Day 3

The intention was to rise early and make the most of the day I had and I caught the Tram into Central, but once I had found DHL, killed time until it opened and shipped the bowls for mums birthday I had wasted about an hour and a half. I caught the fast ferry to Lantau Island... back towards the Airport. I hopped onto a bus and it ascended into the countryside and up steep hills towards Ngong Ping Monastery to the largest Buddha in the world. I had heard that there were many steps to reach the icon and when I saw the silhouette on the hill from the bus I was astounded. I was on top of a small mountain... How many steps WERE there!!!! I was relieved when the bus kept going up, and up and the assent wasn't the entire height of the hillside. I had planned to do other things that day. It was big and fairly beautiful with the sun reflected on its polished surface. There were a few steps but not nearly many as I had imagined. The funniest thing about being there was the souvenir kiosk where they had figurines of buddah, the laughing buddah and Micky, Donald and Pluto holding Buddist septals! Sell it to them young in an easy digestible way.. that's what I say!

I walked through the Temple and the colours were amazing, lots of yellow and orange. I took lunch at the vegetarian resurant after checking its entry in the 'Lonely Planet' guide and a woman asked me if I was ok and could I use chopsticks! Thank god I could... If I hadn't been able to just pick them up and go I would have been very hungry by this point! She recommended the tea, 'It will stop the oil and it is good for sleep!' After taking far to many pictures of burning insence I walked through the mini Buddist theme park and took the cable car and it was great. The view was pretty good and you could see the monks and followers graves below with pathways that led from the village to nowhere. I was reminded to watch the monkey and have my picture taken in several different languages to it could take the obligitory action shot of the last 20meters of the journey... "have your smile ready. Watch the monkey"

I took the MTR back to Hong Kong island and went in search of some art and funky birds! the gallery that I was searching for was infact closed and marked incorrectly on the map but I have seen enough London Street art to know what I was missing and was miffed that Para/site was shut. So I headed through the streets towards the Botanical Gardens and was surprised to see it emerge from beneath me.. the interconnecting streets swept above it arching over the green canopy of palms and huge bougoinvilia. It buy this time was twilight and I enjoyed mooching about the paths watching the animals stretching and eating as night fell. Top animal of the day: Orangutan. Loudest amimal of the day: Leama. Top bird of the day: Scarlet Ibis (hot pink like a Bishop!)

I zig zaged back accross the city to find Graham St and Gage St wet market with fish alive in polystyreen boxes filled with water and air bubbled into it to sustain the oxygen level in such a little amout of water. The live crabs were tied with bamboo strips, the buried eggs had their dirt removed in stripes and perfect orchids formed arches with their flowering stems. All the stalls were lit with lamps shaded in red plasitc which gave everyhting a pink glow.

I was knacked so caught the tram back to Causeway Bay and hoped to get a shower, although whe I arrived back there was no running water! I went to the supermarket and found cut price sushi and a hot bread pizza and by the time I was back at the room it had been switch on again. Phew, otherwise I would have been Phewy!