Exploring Hong Kong: Giant Bronze Buddha, Si A Todo And The Peak

I decide to try the highly recommended Hong Kong Hostel… everything is so much nicer on that (the Hong Kong) side of the river. My room is much more expensive, and now I’m sharing with two people. The Causeway Bay area is cool though, and so is my new roommate, Lynn, from Germany, who absolutely loves Hong Kong. Her enthusiasm is contagious. We get on the train to go to Macau when I realize, I can’t go to Macau because my passport is with Mr. Fat, who is arranging my Chinese visa. Major bummer! So, instead I go to Lantau, an island only about half an hour away. You can take a train to it now, because a special train line was constructed for Hong Kong Disneyland, which is in the same direction. On Lantau is Po Lin, a monastery and temple complex which houses the Tian Tian Buddha statue, the largest outdoor seated bronze Buddha in the world. Po Lin is so high, you have to take a long cable car ride up the mountain to get to it. (Well, actually, there is a path if you really want to walk, but I suspect it’s far enough to require an overnight stay!) And, that is where I meet Alex and Gareth, from England and Wales.

Gareth has an interesting tattoo which begs inquiry. It simply says "si a todo" (that’s Yes to Everything in Spanish, for those of you who don’t live in California!). And he tells me about a book he read, by the same title I believe, in which the guy decides he is going to say Yes to everything… It’s so much easier most of the time to say no. Most of us say No, to most things, most of the time. But when we say No all the time, we close ourselves up to so many possibilities. Yes often requires stepping outside our comfort zone, or doing something we wouldn’t ordinarily even think of doing, and the implications of what could happen are practically infinite… which is what this guy found out, as the many wonderful experiences and "luck" started happening.

I know I desperately need sleep… but Si a Todo so fits with my hard-earned philosophy… So, we all go out together, me, Alex, Gareth and an American guy from Alex’s room, who couldn’t possibly let us forget that he just came from Everest Base Camp, or that he’s on a tight budget because he’s traveling for a year… he wants to buy a bottle of whisky and sneak outside for swigs, rather than pay for an overpriced beer. We do some bar hopping, led by Alex’s friend who lives in Hong Kong. I’m literally falling asleep sitting up in the third bar, so we all get up to go dancing. We go to Cave for a bit(the South African band is there again), and finally end up in hearing an Asian band perform a fantastic rendition of Green Day’s American Idiot, as well as some Oasis and other good stuff.

It’s 3:15am and I’m done for! Now it’s the reverse of the night before; this time I’m the only one who doesn’t have to cross the river, but it’s still a distance from my hotel, so we cab it together, they make sure I get to the door safely, and off they go.

Next day, I’m in no hurry to get up early, but somehow I do automatically, and I explore Hong Kong on foot all day before getting on the tram up to Victoria Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong. I time it to get there just before sunset, and it is gorgeous!!! It is breathtaking, unbelievable, amazing! Hong Kong is truly the most visually stunning and unique city I think I’ve ever seen. I’m in love! I think I could live here! And even better, when you get sick of the busy rush of the city, there are so many places you can go for a quiet escape. Parks everywhere, and the whole southern half of the island is undeveloped and great for hiking (wish I’d found this out firsthand, but it leaves me something to do next time I’m in Hong Kong).

I kill a couple of hours, just marveling at the beauty of this place, and start to head for the tram back down… but then I think, Why leave it already? I’ve got nowhere to be (this is one of the many great things about traveling solo). Maybe just one drink in a fancy place with a million dollar view… Si a todo!

I sit outside with a glass of sherry, and start jotting stuff in my notebook.

A table of five is seated, all Chinese but one Westerner… who invites me to join them. Si a todo! So I do, the Westerner is from New York, his name is Andrew, the Chinese dinner guests are his partners in a jeans company based in Nanjing. Andrew is like a really cool uncle, we totally hit it off, and I am invited to visit and tour the factory.

I’ve checked into the Traveler’s Hostel, back in Chungking Mansion on Kowloon, for my last night. It’s cheap at $8US, and by now I’m used to the shady building people and the myriads of vendors on the street, hitting me up for watches, purses and tailoring every time I step outside.