A sight in Hong Kong – somewhere I hadn’t previously been!
In 2008 I worked in Hong Kong and had a lovely boss who I have remained friends with albeit long distance. So prior to arriving in HK, I contacted my friend Evelyn who said she would pick up Naomi and I up from our hotel and take us to a monastery I had not been to. So off we went in her beautiful Mercedes Benz…what a car..she took us up to Tai Po District which is about a thirty-minute drive from HK Island.
We arrived at the Tsz Shan Monastery located in the hills with spectacular views of the sea and nearby cities. Evelyn had kindly arranged a private tour for us but firstly we took in the fabulous views…Our elderly guide met us and we commenced our tour. As soon as you arrive at the monastery, the first thing you see is an outdoor bronze statue (Guanyin) which is seventy-six metres high and said to the second highest in the world. Guanyin is the six armed goddess of mercy and we were told has miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her. So because of those miraculous powers, we joined other visitors and walked up to Guanyin to make a water offering in the Thousand Wishes Pond where each of us made a wish.
Our guide had started to give us a complete history lesson of the monastery and Guanyin and because we only had one hour, I was trying to get him to walk and talk; to little avail!
He walked us around the grounds walking up the Compassion Path to the Grand Buddha Hall and the Universal Main Hall; all the while explaining (in incredible slow detail!) its history which I must admit mostly went over my head as words to describe buddhas like Sakyamuni and Bhaiṣajyaguru were hard to comprehend.
So mostly I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and serenity of the place. I do remember a few things though. One is that the monastery is a sanctuary for the purpose of spiritual purification. Secondly it is open to the public who can attend various activities where compassion and wisdom are the main themes. I think this would be a lovely thing to do.Our dear guide was told we only had a short time but because he wanted to ensure we were told everything about the history, Evelyn had to remind him of our time restraints – but that didn’t matter he kept on talking. Very sweet man but boy could he talk!!
Finally we made it clear we really had to leave…our guide understood and after a quick look at these scary statues, we left. It definitely was worth the visit but I don’t suggest a private tour unless you have many hours to spare.And the reason we had to leave is we were driving back to Kowloon [as this was our last evening in HK], to see the sun set from Ritz Carlton Ozone rooftop bar which is located in the International Commerce Centre, HK’s tallest building. We definitely didn’t want to miss that…but more on that in another post.
Little Miss Traveller said:
Thanks Sue for a nice breakfast read. I can’t visit Hong Kong often enough, I love it so much and you were so fortunate to have been able to live and work there awhile. Marion
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Emma Cownie said:
What an amazing place so close to Hong Kong, too.
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frejatravels said:
Beautiful photos. It is one of my favourite spot as well:)
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thanks a lot Marion. Glad you had breakfast reading.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
I was glad to have seen it Emma. Thank you.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Great to hear. Thank you very much.
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vinneve said:
That’s a nice view & a unique tour. I’ve never been to a monastery before.
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Sophie said:
Funny post, I can totally imagine the sweet man talking and talking some more when you gals just wanted to leave! I love the picture from below of the goddess pouring water over “you”, great shot! And of course I don’t know this place in HKG, one more to add to my ever-growing list if I ever make it back to the city!
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joliesattic said:
Wow! Great photos. My father would have been the old man talking and talking. lol
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thanks Vinneve. It was worth the visit to do something different.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Hey Sophie. Yes it was frustrating as I lost interest but the man was being so kind telling us everything that it was hard to just say ‘goodbye we have to go’. Ha ha.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thank you. Ha ha.
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Gaz said:
Such beautiful photos Sue. I love Hong Kong.
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Lignum Draco said:
At least he was a passionate guide and that is a bonus. Too bad you didn’t have longer, but I completely understand why you had to see that sunset.
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mavimet said:
It looks like a fascinating place, but with little time on your hands, you would have seen much more on your own.
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Are We Adults Yet said:
Great photos!
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Rosie said:
I didn’t visit this monastery, but I remember seeing that statue from a distance on a hike – it’s so big you could see it for miles against the green hillside! It sounds like an interesting place, and one to keep in mind for next time!
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thanks so much Gary.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
I agree Mavis. I think listening to a long history lesson is not my thing when there is so much to see.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thank you very much.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Hi Rosie. Yes a good place to visit. Bet the hiking was good but I know there are many hills around that area so assume it was a little tough.
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Amy said:
The view is fabulous via your lens, Sue!
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sidran said:
Very impressive! What are those evil figures?
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thank you. I think I they are the guards of the monastery??
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