“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”- Buddha

I wake up from a night of drinking with my new friends, I am in a rundown hostel overlooking the center of Hong Kong. My mouth is dry, it feels as if I was sucking on cotton balls and sawdust all night, My head is pounding as if I did four rounds with Connor McGregor. but it was Absolutely worth it, I laugh at myself with the ridiculousness that Got myself into last night. ( that is a story for another post) I slowly get up trying to blinking the sleep away. I think to myself that I probably look just like Frankenstein after he got hit by A bolt of lightning.  ‘It’s alive !!!!!) What should I do today I whisper to my self?  I remember There were somethings on my bucket list to cross off.  I quickly look up my Bucket list. “Aha!!!” 10,000 Buddha temple, I laugh at myself.  I think yo my self “They probably don’t have 10,000 Buddhas Right? ” it’s like one of those infomercials.

“BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE !!!!!”

 I get dressed, looking fly, I start slowly walking through the hallways of the hostile, hearing people behind the doors, I wonder what their lives are like. Are they lovers, friends or enemies or is it Jeff Goldbloom? I make it to the front desk. A very bubbly and cute woman says” good morning”. I try to not show that my head is splitting like a watermelon that fell off the Empire State Building. I spit out a “good morning” as well, she could see that I had to hangover there’s no doubt about that.

Smiling I ask “I’m trying to find a temple” She laughs at tells me there are thousands in Hong Kong. I need to be more specific, I need to find 10,000 Buddha Temple, she smiles Gives me one of those free maps everybody gets in a hostile. You know the ones, She starts circling and writing things out. She hands it to me and gives me a cute smile. and says for me to drink some water. I blush as I walk out of the hostel doors. She waves goodbye and gives me a smile. It seems as if that smile gave me a few AA batteries in my ass because I had quite a bit of energy after that chat.

As I hop out the door I wonder what kind of adventure I’ll get myself into. I’m walking through Hong Kong early in the morning, I see the sun is just cresting over the city. It lends a great glow to the place like it truly is made of gold. There’s only a couple convenient stores and McDonald’s open. I think to myself that I need something to mop up the beer in my stomach. So McDonald’s it is. I stumble my way into the McDonald’s and get myself a coffee and a McMuffin. walking to the table I Plop my ass in one of those all too uncomfortable seats and start unwrapping the McMuffin. just like I was a kid in his first Xmas, I inhaled it. As I lick my lips I say  “that hit the Spot”.

Oh, how good it is to be eating greasy food after a long night of drinking. I sit down and enjoy my coffee as I think about the city.  And how it is so beautiful in a very Orwellian way. If that’s what the future‘s going to be I’m OK with that because their food is good. I hop up, throw out my garbage and walk towards the subway I put in some coins, and slide through the gate felling alot better after eating. The train stops and the doors of the opened up with a huge clatter, I start heading towards what I think is the station to 10,000 Buddhas once I make it to my stop, I hop out to walk up those huge concrete steps and it brings me too what part of Hong Kong I’ve never been.

It’s too beautiful, Just in front of the entrance to the subway station is a small park. I look around and see old women doing tai chi. They are looking smoother than Barry Manilow’s voice. and next to them are some old men Are already starting to play cards. looking around enjoying the sights of the people living their own lives. and then it hits me, I need to start looking for this temple. DAYLIGHT IS BURING!!! I look at the map and notice there is a little hart I feel my cheeks flush red. Thinking to my self is it left or right?  This map doesn’t really say. Looking like a lost puppy someone pitties me and comes over and asked me. (In surprisingly beautiful English) where I would like to go “it’s this huge temple that has 10,000 Buddhas”  the person points to the right. I smile and shake his hand and I continue my journey. I walk and walk and walk.

I eventually see a little tiny metal sign that says in English and Chinese 10,000 Buddhist temple. I think to myself that’s it.

Now I was thinking it would be right in front of the subway station. Well damn, I was wrong. I needed to hike for 30 minutes. There’s a small market that I have to go through, then some big ass stairs that make’s me sweat just thinking about them. I see the daunting task ahead of me. I shake my head and go, I weave in and out through the small market just like a needle through your grandma’s quilts. People are selling everything you would need to give an offering to a Buddha, from incense to what looks like iPods, cars and smokes that are made out of paper. I later learn that is for burning to pass it on to love ones. I walk through smiling and waving at random people. The ingulfing smell of the incense is heavy and causes me to feel lightheaded (or that might be the hangover) but it’s beautiful. To me, that is the smell of China or Asia its the smell of adventure.

That smell is etched on my mind just like the hieroglyphs on the runes of Egypt. I eventually pass through that market and start walking up the stairs passing houses, I can hear people living their own lives, lives that I will never know. 

The stairs are getting progressively more and more vertical until eventually, I make it in front of Life-size statue of a Buddha.                                                                                     I think to myself  “wow this must be it ” so I walk in. Surprisingly it’s free, the only thing I had to pay with was The sweat and tears that came out of my body. I didn’t quite understand how beautiful it would be. I start walking in and I see people praying and meditating. This is the time a little voice in my head that oddly sounds like my mom says “don’t touch anything or ask for a selfie” So I move on, trying to be as respectful as possible. Then as I am looking around I see a gap in the trees and what I see almost bring me to tears. This temple is on top of the hill where you overlook the whole city I am in awe.

– lol, do you see what I did there-

Anyways I go around looking at the literal 10,000 Buddhas. The understanding that each one of these little statues is a true representation of a real person Dose not hit me till I am laying in bed that night.

I make my way around some more watching the incense trail up to the sky and dissipate. It looks like a piece of silk floating through the wind, Eventually, after taking in all the beauty I find that I need to go.I’m hungry and there are other things on my bucket list. (I want to see the bird and flower market) So I start walking down the other side of the temple and holy shit there are hundreds of life-size golden Statues of different buddhas snaking throughout this trail,  I could spend hours taking photos and reading Who they are it’s crazy. I walk my way down looking at all the interesting and beautiful statues, Eventually, I make it to the end where I can sit down and probably take in what I’ve seen. I just can’t believe how beautiful and how many Buddhas there are. Not like it says it right in the name😜.