Hong Kong & Macau - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 140

he island's biggest attraction is found
high up on the Ngong Ping Plateau, in
the western part of the island. he Po Lin
Monastery (daily 9am-6pm; free) is the
largest temple in the whole territory of
Hong Kong, though it's more of a tourist
draw than a spiritual retreat these days.
Hundreds of visitors ascend the 268 steps
to pay their respects to the 23m-high
bronze Tian Tan Buddha (daily 10am-
6pm), the largest seated bronze outdoor
representation of Lord Gautama in the
world, weighing in at 202 tonnes. he
monastery makes for a particularly lively
spectacle around Buddha's birthday. If
you're hungry, the Po Lin Vegetarian
Restaurant (11.30am-4.30pm) serves
filling multi-course meals (HK$60).
he most spectacular way of reaching the
“Big Buddha” is to take the Ngong Ping
360 cable car (Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat
& Sun 9am-6.30pm; HK$105 one-way,
HK$150 return; W np360.com.hk). he
ride takes about half an hour, and presents
sweeping views over northern Lantau. he
pricier Crystal cabins (HK$160 one-way,
HK$235 return) have clear glass floors
- not for those with vertigo. he Po Lin
Monastery (Ngong Ping in bus schedules)
can also be reached by bus #2 from Mui
Wo, bus #23 from Tung Chung (the
village by the power cable-car terminus)
and bus #21 from Tai O.
Right on the far northwestern shore of
Lantau, the little fishing village of Tai O
specializes in processing salt fish (hence
the smell), and you'll find dried seafood
heaped on tables in the little market area.
Constructed over salt flats and a tiny
offshore island, this community of stilt
houses and quiet narrow lanes has
become a weekend outing spot for
Hong Kongers. he picturesque walk to
Lung Ngam Monastery across the Sun Kei
bridge takes you past houses built out of
old boats and on to hillside views and
mangroves. You can reach Tai O by bus
#1 from Mui Wo, #21 from the Po Lin
Monastery or #11 from Tung Chung.
If you take the ferry to Lantau from Pier
6 at the Outlying Islands ferry terminal
on Central or from Cheung Chau island,
you arrive at the sleepy town of Mui Wo ,
which has a decent enough beach at

Silvermine Bay just to the northwest of
town. Buses #1, #2 and #4 run from Mui
Wo past several more beaches along the
south coast, the Cheung Sha Beach being
the most appealing.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
BY PLANE
Hong Kong International Airport ( T 2181 8888, W hongkong
airport.com) is 34km west of Central on the north coast of
Lantau Island and is served by more than 100 airlines
from more than 160 destinations worldwide, including
numerous cities in mainland China.
Destinations Bangkok (17 daily; 2hr 30min); Beijing
(18 daily; 3hr 30min); Chengdu (4 daily; 2hr 30min);
Guangzhou (2 daily; 50min); Ho Chi Minh City (7 daily;
2hr 45min); Jakarta (8 daily; 4hr 30min); Kuala Lumpur
(14 daily; 2hr); Kuching (2 daily; 4hr 30min); Manila
(12 daily; 2hr); Nanjing (4 daily; 2hr); Phnom Penh (daily;
2hr 30min); Phuket (14 daily; 2hr 30min); Seoul (12 daily;
3hr 30min); Shanghai (18 daily; 2hr 10min); Singapore
(20 daily; 4hr); Sydney (daily; 9hr); Tokyo (17 daily; 4hr
30min); Xian (daily; 2hr 45min).
Airport Express The quickest (and priciest) way to get
to and from the airport is via the high-speed Airport
Express line of the MTR (daily 6am-1am; W mtr.com.hk),
which links Hong Kong in Central (HK$100; 24min),
Kowloon (HK$90; 20min) and Tsing Yi (HK$60; 12min) MTR
stations and runs every 10-12min. If taking the Airport
Express, it's worth getting the Airport Express Travel Pass
(see box, p.144).
Airbuses Frequent Airbuses (daily 6am-midnight) are
cheaper than the Airport Express; buy tickets on-board
or from airport customer service counters. The #A11 goes
to Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island via Sheung Wan,
Central, Admiralty and Wan Chai (HK$40; 70min), the
#A12 goes direct to Central (HK$45; 50min) and the #A21
goes to Hung Hom MTR Station via Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan,
Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok (HK$35; 75min). All buses have
equivalent (though less regular) night services and none
gives change; this is available from the transport centre
at the airport, as are Octopus cards (see box, p.144).
Taxis Taxis into the city are metered and reliable, but it's
a good idea to have the name of your lodgings written
down in Chinese characters to show the driver. It costs
HK$230-240 to get to Tsim Sha Tsui (20-30min) and about
HK$290-300 for Hong Kong Island (30-50min). There's a
HK$5 surcharge for every piece of luggage in the boot.

3

BY FERRY
You can travel to a number of Chinese cities directly from
Hong Kong. Tickets can be bought in advance from a
branch of CTS ( W ctshk.com), online or from the booths in
the terminals themselves.