We have adjusted to the very firm mattresses in Hong Kong! No more stiffness in the morning. In fact, that bed is feeling pretty good to me. This morning when we stepped out of the hotel my glasses immediately fogged up. It had been raining and it took a few minutes to adjust to the humidity. There were a few downpours while we had breakfast, so we retuned to the hotel for umbrellas before heading out with two companions, Suzi and Mona.
Po Lin Monastery is on a nearby island, which can be reached by subway. When we got there the cable car system was closed due to the weather. So, we took a bus, which was pretty cool because we got to see a bit of the local area. Biggest surprise was seeing cattle along the road. One was ambling down the sidewalk. We were dropped off at a quiet entrance to the monastery complex, the Bodhi path.
My sun visor turned out to be a pretty good rain visor too. The weather kept some people away, so our visit was uncrowded.
The focus of the monastery is worship of a bone relic. The 26 meter tall Buddha, which sits in steep hills, is the world's largest seated bronze Buddha statue. It's impressive and lovely. We then enjoyed a wonderful vegetarian meal at the monestery.
My first first of the day came when I needed to use the toilet. You guessed it -- it was the squat-over-a-hole style. Suzi and i decided to go for it! Worked just fine and I lived to tell about it.
The cable car system was back in service, so we took a car with a glass floor back down the mountain. There were only the 4 of us in a car that can hold ten. The views were breathtaking. Leaving the monastery via the cable system was an altogether different experience from our arrival. We had to endure the full press of typical tourist retail. No matter. We had a wonderful visit, and we're glad that we had both the bus and cable car experiences.
Vanessa and I have been eager to get a fishy pedicure and our companions were interested in coming along. With no more information than the name of the boutique and knowing it is on HK island, we took the subway to a H K stop. We found an Internet spot, got the address, and voila! It was meant to be. We were very close and easily walked to the spa.
My second first of the day was being eaten alive! Little fishes nibbled at our feet, removing the dead skin. It feels kind of tingly, kind of mildly vibrating, kind of tickley when they nibble in certain areas. Our feet were soft and clean when our time was up.
We then headed home on the subway, satisfied with a good day.
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