or a sacred area from Skyrim, it was quite amazing and each of the giant logs had passages written from the Buddhist heart mantra. The whole area had a very spiritual feel to it and so as the sun began to set we walked off the path to the highest point we could find to take in the views and just appreciate this stunning island. We found a couple of huge boulders placed perfectly on the peak and we couldn't help ourselves. We climbed the boulders and we rewarded with one of the best views I have seen to date. To my left we could look down over the Logs of wisdom path and a bit further in the distance was a huge mountain leading to the highest peak on the island, which was a little out of my climbing abilities. Looking out to the ocean and you could see the tops of the smaller peaks leading towards the bay and the perfectly still water surrounding the island. To my right was the cherry on top of the cake, we thought it would just be treetops but there it was about the same height as us a mile or so away the Giant Buddha sitting majestically on the treetops in the distance, the whole picture was just too beautiful and a phone camera just doesn't do it justice. We sat on those rocks for quite a while just taking in the views and having one of those moments where nothing could get you down, it was a moment of pure bliss happiness and appreciation for good friends family and this amazing planet we live on. This area is now probably my favorite place to just chill and escape the busy city and I can't wait to take my girlfriend up there when she visits in a few weeks.
Although we could have happily stayed up there all night we had to catch the last bus and boat back to Hong Kong island but I think we are going to plan a camping trip on the island and sleep on a nearby beach if we can. On the way back down we discovered a few other paths leading deeper into the forest but we would have to save it for our second visit. We passed the old abandoned building again on the way down but this time Anthony got a good scare from a creepy looking doll just staring at him through the glass, haha to be fair it was a little creepy.
We arrived at the bottom by the monastery and the giant Buddha was now lit up by big lights on the front side ad the sun had set to the perfect position right behind its head like you might have seen in movies. It was almost too perfect and made for some great pictures before leaving. A short walk to the bus stop and a 45 minute-ish ride back down to the harbor and it was all over at least until next week when we go for round two.
The view of Hong Kong harbor on the way back is quite mind-blowing, after spending all day in forests and monasteries it was like arriving at some sort of futuristic spaceport with towering glowing skyscrapers with all kinds of light shows and effects going on. The architecture of this city is like no other and I personally think it stands out as one of the most amazing cities on the planet. Seeing it from the sea was a nice change and it gave me a very different perspective from when I am walking around the mazes of streets that lye at the base of these glowing goliaths.
They are a special bunch.
I hope you enjoyed this blog, Lantau really is a special place and I can't wait to go back and get some footage for part 2 of this amazing island. I will be blogging about various different parts of Hong Kong, everything from markets to malls, entertainment, food, and maybe even romantic adventures to take your other half on and in the meantime I also have the last couple of blogs I want to post about our time in Japan so keep an eye out.
Thank you very much for reading and if you would like for me to see anything in particular while I'm here please just let me know and I will do my best to check it out. All upvotes, resteems and follows are greatly appreciated and I will do my best to check out your profiles too. STEEM ON!!!!