No 20. Do Something that wasn't on the list but should have been.

Well the title of this post should now really read "No 20.  Visit the Tian Tan Buddha in Hong Kong".  And yes, I did the crazy thing of flying to Hong Kong and stood at the feet of this amazing and somewhat calming statue.

I will shortly post a full article of the whole trip to Hong Kong on my normal blogsite "One Man's Travels" but will tell you all about my visit to Lantau Island right now....

The day started off with an early morning peak out of the window of the apartment I was staying in, in the wonderfuly 'local' part of Hong Kong called Sai Ying Pun.  A magical and bustling part of Hong Kong Island that is full of local people and away from the expensive "corporate" shopping centres, and instead is full of small stalls and markets selling local trade (and you can catch some amazing noodle places there too, if you are looking for something to eat!).

As you can clearly see from the photographs of the view from the apartment, space is at a premium on Hong Kong Island, so any construction tends to be upwards rather than outwards.

The temperature was already approaching 30 degrees C and feeling very humid, so it was definitely shorts, shirt and sandals weather.  I enjoyed a glass of boiling water (I know that sounds strange, but you are dehydrating so much in the heat during the day that you really do resort to drinking water as much as possible, and boiled water really does have a nice appeal!), along with a yogurt and some grapes for breakfast.

No sooner as I had eaten, I made my way down the elevator, waved good morning to the friendly security guard of the apartment block, opened the screen door and headed out into the bright sunshine.  It was reasonable early and already people were hurrying around...  taxis and trucks were rumbling past and the grinding, banging and crashing of construction sites resonated around the concrete jungle.

 

 

One of the great things about Hong Kong is the choice of transport.  Hold out your hand and you can catch a taxi within just a couple of minutes to take you anywhere (and the prices are amazingly cheap compared to the UK!!).  However, sometimes you miss out on seeing the spectacular sights, hearing the amazing sounds and smelling the stunning aromas of Hong Kong whilst sat in an air conditioned taxi.  The alternative is to jump on one of the local trams that are continuously running from one end of the island to the other (this is made much easier by there being a fixed prices of $2.30 HK irrespective of how many stops you are on for... just hop on and drop your money in the machine when you jump off).  The best method of all, if you have the time, is to go by foot.  Either weaving your way through the streets and markets, or heading down to the harbour front and walking along the coast.

 

I soon arrived at Central station and worked out the best way of heading up onto the mainland and over to Lantau Island.  One thing you will notice in Hong Kong is how reasonable the prices are for travel.  Even riding the trains around the area are ridiculously cheap compared to back home in rainy England.  I purchased my ticket along with a sneaky savoury roll (delicious!) and headed to the train.  I am not sure how they manage to do it in Honk Kong, but every train seems to arrive to the very second that it says on the timetable (no hanging around with delays).

 

 

As I stepped off the train at Tung Chung on Lantau Island, I walked out to an attractive, glass fronted shopping mall.  A short walk from there was the entrance to the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal.  This is where my adventure for the day really starts...

 

There was a choice of tickets to purchase.... As this was going to a special day for me, I wanted to do it in style, so decided to book the full package which is a 360 Sky - Land - Sea Day Pass.  This allowed me to go up to (and return from) the Big Buddha by Cable Car, enjoy a walk around Ngong Ping Village (a 1.5 hectare culturally themed marketplace) and  take a coach trip to Tai O Fishing Village, enjoying a boat trip through the old part of the village and into the open sea.

 

 

After a short queue, I had purchased my ticket and headed into one of the cable cars.  Before I could blink, the ground was moving away from me at some speed as we headed up into the mountain.

 

 



 

 

 

 

The cable car climbed further and further into the mountain... the terminal no longer even a dot in the distance.  It is surprising how quiet it gets when you are hanging in mid air, with barely a rumble from the cord and wheels of the car.  The suspense building in my heart for my first glimpse of the Buddha sat on the peak.

 

And then it happened... that first glimpse.  The car carried on nonchalantly towards its destination, but my eyes opened wide and my face beamed as I saw in the distant haze, this elegant wise and powerful figure sat so serenely in amongst the trees.

 

 

The moment was sacred, the realisation dawned on me that I was really here, really in Hong Kong, and I was really going to come face to face with such an iconic figure.

The rest of the cable car journey went past in a flash.  The doors swung open and I stepped outside.  After a short walk I arrived in Ngon Ping Village.  Music was playing all around and I grabbed the opportunity to wander around the buildings admiring the Big Buddha from a distance.

The trip to the fishing village had a finish time of 4pm so, rather than risk of going there and running out of time, I decided to go there before heading up to the Big Buddha,  Then I knew I could spend as much time as I wanted, wandering around the amazing statue.

The buses that take you to and from the Tai O fishing village run frequently through the day, and as I made my way to the pick up point there was a bus waiting ready to go, so I haded the drive my voucher and hopped on for the short journey down to the village.

Tai O (Chinese: 大澳) is home to the Tanka people, a community of fisher folk who’ve built their houses on stilts above the tidal flats of Lantau Island for generations. These unusual structures are interconnected, forming a tightly-knit community that literally lives on the water. Their enchanting world is a photographer's paradise.
The first thing on my agenda was to jump on one of the boats (if you didn't book this as part of the 360 Sky-Land_Sea day pass, you can negotiate a rate with one of the boatmen.  Expect to pay around $20 HK).

We headed down through the raised village.  I could immediately see why it had been called the Venice of Hong Kong.  It was a mash of wooden stilts, boats and boarded huts.  A far cry from the high rise skyscrapers of the city.  Fishing is in decline in Tai O and the tourist trade is becoming ever more important to them. 

 

 

 

The journey was full of rickety old ladders, plastic barrels, worn ropes and twine.  Occasionally you would see a head pop out of one of the windows as people carried on their daily chores... hanging out their washing or repairing fishing nets.  As far as the eye could see stood countless fragile old structures.

 

We soon turned around, back along the village waterway and out to sea.  The boat's throttle opened up as we headed around the rocks and cliffs.  There was one point where the guide switched off the engine and pointed out a rock formation jutting out from one of the cliff edges.  After a few inquisitive stares and a little poetic license I could see what he was referring to.  Have a look at the photograph below (before reading the text below the pic) and see if you can work out what it was.....

 

 

 

If you look very closely you can see a man leaning against the rock.... 

 

The boat turned around and we headed back to shore.  After climbing out of the boat I found myself in the middle of a little market of food stalls. 

 

 

 

 

 

As if all of this wasn't enough culture and heritage, one of the other 'must visit' parts of Tai O is the local monastery.  So I followed the signposts and walked past a varied collection of shacks and houses.  All different shapes and sizes, and made out of many different kinds of materials from brick to steel to wood and even plastic.  Hanging outside many of them were rows upon rows of drying fish.

 

 

A short while later I arrived at the temple.  It was much smaller than many I had seen around Hong Kong but was still interesting and somewhat humbling.  Outside there were some beautiful statues and carvings.  This was made even more mystical when an enormous butterfly flew around my head for a few moments before disappearing into the summer sky

 

 

Sitting by this statue reminded me of the main reason I had come out on the day trip to Lantau Island, so I headed back to the bus and before long was back at Ngong Ping Village. 

 

The walk towards the Tian Tan 'Big' Buddha starts at the foot of a large set of pure white gates, standing elegant and proud in the glare of the mid afternoon sun.  The moment I walked through the gates I could see an avenue of statues guarding the way to the steps of the Tian Tan Buddha,

 

 

 

And then I stopped.  I had reached that magical moment where I could glance up and see the Tian Tan Buddha sat there, graceful, serene and dignified at the top of the steps.

 

The statue is named Tian Tan Buddha because its base is a model of the Altar of Heaven or Earthly Mount of Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. It is one of the five large Buddha statues in China. The Buddha statue sits on a lotus throne on top of a three-platform altar.  Leading up to the Buddha are a total of 240 steps

 

 

Once at the top of the steps I got a real appreciation for how big the 'Big Buddha' really is.  Here are some facts:

1) The Tian Tan Buddha is surrounded by six smaller bronze statues known as "The Offering of the Six Devas" and are posed offering flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music to the Buddha. These offerings symbolise charity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom, all of which are necessary to enter into nirvana.

2) The Buddha is 34 metres (112 ft) tall, weighs 250 metric tons (280 short tons), and was the world's tallest outdoor bronze seated Buddha prior to 2007. It reputedly can even be seen from as far away as Macau on a clear day.

3) His right hand is raised, representing the removal of affliction.The Buddha's left hand rests on his lap in a gesture of giving dhana. The Buddha faces north, which is unique among the great Buddha statues, as all others face south.

 

 

Standing at the feet of the Tian Tan Buddha provided one of those moments where I just had to stop and absorb the setting.  The sun was high and hot, the scenery was breathtaking... mountains and forests as far as the eye could see, and staring down at me was one magnificent statue.  During my normal (non travelling) life, I work in a very stressful and fast paced environment - lots of noise, tight deadlines, pressured meetings and ridiculous volumes of work.  So it is even more important for me to grasp these moments and absorb them.  Here am I, Graham Ettridge, stood at the feet of the Tian Tan Buddha.  Yes, I did have to pinch myself, and then I smiled as I remembered that I had managed to cross of another one of my 40 things before I am 40.  Okay, I am now 40 years and 4 months... but hey, I've done it!

 

I turned around and looked down the steps and over the horizon....  what a wonderful worldly location this is....

 

 

Alas, the day was drawing to an end...  And what an amazing day it was.  It all started with that peek outside the window of the apartment early in the morning and finished with this wonderful view of the Lantau Island skyline.  A day that involved a journey in a cable car in the air, a boat trip around a fishing village on stilts, and a climb up a mountainside to stand at the feet of the Tian Tan Buddha.

 

The final stage of the journey was to head back down the steps and into the Po Lin Monastery. In keeping with the rest of the day, the Po Lin Monastery was exquisite in every way.  The elegant golden steps lead up to the intricately carved doorway.  Over the balconies of the monastery was a stunning abundance of flowers and plants.

 

 

 

 

The outside of the monastery was elegant in its stature and design.  However, when I stepped inside the doors a whole new world opened up. The interior was carved all in wood and decorated with vivid golds and reds.  The ceiling was draped with intricate designs weaving in and out of each other.  Hanging from the ceiling were the most beautiful material lanterns and on the table in front of the shrine was abundance of flowers and fruit, that had been left as offerings.

 

 

A perfect and relaxing way to end the day.  All that was left was to head back to the cable car and enjoy the journey back down the mountainside to the train station and head back home.  This was definitely one day I will always remember, and another challenge on my 40 things list has been achieved,

No.20 Do something that isn't on the list but should have been

When writing a bucket list of things to do, it is important to allow at least a little bit of flexibility.  There are usually so many things that you want to put on the list, but can't quite narrow it down.  This is the main reason that I added challenge No.20  "Do Something that should have been on the list but wasn't".

Well after successfully crossing a number of the challenges off the list, I have now come up with the perfect challenge for the mystery No.20......   and that is to visit the Tian Tan "Big" Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery in Hong Kong.

 

There is nothing like a good challenge and the whole idea of doing this "40 things before I am 40" bucket list is to build some life long memories.  This task is certainly going to capture some great memories.

The last time I visited somewhere on this scale was when I when to Corcovado mountain in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and stood at the foot of the statue "Christ The Redeemer".

 

That trip was over ten years ago, so it is quite fitting that I head over to the other side of the world and seek a similar experience.

So, my tickets are booked.  I head over to Hong Kong Island in three weeks time.  To say that I am excited is something less than an understatement. In fact I am positively jumping with joy and anticipation.

I will write a full report when I get back!

No.33 Try 50 different single malts

One of my favourite challenges (for obvious reasons!!) was to sample 50 of the finest single malt scotch whiskies.  This was quite a challenge, which started with researching which 50 to choose.  Some of them were quite hard to get hold of and I was only able to complete the challenge with the help of several friends who sourced some of the selection.  I do have to confess that I now have several opened bottles of whiskey that I guess I am going to have to work through over the coming winter.  The biggest challenge will be to ration myself to no more than an occasional glass.

The history behind single malt whiskey

Single Malt Whisky is a distilled spirit made entirely from malted barley at a single distillery. The most notable examples of this are made in Scotland and are thus referred to as scotches. But not all scotches are single malts. Vatted Malts or Pure Malts are blends from the malt whisky of several different distilleries. A whisky that is labeled generically "scotch" is blended and contains only 40 to 60% malt whisky with the remainder comprised of whisky made from cheaper unmalted grain. All whisky must be aged for a minimum of 3 years before it can be described as such.

Whisky is the fruit of a northern climate. The term whisky is a derivative of the expression "water of life" known in in Gaelic as "uisge (pronounced ooska) beatha." Over time uisge has been Anglicised to "whisky." The first whiskies were produced in the 15th century by monastic orders. The first tax on production, in the mid 17th century, had the effect of stimulating illegal production. This may account for the remote location of many distilleries. In 1823 the Excise Act was introduced to license distilleries. As a result the industry became, if not more expensive, at least more respectable. There are currently somewhere around 90 producing distilleries in Scotland.

Malt whisky is basically a distilled, un-hopped beer. Barley is malted to convert starch into fermentable sugars. To this end the barley is germinated (traditionally in floor maltings) and then kiln dried over peated fires. In the past, peat was used because of it's availability, but now it is used primarily to impart flavour to the malt.

The malted barley is ground in a mill and is then referred to as "grist." The grist is loaded into a vessel called a mash tun and is warmed with water to 64°C. At this temperature the enzymes present in the malt convert the remaining starches into sugar. The solution that is drawn off of the mash tun is referred to as "wort." The wort is pumped to another vessel called the washback. Yeast is added to the wort to ferment the sugars, producing alcohol.

When the fermentation is complete, what is now called the "wash" is boiled in a series of two, or sometimes three, pot stills. Condensate is taken off of the first still and added to the second. This process concentrates the alcohol as it has a lower boiling point than water and will condense first. The liquid that comes out of the stills has an alcohol content of between 60 and 75% which is blended and diluted to an average strength of 65% before it is put into oak barrels for maturation.

The whisky will have a strength of between 50 an 60% alcohol after the losses that are incurred by evaporation in the barrel during aging. Before bottling the whisky is further diluted to 40 or 43% alcohol.

The water used in most distilleries is soft. It is common wisdom that the best water sources are those that rise from granite over peat. The flavour the source water picks up from its journey is concentrated by the distillation process.

The amount and character of peat used in the kilning process has a pronounced effect on the flavour of the whisky.

The shape of the pot still , the angle of the lyne arm that leads to the condensing unit, as well as the degree of heat applied affect the flavours that are captured in the distilled whisky. Taller stills tend to produce lighter whiskies.

Whisky will usually spend 8 to 15 years in an oak cask. The type of wood used and the micro-climate of the maturation warehouse have a profound influence on the character of the whisky. Most casks are made from American oak, some of which have previously been used for the storage of bourbon. Some distilleries used old sherry casks which impart a sherried flavour to the spirit. The traditional maturation warehouse is damp with earthen floors. The humidity cuts the rate of evaporation in the barrels. In some coastal distilleries the sea air is said to imbue a certain briny character to the whisky.

Regional Characteristics

Lowlands. Whisky from the Lowlands region tend to be lighter, softer, and less peated.

Highlands. The Highlands are where the bulk of single malt whisky is produced. As it encompasses a very large area, the whisky produced in this area is stylistically very broad. Generally Highland whiskies are known for their depth and complexity.

Islay. The most distinctive single malts are produced on this island. These malt whiskies tend to be well peated with a smoky characteristic. Some phenolic, medicinal, or sea overtones are typical.

To avoid any bias (and I have to be honest and declare that I enjoyed them all), I have written the list below in alphabetical order.  In brackets I have also added the region where the whiskey is distilled:

Enjoying The Whisky

With idiosyncratic character and a lingering finish, Single Malt Whisky is made to be sipped. Although smothering your single malt with ice or soda water is not recommended, don't be afraid to add a little cool water to the whisky. Drink it at a strength that allows you to appreciate subtleties in the flavour. Spring water is ideal as it has a more neutral flavour than tap water.

Graham's List of Single Malt Whiskey

01. Aberfeldy 21  (Highland)
02. Aberlour 15 (Speyside)
03. Ardbeg (Islay)
04. Auchentoshan 16 (Lowland)

05. The Balvenie 21 (Speyside)
06. BenRiach 16 (Speyside)
07. Bowmore 12 (Islay)
08. Bowmore Darkest (Islay)
09. Brora (Highland)
10. Bruichladdich 15 (Islay)
11. Bunnahabhain 25 (Islay)
12. Caol lla (Islay)
13. Cragganmore 29 (Speyside)
14. Dailuaine (Speyside)
15. Dallas Dhu (Speyside)
16. The Dalmore 21 (Highland)
17. The Dalmore 28 (Highland)
18. Dalwhinnie 1990 (Highland)

19. Duncan Taylor 1969 (Speyside)
20. Glenfarclas 25 (Speyside)
21. Glenfiddich 12 (Speyside)
22. Glenfiddich 30 (Speyside)
23. Glengoyne 15 (Highland)
24. GlenGrant 34 (Speyside)
25. GlenKinchie 1987 (Lowland)

26. The Glenlivet 18 (Speyside)
27. Glenmorangie - Qunita Ruban (Highland)
28. Glenmorangie - Nectar D'Or 15 (Highland)
29. Glenrothes Vintage 1991 (Speyside)
30. Glenrothes vintage 1975 (Speyside)
31. Scott's Selection 1980 (Speyside)
32. Glenturret (Highland)
33. Highland Park 18 (Orknay Islands)
34. Highland Park 25 (Orknay Islands)

35. Inverleven Duncan Taylor 28 (Lowland)
36. Lagavulin 16 (Islay)
37. Lagavulin 12 (Islay)
38. Laphroaig 15 (Islay)
39. Ledaig 20 (Isle of Mull)
40. Longmorn 15 (Speyside)
41. Macallan 25 25 (Speyside)
42. Mannochmore 1991 (Speyside)
43. Oban 14 (Highland)
44. Old Pulteney 17 (Highland)
45. Royal Lochnagar 12 (Highland)
46. Scapa 14 (Orkney Islands)
47. Springbank 1979 (Campbeltown_
48. Talisker 18 (Isle of Skye)

49. Talisker (Isle of skye)
50. Tomintoul (Speyside)


Alas, the challenge is complete.  However the whiskey drinking certainly isn't... hiccup!!!  Do you have any favourites that are not on this list that you would recommend?  I would love to hear if you do.  There is nothing more enjoyable than sampling even more fine whiskeys.  Who knows, maybe on my "50 things to do before I'm 50" I will add another 50 single malts to taste.

Enjoy! x