Success only runs one direction....
Friday, May 2, 2008
Hong Kong
I’d heard about this, but until you see it, the whole concept seems ridiculous.
They really do use bamboo for scaffolding here. No steel. No metal, of any kind. Just bamboo and rope. Seriously.
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Friday, May 2, 2008
Hong Kong
They aren’t kidding when they say the view from here is astonishing. Even with the haze that’s part of daily life, Victoria Peak is easily among the top handful of perches in the world. And for those of you who are wondering—yes, I was dangling over the railing when I took this. Couldn’t help it. The altitude makes you think you can fly.
The only downside to the Peak? The recent addition of a massive shopping mall that the tram feeds directly into. Forgive me if I think having a Bubba Gump restaurant at the top of Hong Kong’s crown jewel is four shades of tacky. But it is.
The nicest surprise? A long, winding wooded path that wraps around the Peak, through some of the most amazing examples of plant life I’ve ever seen. The tropical humidity is so pronounced that even rocks sprout plant life, in lovely, delicate shapes and colors, enveloped in cool shade, filled with chirping birds.
Quite a yin and yang, between the city below and the path above. Very, very Hong Kong.
Again.
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Friday, May 2, 2008
Hong Kong
The ride to the top of Victoria Peak from Central is a doozie. You’re on a tram that’s packed to the gills like a can of sardines, lumbering up the tallest mountain in Hong Kong. About half way up, you realize the buildings are all leaning at weird angles.
That is, until it occurs to you the tram is what’s leaning at an angle…which means you’re leaning at an angle. As in at a full blown 45 degree tilt. Pretty amazing sensation (and valid reason to hope the maintenance team is a good one).
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Friday, May 2, 2008
Hong Kong
I love touring churches. There’s a beautiful tranquility and peace that inhabits sacred places. So of course, stumbling across St. John’s Cathedral on the way to the Victoria Peak tram station was a real thrill. The bummer? No photos allowed inside. (Note to Mom: The nice man who shooed me off in Mandarin was really sweet about the whole thing. See photo.)
St. John’s, in spite of its diminutive size, is a survivor. Originally built in 1847 as the first Anglican church in the Far East, it was occupied during World War II by the Japanese, who turned it into a Shinto Shrine. After the war, well…. Let’s just say we Episcopalians don’t let go of our churches. It reverted right back to Christ’s home, and remains the seat of Hong Kong’s Archbishop.
If you ever have a chance to pop in, do it. You won’t regret it. Just put the Nikon away first.
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Friday, May 2, 2008
Hong Kong
If there’s one thing you can’t miss in Hong Kong right now, it’s the arrival of the Olympic torch. Today, it runs through the streets with much pomp and circumstance. We were all invited to join in the festivities, but the combination of a State Department warning to U.S. citizens and my determination to see Victoria’s Peak and Kowloon today trumped the option. The closest I came was this cheering section along the torch route at the Central MTR station.
Still, the locals are pretty excited about their day in the sun, as well as China’s role as host of the games (remember, technically, HK returned to China with the British handoff in ‘97). Tibet might as well be on Jupiter, as far as folks here are concerned; the city is fueled on 100% joy right now.
A major part of that joy stems from the fact Hong Kong still considers itself “Not Chinese” by most (read: all) standards…and the locals make sure you know it. There’s a lot of national pride here, but it definitely doesn’t come from the mother country.
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Friday, May 2, 2008
Hong Kong
Well, this is it. My last day in Hong Kong. Since Isaac and Sarah fly out today, we decided to enjoy our last breakfast feast together (have I told you how much I LOVE those eggroll thingies?). It occurred to me mid-meal just how much I’ll miss these two—exploring the city with new friends I enjoy so much has been a lovely, unexpected gift.
Said our farewells, got my bags packed so I don’t have to sweat it out tonight, then took off for what’s bound to be a cool day—figuratively speaking. The temp here may be comfortable, but the humidity is enough to wilt concrete.
Off to do my wilting, with a smile.
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Thursday, May 1, 2008
Macau
Pretty sure the sign written in Mandarin says “Wet Paint,” but could just as easily imagine it saying “Watch to see if some silly tourists touch this wet paint.”
Thankfully, I put my hand down on the platform before Sarah sat on it…in her white linen slacks. We did have a chuckle about the fact (a) the paint had set up enough to be tacky, not wet, and (b) whoever owned it would return to find my handprint and her purse indentations on the top.
Oops.
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Thursday, May 1, 2008
Macau
This pretty church sits on St. Augustine’s Square, notable for its black and white mosaic paved plaza and sidewalks. One of the oldest churches in Macau, it’s known for the gorgeous statue of Christ on the cross that’s carried through the streets of Macau every year on the first Sunday of Lent, with Stations of the Cross set up along the entire route.
In the 1700s, the anti-Catholic government of the time expelled the Augustine friars, and banned the Passos procession. Ironically, there was a sudden food shortage that the locals immediately associated with the action. After a loud outcry to resume the parade of “the man with the cross,” the government gave in, and reversed their original decision…and the food shortage ended.
Now, who can argue with that?
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