Weekend Excursions - Cable Cars and a big Buddha

Most of the time when you go to see a famed religious site, you journey in the same footsteps as pious pilgrims of days past. That was the case when I visited some of the temples in Thailand, and has been the case when I have been to Cathedrals, churches and mosques in other countries around the world. This weekend's venture  was a bit different. It was off to the Tian Tan Biddha on Lantau island.  The Tian Tan Buddha is that largest seated outdoor bronze Buddha in the world. As the Lonely Planet guide to Hong Kong says (and I paraphrase) - There are larger Buddhas elsewhere in the world, but apparently they are either not outdoor, seated or bronze. The statue was erected in the 70's. Though I speak of it irreverently tongue in cheek, I believe it was built by a group of monks who saw similar relics in other countries, and felt (quite accurately) that Hong Kong was lacking in spirituality, and perhaps a large buddha would inspire an increase. As most things are in Hong Kong, it felt a little more like disneyland than Lhasa. Recently, a suspended cable car was built to take tourists to the mountain. It is the longest cable car ride in the world (there is a heavy emphasis on superlatives here. Are they trying to compensate, you be the judge). The cable car has had a rocky start. In a test a year ago, one of the cars (empty) came crashing to the ground. This added slightly to the intrigudue of visiting a pure-play tourist trap. Recently, a small "village" has also been built with restaurants and souveneer shops. Unironically, the walk from the cable car terminus to the Buddha winds through the small village. 

    Notwithstanding the context, the experience wasn't bad. It was an opportuntiy to get to the mountain top with minimal effort and take in some of the beauty of the Hong Kong landscape. The cable car was pretty cool. The Buddha was... well, it was a big Buddha. Though, not inherently interesting, it was large.