28 March 2013

Wong Tai Sin 黄大仙 (Hong Kong)

Many devotees come to the temple to seek for blessings and offer their prayers to the chinese deity, Master Wong Tai Sin, who has the power of healing.

Besides the main hall of Wong Tai Sin, there are two other temples within the same compound where you could also offer your prayers.
How to get there?
Address: 2 Chuk Yuen Village, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon, H.K.
Tel: 852 2327 8141

Nearest MTR Station: Wong Tai Sin 黄大仙 (Exit B2)

Website: http://www.siksikyuen.org.hk

Opening Hours
Daily from 7am to 5.30pm

How to offer your prayers?
You can purchase the incense from the fortune tellers' stalls nearby the "Lighting zone". Light the incense and follow the pathway to the front of the main hall of Wong Tai Sin and pray. 

After praying, you could seek for your fortune to be told, from the stretch of fortune tellers' stalls. Their prices differentiate from stall to stall and it depends on what you are asking for. In addition to this stretch of stalls, there are many other fortune tellers' stalls located behind where their prices could be slightly lower.

20 March 2013

Hong Kong

Hong Kong! Here I come!!! 买东西,吃东西,买东西,吃东西 !! ^^
Accommodation
Cosmo Hotel Mongkok
The hotel provides Free WiFi in the room and Shuttle Bus service to/fro Kowloon MTR Station, Langham Place Shopping Mall (Minutes walk to Mongkok MTR Station) and China Ferry Terminal (For ferry to Macau).

To take the Shuttle Bus, it's better to reach at least 10 minutes earlier at the pick-up points and do keep a schedule of the bus timings (Get a copy from the hotel counter).

From Airport, take the MTR to Kowloon Station (HKD 90) and transfer to the Shuttle Bus.

Keeping yourself connected?
Simply make purchase of the prepaid SIM card from convenience store at HKD63.

From the Airport / Getting Around
Buy the "Octopus" card at HKD150 for easy transportation (HKD50 as Deposit, HKD100 as stored value). Definitely require topping up of cash value.

Where to go in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong Disneyland 香港迪士尼樂園


Hui Lau Shan 许留山









Recommendations
  • Book the accommodation early to catch the "Early Bird Saver" for certain hotels
  • Do online ticket booking for places of attractions upon fixing your dates
  • Plan your itinerary in advance to save time on traveling

14 March 2013

Ngong Ping 360 昂坪 (Hong Kong)

Consists of the following destinations for a day's trip:
  • Ngong Ping Village 昂坪市集 
  • Tian Tan Big Buddha 天壇大佛
  • Po Lin Monastery 宝莲禅寺
  • Tai O (大澳) Fishing Village & Boat Excursion 

How to get there?
Address: 11 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung, Lantau, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3666 0606

Nearest MTR Station: Tung Chung

Website: http://www.np360.com.hk

*Remember to bring along Octopus Card for transportation. Really useful for this trip.

Opening hours
10am - 6pm (Weekdays) / 9am - 6.30pm (Weekends)


Ngong Ping Village 昂坪市集
A stop to replenish ourselves with some food and shopping for some souvenirs.
From Tung Chung MTR Station, transfer to take Cable Car from nearby Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal. The ride takes about 25 minutes. 

Alternatively, New Lantao Bus (NLB) No. 23 from the Bus Terminal, nearby Tung Chung MTR Station, will also take you to the village.


Tian Tan Big Buddha 天坛大佛
As you walk further down from the village, you'll see the Big Buddha from a distance. After climbing the flight of stairs, you could make a purchase for offering and enter the Halls of Universe, Benevolent Merit and Remembrance. The halls are located beneath the Buddha statue. 


Po Lin Monastery 宝莲禅寺
Close by Tian Tan Big Buddha is the Buddhist Monastery, where Buddhist devotees make their offerings. Within the area, there's a popular vegetarian restaurant - 寶蓮禪寺齋堂, whereby the queue is usually quite long. 



Tai O (大澳) Fishing Village & Boat Excursion
Moving off from Tian Tan Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, you could head over to Tai O Fishing Village by going back to the Ngong Ping Village and take Bus No. 21 from the Bus Terminal nearby.

If you are coming from Tung Chung directly, Bus No. 11 will take you to the Fishing Village.

In the fishing village, the houses are built on stilts and you could make purchases for dried food, good for cooking soups and porridge. 

For the boat excursions, you can purchase the tickets at the Fishing Village directly as it's relatively cheaper than making purchases at the Ngong Ping counter. Unless to prevent hassle, you may consider buying the "360 Sky-Land-Sea" One Day Pass at the Ngong Ping counter. 

What I really like about this place is the "egg waffle" / 鸡蛋仔. This uncle had been selling the egg waffle for years. Most importantly, he is using charcoal which makes the egg waffle tastes real good for just HKD 13.

Where else have I been in Hong Kong?
Click to read on the post on Hong Kong.

09 March 2013

Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery 萬佛寺 (Hong Kong)

A Buddhist temple that consists of nearly 13,000 statues of Buddhas with different expressions, postures and some with meaningful wordings attached behind them. It's just a few minutes away from Shatin MTR Station and you'll reach a pathway of stairs to go up to the temple.
How to get there?
Address: *Lots 358-359,IN D D 185, Shatin, Hong Kong (*From Google Map)
(香港新界沙田排頭村221號)
Tel: 852-26911067
Website: http://www.10kbuddhas.org

Opening Hours
Daily from 9am to 5.30pm

Buses to the Sha Tin Terminal: 85K, 86K, 89X, 263, 170 / 60K, 62K, 66K, 67K (Mini buses)

Nearest MTR Station: Sha Tin 沙田站 (Exit B)
  • From Exit B, turn left and walk towards the downslope
  • Walk straight and turn left towards Pai Tau Street
  • Turn right when you reach Sheung Wo Che Road
  • Walk straight and you'll see the signage for direction to Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery

Where else have I been in Hong Kong?
Click to read on the post on Hong Kong.