Chi Lin Nunnery

30 mins experience but a memory of a lifetime...

Connecting to Nan Lian Garden is the Chi Lin Nunnery. But don’t be fooled by the name, this place has seriously blown us away! There is a part of the nunnery, the Lotus Pond, where it’s literally like a movie set! We cannot believe our eyes when we entered, feels surreal that a place like this actually exists. Quite sad to know that we’ve passed by this place a hundred times but have never given it the slightest glance.

We were supposed to visit this place when we went to the Nan Lian Garden but the bad weather forbid us to do so therefore we made plans to drop by the nunnery after work. As soon as you enter you will be greeted by… guess what. Big bright greenery! But if you walk further along you will see a big temple entrance. We were quite intimidated to go in at first because it looks somewhat creepy but still went ahead. And the only thing that came out of our mouths was “WOW!” It’s like one of the back drops you only see in the movies! We were totally gobsmacked by the ginormous temple and the ponds.

Its probably best to visit this when you go to Nan Lian because you don’t need a whole day for this place. In fact it only took us 30 mins. But we did enjoy it. You don’t get see places like these very often or maybe ever. Either way, we were thankful to have visited such a place, it’s forever locked in our memory. J

Details:

Place: Chi Lin Nunnery

Location: Diamond Hill

How to get there: There’s a bridge connecting to the Nan Lian Garden

Admission fee: FREE! 

*Click the picture to enlarge*

P.S No Jump Picture for this because this place didn't allow us to. They were pretty strict with guards in every corner. I mean, it is a NUNNERY! But we manage to video it so Yay! 

Til next time...

The Son, Who'll take the Son?

I was in my teens when I first read this very inspirational story of "The Son". Do take time to read until the very last ... this is such a wonderful piece! I shall say no more ... here it is!

The Son

Author Unknown

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had Everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art."

The young man held out his package.

"I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the portrait.

"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.

The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this portrait of the son. Who will bid for this painting?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted.

 "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." 

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" 

Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" 

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long-time gardener of the man and his son. 

"I'll give $10 for the painting." 

Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. 

"We have $10, who will bid $20?" 

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." 

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the painting of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 

"Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" 

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel.

"I'm sorry, the auction is over. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"

Image from: http://s4.hubimg.com

God gave his son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. 

Will you take the son?!

One Picturesque Day! [Nan Liang Garden]

Hong Kong is known for many things but beautiful scenery is not one of them. Sadly not many people bother to try and explore the other hidden attractions in Hong Kong. But fear not because we will help you. Our first stop, Nan Liang Garden!

Nan Liang Garden is located in Diamond Hill near the Hollywood Plaza. It is extremely accessible which is a bit shocking why there aren’t a lot of people going there. I understand gardens might not be your thing but it is definitely worth to check out. It is perfect for an easy stroll and getting-out-of-the-city-buzz kind of thing.

The garden is not your typical trees and grass, as soon as you enter you’d feel like you’ve gone back to the ancient times. They even have mini museums inside! But the first thing we noticed is how clean the place is. So clean you can actually rest on the floor!

We really can’t stress enough how nice and wonderful it is to have discovered a place like this in Hong Kong. We had a great time walking and taking pictures of all the bright greens and clear water around us the only down side was that it rained a few times during our trip. Guess the best way to end this post is to present you the visuals.

Please do check the place out and guaranteed you’ll enjoy, especially for the photogs out there.

Details

Location: Nan Liang Garden

How to get there: Take MTR, Diamond Hill Exit A

Admission fee: FREE! (Some Museums inside requires an entrance free $10 for child and $20 for adult)

A Rock Museum apparently. 

Ahhhh our Successful jump!

We'll try to have a "Jump Picture" in all our outings from now on. But my god! you have no idea how many takes it took us to finally get it right. As evidence, here are some of the pictures in the Epic Fail Category. 

'Til our next adventure... Bye! :)