Big Buddha ( = Tian Tan Buddha) - Hong Kong
First published in 2016
I haven’t been to the Big Buddha since 2002 - so I thought it’s high time to see what has changed.
Well the Buddha itself and the figures surrounding him are still the same. Anything else is totally different. It starts with the way how you can get there. 10 years ago the only chance was to take a ferry to Lantau and then proceed with the bus. If you come from Hong Kong Island this is still an option I would consider. If not you’re better off taking the MTR to Tung Chung Station.
From here you have two options: You can take the cable car or the bus. The cable car is an attraction of its own, quite expensive, crowded (expect VERY long lines) and it starts pretty late in the morning.
Especially the last argument was the reason I took the bus. It takes some 40 minutes from the station to the top, but you can consider it as a sightseeing tour of Lantau. Whoever thinks of Hong Kong as a town of skyscrapers only, should do the trip. You’ll get a totally different impression of the city.
At the top, they built Ngong Ping Village, an accumulation of tourist shops that is totally deserted before the first cable car arrives. So you don’t miss anything if you skip it (what you can’t if you come by cable car).
The Big Buddha itself is 34 meters high, but you have to climb quite some steps if you want to take a closer look. It was built in 1993 and in the meantime, they have a small museum inside (at least I cannot remember that it was there in 2002).
Opposite of the stairways to the Big Buddha you can find the Po Lin Monastery. Definitely worth a visit and if you are there at the right time, you might take a meal at its popular vegetarian restaurant.
