Lost Horizons

Far from the madding crowd

Saturday was such a nice day, weather wise that I decided to go out and take some photos. My plan was to go to Diamond Hill and take some shots in Chi-Lin nunnery, then to go visit the new garden park at NaiLan, then to take the MTR to WaiTin and visit the temple there.
I had been to the nunnery before, but the last time I went it wasn't nearly so crowded. Its still a nice spot, and I enjoy the calm there and admire the skill of the craftsmen who put the buildings together without a single screw or nail.
The new gardens at Nailan were a bit of a disappointment. Beautifully laid out and cared for, but there are so many areas you can't go to, or areas that have been turned over to food franchises; it spoiled the atmosphere for me. The centrepiece of the garden is a golden pavillion in the middle of a pond that is reached by two orange bridges. And when I say orange, I mean bright orange. The only thing is you can't get over these bridges. There is a couple of nice water features there as well, but when I tried to take a photograph, I was told that I wasn't allowed to use a tripod. Now, I have sen this before, in the aviary in Hong Kong park, but I am unsure about the reasoning behind this rule.
Off to the temple at Wai Tin, and it was absolutely heaving. I don't know if it was some kind of religious festival or if its always so busy at weekends, but it wasn't very comfortable in the main temple area. At the back is a confucious garden, and this was really nice and calming. I was particularly impressed with the nine dragon wall and garden.
I did take loads of photos, but sorry they are on my other 'puter. After all this walking around I headed for Wanchai for a bite to eat, but ended up in Carnegies, getting drunk in the afternoon. I was so bladdered that I had to head home before Crazy hour started.
Now I am at the airport on my way to Qingdao. The airplane has just arrived, and we will be boarding soon

posted by Luke @ 11:27 AM