Chi Lin Nunnery

Chi Lin Nunnery (志蓮淨院) is a Buddhist nunnery in Diamond Hill, New Kowloon. The present-day buildings have been rebuilt in the year 2000 and their style is of Tang architecture. Its buildings are the only ones to be built with wooden rooftops in modern Hong Kong, without the use of a single nail in its construction. This is based on a unique architectural style from the Tang Dynasty which uses special interlocking systems cut into the wood for construction.

Covering a space of 30,000 square meters, Chi Lin Nunnery has strikingly beautiful statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha, the goddess of mercy Guanyin and other bodhisattvas. These statues are made from gold, clay, wood and stone.

This is the 1st time we visited Chi Lin Nunnery, without a prior intention beforehead. Initially we planned to go to Hollywood Plaza, because this place offer 3 hr free parking if one spend HKD200 or above in the arcade. Since the time was still early for dinner, we think maybe it's good to walk around the nearby Chi Lin Nunnery, which is just 10 min walking distance from the plaza..

The beautiful garden in front of the nunnery is open to the public free of charge.



This garden looks more like a Japanese Garden?

We entered the nunnery via west gate...

"wow", I feel impressed when I see this beautiful internior. It's really out of my expectation. ..

This lamp will certainly gives me a warm feeling in the dark, so does the man stood besides it.

The barrier of the pond is not a safe design for kids...see how easy William could have fell in?

Vincent just couldn't resist to touch the dragon head....

So does William...

Every plant in this area grows gracefully healthy.

Chi Lin Nunnery is founded in the 1930s to provide religious, cultural, educational, and elderly care services to the Hong Kong community.

This is the center of the nunnery. The public can go inside the temple before 4.30pm. Unfortunately, we were a bit late that day. I want to go there again to see its inside.

A different angle to view the Chi Li Nunnery.

I believe this "si-fu" was telling the history to this couple. They stood there for a long time. Until, it aroused my interest to want to listen too. But just when I go near them, it's over.

Wow, this temple was really built without using a single nail. How intelligent the ancient architectural was...

a Zen-style lotus-pond rock garden

I seldom see the purple color lotus flower. It's kind of rare...

An almost blossom white Lotus flower

I like this lamp, I would like to put it in my garden one day, hehe....

We went back to the outside world through the east door.

East Door

The phased II is under construction and will be open to the public by end of this year. From the layout plan, I think it will be a very beautiful garden.

This Swedish like building is the administrative building, with a carteen at the ground floor to serve vegetarian foods and snacks.

Cheung Chau Island

9-August-2005

Cheung Chau (長洲, Long Island) is a small outlying island, located 13 km southwest of Hong Kong Island. It has been inhabited for longer than most other places in the territory of Hong Kong. Today, the population there : approx. 30,000.

The good thing and the bad thing about this island is no cars are allowed to enter the island. We only saw a small patrol car there. Maybe that is the only vehicle in the island? The good thing about when there is no car, it will be less polluted and virtually no car accident would be occured. However, the bad thing is, there will be no public bus or taxi or what-so-ever to take us to round the island. The travellers have to walk or rent a bicycle for sight seeing.

Ever since we had bought a car, we seldom took public transportation anymore. Ironically, the kids prefer big bus than private car though it's more comfortably to the adults.

Taking the first ferry to Cheung Chou Island. The ride takes about 50 min from the HK-Macau public pier.

The waves at the open sea was quite a big one. My mom felt a little bit dizzy on the ferry.

Finally we reached Cheung Chou Island.

it was a very sunny day. William was almost all wet from sweating.

This is the main street...

This store sells all sort of shells, but I have no intention to buy. Furthermore, I have to keep an eye on the boys to ensure they won't break anything.

One of the many seafood restaurants along the main street. The customer can select the fresh seafood by themselves before the chef cooked it. The price is a little bit cheaper. However, it is adviced to check the price carefully beforehead to avoid being bloody slashed.

Vincent was getting very nervous whenever William reached out his spider hands to touch anything. Maybe he was trying hard to protect him from getting hurt by the fishes. For the very 1st time, I felt that he is quite a big brother.

We decided to rent a bicycle instead of walking under the hot sun. By then,William was too exhausted that he fell asleep halfway.

Actually Vincent is my passenger. It's not easy at all to control this bicyle on the right track. I was sweating all over the body after 10 min cycling. Boy, it was the most stressful bicycle ride I have ever had in my whole life.

The coastal line is not bad, I can see that the sand is fine and clean. Unfortunately, it was too hot to let Vincent playing sand there. I just fear that he would have get heat stroke. If he did, would there be any ambulance to take him to the emergency ward fast enough?

On the way back to the town center, we were more relax. Vincent wanted to try out this bicycle, and he was pretty frustrated that his feet are not long enough to touch the paddles...

Even KS was damn so exhausted at this point...

Cheung Chau Island is a typical fishery island.

After returning the rented bicycle to its shop, we took a rest in one of the mini store to have some cold drinks and desserts. William was getting fussy. So, we decided to go home at 3pm.

The trip was not fruitfull enough, mainly because of the weather was too hot (33C). After the cycling, we all were too tired to continue the venture to the other parts of the island. Maybe we will go there again during the winter time to have another look.

Actually, this small island offer nothing too special except the most colorful events on every April or May : Big Bun Festival. The residents hold this week long celebration in honour of Pak Tai. The most exciting part about this festival is when the contestants are invited to climb up a 16-metre tall bamboo tower, which is covered with thousands of steamed buns.

But with small kids tagging along, I prefer to watch this event broadcasted by TV news lo...

Kowloon Peak

21-May-2006

Kowloon Peak or Fei Ngor Shan ( 飛鵝山) is a peak at the northeast corner of New Kowloon. The peak falls in the Ma On Shan Country Park. Both of the famous Wilson Trail and MacLehose Trail passes through the peak.

We have been to Fei Ngor Shan on the last winter time. And find that the Wilson trail is not too difficult for Vincent and William. So, we wanted to give it a try for our 1st family hiking activity.

The Gilwell Campsite, owned by the Scout Association of HK. This is the place for scouts to have camping and other scounting activities.


First we walked up a slope path...seems that it's a piece of cake to William

Then we walked up some stairs to cross over a small hill.

The highest point there was the destination we want to go.

Moving closer and closer to the peak...how tiny we are in the land of nature.

Ok, this is the starting point of Wilson trail..

The higher we were, the more we see...

It's getting a little bit tough at the midlevel. KS has to hold William at certain parts to prevent him from slipping down.

Looking back...this was the path we have walked through started from the entrance of the Gilwell Campsite.

We have been continuously walking for 30 min. And the kids and I were feeling tired . So, we took a short break here. We almost there, very close now...

We admired the majestic paranoma view from the peak. Yeah, feel like we were at the top of the world. I'm happy we've made it.

Down there is the Sai Kung town, the most eastern part of HK mainland.

This is to prove that the kids and I were at the top of this unknown peak. It's too bad I couldn't find out the name of this peak.

Facing the east, this is the scene on our right hand side.

This is the scene behind...

And this is the scene on our left hand side.

Vincent can always find something to play with wherever he is.

On the way down, the kids accidentally kicked some stones and found the way it rolls down is fun. So, they picked up big or small stones and rolled it down. They were so enjoyed playing this simple game. We have to drag them to continue the hiking after they played this for 10 min.

We drove for about 5 min from the Gilwell Campsite to reach this lookout point.

William asked me to move faster, while I was taking a photo of this ....

Daisy flower, it looks very pretty in my eyes. Must not easy to survive in wild environment like this...

overlook the northern part of Kowloon.

The peak at the most right hand side there is one of the most famous landscape - Lion Rock. There is a song, "under the Lion Rock Peak" sang by the past Roman Law, described how hard the life was for HongKong people at the years of 30-60s

Vincent was writing the letter A-Z on the sand. William was watching. It was a very lovely and peaceful moment between the brothers.

A beautiful sunset. I would say this is a nice place to watch the sun disappearing from the horizon.

When we reached home that night, I looked up the sky, and see the leaves was shinning in golden color as a reflection of the street light. Our little apartment is at 22nd floor in that building block, where we have been living for more than 4 years.

As the boys are growing up, we will definitely go for more hiking again. This is the 1st, won't be the last.