The most exotic temple trip ever…

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for me, that is. Next week I’m traveling on business to Hong Kong. I plan on visiting the Hong Kong temple. I’ll report back to let you know how it goes.

I once had a bishop who traveled around the world and had been to a few dozen foreign temples during his trips. This will be only my third foreign (non-U.S.) temple (I’ve been to the Sao Paulo and Campinas temples in Brazil as well).

I’d be interested in hearing from anybody who has been to the Hong Kong temple. Also, please comment on some of the more exotic temples you’ve been to.

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About Geoff B.

Geoff B graduated from Stanford University (class of 1985) and worked in journalism for several years until about 1992, when he took up his second career in telecommunications sales. He has held many callings in the Church, but his favorite calling is father and husband. Geoff is active in martial arts and loves hiking and skiing. Geoff has five children and lives in Colorado.

9 thoughts on “The most exotic temple trip ever…”

  1. I’d be interested in hearing from anybody who has been to the Hong Kong temple.

    Visited there earlier this year while also on a business trip. Easily accessible via the MTR subway–a half-hour trip from Central–and a 10-minute walk; the worst part was the broiling tropical climate that is the norm for Hong Kong. Clothing rental available. Headphone sets with multiple languages; among the attendees in my group was a couple from Bangkok. I was one of eight men and ten women, which my dad (just released from another temple’s presidency) agreed is a pretty good turnout for a Friday mid-afternoon session.

  2. Yeechang, thanks for the input. My hotel will be near the Causeway Bay MTR stop. What stop is near the temple? On the weather, it should be nicer in early November. It looks like Hong Kong has weather just like Miami, where I live. Yes, it’s horrible much of the year, but November-March are nice. 🙂

  3. I haven’t been to a foreign temple yet, unless you consider Provo to be foreign (som do).

  4. We are going to be in Taipei next week, and we are planning on walking around the temple, but I’m not much interested in doing a session. We went to the temple in Sao Paulo, and it was a bit traumatic because my Portuguese was not that great, they didn’t have any english-speaking temple workers, and a headset can only do so much.

    Plus which, I can go to the temple at home. I’d rather spend my time doing Chinese things while there.

    Really, it strikes me as a male bragging-rights, scalp-counting thing to even care about how many temples in exotic places one has been to…

  5. When we went, we got off at the Kowloon Tong stop, where there is a huge shopping center. Then it’s a walk up Kent Rd to Cornwall St. where the temple is. From there, we took a bus back.

    From a distance, the temple looked like a mosque to us because of the shape of the spire. You can see it from a big glass window on the upper level of the mall if you go into the mall for any reason.

    You ought to print the map from here:

    http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/hongkong/aerial/

  6. Naismith, #4, I was going to share with you a quaint story about getting my endowments in Portuguese when I had just moved to Brazil seven years ago, and how I didn’t understand very much because I also didn’t speak much Portuguese, which is not a great idea when you are getting your endowments, but I can’t tell you the story because I am bursting with so much testosterone at the thought of all of the male bragging rights I get from going to a temple in Hong Kong. I am no longer a girlie-man!!! AAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!!

  8. Don’t worry about getting lost. As long as you have a map, you’ll be fine. People in Hong Kong are very friendly and helpful. We were there on Christmas one year and people would constantly walk up to us just to say Merry Christmas.

    Just hope that the wind isn’t blowing from the west, however. Guangzhou is one of the most heavily polluted areas on Earth, since they also don’t believe in global warming.

    🙂

  9. Well, I just got back from a great temple trip in Hong Kong. First of all, Hong Kong is a stunning city to visit. I was expected jam-packed roads and chaos — instead the city is very orderly and clean. The MTR (Metro) is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Every place, including the temple, that I wanted to go was no more than five blocks from the nearest MTR station. All the signs are bilingual, Chinese and English, so it’s pretty easy to get around.

    The temple itself is stunning. The neighborhood (Kowloon Tong) has a Baptist Hospital and school, a Catholic school and a Buddhist center. There were about 8 women and 8 men in a 4 p.m. session. If you suffer from jet lag, bring along some toothpicks to prop your eyes open when the lights go off during the endowment session. I was definitely drooping.

    The session was in English, and several local Hong Kong yan had on headphones. I don’t know if they alternate between English and Cantonese sessions and I just happened to catch the English session or what. Anyway, most of the people there were local couple missionaries serving missions in Hong Kong. What a place to go on your mission!! I can’t wait to retire (ahem, at least 25 years to go) because I’d love to come here on a mission.

    The only way I could ever learn Cantonese is with the help of the Spirit. What a difficult language. I’ve picked up a few words in a few days, but if you don’t pronounce it just right nobody understands what the heck you’re saying.

    I’ve traveled all around Latin American and Europe, and I’ve been to Tokyo. Hong Kong is one of my favorite places to visit so far.

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