Ngong Ping 360

At the top of the cable car is a little village with outdoor entertainment, nice souvenir shops (not the standard souvenir shop crap), cafes, a multi-media history of Buddha, a monestary, a roaming animal or two and what is believed to be the highest Buddha statue in the world.  There are also walking trails.  Plenty to do for a nice day out of the hustle and bustle of the city.

View from cable car

Ngong Ping Village

Parkour Show - Parkour is the movement from one point to another 

as quickly and efficiently as possible.  It helps to be limber.  And young.  And fast.

Walking up the buddha

Incense pot

Po Lin Monastery

Some big incense

Surprise!

Cable Ready

While Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are the two main islands, the outer islands also provide interesting tourist destinations.  Lantau Island is actually the largest and is where the airport is located.  For sightseeing, Ngong Ping 360 offers yet another spectacular view.  An easy subway ride takes you to the cable car entrance, which is right near...wait for it...another mall!  Now we aren't talking a run-of-the-mill cable car.  We're talking a 25 minute ride way up into the mountains.  In fact, at the bottom you can't even see the end of the ride, it's so far away and high up.  For a few extra dollars, I rode the "crystal cab," which is a glass bottom cable car.  I was a little concerned about motion sickness, but all was fine.

And here are a couple of quick clips to give you a sense of the ride:

Through the glass bottom floor

Pret a Manger!

Best. Sandwich. Ever.

Had a Pret a Manger Christmas Lunch sandwich in London about eight or nine years ago.  They need to open one of these in LA.

Skyscrapers

As I've mentioned, there are no shortage of skyscrapers.  This creates an endless diversion for anyone who loves modern architecture.  Some more examples.

Riding The Peak

The Peak is one of Hong Kong's most popular destinations.  Because of mountainous terrain, most of Hong Kong Island is not inhabited.  However, there are some insanely huge mansions built into the hillsides and at the top is known as The Peak, one of the highest lookout points in Hong Kong, with (what else?) shopping malls, restaurants and walking trails.  The views are spectacular.

The Peak - Viewing area at the top

Above the Hong Kong Island Skyline

Homes on the hillside

Walking Trail

Along the trail

Nighttime views

Let There Be Light

Every night at 8PM, Victoria Harbour comes alive with an amazing light show set to music.  The lights of the skyscrapers along the waterfront on both sides dance to the music, changing colors and flashing in design.  Lasers light up the sky as well.  It's really quite a show and so many different vantage points to see it all.  Here is a short video just to give an idea:

Hong Kong In A Word

Shopping.  If there is one big impression I get for Hong Kong is that it is a shopping mecca.  Bangkok was just a warm-up for Hong Kong when it comes to shopping and malls.  High end shopping bargain shopping, real Rolexes and lots of Rollexes.  As Asia's prime business hub, there is lots of money here and money that loves to be spent.  I had prepared myself for another expensive stop along the way, like Sydney.  But in reality, Hong Kong is at most on par with Los Angeles and in many respects, cheaper.  A movie costs $50HK and large drink $25HK, which is under ten dollars total.  Most subway rides are $8.50 HKG, or about $1.20 US.

While much more bearable that Bangkok in terms of heat and humidity, it's still a bit warm and sticky here.  And again, what looks close on a map is not.  So walking from place to place takes awhile.  But the transportation system is great.  Maybe not as many lines or stations as Paris.  But  the stations are clean, modern, and well air-conditioned.  You can't really get lost because there are so many directional signs letting you know which exits lead you to buildings, malls, attractions.  And you practically don't even have to step outside with its underground maze of corridors lined with shops and cafes, all leading to buildings and malls and the next station on the subway map.

Walking the main streets at night is sensory overload and fun (if you can avoid everyone trying to sell fake watches, handbags, etc.).  Signs are lit up everywhere and video screens play against the buildings.  It feels foreign and familiar at the same time.

As I look at the skylines of both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon (where I'm staying), which face each other across Victoria Harbour, I have never seen so many skyscrapers.  It dwarfs New York in terms of building after building.  Here are various shots of Hong Kong Island's skyline:

I spent most of the first day around the harbour, going to the art museum:

Hong Kong Art Museum

Clock Tower near museum

Free Sunday concert at museum

Outside museum

And then the Avenue of the Stars, which is like the Hollywood Walk of Fame with an homage to the film industry and famous Asian stars  names on the walkway.