With rugby over, I had my cronies back, but we split up.  Patti and Jeff needed to help Jimbo schlepp his stuff to the metro where you catch the airport express.  Now get this.  You take your luggage to that station, CHECK THE LUGGAGE RIGHT THERE, and then go back out and play.  Then you can come back whenever,catch the airport express and be on your merry way.  I’m telling you, we have a lot to learn about public transit…

One of my choices the day before had been Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (Man Fat Tsz).  It is kind of an out of of the way place and is not widely publicized by the tourist industry in Hong Kong because some of the structures were not considered safe by the government and so it was not encouraged that tourist signs be put up directing how to get there.  Just my kind of place!  When we arrived it appeared that some work was being done to rectify that situation – some of the slopes had retaining walls and signs that said they were ok by the government agency involved.  The pagoda, which is advertised online as being accessible to walk up the stairs inside to the tip top was closed and being worked on.

We took the transit to the site and found it quite easily just a few blocks from the stop.  Then the walk up hundreds of steps began.  But we were not alone.  We had Buddhas – lots of them – to guide us.  Of course the photos cannot do it justice but here they are anyway.  It is estimated that there are actually about 13,000 now, some of them the large ones on the trail, some immense ones inside and outside the temples (no photos inside the temples – damn it was tempting to disobey that rule, they were exquisite inside…), many of them tiny and lining the walls inside the temples as homage to Buddha by the faithful.  Several of the buildings were mausoleums and each little crypt had its own Buddha.  Incense everywhere, inside and out, which I discovered is de rigeur in and around any temples.  Makes Catholic Church incense use of old seem quite lame in comparison.

It was founded and built between 1949 and 1957 by Revered Yuet Kai who helped carry building materials up the hill at an advanced age.  He died at 87 and eventually his corpse was entombed/mummified and rests in lotus position inside the main temple. Not allowed to take photos inside the temple but this was on a website and I can’t really tell you about it any better than this website does:

“The preserved corpse of the monastery’s founder, Reverend Yuet Kai (The Diamond Indestructible Body of Yuexi) is displayed in a glass case in front of the main altar.The monastery was substantially redecorated in 1968, some of the pavilions were rebuilt and all the statues were repainted or coated with pure gold. Severe flooding and landslides in 1997 caused major damage to the monstery and some buildings were destroyed. The monastery was closed to the public for two and a half years for reconstruction which still continues today at the monastery’s upper level. The monastery is built over two levels on a bamboo forest hillside overlooking Sha Tin and occupies an area of over eight hectares. It has five temples, four pavilions, one verandah and a pagoda and is reached by a steep concrete path with 431 steps. The path is lined on either side with 500 life-size gilded Arhan statues.”

(retrieved April 4, 2015 from http://www.hongkongextras.com/_ten_thousand_buddhas_monastery.html)

The Diamond Indestructible Body of Yuexi

Now for my photos.  Here we go – are you ready?  Ten Thousand ++++

We were just finishing up, about Buddha’d out and ready to head back down the stairs when we heard from the other three that they were headed to see the Tian Tan Big Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery. We took a very long and picturesque gondola ride to get to the base, and of course are greeted by shops before you get near the entrance to the Buddha and the Monastery.   I am sorry to say I was not able to walk up and down any more steps, my knees have had enough.  But it was impressive – maybe next time.  I did meander the grounds and took a peek inside the Monastery Temple.  Services were being held and so we were not admitted entrance at all and a guard stood outside to shush the visitors hanging outside the door.   I did record the sound of the monks chanting which was nice (you need to turn your sound up pretty high) (I have no idea what that shoehorn thing is sticking into photo):

Exhausted once again, we headed back to the hotel and opted (finally!) for some Italian food next door – I had some delicious, non greasy, non saucy, thin crust pizza with olives and mushrooms.  Yummy.