Big Buddha and British Beverages

This morning I took the train to Lantau Island as planned to go visit the Tian Tan Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery.  It took a bit longer than expected and when I found out how much it cost to ride the glass-bottomed gondola to the top, I opted instead for the bus.  I’m sure the view from the gondola is very lovely, but the sight of the beaches from the bus window as it circled the island and drove to the top of the mountain was also quite nice.

Just as I was arriving, I promptly tripped over a curb and badly stubbed my toe. It hurt like hell and as I was limping away I heard a Chinese man saying something with a bit of concern, but at first I didn’t bother to look down.  When the pain didn’t really subside, I finally did bother to check out my foot and noticed that the big toe was gushing blood all over my white sandal.  I hobbled into the nearest souvenir shop to see if they had a bandaid I could buy and the woman there kindly took out a first aid kit and completely bandaged me up.  The bandaid didn’t really stick, though, so when I came across the monastery office I went in there to pick a better one up.

With my toe taken care of, I bowed my respects inside the monastery temple and then started the 268-step climb up to the Big Buddha sitting on his lotus flower throne.  The statue, which was built in the early 1990s, is (or at least was) the tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha in the world.  It rises to 112 feet and weighs 280 tons.  I can tell you from experience that it definitely leaves quite an impression.  The Buddha also has a great view of the surrounding mountains and sea from his perch up on top of the hill.

After making my way back down to the town of Tung Chung by bus, I hopped on the subway, grabbed my bags from Mong Kok and dropped them off at the new hostel where I’m spending the night.  I then changed into my new dress and walked across the street to the Peninsula Hotel just in time to catch the end of afernoon tea in the lobby.  My Leopard Films co-workers would be very happy to know that our Royal Wedding Week tea etiquette lesson fully prepared me for this exact occasion.  I knew that I was supposed to eat the scones with clotted cream and jam off the bottom plate first, then the finger sandwiches on the second tier and finally the tarts and cakes on the top.  ( Ed. Whoops! I just looked it up and I think I actually did it wrong.  Clearly I wasn’t paying attention back in April.  Sandwiches first, then scones according to most websites.)  I did, however, know not to touch the spoon to the cup while I stirred my tea back and forth instead of in a circle (even though there was no milk to pour in since I ordered Chinese jasmine.) 

I had requested the tea service for one, but let me tell you it was still a ton of food.  I couldn’t really understand the waiter’s accent when he was going over the selection, but this is what I think he described. There were two scones filled with dried fruit, about five different kinds of savories--a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, a tuna salad sandwich, a turkey and cheese sandwich, a mushroom puff pastry and a ham and cheese mini-quiche--as well as four different types of dessert.  The sweets consisted of a chocolate mousse torte, some sort of tart, citrusy pie, banana nut bread and some lemon cake topped with a cherry.  They were obviously all in very small portions, but I’m ashamed to admit I ate everything that was on the plate.  Then as if that wasn’t enough, the waiter brought over a small cup of pudding topped with a cherry sauce.  Yet there was still even more coming.  As I went to pay the bill, he brought over yet another dessert that I believe he said was a chocolate macaroon.  Fortunately I had a small breakfast and didn’t eat any lunch, because I was totally stuffed.

Once I finished eating I kept trying to get the bill so I could go watch the sun set over the water.  Unfortunately by the time I had paid up it was dusk.  Since I was just right there, I decided to go walk by the waterfront to see all the bright lights lit up anyways.  As I started walking on the boardwalk, I finally felt a sense of peace and contentment that had been somewhat alluding me since I got to Hong Kong.  Like New York, this city has such a frenetic pace and is all about big business and making money.  I’d been feeling a bit like a bum being unemployed with no income.  I had such a desire to work and be productive that I almost begged my old co-workers to give me something to do to help out with the shoot that’s happening here next month.  It seemed everything was under control, though, and they really had no need for my help.  Tonight, I finally realized I need to just relax and enjoy myself.  There will be enough time to work when I’m home and that’s not what this trip is about.  Plus, there’s always the opportunity to go out and work on new casting if I really want to be proactive.

I had the urge to keep walking along the water, but then I felt a few raindrops.  At first the rain fell lightly and I really didn’t mind.  Then it suddenly started to downpour.  I didn’t have an umbrella with me so I got soaking wet before I was able to make it back inside to my hostel.  As you can see I looked a bit like a drowned rat.

Tomorrow morning I stop briefly in Bangkok then the next day it’s off to Saigon.  Hopefully the visa-on-arrival letter I was e-mailed today will ensure I get into Vietnam.