Hongkong Trip: Exploring Ngong Ping and First Gondola Lift Experience

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Hello wanderers!

Here's another travel post from our Hongkong Trip last July 2019. Aside from Disneyland, another thing on our list is trying out the Ngong Ping 360 cable car.

We booked our tickets using the mobile application Klook, which costs ₱1,549.00 or about $30 per head for a roundtrip (one way standard cabin and one way crystal cabin). I used my Gcash mastercard in paying for it which is surprisingly very reliable, didn't experience any transaction errors at all. This is still one of my my favorite payment options, along with Coins.ph, completely smooth and hassle free.

I would personally recommend you book your tickets online to avoid the waiting game. Klook has a fast lane which is really cool. It only took less than 5 minutes to verify our bookings and we're good to go.

As seen in the above photo, there wasn't too many people during that time compared to what I was expecting. And it didn't take so long before we finally get to experience our first ever cable car ride.

I was a bit scared as I imagined what its gonna be like up there, you know, I kinda remembered those movies where you get stuck and a lot of crazy things happens after. Haha. But I was really too excited because I'm only seeing this on TV or in the internet, we don't have this thing here in the Philippines, so I gotta set aside that little paranoid voice inside me, and just enjoy this whole experience.

Ngong Ping 360 is a cable car system located in Lantau Island in Hongkong. Its 5.7 kilometers long (the longest in Asia) or about 25 minutes ride from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping Village.

During this almost half an hour journey, we were delighted to see the aerial view of the beautiful island and the mountains. We didn't even noticed the time because we kept taking photos, we can't just get enough of it. We were just a bit sad that it was too foggy that day, and there was a part of that ride that we can't see anything.

The construction of this project started in 2004 and took two years to complete. This aims to improve tourism and create an alternative transportation for those people visiting the place.

There are two types of cabin: the standard and crystal cabin. Their only difference is the floor. Standard cabins has a metal floor while crystal cabins has glass floors which lets you enjoy the thrill of the view when you look down. Crystal cabins costs more so if you're on a budget like us, we would recommend you book a one way standard, and one way crystal, that way you get to try both (plus you get to save a few bucks).

If you're really afraid of heights better skip the crystal cabin because you might just be closing your eyes the entire trip. Haha. I have motion sickness, but I didn't felt dizzy here, but one of my friends did. Fear is a subjective feeling. This could be scary to some, and fun for others. Assess yourself first before trying Ngong Ping 360 because its a 25 minute ride, and there will be no stop overs once you're up there. LOL.

I was too curious so I watch a documentary on how Ngong Ping 360 was constructed and it was mind blowing. I couldn't believe how humans can work on such huge projects. The materials were being lifted by helicopters because the location of the towers were at the mountains. I was seeing large metals and all that stuff being put together, I just can't help but admire the field of engineering. The mind, and the people behind this, are just so brilliant and really tough. It isn't easy to be up there building these things.

There are recorded mishaps in the past, some passengers being stranded but are reported safe. And it was exactly why I was a bit terrified trying it out. I have trust issues with these kind of stuff, because these are just created by humans, and humans do make mistakes. One person could miss something and it could to lead to number of other problems, which no one would be happy about.

Remember the famous movie "Final Destination", where it was restricted to bring a camera but someone was hardheaded and brought a video cam and dropped it in the middle of the roller coaster ride, and caused some malfunctions thereby leading to passengers' final destination. It was a really old movie but it sticks in my head, and constantly flashes back whenever I see a roller coaster every single time. So that my friends, is the reason why no one will make me ride a roller coaster ever. Haha. I'm so paranoid, I know. Also, I'm not that adrenaline junkie, those are not my thing. =P

But cable car isn't as scary as roller coasters, you won't be seeing people screaming inside the cabins, it would be totally weird. Haha. I must say this activity is highly recommended when you are visiting Hongkong. Considering the labor and the amount of money spent in constructing this, you couldn't disagree on how they set the price of the tickets.

I'm sure you will be thrilled with this experience, and the 360 panoramic view will convince you that it was worth what you pay for.

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NGONG PING VILLAGE

Since, this is a group travel, some of the destinations are chosen and researched by my friends. I'm not really involved in deciding where to go, I just live it up to them. So, I was surprised that Ngong Ping isn't just a 360 cable car ride, but we have a village to explore that day.

I didn't really get to enjoy all the spots, I was too lazy to walk around because I got some "girl thing" going on. There are 268 stair steps in order to reach the Big Buddha, and I decided not to go. I just took some photos a bit then bought some snacks in 7 Eleven (yes, they have 7 Eleven in Ngong Ping Village), and just sit there while I enjoy the view and the cold temperature.

There were lots of tourists, locals and foreigners, exploring the place as well. The village was foggy, which is perfect because you would be walking a lot, and you won't be exposed to the scorching heat. However, if you are a fan of photos like me, don't expect to get clear shots of the place because the fog is literally everywhere.

This is the entrance arc of Ngong Ping village:

A photo that depicts the traditional Chinese architectural design:

And more photos of this culturally-themed village:

You may have noticed that there are a lot of stalls in that area, they sell souvenir items, food and other stuff. They have free wifi there as well, so I told my friends to just meet me there in case they're done going around.

But before I decided to sit and chill, I explored the place a bit.

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NGONG PING PIAZZA

Few steps away from the entrance arc of the village is the Ngong Ping Piazza.

One article says, this was completed in July 2010 after about 2 years of construction and the total enhancement costs was 77.5 million HKD.

As you can see above, these are some of the photos I took of the "Twelve Divine Generals" in the Piazza. Some blog posts says they are protectors of the Healing Buddha, and each represents the different Chinese Zodiacs which is noticeable in their crown.

Photo above, is I guess the center of the Piazza, the point of intersection wherein one side leads you to the Po Lin Monastery and the other way is to the Tian Tan (Big Buddha).

I didn't go to the monastery, I just went straight to the entrance going to the Big Buddha and just took photos. Unfortunately, because it was too foggy that time, the Big Buddha is not visible from where I was taking the shot. The only time that I saw Tian Tan is when we were about to go back to the 360 cable car, and this was the photo that I took.

This 34 meters high statue took 3 years to construct, costs about 60 million HKD, and was completed in 1993. This giant Buddha was made out of 202 bronze pieces, weighs 250 metric tons, and one of China's large Buddha statues.

After buying some snacks at 7 Eleven, chilling a bit and few more photo ops, we head back to the cable car, and past 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon, we were already at the train station on our way to our accommodation.

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If there's anything I realized out of this whole Ngong Ping trip is on how advanced Hongkong is. Something new to people like me who's a first time traveler outside the Philippines. My jaw was constantly dropping because it was too unusual for me seeing all these massive buildings and systems they built.

It left me wondering, how other countries are capable of funding million dollar projects and get good outcomes, yet we are still stuck with the traffic problems here in our country, we can't even find a sustainable solution and move on from it.

Why are we so left behind? Why can't we keep up?

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As I end this post, I'm attaching this photo of me, as I wish all of you these 4 things: propitiousness, auspiciousness, happiness and peace.

May your heart's desire be granted, and odds will favor you. May our lives be filled with happiness and peace because that's what really matters most. One can own a lot of properties yet sad and troubled. I hope we have reached this point of our lives where we get to prioritize and choose what truly can lead us to genuine happiness and peace, and that's what true success is.

As for me, travelling has been my constant source of joy. Its not the destination, its the new realizations, the different perspectives I picked up on the road. Its the people I've talked to, discovering human connections, immersing yourself in a different culture, its getting lost and finding a new version of yourself everytime you travel back home.

I'm sitting here in my bed, as I'm writing this, it made me look back and reflect on what life has been for the past 28 years. Yes, the journey has been tough but I chose to see it in a different perspective. I do not conform to the social standards. I set my pace. I follow my own rules. I will screw up and be frustrated, yet I promise myself that I will try over and over again.

My travel photos don't mean I have the money to finance my trips, but these are outcomes of what I chose to prioritize over other things. Praying it goes the same with everyone, that you are wherever you are right now because that's what makes you happy and at peace, if not, I hope you'd be able to gather that courage to step out and work towards getting where you are supposed to be. ☕️

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ALL PHOTOS TAKEN USING AN IPHONE 8 PLUS AND EDITED IN VSCO MOBILE APP

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