Life here started pretty much the same way as yesterday: slowly rolling out of bed, breakfast, a short walk, and then we were off. Today we were off to visit the largest Buddha statue we have ever seen. The bronze statue is on the island of Lantau and is only accessible by taking a very long cable car ride up to the site of a monastery. The gondola ride is considered one of the top 10 in the world, and we would agree. Quite an event it was! It wound around the island, across the Victoria Bay, and up the mountain to find the Buddha. Along the way Dave got to add a bird to his life list when he spotted a crested-serpent eagle flying among the trees and keeping pace with our gondola. The bird, we were sure, was mocking us saying, “I can fly! Why don’t you break free from your tether and come play with me?” Needless to say, we just continued on the preordained path and did not veer from the cables. No playing with eagles today.
Finally at the top, we wandered around the Ngong Ping Monastery. The monastery was guarded by statues of twelve generals who each had a two hour shift through the day. The generals were aided by an animal helper which was a member of the Chinese Zodiac sign. Needless to say, the debate was what animal do you want on your head? The ox maybe…maybe the horse, rat, dragon, monkey, tiger, rabbit, or pig? Which one would you want on perched on your head for all eternity? Kathy would pick the serpent; at least she won’t get a headache from the weight. Dave used to like monkeys, until he got robbed twice by the vile primates on successive vacations. After walking past the gauntlet of generals, we arrived at the initial monastery which includes Buddha statues representing the past, present and future. The initial area was beautiful and amazing. Walking around, we soon arrived at the recent (last thirty years) monastery room of 10,000 Buddha’s. The Buddhas are a shining gold and alleged to be worth so much that they don’t want photos in the area. Apparently we did not get the memo, as we took some pictures at the urging of our guide.
Next on the list, the walk up the mountain – and according to our guide it is 268 steps – to reach the base of the Buddha. Seeing it live and in person was pretty amazing. The tranquil spot (if you can tune out the tourists chatting away) gave us a 360° view of the area, including several islands in the sea. We walked around the Buddha and then ventured in to climb inside his ample tummy which is so large that it fit a museum and a couple gift shops. (It does make Kathy wonder if Dave has squirreled away some treasures?) Clambering down the never-ending steps, we wandered back to our meeting point to begin the journey back to our hotel, or not. No journey to Lantau Island is complete unless you stop at the luxury outlet mall that sells HIGH END retail for not so cheap prices. We did manage to stop and have a sandwich and enjoy something to drink, which for Dave included a cup of hot milk (okay, not what he was expecting… at all). We skipped the shopping (except for a bottle of pop and, interestingly enough, a strawberry Snickers Bar).
Finally back at the hotel Dave is napping off his warm milk while Kathy attempts to not kill the internet as it keeps sputtering out while trying to check into our flight for tomorrow. Took so long, Dave is now awake.
Time to go find a castle. Since our first day here, we noticed a rock formation high up on a cliff behind some large buildings. There appeared to be stairs and railings along a trail in the area which piqued our curiosity. We asked our tour guide about it and he thought it might have been part of a castle. (Dave thinks he is daft!) We have tried to figure out how to get on this trail, but have not found a way as of yet. However, on our morning walk after breakfast, Dave spotted a pedestrian bridge across the busy road which appeared to meet up with this trail. Now – we are gonna find out. A quick walk down the street and across the bridge, and we started up some stairs. All along the stairs, though, were dozens and dozens of what appeared to be small Budda and Buddha-affiliated statues, along with burning incense. We even passed a small structure with lit candles inside. Then, we came to an abrupt halt as we found a locked gate along with a “No Tresspassing” sign from the government department of public works. Bummer! So, we headed back to the hotel for our last supper here in Hong Kong.
We learned yesterday that many of the small restaurants in this area do not take credit cards, nor do they take the Chinese payment apps of AliPay or WeChat. So, we have eaten dinner at the hotel. Tonight, Dave had spaghetti Bolognese, while Kathy opted for the fried rice. Ever mindful of her allergies to shellfish, she asked the staff if shellfish of any type was used for this dish. “I could die.” She told them. “No,” advised the staff, “There is no shellfish used in these meals.” When the dish came out, there was a very noticeable piece of shrimp atop the mound of rice. She alerted the staff who brought over the concierge who had taken our order. She pointed out the shrimp pieces in the meal. He said, “Oh, you mean you can’t eat ANY fish??” We’re pretty sure our eye rolls were audible at this point. They took her plate back and brought back another plate several minutes later. Or, was it another plate, or the same plate just de-shrimped? Dave asked Kathy if the meal tasted fishy at all. Nope. She took several bites and remained asymptomatic. Hurrah! We finished our meals and went to pay. That is when Kathy started feeling flush. We rushed her back to our room and Dave gave her 50 mg of Benadryl. He also readied the EpiPen and the albuterol. It took almost 30 minutes for the Benadryl to fully kick in, but we did not have to administer anything else. Thirty minutes later, Kathy fell asleep, the final therapeutic effect of the Benadryl working.
Tomorrow we head to Beijing. Hopefully, being inland will make it easier to avoid shellfish for a while.
