The Tian Tan Buddha

Here's the link to the photos, Ngong Ping Village.

Since the kids are out of school this week, I took the opportunity to expose them to a little culture. They pissed and moaned but they'll thank me one day. We spent about 6 hours wandering around the Ngong Ping village, the Giant Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery.

The Buddha is the world's largest outdoor bronze statue (btw, photo to the left is not it. Follow the link above to see the Giant Buddha). They used gold in the face to give it a bit more of a glow. You have to climb about 300 steps to get up there but it's well worth the effort. Inside the Buddha is a small museum containing all types of things Buddha. Pretty neat stuff.

The Buddha is the main attraction but personally, I thought the Po Lin Monastery was more intriguing. The main building, I assume it was a temple, was very ornate. Lots of gold, red and of course, Buddha's everywhere (the photo to the left was taken in the temple). The building itself is surrounded by very colorful flowers. Inside there is a large section of the center that is also full of blooms and blossoms of all kinds. When I first approached the main temple, the sound of chanting filled the air. I stepped back outside to text the kids to come and see. When I got back inside, the chanting had stopped, the monks were gone and whatever they were doing was over. My road to enlightenment abruptly met a dead end. Such is life. Still I got some good photos. 

They have just revamped the whole area and it's now pretty touristy. Still, I couldn't help but feel a certain calmness and serenity when I looked upon his face. oohhhmmmmm........