Sights in Hong Kong

Although feeling a little worse for wear from the trip, we are heading gout tomorrow to go to our friends’ wedding in Germany. Here are some pictures (light on the descriptions) from the non-racing aspects of our trip to Hong Kong.

The big Buddha on Lantau Island. Thanks Andrea for recommending it... it was a highlight for sure!

The goddess statues making offerings to the big Buddha

An incense pagoda at the foot of the big buddha. You can see the surrounding hills covered in jungle

The view up the stairs to the big Buddha. It is a bit hazy, there was a black rainstorm later that day.
Me with the typhoon. It rained harder than I have ever seen, and I grew up in Vancouver. Happily it was really warm, so being wet was kind of nice (until you walked into a place with air conditioning).

Although Hong Kong is huge (7 million people) and dense, it did not feel that busy or crowded. I thought the subways might be crazy and streets might be chaotic, but things were actually pretty easy to get used to. People mostly queue up for things, and it is not as pushy as I had heard. There is also LOTS of greenery, even in very urban areas. Every rooftop has a garden, and vertical grass or vine flower beds on the walls of buildings and along highways seemed popular – they look nice and also cut down on noise. The tropical heat and frequent rains mean it is easy for plants to grow, and they seem to take root in any available patch of dirt. The hills also rise up steeply behind the buildings, creating a green backdrop for the city.

A view up through some buildings in Hong Kong
A cemetery with mini-mausoleums that house cremated remains. It is pretty dense, like the rest of the island, and the graves are not permanent; after 100 years or so the urns are moved to another spot and new ones brought in.

The tourist board gave us free tickets to the Hong Kong history museum, which was huge and ambitious. My favourite sections described the traditional dress, foods, and traditions of the first Hong Kongers.

Me with a junk in the Hong Kong History museum.
Some traditional dress inside the Hong Kong Museum

2 Comments

  1. I think I have the exact same picture of the goddess statues from my last trip to HK!

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