Day 8 – 14th March 2024

After Ocean Park I texted one of my cousins and asked if my Aunt (DaddyChef’s younger sister) was ok to meet up with me… I haven’t seen her since before covid, and didn’t meet her when I last went to HK. My father’s generation are the loud speakers of HK (as they talk agressively for no reason). So the meet up ended up in Shek Mun, which is also in the Shatin area. I’ve not walked around this area before but it reminded me of Tokyo…

It took me a while to locate the restaurant that my aunt had chosen to meet in, but suddenly I found myself in front of my Aunt at the lift. What a coincidence!

The restaurant they chose is called 彩福皇宴 Choi Fook Royal Banquet Restaurant. My cousin did most of the ordering because I didn’t know what everyone wanted… It was like eating fancy dim sum and various dishes. I did end up paying, as I’ve never treated my cousin or my aunts before. Seriously, never… Total came to HK$600 which included a takeaway my cousin ordered for his wife.

My geek rating: 5/5

Address: Kings Wing Plaza Phase 1

After a longish brunch of eating and gossiping about my other cousins, we moved along. I went back to the hotel, took a short break, then moved onto my next destination.

I’ve always travelled along the Shatin area, but I’ve not been to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery before. For some reason, on this trip I wanted to visit more temples… Maybe it’s because of the experience I had in Japan. I wanted to see more places that I didn’t get to go to.

The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is not actually a monastery as no monks live there, so you should be careful of fake monks asking for money. The statues are also not Buddhas, they are monks who have reached enlightenment (I actually overheard this fact on my way back down). It’s free to go in as well…

It’s fairly close to Shatin Station, you just need to be aware of the car park nearby. Wear sensible trainers or shoes… also bring water with you! It’s a long climb up, but there are resting points.

I enjoyed my trip up and down the monastery. Just don’t go when it rains as it feels slippery. Make sure to burn some incense, and respect the surrounding areas. It’s good for you if you need to sweat from eating too much!

Address: 220 Pai Tau Village, Shatin, Hong Kong

I was still quite full from brunch, but bought my dinner of two sweet potatoes and boiled eggs from a food stand by Shatin station (HK$58) – you’ll see it when you’re going to the monastery. And sushi from Sushi Express (HK$30) – from inside the station near the ticket and bank areas. Cheap dinner!

End of Day 8.