The Village

Ngong Ping Village is kind of the place that screams ToURiStS lol but honestly I didn’t hate it lol.

I ducked into a shop and ordered a hot jasmine Chinese tea. There’s something about sipping tea in a misty mountain village that makes me feel at least 25% wiser than I actually am. I did not unlock any philosophical insights - I realized the daze I felt was just me being super dehydrated by all the walking I’ve been doing.

Heading towards the Big Buddha we passed through a massive stone archway similar to a Torii gate in Japan. In Chinese culture, these arches are called Paifangs, which symbolize the entrance to a sacred place.

And then we walked past the 12 warriors. These statues each represent one of the Chinese Zodiac Signs. They were all standing in battle mode with a variety of weapons- unsure of what to protect- possible bad tourists??Read more