Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Kowloon
There’s an entrepreneur in every crowd.
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Thursday, May 1, 2008
Wednesday night
April 30, 2008
Kowloon
This was it—the much talked about Temple Street that gets swinging after 4:00 p.m. each day, running until either 11:00 p.m. or the customers dry up. Granted, the crowded stalls were filled mostly with low quality schlock, but a little digging could turn up a treasure or two (Sarah found a stack of knock off Polo shirts for her husband that really were attractive).
The people watching, though…. Now there’s the real show. Verrrry colorful stuff.
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Kowloon
You know you aren’t at Denny’s when the specialty of the house is Chicken Feet, Duck Tongue, and Fish Intestines.
I opted for a slightly more mundane path Wednesday night, ordering stir fried chicken with almonds and a Tsingtao (beer, that is…pronounced ching-dow). And yes, it was terrific.
For a restaurant the size of my living room, lit by flickering fluorescent lights and with questionable housekeeping standards, there was no question the food would be good. Every chair was filled with locals. The 8-top table next to ours had ten senior-aged folks squeezed around it, passing dishes, sipping beer, and laughing as only life long friends do. One gentleman facing me was missing his top four center teeth. Every time he laughed, I smiled. As simple as it sounds, there’s something kind of reassuring about seeing life lived without hang-ups or vanity.
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Wednesday night, April 30, 2008
Kowloon
From the modern wonders of the Ngong Ping 360 on our return to the base of the mountain, we jumped on the MTR and headed for old Kowloon, in search of the Temple Street Night Market. The moment we surfaced from the subway tunnels, I knew we were seeing the real deal—not an American in sight. Between the cacophony of street life, busses spewing fumes, and the chatter of languages foreign to my ears, this felt like a jump back in time. Pretty cool.
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tian Tan / Lantau Island
Aware that the cable cars closed at 6:00, and that we were already staring at 5:15, the three of us hotfooted it through the twisting turning paths from the base of the Buddha to Po Lin Monastery, tucked back in the trees, away from the world. 
Before we could see the buildings, we could already smell the heady sandlewood incense burning in huge bowls all around. Between the smoke, the fragrance, and the dense trees, you truly felt a sense of mystery about the place.
Upon finding the buildings, however, you’re met with a burst of intense color—both in the buildings and the flowers. Vibrant reds, oranges, golds, and blues seem to burst from everywhere while still remaining dignified and solemn. It’s the kind of technicolor balancing act that only an ancient civilization (pre-Disney) could pull off.
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tian Tan / Lantau Island
Here he is—the big guy himself. The climb to get there is a killer; even the most fit were stopping to wheeze and gasp. It’s worth it, though; pictures don’t do justice to the sheer magnitude of this shrine.
Tian Tan winks at my next destination via a duplication of the Alter of Heaven from Beijing’s Temple of Heaven (the original Tian Tan) at the foot of the (killer) stairs. A couple of other things set this Buddha apart from the rest; firstly, he faces north, not south, which is odd for a Buddhist shrine. Secondly, he’s the largest outdoor seated Buddha in the world.
It wasn’t lost on me that the guy with the biggest love handles on earth sits at the top of a giant Stairmaster. Who knew?
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tian Tan / Lantau Island
Worth a second glance, and a smile. I’ll say it again: “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tian Tan / Lantau Island
Tian Tan, for those of you who haven’t heard of it (like me, a month ago), is a village on Lantau Island, just off the Hong Kong coast. Its original claim to fame is the remote Po Lin Buddhist Monestary, then since 1990, the world’s largest outdoor seated Buddha. Once you survive the zillion step climb to the top of the shrine, the views are truly breathtaking (assuming you’ve still got some breath left). Sarah, Isaac and I got there just as a cloud bank was rolling in…beneath us. Pretty awesome sight.
Since the Ngong Ping 360 came along, however, the once serene village at the base of the Buddha peak has become home to not only our rotund friend, but an outdoor mall of Disney-like restaurants, gift shops, and Starbucks. One Italian eatery went so far as to paint a floor to ceiling mural of Saint Peter’s and the Vatican on the front of the restaurant.
A Catholic cathedral at the foot of Tian Tan’s Buddha? Sometimes, moving forward truly equates to two steps back.
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