Lantau Island

12 photos

On our last full day in Hong Kong, we started with a quick shot out our hotel window to the YMCA below, which shared the same view across the Victoria Harbor that we had!

Next we boarded a ferry to Lantau Island. We first stopped at one of the beaches, but there were high surf warnings, so very few visitors.
Then we proceeded to the Tian Tan, or Giant, Buddha. This bronze Buddha is 110 ft tall, and reached by climbing 268 steps. The Buddha is not particularly old, it was completed in 1993 as a gift from the PRC to the people of Hong Kong. From the peak, you can look out across Lantau Island, to some of the small neighboring islands, and can also look down on the Po Lin Buddhist monastery.
We then climbed down and visited a few of the buildings of the monastery, which was founded in 1906. The main temple houses three bronze statues of Buddha, representing his past, present, and future lives.