Day 34 - Lantau Island and John's Birthday celebrations

The Giant Buddha awaits!

Day 34 - 27th July

So it was sunny! At last, yes, wicked, brilliant, fan-dab by-dozy. I could go out to play properly. 

I grabbed my stuff and headed straight out to the Metro, knowing it would take me two hours to get to my destination. 

After an hour bobbing along on the Metro from Tsim Shu Tsui to Tung Chung, I headed to the cable car up. As soon as I reached the top of the steps to the ticket booths, three things deterred me - the queue of about 200, the cost at $160 HK and finally, which should've been factor number one, the heights they reached. They weren't sturdy enough for my liking, and with the weather being the way it has, I decided to bus it.

I felt like Joan Wilder in 'Romancing the Stone' and not because of the romance novelist thing - it was like Cartagena jungle out there!

There's my cow buddy who caught up to us when we stopped.

It worked out better - it was $17.20 HK for the bus and only took 45 minutes. When I stepped off, I was greeted by a cow crapping at my feet. It was a good start.

The entranceway

Selfie before the ascension.

An incredible sight, honestly.

I ran from bottom to top, past mosquito bitten legs and tourists taking selfies in front of the Buddha. When I reached the peak, I took my hat off and slowly wandered around the Giant Buddha, just marvelling at it sheer scale and architecture. It was amazing. Definitely worth the near two hour trip and the cow crap at my feet.

This photo doesn't do it justice.

Picturesque, with the Po Lin Monastery to the right.

I was 9632km away from Big Ben. Ah, home!

I visited the Po Lin Monastery but out of respect for the Monks ritual, that was going on amidst the tourist incense burning, I chose not to take any close up photographs.

When I returned, John was ready to celebrate his 45th birthday in style - with beers with a fellow Dutch friend, Matthijs who was working in Hong Kong, our room mate, Korean man Lex and this English dude!

The large Bitburger.

We headed straight out for Bitburgers, a cracking drop, and hurled insults back and forwards about England and the Rest of the World. I stood my ground and we all laughed and clinked our beers in unity (ENGLAND STILL RULES, LADS).

BBQ pork and Tsingtao

We then stopped for dinner. I had a belting BBQ pork with rice and veg before we moved onto a nearby bar, with peanut shells everywhere. Seriously, it was like Planet of the Apes had actually happened and the chimps had opened a bar to celebrate.

You see!

What a combo.

Yes, we're nuts!

Matthijs and I discussed United, and it turns out he was a big Swansea fan, having lived in Wales for a few years. We became lifelong friends when he bought a round of London Pride Ales. What a guy! This was turning out to be a cracking night.

On the way back, we bid farewell to Matthijs and made our way back. Lex and I bought John a slab of cake to see his birthday out properly. Happy Birthday, John man!

I was going to be sad to leave the guys behind.