Visit Hong Kong: Ngong Ping 360

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The Ngong Ping 360 experience involves taking a cable car to the Ngong Ping, where you can explore the village and even do some hiking.

We bought our tickets off of Klook, which was a few dollars cheaper than buying them on site.

You take the cable car from Tung Chung (there are two kinds of cable cars - a "crystal" which offers "80% more visibility, including a glass bottom, and a standard car - we went in a standard).

Depending on crowds, you may have to share your cable car, but it was pretty slow the day we went, and we had the cable car to ourselves both ways.

The views were spectacular, as we could see the Tung Chung Bay, Hong Kong International Airport, as well as waterfalls, and even hundreds of stairs which people can actually hike on (it's called the Ngong Ping Rescue Trail).  

You could even see the Big Buddha from the ride.

It was a beautiful 25 minute cable car ride to the Ngong Ping Village, a portion of which was really touristy, with American and international chain restaurants and shops.

There were some parts of the village that seemed to have more authentic shops, but they too were also selling lots of souvenirs.

The big draw is the Big Buddha, or Tian Tan Buddha.

Tian Tan Buddha

There are other attractions in the area to see, such as the Po Lin Monastery.

We then took a hike on the Wisdom Path, which ended with a display of wooden columns with inscriptions of the Heart Sutra by master Sinologist Professor Jao Tsung-I.

It was so beautiful!

There are numerous hiking trails in the area that you could explore if you have time.

The ride down was just as spectacular as the ride up.

There is not much shaded area in Ngong Ping Village, so it can get quite uncomfortable during the hot and humid days.  Be sure to bring sunscreen, umbrellas, neck fans, plenty of water, and insect repellent.

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Visit San Francisco: A Ride on a Cable Car

When in San Francisco, a ride on a Cable Car is a definite tourist must-do.

It's pretty pricey for a single ride - $7 (cash, unless you prepay via the MuniMobile app), but you can buy a Visitor Passport for 1, 3, or 7 consecutive days of unlimited rides (also includes rides on Muni, Muni Metro, and historic streetcars).  CityPASS San Francisco also includes a 7-day Cable Car and Muni Bus Passport.

Because of how expensive it is for a cable car ride, we decided to only take one trip - from Lombard Street to Fisherman's Wharf.

There is a stop sign right near the top of the "Crookedest Street in the World," but the cable car stopped in the middle of the intersection instead.  It was pretty full, and unsure if we could get on, I asked the Conductor in the back of the cable car if it was okay if we went on, and he said it was.

We squeezed in, I showed him two CityPASSes for the adults, and he ended up letting the kids go on for free, telling us "I can't charge you $21 just to go 5 blocks."  That was so nice of him!

It was indeed a quick ride from Lombard Street to Fisherman's Wharf, but at least the kids got to experience a ride on a San Francisco Cable Car!

Complimentary CityPASSes were provided.

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