To a Land Far, Far Away

“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure." ~William Feather, American publisher

Today we pushed the envelope on my sister’s fear of heights and took the Ngong Ping Gondola up to the Giant Buddha on Lantau Island here in Hong Kong!

I’m not sure what I expected from the ride up and over the mountain today, except that I knew it was the most efficient way to get up to one of Hong Kong’s most visited tourist attractions. I had visited the Buddha with Maggie a year ago on a blustery day when the gondolas were closed due to high winds, and we had taken the bus up the steep, winding, switch-back roads to the top, which pushed the limits of my rock-solid stomach even with our wheels firmly on the ground!

So today, bright blue and wind-free, was the perfect opportunity to step onto the small swinging baskets, set out across the mountains and sea below and face the plummeting heights that awaited us along the ride to the top!

I should mention that although I’ve never had a particular fear of heights, my mother had terrible acrophobia and passed it along to my sister. That being said, Gwynn is far braver than my Mom ever was in that she’ll set her jaw, grit her teeth and get through various height-related adventures by sheer force of will! Today was definitely one of those days!

She told me after the fact that as we were standing in line and watching the small suspended cubes take off over the mountain, she almost turned tail and ran back to the metro – something I would never have gleaned from her calm demeanor as we slowly made our way to the ticket booth. In hindsight, it occurs to me that she did keep her back to the mountain as we snaked our way through the long line!

But once we stepped into our tiny bubble-transport, it was like we were being whisked away in a sort of modern fairy-ship up and over the mountains to a magical place that can only be gotten to by facing your worst fears and putting them second to your sense of adventure and discovery. And this is just what Gwynn did today!

While I was standing up taking photos, waving to the hikers hundreds of feet below and chattering on about the views with the other riders, Gwynn quietly looked down at her phone, glancing up only to make polite conversation or snap a picture or two of the mountains – I have to believe most of the ride she was actively praying for a safe arrival at our destination! She tells me that as long as she looks directly at the mountains ahead of her, she’s OK – so whenever there was land in sight, Gwynn’s eyes were firmly fixed on it!

But in the end, it was so well worth it, and we had a spectacular day of sight-seeing, shopping and even a stop at Starbucks on top of one of Hong Kong’s highest peaks! By mid-afternoon, Gwynn, having faced her worst fears and with her feet now firmly on solid ground, was leading the charge up the 260 steps to the Giant Buddha at the very highest point!

After we made our descent through the sunset back down to sea level at the end of the day, it was Gwynn who made the analogy that it was as if we had been transported to a secret fairy kingdom that can only be accessed by flying in these suspended glass cubes. It’s true – today my sister and I made a magical journey across the mountains and the sea suspended in a crystal bubble, flying through the sky to a land far, far away!