Yuen Yuen Institute
With only 2 weeks left in Hong Kong, the pressure is on to do as much and see as much as I possibly can. What I've been trying to do lately is to pick an MTR stop and go to all the local attractions there. Today's stop was Tsuen Wan. The places I had planned to visit were Yuen Yuen Institute and the Western Monastery. I ended up also going to a local shopping arcade and Sam Tung Uk Museum. It was a bit too much for me because by the end of the day, I was having a serious migraine (probably from the lack of good sleep lately).
The first place I visited was Yuen Yuen Institute. It isn't an institute in the traditional sense. Rather its a place of worship that included buddhism, taoism and confucianism. I think it's the only place that has all three beliefs. The place was pretty big and I was lucky because when I went, they were also having a taichi competition so it was quite festive. I even got to see lion and dragon dances. It was totally not planned but totally epic. Next I moved on to Western Monastery which was actually right next to Yuen Yuen Institute. It was a short 3 minutes walk away. The most beautiful part of the monastery was the pagoda that stood at the top of the complex. I wish it was open because I really wanted to climb to the top. |
Western Monastery
In terms of traditional Chinese architecture, Western Monastery is definitely the one I find to be the most beautiful. Everything from the Chinese paintings on the ceilings to the marble finishings of the steps were breathtakingly gorgeous. It's a really serene place to be especially on a cloudy day. The only bad thing about this place is it's a very touristy spot so there were quite a few visitors when I was leaving. I had to wait for a good half an hour just to get down the mountain. That's a crazy amount of time to wait for a mini-bus in HK.
Sam Tung Uk
Sam Tung Uk was probably the most unique village I visited in Hong Kong. It use to be a Hakka Village but when Tsuen Wan was redeveloped, it was reconstructed into a museum. The walls and structure takes on old forms though and I really got a sense of what a Hakka Village must have looked like in the past. The coolest thing is, it's little a piece of the past situated amongst the high rises of the present.
I love exploring and yes even though sometimes its nice to have company with me, I honestly prefer visiting some places alone. I can do whatever I want, get whatever I want and not have to abide by any schedule or worry about anyone else's preferences or moods. I think it's when I'm by myself that I find the most random and special parts of Hong Kong. |