Day 4 started slow, but still early for me (of course, haha). While everyone's still preparing, I sneaked out for breakfast and some alone time at a Starbucks inside the Fashion Walk mall.
Thank God there's always Starbucks! Haha, had the cheesy sandwich and a tall brewed coffee:
When I met with them back in our inn, the group decided to stick together for the day. I suggested that we go to Lantau Island, and after much discussions, I'm glad everyone's G!
Rode the train till Tung Chung Station (Tung Chung Line - Orange). Upon exiting the MTR, there's a Citygate Mall with lots of outlet stores, which my friends took advantage of:
Just across the mall is the ticket booth for the Cable Car. Here are the rates! They actually offer several packages, but with my Viber friends' suggestion, we just availed the Standard Cabin at HKD 185.
NOTE: Make sure to avail round trip tickets, unless you are prepared to hike! The Cable Car closes at 6pm, and those without tickets yet have to look for other transportation options. I think may bus naman?
There's a zig-zag line to the gondola, but very bearable:
Finally!
Called the Ngong Ping 360, this Hello Kitty gondola is also operated for the MTR and provides a 5.7km cableway journey from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping.
Some people opt to hike though, we saw several couples on their way, while some were resting. Can you spot the hikers and the Big Buddha in this photo?
I gave up with capturing the beautiful view of Hong Kong with my camera phone. :) It's something that you have to experience yourself, kahit one time lang pwede na.
Around 20 minutes later...
Our afternoon's agenda, the Ngong Ping Village, is a quaint little town with several touristy attractions such as the Po Lin Monastery, Tian Tan Buddha, and several shows such as the Walking with the Buddha, the Monkey's Tale Theater, and the Ngong Ping Tea House.
There's so much to do, but so little time! We can already see the Big Buddha from the village, but decided to go around first, and have our lunch.
Had Century Egg and Vegetable Spring Rolls at this restaurant:
Then, because of @paultheprguy's recommendation, headed to the Li-Nong Tea House to purchase the discounted tea can for my dad (which he loved, btw, yey!).
Upong purchasing the cable car tickets, they'll give these coupons, thus the discounted tea can (from HKD 88 to just HKD 28!). So don't throw this away just yet!
Li-Nong Tea House also sells a good variety of teas and tea paraphernalia. Wasn't able to catch it, but the place also holds a tea demonstration from time to time.
Cool flower teas which you buy ng naka close palang sila.
Then it will bloom into this, the flower will give flavor to your drink:
After that side trip, it was time to go to the Big Buddha. The walk is very pleasant, a good break from the city.
Spotted cute mountain dogs here and there. :)
And these big cows that feed on the trash cans, huhu. But be careful if you plan to feed them, I saw one who ran after this girl dahil binigyan sya ng food! :p
The 260 steps that lead to the largest sitting Buddha in the world (34 meters high)!
Nakakapagod, but kaya naman!
Although a touristy spot, when I reached the Tian Tan Buddha (or Big Buddha), everyone's quiet to respect those who were praying.
The statue symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and faith.
You are still free to take photos though! My self-timer picture while waiting for my friends, hehe!
Walked around, and enjoyed the view.
Nakaka Baguio slash Tagaytay slash Taal!
Saw the Po Lin Monastery. Sayang we weren't able to go here na, again, the cable car closes at 6pm so it's best to go here early if you want to see everything.
Buddhist statues praising and making offerings to the Tian Tan Buddha, or the "The Offering of the Six Devas".
I was able to sneak in a few OOTD photos, hehe. Thanks Marj!
Wearing an H&M furry jacket, YSL polo, Long Champ bag, Nike leggings, and my comfortable gray People Footwear sneakers! Best, and lightest footwear I brought for this trip!
Back to Lantau Island...
We decided to go to our final destination before heading for the cable car. I told them about the recommended Wisdom Path, and so we walked along the trails which reminded me of the quiet Arashiyama bamboo forest of Kyoto. Sigh.
Signs are everywhere, though it was a longer walk than I expected. There were fewer people in the area, which I like.
After around 15-20 minutes of walking, we finally saw the 38 wooden monuments!
Each panel is inscribed with the Heart Sutra prayer, altogether forming a number 8 or infinity sign (when viewed at bird's eye view).
Thanks for taking my photo at the Wisdom Path, David!
Marj and Benj resting on the benches:
...With this view!
We walked further and saw an area with information and for photo ops:
We also met families and tourists who will camp in the island in tents they've set up on the mountains. Ang cool lang na experience nun!
Then we walked a bit more, till we can, till we had this nice foggy view .
Almost empty, we brisk walked back to the village, to the cable car, and said good bye to Ngong Ping Village.
Since it's our last night already, we decided to go to Lan Kwai Fong for dinner and drinks. To get there, just ride the MTR to the Central Station, and exit at D2.
Lan Kwai Fong, or LKF is a popular L-shaped cobble-stone lane in Hong Kong which houses over 100 clubs, restaurants, and bars. Party place, in short, hehe.
"One for the road!"
Walang kasawaang Ebeneezer's padin for dinner, falafel please. :p (Heard from Ate that her friend just opened Ebeneezer's Philippines in Fort, at the Deutsche Bank building! Must visit soon!)
We walked further, and no plans of going home yet, everyone agreed to check out the carnival!
Saw this road accident, while the people inside the huge Apple store watched the commotion:
Buildings rise sooo high, the starless night still looks bright!
Here's a no-filter photo of the nightsky:
We had no more energy to go for the rides, so we just strolled around the carnival area, took some photos, and enjoyed the luxury of the cool breeze which we seldom experience na here in Manila.
We had one last sleep till we leave Hong Kong. I vowed to wake up really early, set my alarm at 7 for the next day, and maximize the next 10 hours or so. But even before that, I am just glad that I spent the first days of my 2016 here.
READ: Posts from Hong Kong 2016
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