Big Buddha and Tacky Trinkets
Posted: May 16, 2014 Filed under: Hong Kong 1 CommentThe last few days have been a whirl of meeting with friends and colleagues, meetings for Patty, shopping and sightseeing.
A couple of law firms host an “In House Counsel Dinner” that Patty was invited to at a restaurant on the Star Ferry pier. It was a very nice dinner.
When I am not meeting Patty for lunches or drinks or dinner, I have spent a lot of time just wandering around. On Wednesday evening we took the funicular railway up to Victoria Peak.
It was foggy as the clouds bent over the summit ridge. We found a coffee shop table with great views and watched the sun go down and the lights come on.
On Thursday morning we were tour group leaders to take a group of ten; friends and friends of friends, from Chicago and New York on a trip over to Lantau Island to take the cable car up the mountain to a monastery which has a 60 foot Buddha. We all met at the Grand Hyatt and took the train to the base of the cable car, and then the cable car to the monastery.
After lunch at the top of the cable car, we hiked to the monastery and then up the steps to the Buddha.
The cable car ride is fun and you can upgrade to a car with a glass floor, which makes for some incredible views.
After the cable car Buddha, we headed back into Kowloon for the Temple Street Night Market where you can be assured that every Volcom shirt is a cheap fake.
We did find some fun stuff nevertheless.
Today, we went to a real Patagonia store and I bought some walking shoes and a loose weave collared shirt, all at USA prices. We are flying to Cambodia tomorrow and today is a laid back day.
Frank Conner's Life Log 
No matter how dirty you felt after Victoria Peak, rest assured I felt dirtier because I beelined for Gubba Gump shrimp and a tall Coors Light. Mind you I was meant to be in Saigon at the time, and United wad paying my tab since their plane broke down for 36 hours in Hong Kong on the way to Vietnam. I felt entitled to be an ugly American on United’s dime.