First stop on our Hong Kong visit: Lantau Island. It is twice the size of Hong Kong Island and is home to charming villages and monasteries that make it an essential destination.        

After approximately one hour's journey from Lo Wu station, we arrive at the terminus of the Eastern line. We had planned to start our visit with Lantau Island, located to the West, which is home to the massive Tian Tan Buddha. Two line changes are all it takes to reach Tung Chung station, from where we can take the Ngong Ping 360 cable car. This connects Tung Chung to the Po Lin plateau, where you'll find Ngong Ping village, monasteries and, most notably, the Buddha statue itself.

Off we go for an ascent that will last a good twenty minutes, in a cabin entirely made of glass that lets us appreciate the panorama even more.

The view is truly impressive and the mountains drift by to reveal the great Buddha in the distance. We finally set foot on the ground to enter the small village of Ngong Ping, where Chinese and foreign tourists mingle.

Once at the foot of the Tian Tan Buddha, there are still around 270 steps to climb, but the effort is well worth it.

Colossal is probably the best word to describe it... Completed in 1993 and standing 34 meters high, it is the world's largest seated Buddha. You can certainly believe it!

As is often the case with representations of Sakyamuni, a swastika is carved on his chest. It is meant to represent peace... We can say we arrived just in time as the sky clouds over, and the Buddha is soon enveloped by mist...

It is also a vast religious complex where Chinese come to pray and burn incense.

The afternoon is already well advanced and it's time for us to consider heading back down to return to the city. The return journey by cable car was an option, but something told us we'd prefer a good hike through the mountains, under threatening rain...

We had glimpsed the trail from the top of our cabin, but we never would have imagined it was so steep... Alternating between climbs and descents, the journey seemed truly endless, punctuated by encouragement from the Chinese tourists comfortably seated in the cabins above our heads.

Still, this breath of fresh air was truly welcome after nearly 3 months spent in a major Chinese city, so we made the most of it. Especially as the view was sublime, overlooking the city and Hong Kong International Airport by the seaside...

It was after more than three hours of hiking and countless flights of stairs that we finally reached civilization, a little weary but delighted with the experience. We had hoped to have time to visit the fishing village of Tai O, but the fact is that night was already falling and we needed to get back to central Hong Kong to find a budget hotel... Off to Nathan Road!   To view our photos, please visit the gallery of Hong Kong.