Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery

The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is one of the coolest things to see in Hong Kong.  Located in Sha Tin (out in the New Territories), the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is hidden behind an office building with only a spray painted wooden sign to show you the way.  Once you find your way there and get to the entrance you will need to watch out for fake monks.  Entry into the Monastery is free, but there are men, dressed like monks, who hang out by the entrance trying to con people into giving them money.  They seem friendly, but if you stop to shake their hands, they will try to give you jewelry and then will ask for money for the jewelry.  Best option, ignore them and keep walking.  Second option, if you find yourself somehow wearing jewelry they have given you, take it off and give it back to them without giving them any money. 

Once you get past the fakers, you begin the climb.  I'm not sure how many steps it is to get to the top, but it's a lot.  Luckily, there are plenty of benches you can rest on along the way.  I like to get to the Monastery early (it opens at 9 am), that way it's cooler and there are not as many people walking up and down the steps.  As you climb, you might be tempted to start counting the Buddhas lining the stairs.  Feel free to do so, but the name Ten Thousand Buddhas comes from the main worship Hall at the top of the Monastery.  Strangely, there are over twelve thousand Buddhas in the main worship Hall, but I guess they liked the way Ten Thousand Buddhas sounded.

Keep climbing, you're almost there.

Trust me, you can make it.

At least the view on the walk up is interesting

 

Yes, there are a lot of stairs.

You made it!

Everything about this place is beautiful.  The view of Sha Tin is breathtaking, the dense forest the Monastery is nestled in is amazing.  There's a pretty good vegetarian restaurant at the top, so you can refuel before heading back down.  When I went with my sister, we saw several monkeys around the Monastery.  They were really cute, but at one point some of them raided a woman's purse and stole a bag of chips! 

View from the top