Lantau and Buddha

This week we successfully avoided the lines and rode the Ngong Ping cable cars to see the Big Buddha on Lantau island. This island is many things: the home of bronze age rock carvings and of Hong Kong Disneyland. The Lantau trail winds around and over mountains and is apparently a favorite of hikers. But we took the cable cars above it all.





See the Buddha in the distance? That's our destination. It's an amazing cable car ride. We walked through Ngong Ping village, past tourist shops and a fake village with plastic trees, on to the Po Lin (Precious Lotus) monastery. The easy mix of tourism and worship was interesting. People lit incense offerings and bowed, then pulled out cameras inside the temple.







Behind the temple is a residential area and a lotus pond full of turtles.





The Tian Tan Buddha is at the top of a hill, looking down on the monastery community. He sits on a lotus surrounded by Bodhisattvas holding offerings.







This is not an ancient sculpture, but a recent one, built with the intent to rekindle an old art. And perhaps to compete with Disneyland. It is a beautiful place and hey, even monks have to make a living.