Marilyn's Odyssey: Lantau Island

What an incredible day! Lantau Island is the third territory of Hong Kong and though it is twice as big as Hong Kong Island itself it is only home to 45,000 people. It is now home to the airport as with the ever increasing amount of air traffic the old airport could not handle the volume.

We started the day by taking a ferry from the island of Hong Kong. It is simply amazing to observe the massive high rises from the water while winding your way through the dozens of freighters that dot the harbour. On the hilly island we started our tour at the beautiful beach at Cheung Sha with long stretches of golden sand. The swimming area is protected by shark nets which though not visible does add some distraction. We truly stepped back in time with a visit to the busy fishing village of Tai O. All of the homes,which we would be more likely to refer to as shacks are built on bamboo stilts on the water. Though ramshackle the residents were all cheerful and very well groomed. The narrow streets are lined with locals selling mostly dried fish and their parts though there were some live tanks with every type of seafood from fish, oysters and crabs to octopus. A boat tour through the village was topped off by a visit to the local temple. Though small it was steeped in tradition and was built in 1699.

We continued on the the Po Lin Monastery which is the home to the worlds largest Buddha. Forged of bronze it sits majestically at the top of a hill and soars 79 feet up. You can go inside the Buddha where thousands of burial niches sit with some beautiful artwork depicting the birth of the religion. The monastery is a working one and was a real treat to experience the beauty of the temple and surrounding area after descending the 250 steps down from the Buddha. After enjoying a delicious vegetarian lunch in the monastery. We went on a thirty minute cable car ride from the 3000 foot peak down to the Tung Chung Station. Views were stunning.

Eric and I went on a long walk in the late afternoon to explore some of the bustling streets of Kowloon. It was really interesting to be out with the locals and enjoy the streets as they lit up with approaching nightfall. The mix of old and tired buildings right next to gleaming sky scrapers is quite the sight.