We met up at the MTR for our ride to Tung Chung which is at the end of the orange line. From there we walked to the cable cars which would take us straight to Ngong Ping on Lantua island where the Buddha sits. I mean this literally. The Big Buddha is the largest seated outdoor bronze Buddha in the world. He weighs more than 250 tons and is 30m. (98ft) tall.
The day was relatively clear for Hong Kong standards so the view from the cable car provided a nice picture of Lantua island and many others in the distance. The 5.7 km (3 ½ mile) cable car ride takes about 25 minutes which gives you ample opportunity for picture taking. As you approach Ngong Ping the sight of the Big Buddha sitting some 738m (2,421ft) above the island is striking. He is a rather serene, yet majestic figure dominating the island plateau. I was mentally preparing myself for a quiet and peaceful day.
As we disembarked the cable car I was struck by the fact that we had to walk through a gift shop to begin our visit. This isn’t very Buddhist like I thought. Big Buddha key chains, umbrellas and t-shirts were displayed. They even had photos of us that they had taken as we boarded the cable car! (It’s amazing what technology can do in 25 minutes.) This was feeling rather like an amusement park.
We made it through the shop and then it hit us. This wasn’t Disneyland. This was Buddhaland. We had stepped out into a perfectly darling Chinese village full of shops and restaurants. As we strolled along I couldn’t help but notice how everything was exactly that - too perfect. White buildings with green tile roofs and vibrant red and blue trim. Nothing is this clean and organized in Hong Kong. There were even some cute little cartoon like figures (not sure what they were) that you could take your picture with. We were surprised they didn’t charge for it.
I must admit that we did stop at a wonderful shop called the Chopstick Gallery which had hundreds of lovely sets of chopsticks for sale. Since chopsticks have become a regular part of our eating habits we couldn’t help but be taken by the beauty of the sets: some carved, some with silver or mother of pearl tops, some even made from colored pencils. We wandered through admiring them until we each found a set to be used for a special gift. Yes, we had succumbed to Buddhaland.
A wide path lined with warriors each representing one of the signs of the Chinese New Year symbols took us to the foot of the Buddha. My warrior, year of the boar, was very fierce looking. I wasn’t sure what was worse being born in the year of the pig or this scary guy.
The 260 steps leading up to the Buddha were lined with people making their way slowly to the top. Kate and I worked our way up thankful that we had gone on a weekday. I can’t even imagine what Sunday is like. The view of the countryside from the base of the Buddha is wonderful and the other bronze deities displayed are truly beautiful.
After our descent we headed back through Buddhaland and decided that maybe we had seen enough. We didn’t even stop for lunch. Somehow I thought the menu would include tofu Buddha burgers, enlightenment entrees and deity desserts. This just didn’t feel right.
We took the more expensive crystal cable car back to Tung Chung. The crystal cable car is nothing more than one with a glass bottom. Does seeing through the floor of the cable car make it more appealing and/or exciting? Not really. It’s ironic that Hong Kong Disneyland is also on Lantua island. In my mind “the happiest place on earth” never should include a big Buddha.
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