Andrew Currie Online

Hong Kong has, in my humble opinion and experience, the best airport in the world. And yet, I wish I could have landed at the legendary Kai Tak at least once before it closed. And now, thanks to the Internet, I can… Kinda.

Airliners.net has a collection of photos documenting the “Kai Tak Heart Attack” — a low descent over the rooftops of Kowloon, then a last-minute 47-degree turn before touching down in the heart of the city. You can get to them from the search page by clicking on the photo above or here, then select “Hong Kong – Kai Tak” under “Country/Airport” and “Most Popular” under the “Sort By” heading.

Enjoy!

The one low-point of my latest foray into the Far East was my visit to Ocean Park, for the sole purpose of seeing the Giant Panda Bears there.

My first mistake was leaving for the park at noon, at the peak of the midday sun and heat. A special express bus dropped me off at one of the two main entrances, but I still had to take a series of long escalators up the side of a mountain to figure out where I was. Here’s a view of Aberdeen, from about halfway up.

Only at the top of the mountain did I find out that the giant Pandas were actually on the other side of the park, and I would have to cross it to get to them.

A serene cable car ride made the trek only a bit easier.

And of course, when I finally found the Panda habitat I also found out that it was closed for the day, so I ran for the nearest exit and the comfort of an air-conditioned bus back to my hotel.

High in the mountains of Lantau Island sits the remote Po Lin Monastery, accessible only to monks and tourists.

And right across the square sits the famous Big Buddha.

Someone told me it would take 500 steps to reach the base of the statue, but I think they were confused with another monastery. I only counted two hundred and forty or so, but it was still enough to make me winded… Thanks, big guy!

At the foot of Big Buddha are smaller statues of servants with offerings.

But ’round the Buddha’s backside is an even more impressive display, a breathtaking view of the South China Sea.