On our first day in HK we agreed with our guides Michael and Sandy it would be a good idea to do something touristy. Sandy had a friend working today at a cable car which takes you over a small mountain to a giant statue of Buddha. When we heard about the friend working at the cable car we didn't quite realise how handy this would be. The queue just to buy a ticket was similar to what you would expect for the best ride at Thorpe Park in the middle of summer on a nice day. We walked past it all and cut straight to the front. Once we bought the cheapest ticket going we then got to skip another long queue to actually get on the cable car. We rode in a VIP car with glass floor which was supposed to cost a ridiculous amount. The trip was nice and the glass floor was less scary than you would think. This has been our first chance to see what HK is like from a natural point of view and it seems very different to the other parts of Asia we've been in. The mixture of rocky slopes and stiff looking shrubs reminded me a lot of the Scottish Highlands.
By the time we reached the other end of the cable car we were all ready for some lunch. Part of going to see the Big Buddha is going to the Buddhist restaurant which serves the kind of food monks eat. The meal was made up of several dishes all of which were vegetarian and none of them especially strongly flavoured. I enjoyed them as vegetable dishes but a growing lad like myself really needs some meat with every meal. Overall the meal must have been very low calorie so I can understand what you rarely see a fat monk.
The Buddha statue is sat at the top of a hill with a staircase leading up to it. Climbing those stairs showed me that my fitness levels has already taken a missive nose dive since leaving home less than a month ago. At the top of the stairs there's a 360 degree viewing platform with some really good views of the mountain islands protruding from the sea.
With the day moving on quickly we headed back into the city to see another fairly unique attraction. Every night the Hong Kong skyline lights up with a light show which lasts for about 15 minutes. After standing in the cold killing time the show started and in all honesty I was pretty disappointed. Its hard to tell if the conditions weren’t right or if it was just a bit crap. Oh well at least I can say I've seen it. To make up for it though dinner was at TGI Fridays which cost us 2 days travelling budget each for a burger and a couple of beers, oops.
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