My Favorite Place

I found this place shortly after coming to Hong Kong and fell in love.  Despite being outside for two hours in the heat and humidity I enjoyed my first trip immensely.  Now, with only a month left of my study abroad experience, I returned.

Chi Lin Nunnery

The nunnery is a combination of garden and temple.  Located in the middle of Hong Kong the contrast with its surroundings adds to the charm of the garden.


My love began in the garden.  The garden is meticulously taken care of and this dedication shows.  The garden has thematic music playing softly throughout the area which, when combined with the sound of several waterfalls, causes one to relax as they delve deeper into the garden.  


The creators of the garden worked with the many elements of nature to create this haven - the combined effect of trees, rocks, and water is hard to communicate in words.



At the end of the gardens is a cafe and gift shop where we bought slushees and enjoyed ruminating on what we had seen and what had been our favorite parts of the garden.



We continued on to the actual temple and admired the continued incorporation of plants, rocks, and water in the decoration scheme.  The interior of the temple was closed today but it had been impressive when I visited last time.  However, while the artwork and giant gold status were awe-inspiring, the gardens were where I find my greatest joy.

The Chi Lin Nunnery is my favorite place in Hong Kong and it will be the place I miss the most when I return to Iowa.  I am so very happy that I was able to have this experience. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amazing

Image
"The summer weather here is amazing!" - Finnish girl in my class  Class eyed her in disbelief as the average day here is 90 °F with a humidity level  ranging between 70 - 90%.  But it got me thinking...       I concur
Read more

Surviving the airport

Image
Also known as " how long is my layover?!" As you prepare to travel internationally you will soon realize that there is no such thing as a direct flight from Des Moines to your destination.  When I applied to study in Hong Kong I had no idea that the city I'd end up fixating on in my travels was Los Angeles (LA).  I can only shake my head in amazed disbelief at the fact that I have had two twenty-plus hour layovers in LA.  Layovers, security, and the airplane rides themselves are all things that lie between you and your destination.  Below are some lessons and observations I have gleaned from my travels that will hopefully help you get through the different ordeals and survive the airport. Packing your carry-on The sad truth is that regardless of how well thought out and carefully packed your suitcase is, the very first thing you do once beginning your journey is to say goodbye to your suitcase at the check-in counter.  From there on out you must rely on your c
Read more

Mistakes to expect when learning about a place

Image
"Welcome to Hong Kong, your new home for the next four months and a place beyond your wildest dreams."  I mean that quite literally as I was apparently imagining a completely different city, a fact that became clear within my first few days in Hong Kong.  Growing up in the US, when I think of cities I automatically picture New York City.  Hearing that Hong Kong had over 8 million people in a very small area I figured that it would look much like Manhattan - dense with lots of high-rises.  And looking at pictures of the two, I unconsciously decided that they must be very similar, at least in layout. New York Apparent Similarities: 1) Concrete masses 2) Skyscrapers 3) Lovely city night lights 4) Large populations and thus many things to do Hong Kong Differences upon arrival : 1) Hong Kong is tropical (which i knew) and thus is part jungle (which was completely unexpected). Note: New York = concrete mass + Central Park 2) Hong Kong is built on hills.
Read more