Holiday Break

This week we had Wednesday and Thursday off for the Chinese National Day. What was great about this week is that because I don't have classes on Tuesday or Friday I had a 6 day weekend! The downside is that the protests were blocking large portions of Central, so several buses were rerouted or suspended. Also, several of the friends (including one that was going to give a local citizens tour of the island) wanted to be at the protests, causing several plans to be reworked. However, this was still a fantastic holiday.

We decided to spend it getting to know Hong Kong better. Starting on Tuesday, a few of us ventured out to temples around the island. Our first stop was the 10,000 Buddha Monastery, and boy was it an incredible sight! It sat atop over 400 steps (and we couldn't have picked a hotter day or time to climb them)! Lining the steps the entire way were golden statues portraying what I believe were monks:

Once you finally reach the top of the stairs, the view is incredible:

Then you enter the Temple's grounds. Outside in the courtyard of the temple are statues of Buddha and his followers in different states. Each one was ornate and many were beautifully painted:

Sadly, pictures were not allowed inside the actual temple, but I was able to catch one of the outside:

The inside was unforgettable and truly filled with 10,000 Buddhas.  On each of the walls were 30 shelves, each lined with 100 Buddha statues, holding a variety of poses. Then in the middle were 3 massive golden statues of Buddha and his disciples, reaching nearly to the ceiling. In front of the three beautiful statues was the "Indestructible Diamond Body of Buddha"  covered in ornate robes and sitting inside a glass box. In total, it was a sight you could never tire of, with more things to look at than I could ever describe. Before we left the temple, we stopped at a stand they had selling souvenirs and religious items. Here, we each bought a beautiful bracelet that had been blessed by a monk to forever commemorate the trip we had to this incredible site.

From there we traveled to another religious site, this time the Chi Lin Nunnery. This is the largest group of hand made buildings in the world. Though I believe we missed the incredible gardens that accompany the site (apparently they were across the street, but it's ok, I'll come back with my family) The actual temple portion was beautiful.

Sitting in the middle of the city, this structure sits right beyond Plaza Hollywood, looking, from the street, unimposing. However, as you travel up the steps and into the courtyard you are met with beautifully hand crafted wooden masterpieces(or buildings, whichever you wish to call them) surrounding a concrete courtyard with lotus ponds placed throughout:

Once again, pictures were not allowed within the temple.Inside were several rooms, each containing a different golden version of Buddha and his disciples accompanied by a short blurb on a plaque about their significance and their story. Then as you enter the main temple area, you are met with an breath taking sight. In the middle sits Buddha on a lotus throne, as tall as the room, with a beautiful filigree throne back. to his sides are his highest two disciples, and between them and Buddha, two more followers, each offering something to the center statue. The sight, and the dwarfing feeling the statues created, are memories I will never forget. Though there was less to see here than at the first temple, the sights here were no less incredible, and made for a fabulous end to our temple tour.

The next few days were spent relaxing on several beaches. On Thursday we went to Repulse Bay, It was cloudy all day which has its ups and downs. On the bright side, I didn't get burned, I just got a little tanner (which like never happens!). On the down side, the view wasn't as visible and the sunset (the reason we went to this particular beach) wasn't visible at all. Even with that the day was so much fun! I haven't been in the sea for years, so just floating in it was exciting. Plus,the beach had floating platforms stationed a ways out in the water that you could lay on. Those were so relaxing as they rocked with the waves. Later on in the day a few of us decided to play in the sand and we made me into a mermaid! It was so entertaining because people kept coming up to us and asking for pictures, so I'm in the photo books of several mainland tourists:)

On Saturday we went to another beach, Clear Water Bay. This beach was much the same as Repulse Bay, with the floating platforms and the beautiful view. This water was more clear, I could see farther down into the water, but it was by no means crystal clear. The day was once again cloudy, and it looked like it was going to rain for a while, but it was still a lovely, relaxing day. 

Sunday was mostly homework. I did try an English Church with some friends in the morning. The pastor is from Arkansas, and, while small, the service was enjoyable. Afterwards, several of the younger members got together to get lunch, which was really interesting, because it was the first time I met non-students in Hong Kong. 

Over all it was an exciting break. I got to see history, and beautiful views and I finally made it to the beach (and I plan to go back every week until I leave)! I'm sad to have to go back to school, but I guess it is inevitable (doesn't mean I have to like it).