A must see!! We took the MTR from Hong Kong station to Tung Chung station (the last stop on the Tung Chung line). The fare was about HK$20.10 per person one way using the Octopus card.

From Tung Chung, we caught a bus from and enjoyed a 1 hour journey through the hills and seaside beaches towards the town of Ngong Ping wherethe sitting Buddha and the Po Lin monastery are located.

The first glimpse of the sitting Buddha is truly awe inspiring and after climbing the 259 steps up to the world's tallest, seated, outdoor, bronze Buddha, we took in the monastery and enjoyed a vegetarian snack. (which is included in price of admission HK$24)It is really an unforgettable experience.

On the way up, you can view the spectacular rural scenery and green verdant hills surrounding the area. In the distance, we could see the cable cars of the yet to be opened Ngong Ping 360 being put through their trial runs.

Then on the way out there's an excellent sounding hike down from the Ngong Ping described in the indispensible Hong Kong Tourist Board publication "Hong Kong Walks". But on the day of our visit the weather was sketchy and we opted instead to take the bus again to the fishing village of Tai O. This turned out to be an inspired choice.

(For the first part, see my review on the "Tian Tan Buddha")

First, a review on how to get to the Po Lin monastery site. The more expensive and more touristy way to get here is to take the Skyrail from the Tung Chung MRT station. However, travelers can get to the Po Lin monastery for less from the Tung Chung MRT station by taking the number 23 bus. The bus arrives every 15 minutes during the day and the one-way fare is HK$16 on weekdays and HK$25 on weekends. Again, if you are paying by cash rather than Octopus Card, please recall that Hong Kong buses require exact change. The bus ride to the Po Lin Monastery takes around half an hour. The same bus will take you back from the monastery back to the Tung Chung MRT station.

After taking pictures at the foot of the Tian Tan Buddha statue, we descended the steps and headed to the Po Lin monastery less than a hundred meters away. The part of the monastery open to visitors was comprised of several small ornate temples with statues of various Buddhist saints. The smell of sandalwood incense wafted through the air as Buddhist pilgrims lit incense on the grounds and waved them reverentially in front of the statues. Buddhist monks walked around conversing with guests with whom they appeared to be familiar, and the presence of the monks reminded us that this was no historical relic, but a working monastery.

In one temple, for a small HK$2 fee, we tried to find out our fortune by shaking a cup of fortune sticks over a table, until a numbered stick fell. The number on the stick corresponded to a slip of paper that revealed our fate. The fortune paper was in Chinese, but a book of English translations was beside the shelf of fortune paper, for the curious foreign tourist.

A vegetarian restaurant was right beside the monastery, and while I didn't eat there, I recalled my brother's comment before that he had eaten the best vegetarian meal he had ever tasted at that restaurant.

All in all, the visit to the Tian Tan Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery was an interesting way to spend the afternoon. To whom would I definitely recommend this site? People who aren't very familiar with Chinese culture, to tourists who would find Buddhist temples novel, and to Buddhist pilgrims.

For everyone else (i.e., those who have seen many Buddhist temples before), I don't necessarily consider this site a must-see, but if you've been to Hong Kong several times and you're looking for something new to do, a visit to Ngong Ping is not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Our trip out to the Po Lin Monastery was on our last full day of the trip. We got up and had breakfast in the lounge and then headed out. After about a 45 minute ride on the MTR we were at the station to transfer to the bus. No one told us it would be another near hour ride to the monastery. That was one of two shocks from this excursion. So over the mountain we go at a painfully slow pace on roads that sometimes made me wonder if we would be the last ever to pass. Winding and slowing. Climbing and descending. Talking to each other and silently watching out the window. It was a total unknown to us the ride would be so long.

Finally we arrived here. After getting off the bus and walking the low grounds a bit we bought our museum passes for what I think I remember to be about $6 US total and did the climb. I was amazed that most others were just doing the climb and not the museum. The museum was only a little bit of money and at the time we didn’t know that the lunch in the monastery was to be so substantial and it still felt like as tourists we should pay. Fair enough that this was before we found out the Buddha was from 1993.

This was disappointment number two in the day. They play it up like its an ancient statue built long ago and it is truly a new tourist attraction. But I am still glad I went to see it. When we finished the climb up all those stairs, we were rewarded with the views and the better part of being inside the weather. Because it is on the mountain top the clouds and weather are right there. And in many pictures you can see the weather. This was a very cool experience.

The museum inside is nothing terribly great but was worth walking though and reading. Really folks, if you made the journey out here do everything. It was in here that we learned of its young age and also many construction facts.

Back down the stairs and we explored the monastery grounds. This was quite an interesting experience although I constantly felt like I should not be taking pictures. When there were signs I did not but felt like I shouldn’t anywhere. But this was a feeling and nothing imposed by anyone.

The lunch includes your choice of two main dishes with either rice or noodles. it is a substantial lunch which covers the entrance to the museum inside the Buddha.

After the death defying ride up the winding steep road with the local bus service, we were glad to make it alive to the monastery. Nevertheless, it felt amazing to be out of the city for the day

It’s amazing that this place exists so close to the craziness of Hong Kong island. There is nature all around. As we head for the entrance to the mountain top, we had a choice with (60HK) or without a vegetarian meal (30HK) after the monastery. We chose the first since we didn't really pack any sort of lunch. The 200+ stairs was steep but once when you get to the top it’s amazingly peaceful and the lush greenery is breathtaking. The huge copper statue of Tian Tan Buddha is known to be one of the largest in the world. It sits on the top of Muyushan Mountain. Inside the Buddha structure are old relics but picture taking is forbidden. Around the base of the Buddha sit the votive servants. After climbing back down, we went to the dining hall where they served a vegetarian meal that could have fed a family of four. We tried everything but couldn't finish it.

One thing uninviting were the bathrooms, but when nature calls, you gotta go. Instead of stalls covering from your ankle up, it was walled from the floor to your shoulder. So you see your neighbors while doing your business. And of course the urine smell was strong. It’s due to the just-stand-over-the-hole system. I could have keeled over from holding my breath for so long.

To get there, we caught a ferry from the Central Ferry pier. It took about 45 minutes to get to the island. After that, the buses are waiting outside the ferry terminal and clearly marked for the temple. The journey took over half an hour, but there were stunning views on the way. The large Buddha on the hill is visible from far away (on a clear day which it wasn't when I went there) without even having to climb the 200+ steps to get right up to the statue.

There is a vegetarian restaurant at the bottom of the hill with a confusing ordering system. You must buy your meal ticket from the adjacent souvenir counter and present it at the restaurant door. They will give you a table number and you just sit there until they bring you the set menu. And there was a lot of food and it was all delicious.

The statue is fairly new and you can find the history from the exhibition hall inside the plinth. Be warned that this trip may take a lot longer than you anticipated, but it is worth the time and effort, I believe.