Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car is breathtaking! (Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car (Hong Kong, China))

Member Name: englishrose

Product:	Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car (Hong Kong, China)
Date:	23/06/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Thrills. Views. Price. Location.

Disadvantages: Not for the faint-hearted

I visited the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car during my holiday to Hong Kong in May 2009.

It is situated on Lantau, which was formerly an island but is now easily reached by the link roads that have been attached to it, by underground train or by the more traditional ferry.

Nearby to the cable car is the giant buddha and monastery, which we visited first - This in itself was a breathtaking experience, and one I would highly recommend.

Just by the buddha and monastery is the Ngong Ping Village. This has been specially built for tourists, and I was not personally all that impressed by it : Yes it was very nice, with lots of shops selling souvenirs etc., but I could just feel the commercialism and didn't really enjoy it - I prefer 'real ' shops and 'real ' situations myself, it's a matter of opinion of course.

Also available in the 'village' was foot massage, restaurants, cafes and bars, so there is no reason to be hungry, thirsty or un-relaxed.!

You walk through this area to get to the cable car station, which was what I really wanted to see.

The ticket for a one-way trip costs around HK$60, which works out at around £6.00.

You can pay by cash, card or Octopus card (the local pre-payment system).

My friend and I had a cable car to ourselves,although it would have seated around 6-8 people quite comfortably. The cabin was totally spotless, and as we moved off, we noticed that instead of air-conditioning, the cooling system comes from fresh air: hundreds of tiny holes perforated in metal strips under the seats. Genius - but not if you are a little bit nervous and prefer to be sealed away from the outside: You could hear the cabin moving along the cable, and also the wind blowing - fine for us, but not for the faint-hearted.

As soon as you set off from the station, you are incredibly high up: Depending on your point of view, this is either exhilirating or terrifying.

We thought it was wonderful: The views across the mountains to the sea were stunning, and way down below us we could see ancient graves that have been there for .. who knows how long?

The ride went on for much longer than we expected: Around half an hour. It dips high and low, and there is a 'halfway' station, so if anyone has any problems, there is a chance to get off.

After the halfway station, the cabin sweeps out and dips down dramatically, and suddenly you realise that you are on the other side of Lantau and you have a spectacular birds-eye view of the airport, complete with planes taking off next to you and everything. Fantastic.

Just before the end, the cabin sweeps down low over a shallow area of sea, and we could see hundreds of people in the water, cockle-picking I think. Only when we saw these people did we realise how high up we had been, as they looked like little dots on the water at first.

The ride ends at a town on Lantau called Tung Chung, which is near the airport and is a usual mix of high-rises and shopping centres etc. In particular, if you are interested in shopping for designer labels, there is an 'outlet' mall here, with discounts on many designer name brands.

You would think you were going to be in the middle of nowhere after this spectacular ride, but as soon as you get off the cable car, there is an MTR (underground) station there, taxis and buses.

My visit coincided with the swine flu alert, and we noticed that as soon as we got off the cable car, someone jumped in with a cloth and some spray, disinfected the entire cabin at the speed of light, and jumped off again in time for the next customer to get on. Brilliant.

Summary: What an experience!