Hong Kong Chronicles

Yesterday, I slept in and was engrossed in a book. I finally left the hotel around one-ish. I took the subway to the Diamond Hill stop in the New Kowloon area to visit the Chi Lin Nunnery, which was quite beautiful. Allegedly no nails were used to build it. There were different openings with statues including one that was a Sakyamuni Buddhist. I don’t know much about the Buddhist faith. I noticed a lot of bowing and incense burning. There was a tape of chanting playing in the background. The nunnery is a replica of a house of worship from the Tang Dynasty, which was from 619-907. It opened in 2000. To get into it you enter a Lotus Pond Garden, which I loved. It was a very peaceful square. There was also another nice park adjacent called Hamma Hill Park. Across the street (and connected by a bridge) was the Nan Lian Garden, which was quite nice. I’ve seen quite a few nice parks this visit. It’s nice to get away from the concrete jungle and enter into the serenity of parks.

I then took the subway back one stop and went to the Wong Tai Sin Temple. There were a lot of people there praying and burning incense, so it was quite smoky. It opened in 1921 and is named for a person who was originally called Huang Chuping who was born in 328. He was said to be able to see the future and make wishes come true. According to my guidebook, worshippers from Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism visit. Again, not sure what the tenets of belief are for any of them. There are a lot of fortunetellers around the area. There was a very nice garden in the temple area.

It was hotter yesterday than it has been. I walked around New Kowloon some, but I didn't find it as inspiring or interesting as the area around the Prince Edward, Mong Kok, or Yau Ma Tei subway stops, which has been my favorite areas so far. I did catch some glimpses at Lion Rock, which basically does look like a sitting lion. No attempt was even made to even think about climbing it.

Came back to the hotel and read some. Then I had dinner with Alice and then read some more.

This morning, I got up and read and then got ready. I am meeting Alice for dim sum for lunch. Yay! Today, I'm not sure what I will do. I might just come back to the room and read after lunch. Or, I could just hop on the subway and see where it takes me. Tomorrow is Wednesday, and I plan to go to another museum. Thursday, I will certainly take it easy. Friday, I fly home. Ready or not.