I ended the journey with my own temple tour of Hong Kong. The first stop was the Nan Lian gardens and the Chi Lin Nunnery. It was crazy how such a beautiful place is right in the middle of the highways and the city.
After that, I went to the Wong Tai Sin temple, which was also nice (though I think I spoiled it by going to Chi Lin first).
My final stop was supposed to be the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas, but the signage was a bit confusing to get there. I finally thought I found it, and after taking pictures and getting to the top, I realized I was actually in a temple to honor ancestors and deceased family members. It was beautiful, but kind of awkward riding the tiny, cramped inclined elevator back to the bottom with grieving families.
Once at the bottom, I set out in the direction of the Buddhas I had thought I had seen. This time I was in the right place. But by this time it was getting late, so I had to nearly run to the top in order to get there before it closed. I had heard that it was an amazing place, but when I got to the top I was tired and gross, and I had really high expectations, so I wasn't really happy with the tiny temple area that I found.
All in all, it was a fun trip.
Now it's just three and a half more months left! I have big plans for the rest of my time here. I have an upcoming short break when I plan on going to Gyeongju (the "museum without walls" city, which is one of the historically significant cities in Korea). I also have two more vacation days that I plan to use in June to go to Jeju Island. Finally, there's the summer break, and I have tentative plans to go to Beijing. Also, there's a big Woodstock 2010 concert at the DMZ in August. So there are plenty of good things to come!
Nice report on HK and Macau. I like your description as "lots." That's obvious in the photos. Too bad about all the heat and humidity.
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