Since Taipei, I have actually found a lot of time to see some places throughout Hong Kong that I have not been able to take the opportunity to visit. The last couple of weeks I have felt, despite all my time in Hong Kong, that there must be so much more I have yet to see. As a matter of fact, it turns out that I actually have done a pretty damn good job at seeing most everything there really is to see without going really out of your way into the northern new territories, or to more obscure places that only locals know about. Iv'e been to Lamma and Cheung Chau and Lantau island, been to the Jade Market, Big Buddha, Nunnery in Diamond Hill, Star Ferry, Mong Kok, LKF, and numerous other places that I really don't care to take the time of listing. The only real places that I still had to see were the two race courses, Happy Valley and Sha Tin, as well as the temple of 10,000 Buddhas (The name is quite accurate really), and that is exactly where I went!
I decided to make my way up north with my roommate Peter on a beautiful Sunday to check out this temple that a lot of other exchange students have been telling me to visit. Its on the blue line that heads up to Shenzhen, right next to a horse race course called the Sha Tin Racecourse. Luckily, there were races on Sunday, so we were able to take this day trip and see two places at one time. It was good planning (on my part of course!).
The temple was called the temple of 10,000 Buddhas, and yes, there really were 10,000 Buddhas there (most likely even more). It was a long march up a steep hill and stony walkway, but it was beautiful day and it didn't phase us much. Each Buddha was golden and unique in its own way, ranging from female's holding babies to warriors killing lions with spears. We spent a lot of time looking at each one, and adventuring around the main temple are to see everything there was to see. The pictures speak for themselves at how awesome they all were.
I really liked this one for some reason
10,000 of em!
one of my personal favorites
beautiful day
strange sign by the bathrooms
After the temple, peter and I made our way back down the long hill and then walked over to the nearby race course. it was the second time in about a week that I saw some horses races, and both were a hell of a time. You really need to see the horses up close and shoot by you to really know the power and excitement of the whole experience. Its a lot like rowing, you really don't see it that appealing until you get up close and personal with it. Television really does not do this stuff justice.
About a week before we went to the Sha Tin racecourse, I also went to the Happy Valley Racecourse, where i was able to actually win about 120 HKD! I combined the two experiences and pictures bellow. My camera was able to capture some of the action really well (at a 4000 shutter speed).
my favorite of the races
much more active at night
bet 20 on 3, and he won me 120, thanks brotha!
stacks on stacks
A few days ago, I also had dinner with Victor, my Hong Kong paired buddy, and Rita, who went to Madison last semester. We went to the University Bar on campus, a nice setting with decent food, but absolutely terrible service. I invited a bunch of other people as well, and we made a big thing out of it. It was a great night!
Victor and I
I also managed to find the time to visit Macau again! I went with my friend Antoine from France who now lives in Canada, as well as Nima and George, my usual travel buddies. We hoped on a ferry early in the morning, and spent the entire day there. We did a lot of random but fun things, including wine and cheese tasting, sight seeing at ruins and military outposts, eating Portuguese food (I had the Ox Tail Soup, which was fantastic), riding on a cable car, and sampling pork sandwhiches, ginger candies, almond cookies, and many other treats that people were giving out on the streets (samples of course). We walked a ton, and I even managed to get us lost for a little bit.
The day was great, until the end, where we were told we could only go back at 1am for the next ferry. We bought a return ticket, but it was a VOUCHER, not a ticket. So many other people wanted to get back before us that we had to wait until 1 am. We were forced to buy first class tickets on the 8:30 ferry, for another 40 USD. It was a bummer, but not horrible. All in all it was worth it to go there again
Loving the character of the streets
Apparently, the only thing to survive a large fire years ago
The man who founded Macau many years ago
Another strange sign
WORM BUSH
Next Update, BALI!!!!!
and it will be my last!
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