Our first full day of site seeing took us to the NE part of Kowloon and some under appreciated sites that in our opinion shouldn't be missed.
Wong Tai Sin Temple (3.5 of 5)
Serving as the largest Taoist temple in Hong Kong and located right at the MTR station of the same name, this temple was built in dedication of Wong Tai Sin [a Chinese Deity associated with the power of healing] and draws thousands of tourist each day looking for there fortune to be told. The temple it self was comparable to many others we've seen - but what made it more special was the often forgotten Good Wish Gardens located in the back that took up more than half of the facilities. While most were lining up to get there fortune told, the gardens had all of 10 people where there were dozens of turtles in the ponds, caves, bridges, and waterfalls that made it a serene place.
Nan Lian Gardens (4.5 of 5)
When we went to Japan in 2005, we read how the Japanese learned many gardening techniques from the Chinese. We've seen no real evidence of this during our trip to China in 2006 until arriving at the Nan Lian Gardens yesterday located just the next MTR stop [Diamond Hill] from Wong Tai Sin. It was as if you were in Kyoto (one of our favourite sites in the world) and visiting the Kinkakuji temple. Perfectly manicured gardens surrounding a temple in the middle that is completely covered in gold was something special to see. The big plus, there were only about 100 people in the gardens.
Chi Lin Nunnery (4.5 of 5)
Speaking of Japanese influences this reminded me of the Byodoin temple in Kyoto. The nunnery is an architectural masterpiece as it was built using traditional techniques of interlocking pieces of wood with not a single iron nails used in the place. Connected by a bridge to the Nan Lian Gardens, the entrance is extremely dramatic and often goes unnoticed from the side of the road. A sign that the Nan Lian Gardens and Chi Lin Nunnery is under appreciated (besides the lack of crowds) was when we took a taxi to the sight, the taxi driver had no clue where these places were.
