Hong Kong: Day Three

We opted to begin our day at a cute and delicious cafe en route to the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery. Cafe Kubrick offered tasty and filling meals in a hipster-esque bookstore. After our lunch, we took some time exploring the bookshop before trekking onto the monastery.

The 10,000 Buddhas Monastery is nestled in the side of a mountain, visible from the metro, yet secluded from the hustle and bustle of the city. The climb up to the monastery is no small feat, but incredibly rewarding. The 431 steps are lined with all unique gold arhats or Buddhist equivalents of saints who have achieved enlightenment. At the top of the hike are two levels - the first comprised of a hall, 9 story high pagoda, a tower, and 2 pavilions. The second level has 4 halls dedicated to Buddhist and Taoist deities. The site is beautiful and very serene. Between the view, architecture, and brief lack of rain, our visit to the monastery was a high point of the trip (literally and figuratively).

The monastery took up a large portion of the day so that evening we ate at a vegan Chinese restaurant near our hotel and called it a day!