Tag: Hong Kong

Indochina Adventure (Part 1) – It’s hot, damn hot!

On By James HandlonIn Indochina AdventureLeave a comment

Saigon at night

It’s Boxing Day in the UK and its cold outside but I’m heading towards Heathrow airport for a flight to Hong Kong. I’m going to Hong Kong as it’s far cheaper than flying direct to Saigon, but at this moment in time I’m wishing I wasn’t such a tight-arse with a worrying total travel time that is going to be somewhere in the region of eighteen plus hours. But alas the dye is cut as they say and I’m now stuck with the journey come hell or high water, it’s eighteen hours like it or lump it! Continue reading “Indochina Adventure (Part 1) – It’s hot, damn hot!” →

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Foto Friday – Man Ma Temple, (Sheung Wan), Hong Kong

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Man Mo Temple, (Sheung Wan)

Huge incense coils hanging from the ceiling of the Man Po Temple one of Hong Kong’s oldest and most important places of worship. Photography is really forbidden within the temple but by showing some respect to the temple attendant and making a small donation to the temple’s funds via the tin piggy bank a quick shot can be grabbed.

It has to be quick in any case because the burnt incense has a bad habit of falling directly on your head as you wander beneath the myriad of prayer coils hanging from the ceiling, some may say it’s divine intervention in response to your flagrant disobedience of the house rules!

Foto Friday – Big Buddha (Po Lin Monastery), Lantau Island

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Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is a large bronze statue, at 85ft high it sits on a throne of lotus leaves – the Buddhist symbol of purity – and was completed in 1993, it is located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong.

The statue overlooks the nearby Po Lin Monastery and symbolises the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. It is a major centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong.

A crazy ride via a cable car gets you from the mainland across to the island, alternatively you can hike up into the mountains from the shoreline below having crossed by boat to reach the Buddha. I took literally dozens of shots while I was on Lantau but this is still my favourite, The Buddha looks so serene when viewed directly from the foot of the steps but also so very very powerful.

Foto Friday – Hong Kong Cityscape at Night

On By James HandlonIn Foto Friday2 Comments
Hong Kong Cityscape at night.

Foto Friday – will be a new post that goes up on the Travel Blog every Friday with a different photo that I have taken from somewhere in the world whilst on my travels.

I hope these photos of some of the amazing, wonderful and sometimes downright mad places that I have seen and experienced while travelling may help encourage others to get out there and explore and see for themselves this incredible planet that we live on!

This particular shot was taken during a sultry evening from up high on ‘The Peak’ on Hong Kong Island. I took it from the small but beautiful, (and incredibly crowded), Peak Pagoda. No city in the world quite looks like Hong Kong does at night!