First-time in Lantau Island

My uncle arrived last night from Hong Kong. It was almost midnight, and though I wanted to exchange notes with him about his trip, I couldn’t help but doze off to sleep, and revisit my own Hong Kong adventures only in my dreams.

The first time I visited Hong Kong, I entered by sea from Macau. My next trip was a direct flight from Manila, landing on the new airport in Lantau Island. My sister and I got there by availing of a budget fare of a local airline.

But I was able to visit Lantau not just because the airport was there. I had always wanted to explore this island because this is where the imposing Buddha image could be found. When my sister, who was a fan of Chinese culture and language, joined me on my next Hong Kong trip, we placed Lantau Island on top of our itinerary.

The day after we arrived, we set on early as we walked the empty streets of Kowloon towards the MTR station that went straight to Lantau. Silly us, who thought the warm sunshiny Manila mornings would follow us in Hong Kong, we braved the fog only with our flip-flops. Good thing we were able to buy a sweater and a jacket on our first night.

After crossing the very modern Tsing Ma Bridge, we finally arrived at the Tung Chung station in Lantau. Tung Chung was a small district in the Lantau Island and a few-minute drive from the Chek Lap Kok airport. Tung Chung got its name from Tung Sai Chung, which was originally called during the time when Hong Kong was just a large group of fishing villages.

Now, Tung Chung, being the gateway to Ngong Ping 360° and the Giant Buddha, it has become more commercialized with the malls and condominium units. From the Tung Chung MTR Station we easily got to the Citygate mall which was connected to the station. There were five floors of clothing and food outlets as well a glass and steel bridge way that connects to another building. Vehicles going to the airport passed through under this mall bridge.

As I couldn’t find my ATM card (which I slipped in one of the inside pockets of my bag) and couldn’t withdraw some cash, we had to wait for the money changer at the basement to open so we could purchase some bus tickets. Though we wanted to take the cable car, it was cheaper to go by land and enjoy the sights up close.

When we arrived at the bus station in Ngong Ping, we tried to walk where everyone else walked. Everything was covered with clouds and no looming Buddha came into view. It was only when we found the foot of the steps leading to the giant statue that we realized that it was hidden behind the veil of gray and white that enveloped the entire place.

Excited about this a-bit-different ambiance my sister and I climbed the steps as if we were heading towards heaven. More than a halfway through our ascent, Buddha finally emerged with crowds of people lingering at the base of its image. We entered one of the doors and found some locals praying over names, photos and figures. Looking around, we heard there was a restaurant at the upper floors, inside Buddha’s body. We inquired but the price was a bit steep for our taste.

There at the top of the hill, all we could see were tiny specks of heading emerging from a sea of clouds. I felt I was floating on some enchanting place and that I was nowhere near earth.

As the cold temperature went on, we decided to return below and do some hiking to the Path of Wisdom. It was alright to walk and wander along the trail which was surrounded by trees. Tourists were also walking along the narrow pavement coming from and going to our destination.

The Path of Wisdom was composed of eight giant posts erected in such a way that it formed the infinity symbol (∞). Unfortunately, the words were etched in Chinese characters and we never learned the wisdom behind them.

We headed back to mainland Hong Kong with a different feeling. The contrast of the serene and slow-paced life in Lantau to the bright neon lights and busy streets in Kowloon and Hong Kong harbor brought a sense of lightness within us. I was glad that in my return to Hong Kong, I finally made it to Lantau.

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