It was one of those days you kick yourself for having left your pedometer in Hoboken. I don’t know for certain, but I must have put a dozen miles on these tires. I got a chance to explore three districts of the city and soak up some sun in the 75- degree weather
My journey started with a walk to the office and a lunch at an Irish pub that I was so thankful to find. I answered a few emails, did a bit of paperwork and then decided to set out on a journey through the area.
I left the office and made my way to the far South East corner of Hong Kong Park. As I approached the entrance, I could hear the sound of someone running up behind me in sandals. I turned to find a bald gentleman dressed in full Buddhist garb smiling mischievously with arms outstretched handing me what looked to be some sort of party favor. It was clear that he did not speak English and so we nodded at each other and I accepted his gesture. He quickly handed me a notebook in which he signaled that I was to write down my name and a donation amount. I must have looked a bit confused, so to clarify he flipped through the book to a taped on picture of a half built temple. It all was starting to come together. “Money” he uttered through his caramel colored teeth and he supplied me with a pen to write in his book. I glanced through the pages and noticed that the previous philanthropists all had large donation amounts next to their name. All were well in excess of 1000 Hong Kong dollars. Feeling bad, I reached into my pocket and grabbed for a bunch of coins that I’d say probably totaled somewhere in the neighborhood of $3. I showed it to him and told him that I’m all for building temples, but this was all I was willing to part with. His mood immediately changed and he passed me a stern look as if to say, “alright cheapo…then give me back my trinkets,” but he reluctantly accepted my offering. Once that transaction was complete, I couldn’t get out of there quick enough and so I pivoted and pretty much picked up the pace to a slow jog through the entrance of the park. The increased pace coupled with the significant humidity left me feeling ready for a bath. Unfortunately, Hong Kong Park frowns on that sort of thing…
After having explored the park (which was jammed with families spending quality time over the holiday) I set out towards the water. I had yet to visit the harbor-side of the city and thought that would be the perfect place to grab a cool one. I probably walked for a mile or so before I ended up finding a pier that offered a hazy but wonderful view of Central City Hong Kong pressed against the straight that leads into the South China Sea. I continued along the water for about 15 more minutes before finally making my way inland.
This is a disorienting place. I didn’t have access to a map and I guess I got turned around not fully knowing what direction I was headed. Feeling that this was sort of the point of exploring, I pressed on and strolled into an area of the city called Wan Chai. Two things became immediately apparent…1) Wan Chai is what is considered the ‘red-light’ district of Hong Kong and 2) No Caucasian people walk these streets on Thursday afternoons. The streets were packed and I had absolutely no idea where I was or how to get back to anything that looked somewhat recognizable.
As I plodded along, I couldn’t help but notice that I was receiving long, inquisitive stares and coy smiles from a good majority of the females in the area. It was as if I was on display and at times I actually started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Maybe if I had had a little more practice with this sort of thing in New York, I would have taken to it better (weird that this doesn’t happen regularly, don’t you think?) I decided to make the best of it and I started to consider the whole experience flattering.
I spotted a street market down one of the alleys and I knew I had to check it out. It was not unlike the kind of market that you see on the Travel Channel’s hit series ‘Bizarre Foods’ with Andrew Zimmern (great show by the way). As I wandered through the eclectic stands, I became mesmerized by one that was selling live sea creatures. Patrons were coming in droves pointing at the tanks of fish. They would whisper something to the woman fish attendant, and then point out their prize. The attendant would then pick up a small ladle type instrument and wrestle with the school of fish to grab the chosen one. Once the fish had been caught, it was transferred to a guy with a clever that looked like he’d gone without a shower for a month and a half. He’d proceed to kill, gut and package the fish. I must have stood their for a good 10 minutes just taking it all in and for the first time I truly felt that I was in a foreign land. Fish parts were strewn at his feet without any evidence that the area had been cleaned all day. Although I desperately wanted to take a photo, I decided not to, fearing that it would be considered insulting. Having got my fill of that spectacle I set off once again into the maze of streets that is this city.
I walked for what seemed like forever. I located the famous racetrack, sifted through numerous New Year’s festivals and stopped in subway stations to see if I could figure out how that system works (I can’t…and I doubt I ever will). Finally feeling like my stomach was about to eat itself, I flagged a cab down and decided to head home. I guess I didn’t realize how far I’d gone as the cab fare was more than triple the amount I’ve paid on any other trip. Although I saw a lot and noticed some street patterns, all today did was reinforce that I’ll have to get back out again tomorrow and continue to search. Oh and whether you like it or not, there will be more commentary to follow...
I'm dying laughing at that last picture. That's the most asian thing you've posted yet.
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