A Big Budha Christmas
Well, I had wanted to go on this tour, but I never expected to do it over the Christmas holidays. But, here I was, climbing the stairs to the Big Buddha. Doesn’t exactly sound like a Christmas story; does it?The day hadn’t started too well. I got to the ferry terminal in Shenzhen to be told the 10:30 ferry I was planning to ride had been cancelled. Cancelled! I pleaded with the ticket agent. I told her I had checked the ferry website in advance, and saw no mention of a cancellation. …… She didn’t have much sympathy. She just shrugged her shoulders.
Then my next problem was calling my friends to tell them of my delay. “Your mobile is cancelled”, were the only English words I could understand on my cell. Cancelled! It was cancelled too? What is this? I have no idea really, but sometimes translations are just not too good. I think they were just telling me I was dialing wrong. Anyway, after a couple of hours of waiting, my friends called me. I was to able explain my dilemma to them and let them know I was very late.
That left a tight schedule to walk from one ferry terminal to another on arrival in Hong Kong. We headed straight for the ferry to Lantau Island. A half hour later, we were. there and finding a cab. Soon I was sitting in the front seat of the taxi, asking my friends all kinds of questions about the Big Buddha: “How far? How long has it been there? Why?” I sounded like a little kid, and they kept looking at each other for answers.
Suddenly a voice spoke up to my right (remember now, the driver sits on right in Hong Kong), as our cab driver said “It’s a half hour ride. 22 kilometers.” I could tell by the open mouths of my friends in the rear that they had the same reaction that I did: The cab driver speaks English? I mean he spoke very good English. Suddenly we had a tour guide. “The Big Buddha has been here 11 years. Lantau Island is twice the size of Hong Kong Island. Over there is the biggest beach in Hong Kong…………” on and on he went. We all agreed that Wong Tai See was one of the best cab drivers we had ever had in all of Hong Kong… even if he was a little fast around the curves, and we got far to close to the bumper of a bus.
As we rounded a curve in the hills, he suddenly pointed over his shoulder up the mountains and said: “There it is! We’ll be there in 10 minutes.” It looked closer, but the highway climbed up a precarious cliffside, which added to the thrill of his speed. And it only got us to the bottom of huge steps to the mammoth Big Buddha, a well deserved name.
We first wandered the grounds of the Po Lin Monastary. We visited the Welto Temple and Hall of the Great Hero. I didn’t understand much, but everyone was burning incense and getting their fortunes told. A group of monks was entertaining with “kung fu” style martial arts. One broke two blades of steel over his head. They said this was the type monastery where our “Kung Fu” television star got his teachings.
And then the climb! What a climb. Up and up. Why do they always up this stuff up at the top of mountains over here? But it was spectacular. The views were amazing. And thinking of the feat of putting this 23m tall bronze Buddha (over 75feet) on top of this mountain eleven years ago was even more mind-boggling. It took three years of construction after many other years of building the parts in a bronze works factory. Then they had lifted the 202 pieces up here and welded them into place.
For a country not much on religion, this sure made you think otherwise. Although it didn’t seem to be all so perfect. Many people were tossing coins up to the “Devas” around the base, even though the guidebooks said this “would bring bad luck and is forbidden”.
You can read more about this statue and monastery at Wilkopedia, or http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/touring/hkiidistricts/ta_dist_isla1.jhtml.
And I have posted pictures with a link on the right.
No, this wasn’t the usual kind of thing I’ve done on any other Christmas. Of course, I’ve never spent Christmas in China before. But it was a holiday and this seemed more tourist attraction than anything else. That’s why I went. I even made the climb up and down the stairs easily this time.
Happy New Year to All!
posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 6:00 PM
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