Today we once more left the big city behind and took a ferry to the outlying island Cheung Chau. Here we roughly followed the Lonely Planet suggested island walk, passing by a number of temples and shrines and getting some views around the island. After that we had a late seafood lunch at the harbor front.
In the late afternoon we made our way back to Hong Kong – in time to get on board another ship for a dinner harbor cruise in Victoria harbor during the light- and laser show.
This day brought us out of the big city into the small satellite town of Sha Tin (which by itself already accounts for 700,000 inhabitants). From the train station we made our way up into the hills to the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery.
After we made the 400+ steps up to the monastery we directly went to the monastery’s resthouse to get some (vegetarian) lunch. Only after that we started to explore the monastery.
About half a year back I had managed to get some good flight deals into Hong Kong for my parents, my sister and myself.
We made it to Hong Kong after an eleven hours flight on an aging Lufthansa 747 around midday. To fight the jetlag we headed out directly to see the main attractions. First we took the star ferry to cross over from Kowloon to Hong Kong island to then make our way to the Bank of China Tower, where we managed to get up to the viewing platform on the 43rd floor. After taking in the views here, we continued our way heading on to the Peak Tram station to get up on the Peak for even more fabulous views.
We started our second day in Hong Kong with a sumptuous breakfast; after which we continued to Lantau island by MTR, there changing to cable car, to get up to the giant Buddha near Po Lin Monastery.
From here we did proceed to Diamond Hill to see Nan Lian Garden and the nearby Chi Lin Nunnery. From the nunnery we MTR’ed to the next station to see one of the most popular temples in Hong Kong – the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple – home of three religions: Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
We made our way down Rano Tau again and headed for the islands interior on the worst dirt roads, I have ever used on a bike (even worse than Bolivia’s infamous Death Road, less traffic though).
At Ahu Akivi we left our bikes behind and started the hike up Maunga Terevaka (another one of the three volcanoes), with 507m the highest elevation of the island. The view got better and better the higher we made it. On top we could see the sea in all directions – again with the knowledge, that there is no inhabited island within 2000km in any direction.
On the way back we stopped at banana cave and some other spots – though after having climbed two volcanos that day, we were about to loose the spirits and decided to head back for town and some proper food.
This was the last full day of my whole trip – and it was a fabulous day.
I teamed up with a Londoner; we hired bikes and set off for the climb up Rano Tau (410m), one of three (extinct) volcanos that originally created Easter Island.
Attractions up there are the water-filled crater of the volcano, the Orongo ceremonial village and of course the views of the open sea – including the knowledge, that there is nothing out there in any direction for at least another 2000km.
I am usually not a big fan of folk shows – few of them are really authentic, most of them are simply touristic. Anyhow, I guess, visiting one of these shows is a must while being on Easter Island – – with the culture, dances and songs just too different from most other places on the planet – below some footage.
Today I did the standard Easter Island day trip, i.e. an organized tour with a guide. The tour followed the south coast and then up to Anakena and back to Hanga Roa. The first stop was at Ahu Vaihu with its thrown-over Ahus.
From there we continued along the coast to Ahu Akahanga, star here is the big fallen moai and the remains of a small village. After a quick look around we continued along the coast to Ahu Tongariki – – with 15 moais the largest ahu ever built.
Our next stop was at what would be the birthplace of the moais, i.e. the quarry where the stone was taken from and the figures were cut. A walk along the hill gave as the opportunity of getting closer.
Heading back we had another photo stop at Ahu Tongariki with the now enhanced light conditions – before finally hitting Anakena.
While Anakena is yet another Ahu site – it is also the only true sand beach of the island. We were given some time to enjoy at the beach and in the water – overlooked by an Ahu.
The final part of this ‘epic’ trip had started. The flight from Santiago to Easter Island was delayed by 3.5 hours – so instead of getting to Easter Island midday, I only arrived there in the late afternoon.
As usual I got organized (hey – I am German … no point to deny that), checking out what to do over the next days. After that I started out to explore the island’s capital (and only major settlement) Hanga Roa and its immediate surroundings – including some first Ahus and Moais.
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Another bus ride (this time just eight hours) got me into Santiago. I made it from the bus terminal to my hostel, left my stuff and started to explore the Bellavista area; Ialso made it to the funicular to get … Continue reading
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Today I did another day tour – this time heading up into the Elqui valley and up into the Andes once more. On the way we had a stop at a dam for some nice views and to try some … Continue reading