Lantau Island

Lantau Island. What can I say. As the pictures show, the views are beautiful. However, the warm up to the views is not exactly all you would want it to be.

Those of you considering a trip:

1. book tickets in advance;

2. pay extra and get the "crystal 360" - not for the glass floor but for the queue jumping;

3. bring drinks and snacks; and

4. avoid if you have vertigo.

Ok, so it was the ultimate tourist end to a weekend. What else were we supposed to do other than a trip to Lantau. So we merrily hopped on the metro ready for a day of sights.

We had not prepared ourselves for a two and a half hour (yes you read correctly and that is being generous) queue before getting onto the cable cars.

'Great' things about the queue:

1. the man with the beer belly bumping into us with said belly (sweaty and gross);

2. the lack of food; and

3. the fact that in HK people don't queue, so by "queuing" you are actually "watching queue jumpers".

Grrrrr.

Still, we made it onto the cable cars (not the time to remember you have vertigo) and the sights were beautiful - although probably not worth the queue. Next time I'm booking in advance.

Clearly first stop was to eat. Guidebook tip was to head to the vegetarian restaurant that forms part of the Po Lin monastery. Tasty treats and eating there means free entry to the museum within the big Buddha. Top tip number two!

The big Buddha is actually the Tian Tan Buddha. 34 metres tall and weighing 250 tons. 256 steps to reach it.