Saturday, July 2, 2011

Buddha and the Beach

Crystal clear glass bottom cable car. Biggest sitting outdoor Buddha in the world. 536 steps. Starbucks. 360 degree views. A winding, mountainous, car ride through the country side. Silvermine Bay Beach. Swimming, building, relaxing. The sun setting. Eating al fresco.  A different China. An incredible, memory making 12 hours.


I'm going to let the pictures tell the story today...I was in my element as we discovered Lantau Isalnd...snapping away and taking hundreds of pictures in a relatively short period of time. Photography has been a serious hobby of mine since high school and for the last nine years, my photos have been primarily focused on my children. Being in Hong Kong has renewed my passion for nature photography and for candids...the pictures that really show us being present and living. So, today, aside from some captions, I will let the photos do the talking...for a picture truly is worth a thousand words.

Keeping Cole happy...he can make train tracks anywhere.



The girls anxiously awaiting the crystal clear cable car.







A bird's eye view taken through the floor of the cable car.




Beautiful views on our 30 minute ride to the top.


Cole can now add cable car to the many forms of transportation he has taken in his short life.
                            
Syd wanting it to look like she is walking on the trees.

Todd wanted to lay on the floor and pretend he was hang gliding.




It was an overcast day, but we could still see Buddha from quite a distance.

The Ngong Ping village.

The Shaolin Monks perform a Kung Fu show several times a day.





Cole likes to engage strangers in a game of peek a boo.  


I'm convinced they are taking over the world. 

WIth every few steps, I felt like we had a completely different view of Buddha.



The tree in which Buddha found enlightenment.

Such a good big sister.







This is Tian Tan Buddha, known here as the Big Buddha.  It is 112 feet tall.

Statues like this lined the village.

The right hand is raised on the Buddha representing the removal of affliction.



As good of a place as any to stop for a rest.


The skies were full of fast moving clouds. It was like Buddha was playing his own game of peek a boo with us.




Getting ready to climb the 268 stairs to the top.











This is from wikipedia: The Buddha statue sits on a lotus throne on top of a three-platform altar. It is surrounded by six smaller bronze statues known as "The Offering of the Six Devas" and are posed offering flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music to the Buddha. These offerings symbolize charity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom, all of which are necessary to enter into nirvana.



Syd was the first to get to the top.






The gloomy, cloud filled skies helped create a peaceful atmosphere.


People also leave offerings for Buddha.









On the way down, we were stopped and asked if the kids would like to participate in a kung fu demonstration by the Shaolin Monks.  It was beyond cool!




The girls said it was really hard to follow along since they were only speaking in Cantonese.





Sydney took it very seriously.







Spread throughout the village were different exercises they could try. This one was for acupuncture. 



There were statues of these characters throughout, also, taking on many different poses.

Catching the beginning of the Shaolin Kung Fun show.


A view on the way down.

Sydney was trying to get Cole to take a nap on the way down. No such luck!

A view through the cable car of what looks like people clamming.



Skye trying to "fly"


It took quite awhile and a beautifully scenic taxi ride, but we finally made it to the beach



Cole was so excited to get to the beach. Throughout the day, he would randomly start taking off his shirt and yell, "beach, beach, beach." He didn't quite get that it would take a few hours before got there.





















They didn't have this on Baywatch!






Syd channeling her inner kung fu warrior.


A peaceful moment between father and son.










The day was coming to an end and we were off to find some dinner...

...what an incredible day!



1 comment:

  1. Awesome pictures!! Your dad is very envious of the glass bottom cable car. Can you picture him now especially lying down to take picture !!! Sounds like you had a great day.
    Love to all, Mom, MIL, Gabot

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