Budda is Worth the Vertigo

Since the birth of my daughter, I have not been the same person. I'm not talking about spreading hips or postpartum blues although I could write volumes on both subjects. I'm referring to my newly acquired aversion to heights.

It's a weird deal.
I used to love roller coasters and carnival rides. I have very vivid memories of going to Canada's Wonderland and spending the entire day defying gravity in one form or another. Now? Not so much. My brain starts to churn with the "what ifs". What if the coaster flies off the tracks and we all plunge to our death? What if I fall out?

I realize that these are not rational thoughts but I can't help it. I watched a program recently about the lookout platform at the Sears Tower in Chicago (I know it is now called something else but I refuse to acknowledge) and felt sick to my stomach as the camera took us right out onto the ledge.

I get dizzy to the point of vertigo when I look down from more than a couple of feet in the air. Last year, we went to the Indy 500. Our seats were right across from the start/finish line, at the very top and only accessible via a set of iron stairs with open railings on the exterior of the building. It was a miserable experience climbing those steps. I kept having uncontrollable visions of Olivia slipping through one of the rails and it took forever to get to the top. I was queasy and desperately uncomfortable.

Yesterday, I took my client to the Tian Tan Budda on Lantau Island.

By way of cable car.

I've done this before and it is not a big deal as long as the wind is calm and I refrain from looking down. It's actually been a pleasant experience. Exhilarating, even. Yesterday was a bit of a different story. My colleague in Hong Kong, in an effort to give us a more unique experience, arranged for us to ride up to the Budda in one of the "Crystal Cabins". I had no idea what this was since it had never been an available option in any one of the five times I've been there in the past.
This was the view from inside our fabulous crystal cabin.
Sickening.
The entire bottom of the cable car was Plexiglas or something similar. Below my feet is the Pacific Ocean. To say that the ride made me woozy is an understatement. I've never been so glad to get off anything in my entire life. And yes, I know that I have Fred Flinstone feet so no need to point that out.

Anyway, I recovered from the ride and mostly enjoyed my time at the Budda. There were lots of changes up there and I can't say that I'm happy about most of them. There is something regretful about the commercialization of a place that was once so charming in its simplicity. I understand the need to cater to the tourist but part of me deeply resents the presence of a new Starbucks and a host of tacky souvenir shops where a grove of rubber trees used to grow. They call it progress. To me, it's just sad.

With that said, it was still pretty cool to get up close and personal with the Budda.
And those stairs...
And sometimes, there are views that remain as sublime as the first time they are seen.