HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 8

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

The final leg of my walk brought me back to where I began, the gates guarding the main temple complex. A further look before I left for my next destination revealed details which I did not noticed when I first marveled at the place. 

The gates guarding the main temple were as beautifully carved as any other areas of the temple, with intrinsic details and topped with the familiar upturned eave which decorated Chinese temples everywhere.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 7

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Standing in the shadow of the patron deity of the temple was another equally famous and crowd-attracting deity. He was the god of marriage of love, the old man under the moon, the one known as Yue Lao (月老). In Chinese mythology, belonging neither to Buddhism nor to Taoism specifically, he was the equivalent to Cupid, tying the knots between people to form couples and marriage.

The statue of Yue Lao standing in a courtyard, waiting for the right couple to tie his red knot with.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 6

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Continuing the walk from the last article, blossomed flowers and running waters extended from one end of the garden to the other. Where ponds of koi and thundering waterfalls greeted us at one end, another pond of tortoises bade us farewell on the other end.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 5

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

There are certain vistas which challenge even the most established photographer, what more for an amateur like me. To attempt to capture the sense of feasting your sights on a paradise is like trying to describe a beautiful lady you just sighted. Words and images just do them no justice.

There are certain wonderful places which most guide books deemed not worthy of putting their images in the section introducing said area. The backyard gardens of Wong Tai Sin temple is one of those.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 4

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

To me, the real treasures of Wong Tai Sin temple are what lies behind the temple cloister, an area which rarely gets the attention of most travel guides and websites. The temple cloister may lent a visitor his chance to pray to the deity, but it was the yard at the back which grant one a peaceful mind.

While circling around the temple cloister to reach the backyard, this was the first peaceful area which I encountered - the Nine Dragons Wall. Any koi presence, be it in a statue sprouting water or living swimming entities, holds an important place in East Asian culture.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 3

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Sometimes it is worth a visit to popular areas just to get to know the people there. Wong Tai Sin temple's fame for granting wishes drew huge crowds from all over Hong Kong and China, and tourists like me also like to join into the crowd to enjoy the experience.

In the fenced off area in the cloister facing the main altar were a small score of believers who prayed hard for answers in the form of kau cim, where they shook a cylindrical container filled with fortune telling sticks until one fell out. The stick contained a numeral which need to be decoded by a fortune telling master to know the answer to your question.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 2

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Images of the main altar were what I saw the most as I researched materials on Wong Tai Sin temple, although I had not an inkling of that. The upturned curve of a majestic roof which is familiar with most Buddhist temples of South-East Asia emulated that of the Imperial Palace, and I felt a kinship to this unfamiliar land with a recognizable slice that was parallel to the place where I originated from.

Wong Tai Sin temple is one of the major tourist attraction of Hong Kong, drawing multitudes of people from various walks of life as well as different part of the world to visit, asking for wishes to be granted.

HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Part 1

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

The temple of Wong Tai Sin is synonymous to Hong Kong, much more so than the Big Buddha despite the fame and sheer size of the latter. All Hong Kongers know about the temple, famed for being able to grant any wish that is requested (有求必應), and no trip to Hong Kong should skip it, if only to just experience the crowd it draws.

Traditional Chinese: 黃大仙祠

Simplified Chinese: 黄大仙祠

Cantonese Jyutping: wong⁴ daai⁶ sin¹ ci⁴

Pin Yin: Huáng Dà Xiān Cì

Pronounced as: wong dai sin cee

Standing in front of the main gates to the temple, it was obvious that that was another crowded day despite it being a weekday. The gate itself is a preview of the Chinese temple architecture expected from my visit. This can be referred to the marking #1 in the map at the end of this article.

Ibis Singapore Novena Hotel Part 3 - OOpen

Location: Novena, Singapore

Note: This is an article continuing from Ibis Singapore Novena Hotel Part 2 - Entering the Room

As is the norm for hotels, Ibis Singapore Novena Hotel comes with its own restaurant cum cafe with the curious name of OOpen. Guests of the hotel for the night could enjoy 2 complimentary breakfasts, so off we went to grab our breakfast in the cafe situated at a side off the lobby.

Fact is that I do not know what is the name of the cafe until I browsed the web. Fancy as it is, sometimes a design just doesn't get a point across to the user.

Ibis Singapore Novena Hotel Part 2 - Entering the Room

Location: Novena, Singapore

Note: This is an article continuing from Ibis Singapore Novena Hotel Part 1 - Getting There & Experience with A Cab

I was particularly impressed by how the room was designed. The first point I bring forth is one against Ibis Singapore Novena Hotel though - the available floor space. At first glance, the room looked spacious, with high ceilings as well as tall window panes. But the fact is that taking a circuit around the room and placing your luggage open will tell you how much space you really had.

Ibis Singapore Novena Hotel greets you!

Ibis Singapore Novena Hotel Part 1 - Getting There & Experience with A Cab

Location: Novena, Singapore

With a long break from this blog and without any new edited photos ready, I dug out some of my past photos for learning new Photoshop tricks. I vividly recalled my accommodation in Singapore during my initial days of arrival - Ibis Novena Hotel of Singapore.

The hotel itself is not particularly easy to find, and it was for this hotel that I experienced my first difficulties. I was careless in my preparation in not looking carefully at the direction to the hotel, and couldn't find the hotel when I arrived in Novena MRT station. Even so, I thought that the cab drivers would know of the place. How wrong was I. 

This became my first lesson for traveling in Singapore - cab drivers aren't aware of the major buildings around the area they queued for passengers. Despite the fact that Singapore being a small island nation, the buildings are still numerous enough that the cab drivers aren't aware of every nook and cranny available. So be advised - always bring the detailed address, down to the street name and nearby landmarks, with you while traveling in Singapore. This will aid the cab driver in getting his bearing around.

And not all cab drivers are friendly by the way. But at least they aren't rude. Not all of them anyway.

The usual expected room rate for Ibis Novena Hotel. Price will fluctuate according to season but still affordable for a couple or a family spending a few days in Singapore.

Snoopy's World (史諾比開心世界) Finale

Location: Sha Tin (沙田), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

A final article sharing on photos of Snoopy's World... Too tired for words, so here's another article with minimal words...

To Snoopy's World we go!

Snoopy's World (史諾比開心世界) Part 3

Location: Sha Tin (沙田), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

More photos of Snoopy's World, but less words this time... ^^

Even the benches are modeled as Snoopy's favorite bone!

Snoopy's World (史諾比開心世界) Part 2

Location: Sha Tin (沙田), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Snoopy's World in Sha Tin is no mere playground - every section of the playground is fun-filled with different type of interactive adventure for kids. Even adults are drawn to the playground to have snapshots with their favorite characters in different poses.

If the visitor cares to look up when he is within the doghouse at Snoopy's World's entrance, he will be rewarded with pictures of the adorable beagle in its different poses.

Snoopy's World (史諾比開心世界) Part 1

Location: Sha Tin (沙田), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Located beyond the hustle of financial districts and aging Kowloon is a park filled with adorable characters from Peanuts. Welcome to Snoopy's World, where Chralie Brown and co. awaits in every corner of the playground situated on New Town Plaza's 3rd floor open plaza!

Surprised that few of my friends who visited Hong Kong knew of its existence, I decided to skip other more notable locations in favor of this park. The open playground is spacious enough to accommodate an army of families and running kids, with a few smaller sections dedicated to different ways of interacting with the gang from Peanuts.

Welcome to Snoopy's World, a paradise where the famed canine and the Peanuts gang awaits!