Back On The Grid

Yesterday I flew from Beijing to Hong Kong, so I'm now officially back on the grid. I already knew that Facebook was blocked in China, but I also couldn't access my blog, YouTube, any torrent websites, etc. Pretty crazy that the government goes to such extremes to censor content. Since this was my third time to Beijing and I've spent over six months there in the past, and my blog was blocked anyway, I skipped out on documenting the touristy stuff. Instead I focused on another project...more on that in the coming months. In summary, to keep it short, I absolutely love Beijing: remembering how to speak Mandarin, seeing so many old friends for the first time in 2 years, making some amazing new ones, climbing the Great Wall for the fifth time, making a triumphant return to the debauchery that is the Westin Brunch, dirty bar street, etc., etc. Could not have asked for a better three weeks there. I already can't wait to go back...in 10 days.

But back to the here and now. For my first full day in HK, I took the tram up to the Victoria Peak Tower.

At the sky terrace, 396 meters above sea level, you have a 360 degree view of all of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Unfortunately it was a little bit hazy so my pictures don't do the view justice.

After descending the Peak, I took the subway over to Tung Chung and then a 5.7 kilometer cable car journey to Ngong Ping.

The plateau is in the western hills of Lantau, Hong Kong's largest island. After walking through Ngong Ping village, you arrive at the Tian Tan Buddha, which is apparently the biggest seated Buddha in the world. I've been to the Grand Buddha at Leshan in China, which is the real biggest Buddha in the world, standing or sitting, but I guess now I can say I've got both. So there.

A little bit further down the road in Ngong Ping is the Po Lin Buddhist monastery. Here there is a huge bell that rings 108 times during the day to symbolize escape from "the 108 troubles of mankind". According to Jay-Z there are only 99 problems but he must have missed 9 in there somewhere.

Location:S Perimeter Rd,,Hong Kong