Big Buddha, Ngong Ping

The Tian Tan Buddha (Traditional Chinese: 天壇大佛) is a large bronze statue of the Buddha, located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. Also known as the Big Buddha, as it is the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha. The statue is located near Po Lin Monastery and symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion.
Source: Wikipedia.

It was our second day in HK. We took the train to Central MTR station and we existed near a walkway. We were instructed to just follow the walkway to the pier. We sort of lost our way but eventually found Pier 6. We took the 9:30 fast boat to Mui Wo ferry fare is about HK$22. The fast boat look exactly the the fast cats that ply Puerto Galera but since it was a weekday there were very few people on board. We used our "octopus card" for fares which deserves a whole blog entry. More on the octopus card in future post. The trip was a scenic ride towards Lantau Island.

We arrived in Mui Wo where we met Susan. We took a bus to Ngong Ping where the Po Lin Monestary and Big Buddha is located. We climbed the 268 step up to the Big Buddha. It was not as hard a climb as I expected. The area are lined with prayer flags of every color. It was a warm and humid morning. Underneath the statue is a circular museum with some illustrations depicting the life of Buddha. A small store where all proceeds go to maintenance of the site, I got this small jade dragon which I plan to give to Isay when she grows up to tell her about our trip there.

I wrote down this verse I read from the shrine:

May all beings have happiness, wisdom, good fortune and longevity--Tian Tan Buddha