Hey homies, it’s Lily and I’m back with more art and fun adventures to share! This cycle I have a brand new series. Over the summer I traveled to Hong Kong and Japan with my family so I took a lot of pictures. Normally, photographers are behind the camera, not in front of them, so we’re never in pictures. I still wanted to personalize my touristy snaps so I came up with Woody Adventures because: one, teddy bears are adorable and two, with Woody, I don’t have to actually take pictures of myself in order to make my pictures distinctive.
Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
One of the first places I visited in Hong Kong was the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin, Hong Kong. Since the temple is located on top of a mountain, my family and I had to hike all the way up to the top — not really pleasant when it’s 80 degrees and humid. Fortunately, the walk was totally worth it. The entire pathway leading up to the temple was lined with golden Buddhas on both sides, all in different and unique poses. The temple at the top of the mountain was impressive too. The shrines were painted in red, blue, green, and gold. The ornate pillars were decorated with dragons and clouds and inscribed with the names of Buddhist deities.
Repulse Bay
Repulse Bay is a great place to go to relax and enjoy Hong Kong weather. Repulse Bay includes a beach lined with cute shops and restaurants, ritzy hotels, and a colorful temple area to the side. Plus, there is an amazing view of the peninsula and all of the Hong Kong high-rises.
Stanley
After visiting Repulse Bay, we decided to take the bus down to a small town nearby called Stanley. Stanley is a cute little town with a small harbor and a outdoor market for people to shop.
Avenue of Stars
The Avenue of Stars, located in Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong, is a long boardwalk dedicated to famous Hong Kong celebrities. Along the floor are names of celebrities with their signatures and handprints (similar to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame). From here you can see Hong Kong Island.
Lantau Island
In order to get to Lantau Island (the largest island in Hong Kong), we had to take the MTR skyrail. Known for being one of the longest trams ever, the Ngong Ping 360 skyrail takes 25 minutes to get to Ngong Ping Plateau on Lantau Island. Usually you can get a nice view from the cable car, but it was foggy on the day we went.
One of Lantau Island’s biggest attractions is the large bronze Buddha that sits at the top of a hill. To reach the Tian Tan Buddha, or Big Buddha, you have to climb over two hundred steps. Amazingly, the fog cleared up and the sun came out just as we got to the top. Up close, the sheer size of the statue took Woody’s breath away.
From Ngong Ping Plateau you can take the bus to Tai O, a fishing village on the coast. Tai O is a nice place to check out traditional Chinese fishing villages; most of the homes are stilt houses that sit by waterways that crisscross the village.
Victoria Peak
While we were in Hong Kong, we visited my aunt’s super nice apartment. The apartment building sits at the middle of Victoria Peak. As Woody says, “The view is amazing.”
At the top of Victoria Peak, there are several outlooks where you can see the Hong Kong skyline. There are also a bunch of restaurants and a shopping mall.
Victoria Peak is the perfect place for a nice walk. The pathways are quiet and shaded by lots of green trees– and there’s a nice view!
Macau
Since Macau isn’t too far from Hong Kong, we decided to take the hour-long ferry there. Macau is known for being Asian “Las Vegas” because there are a ton of casinos. Besides that though, Macau is an interesting intersection between Chinese and Portuguese culture. The St. Paul Ruins is the most popular destination to go to check out the architecture, which is definitely influenced by Europeans.
Sky 100
Sky100 is a 360 degree observation deck at the 100th floor of the International Commerce Centre building. From here, we got an amazing night view of Hong Kong. Shortly after I started pictures however, it started raining. But the lights still look cool!
