Shakti's Musings & Travelogue

So I thought, “Why not spice up my day with a short hike to Tian Tan Buddha?” I hopped on the MTR to Tung Chung and then took a taxi to Luohan Temple, which, spoiler alert, is the actual starting point of my hiking adventure. It’s a 1.40-hour trek up the mountain—what better way to soak in nature than by sweating a bit ? Sure, I could have taken the cable car like a civilized human, but where’s the fun in that? Since it was my second hiking trip in Hong Kong, I asked the taxi driver if I’d encounter fellow adventurers or if I was going to be a solo traveller all the way up. He assured me I’d meet plenty of trailblazers. So, off I went! Spoiler alert: I saw more trees than humans, aside from two joggers on their way back down. The trail was intriguing, but I’d suggest skipping it on rainy days unless you want to take chance with landslides. To my dismay, the weather held up until the last 1km of my journey when it decided to unleash a torrential downpour, leaving my shoes totally wet and soggy.

Finally, I caught a glimpse of the beautiful Buddha looking down at the tourists. The pictures captured the beauty of the place. The vegetarian lunch at the monastery was an experience on its own. The weather was great with fast-moving clouds around us. It rained heavily after lunch, but nature paused to let people explore. After a 2-hour tour, I decided to return to the city and chose to take the cable car, only to find it was closed due to bad weather. Finally, I took a bus back to Tung Chung and then headed back.