On the way back to the ferry, we passed Hong Kong Park. I had heard that they had an aviary which is one that you can walk in the cages with the birds. Unfortunately, by the time we walked up there it was closed.
We made our way back to the ferry, but while we were walking all the lights were starting to light up on the buildings. It was a spectacular sight.
We got on the ferry back to Discovery Bay, picked up some dinner, and went back to the apartment. We ate dinner, checked emails and sent email. After this full day, I went to bed.
There are a couple of things I forgot to mention.
One was the "pharmacy" that we walked through. It was an old fashion pharmacy where people order all of their "herbs". It was very interesting.
The other thing I noticed were groups of people congregating in the walkway. Most of them were women. There were several groups in a row, all sitting down on newspapers that were spread out. Some were playing cards, some eating something, and some were making things. I couldn't understand what they were all doing. We passed them again and they were still there, after several hours. What I found out from Peter is that this is where a lot of the people go to visit with their friends and family. They are Filipinos and they don't have homes for people to gather at. They live in at their employer's homes. So this is the only time and place to gather.
March 2, 2003
Laurie and I got up and decided to go to Ngong Ping. To do this we had to walk to the ferry which would take us to MuiWo. From MuiWo we had to take the bus to Ngong Ping. The world's largest Buddha is in Ngong Ping at the PoLin Monastery. The Buddha is 79 feet high and made of bronze.
Unfortunately we didn't get down early enough for the early ferry departure, so we had to wait at the plaza until the next one came. So we had pastry and wrote out postcards. Once we took the ferry at MuiWo we were able to hop in the bus right away. The bus ride was about 45 minute. We were dropped off at PoLin Monastery. There is a hostel close by and there is also a trail to Lantan Peak which is the highest peak on Lantan Island. We decided to check out the hostel because we had thought about staying there. The name of the hostel is the SG Davis hostel. A book we read said that if you stayed there you could get up early and hike to Lantan Peak and watch the sun rise. I thought it would be a neat thing to do, but didn't say anything to Laurie until we were on the bus. Once I said it she said she had the same thought. So even though we didn't have anything with us we entertained the idea of staying there. I told her the next time we think that we have a crazy idea we should speak up because the idea may not be so far fetched.
From the bus Laurie and I followed the signs to the hostel. The hostel was very clcean and looked nice. We only saw the dining area and kitchen, but I am assuming the rest is the same. We decided not to stay because it was so far away from anything and we didn't know what we would do with our time after we did all that we wanted.
We took the trail to Lantan Peak. It was steep and it had rock steps most of the way. It certainly gave our large muscles a workout. When we started we couldn't see the peak because there were clouds covering it. I was hoping that it would clear once we got to the top. Below us was fairly clear and at one point we could see the Buddha in the distance sitting on top of the hill.
There were several people hiking this trail. Lantan trails cover 90 km and one could do it in a couple of days. There is camping along the way. Laurie and I were just on one section of it.
I waited for Laurie at one landing that looked close to the top. There was a group of young people there taking a break. One girl offered us a soft squishy sweet, which we took. It wasn't like anything I have had before and I probably wouldn't waste calories eating another one, but it was nice of them to offer it. Laurie and I shared some Clif Bars. Food is the international language.
We continued up the peak. The fog and mist was moving in and I told Laurie that with the weather and terrain, I would have thought I was in the White Mountains. We took a quick break at the top and headed to the bottom.
Once we got back to PoLin Monastery we walked up to the Buddha which is 271 steps. You are able to go inside the Buddha which is an exhibition hall. After getting down we walked over to the monastery. In front of this there were large urn pots that had incense in them. People could buy the incense and stick it in the pots. I don't know the meaning of burning the incense.
As we entered the monastery we saw people praying as they entered. I wasn't quite sure what I was suppose to do. The monastery had pots filled with flowers along the sides and back of the room. We took a quick walk through and then headed for the bus. It was good timing because the bus was about to leave. If we didn't catch this bus, that means we would have missing the 4:30 ferry, which meant we would have to wait 2 hours for the next ferry. Luckily it all worked out and we got home about 6:00. In the evening I just sewed on some patches on my backpack, ate, and went to bed.
