After surviving the longest flight of our lives and crossing a whole bunch of time zones, we arrived in Hong Kong for a short three day visit.
We stayed with our friends John and Angela. Blake and John went to university together and John is now working in Hong Kong. John and Angela were incredible hosts and the time we spent with them was the best part of our visit to Hong Kong.
We expected lots of skyscrapers, bright lights and crowds in Hong Kong but we were surprised to see lots of areas that were quiet and green. Angela took us to two spots - Stanley and Victoria Peak - to show us this side of Hong Kong.
Here are a few night photos that show the bright lights, big city side of Hong Kong.
The last stop on our whirlwind tour was a visit to the Tian Tan Buddha that's commonly known as Big Buddha. Big Buddha is a 34 metre (110 feet) tall bronze statue that sits at the top of one of the highest peaks in Hong Kong. The statue and the monastery next to it are the centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong.
Buddha roughly translates as "the Enlightened One". Buddha is the title given to a man who lived in India roughly 2,600 years ago and whose teachings became the basis for Buddhism. We expect to learn lots more about Buddhism as we travel through southeast Asia.
Three days definitely isn't enough time to take in all that Hong Kong has to offer but we got a good taste of the city thanks to John and Angela. A really big thank you to Angela who was a most excellent tour guide on our day trips!
Vanessa and Blake
We stayed with our friends John and Angela. Blake and John went to university together and John is now working in Hong Kong. John and Angela were incredible hosts and the time we spent with them was the best part of our visit to Hong Kong.
We expected lots of skyscrapers, bright lights and crowds in Hong Kong but we were surprised to see lots of areas that were quiet and green. Angela took us to two spots - Stanley and Victoria Peak - to show us this side of Hong Kong.
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| Blake on Stanley's quiet beach |
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| "Blake's Pier" is at Stanley as you can see on the sign |
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| Part of Victoria Peak on the right and downtown on the left |
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| Us with downtown in the background - a cloudy day unfortunately |
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| Large parts of Hong Kong are very green like this part of Victoria Peak |
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| You take a tram up and down the very steep Victoria Peak |
Here are a few night photos that show the bright lights, big city side of Hong Kong.
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| Downtown Hong Kong at night |
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| Enjoying a drink and overlooking the harbour |
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| Double decker trams are a great way to see downtown |
The last stop on our whirlwind tour was a visit to the Tian Tan Buddha that's commonly known as Big Buddha. Big Buddha is a 34 metre (110 feet) tall bronze statue that sits at the top of one of the highest peaks in Hong Kong. The statue and the monastery next to it are the centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong.
Buddha roughly translates as "the Enlightened One". Buddha is the title given to a man who lived in India roughly 2,600 years ago and whose teachings became the basis for Buddhism. We expect to learn lots more about Buddhism as we travel through southeast Asia.
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| You take a 30 minute cable car ride to the top of the peak |
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| Big Buddha in the mist - it was cloudy when we headed to the top |
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| Climbing 240 steps to reach Big Buddha |
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| Tian Tan Buddha |
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| Vanessa with one of the six "devas" who make offerings to the Buddha |
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| The monastery's main temple with a new temple under construction in the background |
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| Inside the temple |
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| Three bronze statues of the Buddha represent his past, present and future lives |
Three days definitely isn't enough time to take in all that Hong Kong has to offer but we got a good taste of the city thanks to John and Angela. A really big thank you to Angela who was a most excellent tour guide on our day trips!
Vanessa and Blake
