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designated a country park. With wild countryside, monasteries, old fishing villages and seriously secluded beaches, Lantau offers the best quick escape fi’om downtown Hong Kong - more than half the island is designated as "country park".However, this tranquillity is unlikely to last, at least along the northern and northeastern shores, as Hong Kong’s airport at Chek Lap Kok and its associated transport links are spawning a range of new conmaercial and residential developments, plus Disney World, slated to open in 2005-6.The tranquillity of other parts of the island shouldn’t be fatally disturbed, and serious hikers nfight want to take advantage of the seventy-kilometre Lantau Trail, which links up the popular scenic spots on the island in twelve stages and is dotted along its length by campsites and youth hostels; for detailed information on this, pay a call to the Country Parks Authority in Kowloon (see
p.744). Even ifyou intend doing only a short hike or a quick whip round the main sights, try to set aside a full day for Lantau, or plan to pay two or more visits, as the sights are scattered. Ifyou’re pressed for tinae, you could catch the Lantau Explorer Bus trip, operated by New World Fast Ferry ($130 per per-son, including return ferry trip, bus and guide; lasts five hours and covers the main sights).The main point of arrival for visitors to Lantau Island is Mui To, otherwise known as Silvermine Bay, about one hour from the Outlying Islands Ferry Piers. Some of the Mui Wo boats stop at the small island of PengChau ear route.There are also a few ferries daily which connect Mui Wo with Cheung Chau. The other point of arrival is Discovery Bay, a residential area connected by frequent high-speed ferries (24hr) from Outlying Islands Ferry Pier 3. From Mui Wo to Discovery Bay Mui Wo itself is not much to speak of, although it has some decent, low-key seafood restaurants near the ferry pier. Having disembarked at the ferry pier,most people head straight for the bus station right outside. There are, however, some excellent walks that can be made directly from MuiWo, one of which, the trail to Discovery Bay (2hr), is reasonably straightforward. From the pier you need to head northwest towards the attractive, curving, sandy bay you’ll see from the ferry as you approach the island. Keep following the bay around to the end of the beach and continue past the end of the village, until you reach a signposted path bearing steeply uphill ,to the left. This clinrbs up through open land to a lookout point with superb views over the mountains, then drops downhill, taking you through more open land and some jungle until you reach the Trappist Monastery on your right. Most of the buildings are closed to the public, but it’s a pleasant, cool spot - albeit mosquito heaven. The normal access to the monastery, if’ not on foot, is by an infrequent kaito service from nearby Discovery Bay and Peng Chau Island to the pier about fifteen minutes’ walk from the monastery, on the broad path that leads down the hill. If you want to go on from the monastery to Discovery Bay (known as "DB" to the locals), follow the same road down towards the pier, and a little way down on your left you’ll see a sign post pointing you in the right direction. After about thirty minutes, you’ll arrive at a series of sandy bays, a cluster of shanty houses and then Discovery Bay itself, which with its condominiums, a shopping mall, blonde kids and golfbuggies will leave you wondering whether you’ve stepped through a time warp into some Orwellian version of middle-America. This is the main settlement on the island, inhabited by Chinese and expatriate families. From Discovery Bay you can catch ferries back to Mui Wo and Peng Chau, or direct to the Outlying Islands Ferry Piers in Certral; you can also catch airport buses and local shuttle buses to Tung Chung, which operate every fifteen minutes.
Western Lantau
The road west from Mui Wo passes along the southern shore, which is where Lantau’s best beaches are located. Cheung Sha Upper and Lower Beaches with a couple of cafes and a hotel, are the nicest, and buses #1, #2, #4 and#5 all pass by here.Beyond the beaches, there are a couple more interesting sights in the western part of the island that can also be reached by direct bus from MuiWo.The first of these is the Po Lin (Precious Lotus) Monastery (daily 10am-6pm;free), which is by far the largest temple in the whole territory of Hong Kong,Located high up on the Ngong Ping Plateau, this is not an ancient site, indeed it was only established in 1927. Nevertheless, it is very much a living, breathing temple, and busloads of locals arrive here by the hour, in particular to pay their respects to the bronze Tian Tan Buddha, the largest seated bronze outdoor Buddha in the world and weighing in at 200 tonnes, and to eat in the huge vegetarian restaurant (daily 11.30am-Spin; meal tickets $60 for the "deluxe" meal, $25 for a "snack"; tickets from the office at the bottom of the steps to the Buddha).The Po Lin Monastery, which is of ten referred to inbus schedules as Ngong Ping, is reached by bus #2 from Mui Wo, and it’s a spectacular forty-minute ride through the hills. The last bus back to MuiWo leaves at 7.30pm. Alternatively, you can catch buses #23 or #11 from Tung Chung town centre.Night on the far northwestern shore of Lantau is the interesting little fisifing village of Tar O. This remote place, constructed over salt fiats and a tiny off-shore island, has become a popular tourist spot (the government has plans for further development) particularly at weekends, but still retains much of its old character. There are some interesting local temples, wooden houses built partially on stilts, caged animals, and a big trade in dried fish.You can reach it by bus #41 from Mui Wo (last bus back 1.30am) and also by the relatively infrequent bus #21 from the Po Lin Monastery (last service at 3pm).
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