Sunday May 8, 2011
Let me quickly recap the last few days for us. Beginning on Friday night I met up with some friends of the people whose condo I have been staying in. They are all pilots for Fed Ex and seem to live in the same building complex. It was good to finally speak with other people after going over 3 days without speaking more than “thank you” to an occasional citizen. It’s amazing the amount of time that seems to exist when you have no one but yourself to converse with. Friday night we went to the Temple Street Night Market. It’s a short walk from the condo but entering a whole new world. It’s an open air event in the middle of a street market where you can sit outside and eat. I let the pros handle the ordering process, but essentially they just order lots of dishes and we all had a sample. And of course, beers were ordered as well. It sounded from them that this is something that they always to whenever anyone comes into town and I was lucky enough that one of their children came to visit. No, it wasn’t me that they were all going to get together for. In fact they weren’t exactly clear as to who I was but they figured I was a cousin of the people’s condo. Apparently it’s run almost like a hotel and nearly all the time someone is staying there and I was lucky enough to be granted a whole week!!
On Saturday I was supposed to join with some of those folks and go to Lantau Island but due to some technical problems I didn’t make it. So, nursing a headache from what I can only assume was the previous night’s affair, I instead headed out to find 10,000 Buddhas. I was told what train station to get off at and that I should be able to follow the signs after that. So about an hour after arriving at the correct train station I find myself at what I thought was the 10,000 Buddhas, except, I don’t think I saw more than 3 or 4 of them. The place ended up being some sort of cemetery / mausoleum of sorts as there were many rooms with a bunch of cubbies with people’s pictures and words written in Chinese. I saw many others come by and leave food and flowers, even opening beverages and setting them down but never eating or drinking from them. It must have either been the deceased’s favorite meals or the cheapest thing at the grocery store that day. I ended up coming back home and attempting to take a nap that morphed into a 14 hour sleep-a-thon. Clearly my body had not yet fully adjusted a good night sleep was certainly in order.
On Sunday I ventured off to find this giant Buddha that I had heard so much about. To get there one must take the MTR (Hong Kong’s subway) out to Lantau Island until the last stop. It is also the same direction as the airport and the Disneyland that has been built. Once departing the subway you have the option of taking a bus or cable car (gondola) to the top where this giant Buddha sits. I, as did many tourists, opted for the cable ride up. Although it was a bit of a tourist trap, it was worth the cost ($110 HK for round trip with return on bus). The ride up was impressive and lasted for roughly 15 minutes, constantly climbing and expanding the view out over the bay. Finally, a glimpse of the Buddha as you round another tower, and sure enough, he sits quite large.
Let me speak briefly on some general topics concerning the great city of Hong Kong. It is definitely a world mega city with an amazing transportation system, surprising fashion and becoming an esteemed financial district. Yet all this seems to be put in its place as you tour the city by foot as I have had the great opportunity to do over the past few days. After taking the ferry to Central Hong Kong I boarded world’s proclaimed tallest escalator up whereby I made my return on foot. While meandering along the stairway I cut back and forth through side roads and it strikes me that if I remove the people I see, then I could be in any number of places across the globe. The narrow streets, constant clash of poverty and wealth, seemingly unrestricted traffic all combine into a familiar location. And let us not forget the smells, not just of food, which is a gracious treat, butut also the smell of construction, urine and congestion. If anything at all serves as a reminder as to the contrast of where I have been raised. I must say that I feel surprisingly safe walking the streets as though I were in any other American city. I am aware that as I continue through Asia I should not expect this touristic serenity but for the time being it is welcoming. Culture shock over the past week was strong enough and although I was constantly on guard it’s always nice to worry a little less.
Tuesday May 10th
It is literally my last day I Hong Kong. I have worked out, packed, cleaned the apartment and probably quadruple checked that I have everything. Alas, I left a pair of shorts hanging on an obscure door handle. I can only venture to guess that through the course of my travels I will leave something behind somewhere. It’s only a matter of time.
I have elected to take the bus back to the airport. The first reason being the cost, at $33 HK it is by far and away the cheapest mode of transport to HKG. In fact, they are so nice here that my Octopus (transit) card was $5 short and he still let me board without paying the balance in cash. Another advantage to riding the bus is that, like Britain many buses are double decker, and I have elected the upper deck. Frankly this is a tour of HK unto itself, driving through the main streets of Kowloon at the pace of an energized snail. I’m sure night time would be the only further enhancement to be made to such a journey, as the lights emanate with vigor over the crawling pedestrians.
My first week here has been wonderful and I’ve come to learn a few things both about Hong Kongan (?) and myself. I give the people here a pretty high rating, knocking them only in that they never seem to be aware of their surroundings. They are constantly walking, stopping and backing up or texting and not paying attention. It is with an alarming consistency I am forced to be aware for myself and those around me as I attempt to avoid clipping my shoulder in the hundreds of local faces that seem to be magnetized to it. Surely I could let them run into me but there are just certain battles you’re better off avoiding.
As for me, despite being fully aware that it existed one cannot truly understand the breadth of the significance of traveling alone until it is done specifically when you know you will be traveling for an extended period. The thought of having some normalcy to return to i.e. a home in USA, would allow someone to feel quite free to be gone as a single unit for say one or even two months. The way in which the psyche works I believe, is different than when it is preparing to endure such rigor over an extended period of time. So I, as I have begun a lengthy journey began to notice the “highs and lows” of a solitary sojourn. Such recognitions come as no surprise but I am certainly interested to see how they manifest as I press on.
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