September 13, 2025
I convinced everyone that we should try to go see the Big Buddha today which is out on an island near the airport. 15 years ago, I went with my friend Travis who visited Hong Kong from the UK for a long weekend. A totally insane thing to do but we were all more reckless and adventurous when 15 years younger!
We met Wendy and Nolan at the Central subway station at 8:30AM to start our journey nice and early. They had gone to Starbucks and we had stopped to get smoothies and at Bakehouse to load up on delicious breakfast and snacks. Lenny was dressed for a hike and Ollie for a J.Crew photo shoot, obvious that we are staying in different rooms! When we saw Nolan he walked by the boys and pretended he didn’t know them which got a big laugh from them but also got him a full tackle in the back seconds later.
The subway ride was about 25 minutes and then you take a cable car through the mountains to the area where the giant Buddha is. On the subway Ollie sat himself next to an older Asian man and stared at what this man was doing on his phone so obviously and for so long the man eventually moved. Any other onlooker would have assumed Ollie knew the man by his behavior so I called him Asian Nonno.
Once we got off the subway and walked to the cable car, we were told it was closed for maintenance for two weeks by a person they had been sat there to inform everyone that showed up. This was a complete bummer and I think purposely not posted online or in the subway cars because they didn’t want people to not come at all during the maintenance period. There is a bus to get to the Buddha instead of the cable car but it’s a miserable ride. The real main attraction of the whole thing is the cable car through the mountains, more so than even the Buddha.
We had come this far and had no other plans for the day so we sadly headed to the bus. Nolan and I ended up in the back row with the boys and Kayleen and Wendy sat a few rows up. The bus struggled to get up some of the hills, at points barley moving forward. Ollie asked why we were going so slow and I told him we were actually going very fast and sometimes when you go this fast it just looks like you are going slow. This blew his mind and he was immediately convinced and excited to share this new knowledge with Lenny. I quickly told him I was messing with him but it might actually be true when you look out an airplane window…
Once we arrived everyone was feeling a little green but mostly Kayleen. We got some cold drinks and began our walk up the steps to the Buddha. It was shaded but still hot going up the step and Lenny struggled the most. We stopped for some photos and drink breaks along the way. There was more of a breeze when we reached the top but there isn’t much to do other than take pictures of the view and the Buddha. After we took plenty of photos, and let the kids practice taking some, we headed down to check out the monastery.
The boys remained as quiet as they could while we checked out the monastery. We only stayed in the courtyard for a few minutes before heading to a little shop to get ice cream and mentally prepare for our bus ride back. While the boys were eating their ice cream, the adults were trying on different hats. I really wanted Wendy to buy the one pictured below and wear it to school drop off to see if anyone dare make a comment. During all this a dog wandered by and nipped Ollie on the butt much to his surprise. It didn’t leave a mark through his shorts but definitely made him jump. We all survived the bus and headed to the subway. On our way Kayleen, Wendy, and the boys narrowly avoided walking through a fountain exhibit that would have turned on with them standing in the middle of it.
Once back to Hong Kong Island we headed to a diner that Kayleen had noticed with a sole video game in it for the boys to play while we ate. It happened that the diner was American themed western food. It was good enough and the video game was a hit for the boys. It gave us some time to sit in the air conditioning, eat, relax, and talk in peace.
After lunch Kayleen and Wendy headed to get a pedicure and foot massage. I took the boys back to our hotel and Nolan went to his to grab a few things they had brought for us from the States. I had planned to take the kids to the pool as soon as we arrived back but once I hit the AC in the hotel room I crashed onto the bed for a power nap as the boys watched a show on an iPad. I woke up to Nolan texting me that he was walking over to our hotel and gathered myself quickly to meet him in the lobby and head to the pool.
We talked by the pool as we scored the boys’ different jumps into the pool. Eventually they transitioned to trying to jump through the lifeguard tubes without touching them. This was more entertaining for us to judge than the hundredth cannonball. Wendy and Kayleen met us by the pool before we all retreated to our rooms to relax for a few and get ready to head to dinner.
We met Wendy and Nolan, along with a friend of Wendy’s, for dinner. The boys were excited to be given our phones for unlimited game time so we could talk to our friends before we won’t see them till 2026! The food was good but we ordered WAY too much. There was one pork dish, I forgot to take a photo of it, that could have fed 6 people. It was a tiered mountain of BBQ pork with two smaller mountains on each side, insane.
We stayed too late talking and it was past 10PM when we left. The boys were delirious after such a long day. This led to Ollie on Nolan’s shoulders in the restaurant and then a battle with Wendy to see who could win a pushing contest in the building lobby. What a way to say goodbye!
We leave Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon and wanted to get our laundry done. I headed to the little 24 hour self service laundry spot right next to my old apartment, the Peach Blossom, with all our cloths while Kayleen put the kids to bed in her room. The machines were really nice and very easy to use with the Octopus card. While the laundry washed I got a drink at the Phoenix and while it dried I got a neck and shoulder massage next door. It was one of the most pleasant laundry experiences I have ever had. Plus I got to feel good about not paying a hotel 150 USD to do it!
