Po Lin and the Buddha

So here I am on the other side of the world seeking out the most exotic things I can find, and I found this. I sent this picture, which really sums up the most intriguing parts of the trip, to a good mate back in Europe, and the response I got was this:

"Wow, a fat man at the top of some steps. That's paradoxical..."

It made me smile, and it made me miss home.

The "fat man" is of course the Buddha, and not just any Buddha. Oh no. This, as the literature is at pains to tell you, is "The largest bronze seated outdoor Buddha in Asia."

That's quite a niche claim, and it implies there may be other Buddhas in various positions made of a whole range of materials in other parts of Asia that beat this one hands down. For a moment I'm intrigued as to what other positions a Buddha could take, as I think I've only seen them in the lotus position. Reclining, perhaps, or maybe Buddha standing up doing the ironing, or Buddha playing golf. Who knows? But it's still big, and climbing up the 280 steps to get to him does give you a sort of sense of achievement, not to say aching legs.

The Buddha is the centre of what is, unfortunately, becoming a somewhat tasteless tourist attraction. You arrive via cable car to Ngong Ping Village, which is entirely artificial and a sort of Center Parcs of the East. Here you can sample the delights of Euro Go Go, a pizza restaurant in the centre of the village, and you can buy bright purple hoodies with sparkly gold depictions of the Buddha emblazoned across the front (erm, you will NOT see me in Regent's Park in one of those.) You are given a schedule upon arrival which maps out each minute of your visit. First, you are instructed to "sample the delights of Ngong Ping Village", which presumably means buying some tatt and enjoying the use of a toilet that doesn't involve squatting or reaching for the packet of tissues in your handbag in the absence of anything you could call toilet paper. You are then allowed to go up to the Buddha, for which your brochure allocates 30 minutes. Before this you are supposed to go to the "Buddha Experience" which I think is some sort of exhibition housed in an oriental-style hut that looks as though it's come out of Disneyland. I'm afraid I can't report on the "thrills that will await you", because we didn't go. We did however trek the 280 steps up to the Buddha himself, foregoing the option of purchasing a meal ticket (much to the indignation of the lady behind the meal tickets desk.) This turned out to be well worth the effort. Upon arrival at the top you are greeted with a stunning view of Lantau Island and the sea beyond it. Unfortunately much of this view is now a building site, and the noise of several bulldozers, along with American tourists shouting "Hey, Candy, take a shot of me here!" cuts into the tranquility of this secluded spot. Unfortunately the Chinese view of "development" differs from the European one. In Europe, we'd call it "conservation". Such a spot would be protected, with perhaps a number of small, apologetic outlets being introduced to the area to cover any tourists' needs, hopefully disturbing the prevailing atmosphere as little as possible in the process, and the general look of the place would be maintained. The Chinese however are creating a themepark - the bigger the better. You descend the steps and are greeted by a chap selling bottles of diet Coke and the brand new, shiny "Walking with the Buddha Souvenir Store". Hmm.

After this you are allowed to go to your next stop - the Po Lin Monastery. This is a working monastery and it's a relief to see genuine pilgrims lighting incense and praying in front of the many gold Buddhas inside. Despite the tourists the area is quite tranquil, and even the surrounding commercialism is put into perspective for those of us who've been to Rome and been confronted by the mile or so of JPII paperweights and glow-in-the-dark Virgin Marys that line the route up to the Vatican.

If you're clever enough to sidestep the shops on the way back then one interesting and more tasteful bit of tat that's been erected is the sign telling you where you are, namely 12968 miles from the Statue of Liberty, 1972 miles from the Great Wall of China, and 9632 miles from Big Ben. I've never felt so far from home, and indeed never been so far from home. Commercialist or not, I was reluctant to leave Lantau Island and head back to the frenetic heart of Hong Kong.