We were here to check out the Nan Lian Garden, less than a five minute walk from the MTR. My mom's cousin told us about the garden here, the nunnery, as well as a vegetarian restaurant. Although the sun was strong and the temperature was uncomfortably hot, we enjoyed our stroll tremendously. Highlights include the Chinese Timber Architecture Gallery (a hall with scale models of wooden buildings with historical significance) and the Pavilion of Absolute Perfection (a bright, shiny pavilion in the middle of a pond accessed over vermillion bridges).
The Chi Lin Vegetarian Restaurant was packed at lunch, but we were able to get a spot nonetheless (tip: if you don't mind sharing a table, you'll get seated faster). A set menu of four or five courses is available which is what we tried. Flick also sampled a fresh juice made with star fruit and pear. The vegetarian food here was different than the other meatless restaurants we've been to, but still interesting and tasty.
The gift shop here is worth a stop. There are tasteful items here, including crafts made by the Chi Lin nuns. Incredibly, they sold beautifully handmade chocolates (with coloured cocoa butter sprays) with interesting fillings like grapefruit and wasabi. We picked up a Chinese vegetarian cookbook in English.
After leaving the garden, we looked on a map near the MTR station and decided to go to a local park. This was a bit tricky as we didn't have a map of the area. After following some elevated pedestrian bridges, walking through a residential complex and shopping area, we found ourselves at Fung Tak Park. There are a bunch of water features here, lots of playground equipment for kids and a bunch of other interesting things. It's a bit run-down though. Turns out that the design is based on a classic Chinese story.
As a farewell, my uncle arranged a dinner in Central at a club for Bank of China customers (or something like that). The food was decent, but certainly not the best meal we had in Hong Kong.
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