Day 6: Giant Buddha

Still staying at Disneyland Hotel, we took the Disneyland MTR train to Sunny Bay Station to take a train to Tung Chung Station after our Sorcerer's Lounge breakfast.

We saw the famous Citygate Outlets Shopping Centre just outside Tung Chung MTR Station and made a mental note to shop at this place after the Giant Buddha trip.

Ngong Ping Cable Car Tower is a stone's throw away from Citygate Outlets.

Two types of cabin: Crystal and Standard.

We took the Standard Cabin 'cos we didn't need the see-through floor. Singapore also have.

Staff taking pictures for the visitors who will be coaxed to buy the prints at the end of their cable car trip.

"Little girl, look over here!"

A whole line of cable cars

A meandering river or road? I like the meandering look in what look like a valley

There are actually crazy people out there who took the steps up to Ngong Ping Village.

Hong Kong Airport

After 25 minutes or so, we're finally here!

First zero plastic bag village - Ngong Ping Village

But they use plastic bags in this huge display

People catching forty winks in a pavillion. I wondered why ...

Tourist attractions: Walking with Buddha and Monkey's Tale Theatre

I thought the paper lanterns, or were they plastic (?), were not very environmentally friendly either

Wishing tree

We finally reached the place. At the bottom of the Buddha.

Finally up there! The more-than-200 steps almost had me hyperventilated!

The child in me always wondered what's behind the Buddha

A close-up of the Buddha

Strangely, it looks like it's waving goodbye at me

There are people living in the area!

We went for a bowl of tow huey after we came down the steps

Tow huey with gingery liquid. We still prefer the Singapore version.

The signs tell us how far away we are from the various landmarks of the world.

Coco exhausted from the short trip. Now I know why the people in the pavillion were sleeping.

Those are not dirt, but people fishing for sea creatures in the shallow waters!

We went to the Citygate Outlets foodcourt, meaning to look for the famed mango pudding but it was sold out. We had to settle for the mango roll - mango wrapped with glutinuous rice. It was tasty. We had another serving or two.

Coco's main course: wonton noodles with beef noodles soup base

Going to see the Giant Buddha is purely for my parents, but it was a tourist attraction so it was no loss to me either, although I could not say that it was thrilling. The view from the above was breathtaking - you could see a thick white layer of cloud above the village below. The air up there must be fresher.

Getting to Giant Buddha:

1) Tung Chung MTR STation

2) Take a cable car to Ngong Ping 360, which is basically a village.

3) From there, walk through the village till you reach the Buddha.

Ticketing information:

Standard Cabin
An adult round trip ticket cost HK 107 (S$19.50)

A child round trip ticket cost HK 54 (S$9.85)

Crystal Cabin

An adult round trip ticket cost HK 157 (S$28.60)

A child round trip ticket cost HK 104 (S$19)

You have the choice of taking a round trip on Crystal Cabin from Tung Chung and Standard Cabin from Ngong Ping or taking either of the cabins as a single trip and taking a bus (1 hour journey) back from Giant Buddha.