Calm & Serenity @ Ngong Ping 360, HK

One of Hong Kong’s newer attractions was the Ngong Ping 360. The Ngong Ping experience begins with the cable car ride from Tung Chung (accessible via MTR from Kowloon) to the Ngong Ping cultural village atop a mountain plateau on Lantau Island. The 25-minute cable car ride is an unforgettable experience across the sea. In the distance we could see the planes taking off at HK’s Chek Lap Kok Airport. We could also see people hiking up the hills. Surely, an easier way to go up is via the cable car! We know we’ve arrived at Ngong Ping when the giant Buddha looms ahead of us. A sense of calm seems to envelope Ngong Ping, the perfect antidote to the bustle of downtown Hong Kong. Disembarking at the Ngong Ping station, we made our way to the picturesque Ngong Ping Village where attractions, shops and good food awaits! The multimedia Walk with Buddha attraction took us through the life of Siddharta Gautama and through his path to enlightenment. The walk through the attraction was so surreal, I had goose bumps. The calm and serenity that I experienced in this walk with Buddha is one which I will not forget in a hurry.

The next attraction was the Monkey’s Tale Theatre which was a computer generated animation with special effects and sound. The antics of the cute monkeys were definitely amusing!

As in elsewhere in Hong Kong, shopping is another attraction in Ngong Ping Village. There were many small village shops where we indulged in retail therapy from jades to chopsticks to our favourite - local sweets! Small intimate cafes are also a feature of Ngong Ping Village. We particularly like the little shop where we filled our tummies with delicious meatball noodles and deep-fried salt & pepper cuttlefish tentacles before making our way up to pay homage to the Giant Buddha. At the end of Ngong Ping Village, the majestic Buddha sits serenely atop the plateau. It is the world’s tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha statue. It is also a very long climb up – all 268 steps of it! The reward for attempting the climb to the top was the spectacular mountain scenery of Lantau Island.

Once we descended we went to the famous Po Lin Monastery at the foot of the hill. A short walk through a small beaten path dotted with derelict abandoned houses took us to the Wisdom Path, an outdoor replica of the Heart Sutra. Wooden pillars inscribed with the sutra were placed in the form on the infinite figure. I am in my element in Ngong Ping. Somehow I felt like I belong.

Fun in Langkawi, Malaysia

One of the scariest cable car rides I’ve ever had was the one in Langkawi.

The Langkawi cable car is located at the Oriental Village near Pantai Kok. The ride takes visitors all the way up to Mount Mat Cincang which is Langkawi’s second highest peak.

Look at that steep climb!

The ascent up Mount Mat Cincang was quite an unnerving experience for me. I thought the ride to be quite “bumpy”. Having a fear of heights did not help matters obviously so my knuckles were white by the time I reached safety … on the ground.

At around 600 metres up the mountain, the cable car stops at the first station where we disembarked to admire the views from the observatory deck before getting onto another cable car to get to the final station.

The view of the rainforest at the final station is simply magnificent. There is a steel bridge suspended across Mount Mat Cincang where visitors can enjoy the fantastic experience of literally walking “across” a mountain. As awe-inspiring as it is, it was still a mighty scary experience for me!

At the Oriental Village below, there are the usual souvenir shops that cater to the incessant tourist traffic. There’s a little rabbit farm at one end of the Oriental Village where kids can have fun feeding the rabbits. The hungry rabbits would clamour around for carrot sticks that can be purchased at the farm. Be prepared to buy lots coz the rabbits are too cute and hungry!
On our way back to Kuah, we made a stop at The Loaf Bakery at Telaga Harbour. The Loaf is owned by our illustrious former prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed and serves Japanese style breads. As expected, the breads are premium-priced but then again, you get premium quality breads.
The many luxury yachts berthed at the harbour provides a picturesque view for photos! There are a few restaurants lining the harbourfront for al-fresco dining although it was relatively quiet when we were there in the afternoon.

We also visited Pantai Cenang on the last day of our holiday. How could we miss it? It has one of the most beautiful beaches in Langkawi. Imagine soft white sand and rolling waves. There were plenty of hermit crabs to keep the kids busy!