LANTAU ISLAND

On a beauty day in Hong Kong I traveled with two coworkers out to Lantau Island to see the Tian Tan Buddha at Po Lin (Precious Lotus) Monastery. I travel to China for work a few times a year and I always find after running all around Shanghai, Ningbo, Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Shenzhen for seven days a weekend in Hong Kong is a great way to finally get over your jet lag, have a great western meal, and either go big and stay out partying or commune with nature and take advantage of the many parks and wild areas that the islands of Hong Kong have to offer.

We were staying in Soho area of Central Hong Kong Island at one of my favorite boutique hotels on the island, Madera Hollywood, and found that getting to Lantau Island was very manageable. We rode the outside escalators that cut up and down through Central HK down to the central train station and purchased Octopus cards for $150 HKD (which is generally about $19-$20USD). This was more than enough money on it for us to take the subway system for the weekend. Because I am familiar with Hong Kong I felt really comfortable taking the subways but if you are new to the Island you could also pay about $300-$400 HKD and have a guide for the day. I'd check out Trip Advisor or some similar website to look for guides. We rode the Orange line from Central station towards Tung Chung station. It is super easy and difficult to get lost. At Central station the train only goes one way and you get off at the last stop which is Tung Chung station. I would suggest purchasing your tickets for the Ngong Ping cable car before getting to Tung Chung. I found that when I tried to book on Trip Advisor I needed to book one day prior to the trip. So I headed on to the Ngong Ping website and purchased tickets for the Crystal Cabin for later that day. When I booked I did have to estimate arrival time and just choose ninety minutes since its about a forty-five to sixty minute subway ride and then a short five to ten minute walk, depending on how lost you are, from the Tung Chung station to the cable car. Once we redeemed our tickets we waited about twenty minutes in line or so. The Crystal Cabin is a little more expensive but you get this rad clear bottom cable car to ride in. In the fully enclosed cable cars you can sit on the bench seats or stand to get better shots while on the roughly fifteen minute cable car ride. The car is spacious, seats eight, has lots of venting so it stays cool with the breeze coming off the ocean, and most importantly it looks and feels safe.  We only headed over to the Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) but if you also purchase the Fun Pass or the 360 Lantau Culture and Heritage Pass and tour around the island, seeing dolphins, theater, and even a classic fishing village. I hope to get out to that next time. The Buddha is an amazing copper sculpture that was completed in the eighties. the sculpture sits on a two story building that is at the top of a hill with about hundred or so stairs. Take your time and enjoy the view on the way up.  When we were done we took the Cable Car back and paid extra for the expressed ticket which helped us to jump the line of people waiting about sixty minutes to get back. If you are feeling up for it you can also hike from Tung Chung all the way to and from the Buddha. Looks like a great day hike. In the video you can see the walking paths below us.