Hello and SO sorry for the giant delay in posting pictures from my big trip. With nearly 3,000 images to edit, it's taken me awhile to get going. I'll start by saying that Nepal was the trip of a lifetime. That's actually an understatement. I can't wait to return to Nepal, hopefully in 2009. I can't put my finger on one reason that I loved it so much but here are a few: The Nepali people, the scenary, the hiking, it was all amazing!! I'm told that I said the word awesome in my audio podcasts many times and even though I haven't had the guts to listen to them since I've been home, that word makes perfect sense for the experience I had there. I highly recommend the trip to anyone who is curious about the region. It's worth it, in every way. I'm not saying it was easy or that there weren't extremely hard moments during the trip. I am saying that despite anything difficult, I'd return tomorrow and do exactly the same trip. That being said, I'll probably explore a different region the next time, but expect it to be equally as awesome.
Dipen, I'll be back. : ) More about my friend Dipen later...
I'm going to start my picture blog with images from Hong Kong, since that was the first stop of the journey. (Flight from LAX was about 15 hours to HK!!) During a day-long layover in the Hong Kong airport, my traveling companions and I took advantage of the time by taking a cable car to Ngong Ping, Lantau Island to see the world's tallest outdoor sitting buddha. Here are some of the sights...
After a short taxi ride from the airport, you can board the Ngong Ping Cable Car for a 5.7 km gondola ride to Ngong Ping Village. During the trip, you cross Tung Chung Bay and catch your first glimpse of the worlds largest outdoor sitting bronze buddha called Tian Tan.
Tian Tan, also called Big Buddha, is located near Po Lin Monastery and symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. The buddha is 34 meters tall and weighs 250 tons. It was formed out of 202 separate pieces of bronze and reportedly can be seen from as far away as Macau on a clear day. It is a major center of Buddhism in Hong Kong and also a popular tourist attraction.
Surrounding the Big Buddha are eight smaller bronze statues representing gods or immortals. This site is an important religious destination.
Inside the Po Lin Monastery, beautiful Chinese light globes cover much of the ceiling.
Prayers and offerings at Po Lin's main alter.
Detail of outside architecture at the Po Lin Monastery.
The Wisdom Path, just a few minutes walk past the monastery and buddha is set within a figure eight to symbolize infinity.
The Wisdom Path features large wooden inscriptions of the Heart Sutra which is one of the world’s best known Buddhist sutras or prayers. The outdoor wooden version of the 260-word prayer is on 38 wooden rectangular beams or obelisks. The beams range between eight and ten feet tall. They blend well with the beautiful mountainside.
After a hectic but scenic day of sightseeing on Lantau Island, it's time to head back to the Hong Kong airport to fly to Kathmandu! The return trip gave us a great view of Tung Chung Bay and the colorful apartment buildings close to the airport. Stay tuned, the adventure is just beginning!
Signs in a vegetarian restaurant on Lantau Island. Despite the sign, the food was pretty good and did not make us want to spit.
Ok, now that the first post is done, I'm on a roll... Expect the next post very soon and please stay subscribed. Thanks for visiting! Namaste. Jill
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