Weekend Review: Sept 6-7 2008

A Reunion

I went with my Mom to see her childhood friend, whom she hasn't seen since leaving Hong Kong. I asked if they recognized each other after all these years, and they said it wasn't physcial appearances that sparked recognition, but something they felt when they saw one another. The three of us went for yum cha to celebrate. Although I couldn't join in on their conversation, I enjoyed watching them catch up on old times.

My Cantonese lesson of the day:
Ngo ho bao -- I'm very full (and I was after after all the dim sum!)

View of Buddha from the Ngong Ping 360 cable car on Lantau Island

1 Gravity-Defying Cable Car, 1 Very Tall Buddha, 268 Steps, 1 Old Fishing Village, 4 Souvenir Magnets = 2 Very Tired Lantau Island Sightseers

We spent the day doing sightseeing on Lantau Island. After a speedy subway ride, we took the Ngong Ping 360 cable car up the mountains to the Po Lam Monastery and Tian Tian Buddha. We enjoyed sweeping views of the mountains, where hiking trails are plentiful and development has not yet taken hold. The giant Buddha proves a great workout for building strong legs. I'd like to see Rocky run up these steps! We ate lunch at Tea Garden Restaurant, where I enjoyed a fried taro root cake shaped like a fish, and really really good tea. Then it was off to Tai O fishing village, a remote area so vastly different from modern Hong Kong. We walked through the markets selling all types of seafood. I enjoyed seeing how they dry the fish, some of them being salted and dried in backyards next to laundry.

mmmm fried taro root!

A family alter at a doorstep in Tai O

Drying fish...and laundry!