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The Buddhas in question are stacked on shelves in the main hall of this hillside sanctuary at Pai Tau Tsuen, Sha Tin. In fact, there are more like 13,000 Buddha images now. The monastery comprises five temples, two pavilions and an elegant nine-storey pagoda. Take a deep breath before you enter the grounds – there are 400-odd steps to negotiate.

Images, Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery

Hong Kong’s most famous horseracing track is at Hong Kong Island’s Happy Valley (see Happy Valley Races), but the people who live in this part of the world are so mad about horseracing they built a second racetrack in the NT. More than 85,000 punters have been known to pack Sha Tin’s $500-million world-class track, where record-breaking sums are wagered on Saturday and Sunday afternoons between September and June. Form guides are published in theSouth China Morning Post on race days.

Sha Tin Racecourse

An odd tower of rocks near Lion Rock Tunnel that when viewed from a certain angle, looks eerily like a woman with a baby on her back, hence the name. Legend holds that theamah’s husband sailed overseas to find work, while she waited patiently for his return. When a storm sunk his boat, she was so grief-stricken she turned to stone. An alternative interpretation is that the rock was created as an ancient phallic symbol. Take your pick.

Tai Po’s museum is not really one of Hong Kong’s best, but trainspotters will like it. A variety of old coaches sit on tracks outside what used to be the Tai Po Market Station, built in 1913. Inside is a tolerably interesting account of the city.

Hong Kong Railway Museum

The temple’s name means “evergreen pine tree”, a symbol of longevity and perseverance. The Koon, a Taoist sect, built the first structure, the Palace of Pure Brightness, in 1961 and has since added myriad pagodas, pavilions and peaceful Chinese gardens guaranteed to lower the blood pressure of even the most stress-soaked individual. There’s also vegetarian food and a bonsai collection.

Set up by local moguls Lord Lawrence and Sir Horace Kadoorie in 1951 to provide work for some 300,000 penniless refugees, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden is now a centre for conservation and environmental awareness. It includes a deer haven and butterfly house. Prior booking is essential.

Sha Tin’s museum vies with the revamped Museum of History in Kowloon for Hong Kong’s best museum honours (see Heritage Museum).

This temple complex is popular with Buddhists, Confucianists and Taoists alike. It’s usually full of worshippers, so be respectful. The main building is a replica of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. The notices outside carry the latest soothsayers’ wisdom on which signs in the Chinese horoscope are set for an auspicious year. Try the cheap and tasty vegetarian food in the Institute’s restaurant.

Yuen Yuen Institute

Hidden away at the far end of Clearwater Bay sits the oldest surviving of Hong Kong’s many temples dedicated to the sea goddess Tin Hau. It’s eerily quiet as you make your way down the steps, through a verdant patch of forest. Inside the temple, huge spirals of incense drop ash onto scale models of fishing boats.

The 1-mile (1.5-km) walk from the nearby light railway station is hard, but this is a nice little outing to relieve stress if the bustle of Hong Kong is getting to you. Suck in some (relatively) fresh sea air and let the chanting of the monks soothe your soul.