Advertisement
Published: June 10th 2009
Ornithophobia: An abnormal, irrational fear of birds. It can cause the following symptoms: breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly, a fear of dying, becoming mad or losing control or a full blown anxiety attack.
Come to think of it, my mouth
was a little dry, I
was sweating excessively, and I was
definitely dizzy and breathless as I walked through the treetops in the Edward Youde Aviary in Hong Kong Park today.
"Why," you are probably asking, "would you even
think about entering an enclosed aviary when you are afraid of birds????" That is a good question, and the answer is very similar to the question of "Why would you travel halfway around the world in an economy-class seat when you are sick of air travel and have terrible luck?"
It is because I'm a tourist. That d*$n aviary is a big attraction in Hong Kong, so I wasn't about to leave without seeing it. And to be fair, it's impressive: a full-blown tropical forest, complete with stream and nuclear-waste-green foliage all netted under a large canopy.
The birds, I was assured, are at
their least active in the middle of the day. I could still hear them long before I entered, and that might account for the dizziness and difficulty breathing. The sweat was probably because it is just plain icky out (imagine how a flower feels when you take it out of the cooler and stick it in front of a fire - it just wilts quickly, as did I), and the dry mouth was most likely the result of dehydration after five hours of walking through that heat.
My day started on a much more pleasant note, as I stepped off the shuttle in Central and negotiated the labyrinth of elevated walkways that criss-cross downtown. I weaved in and out of air-conditioned buildings and over busy streets, up the mid-level escalator, and found myself eventually at the
Man Mo Temple. Dedicated to the gods of Literature and War (I thought this was a pretty good mix for me and my boyfriend), it is small but with a powerful atmosphere. The inside is dark and hazy with incense fumes, which curl up from sticks and coils and weave patterns in the sunlight streaming through the roof. Several people were there
to make offerings, leaving oranges at the altars and lighting more incense sticks. Gilded statues and red paint, and I had to get out of there before the incense caused me to choke.
I should have stayed longer: at least incense smells nice! My next stops were at the
Birds Nest Street, the Dried Seafood Street, and the Herbal Medicine Street. The smells were exquisitely strange and unpleasant, especially since I don't like fish. The only Westerner for blocks, I stuck out like a sore thumb as I pretended to browse for - well, I'm not sure exactly what. I recognized the birds nests (today was my big bird day), I am pretty sure I saw a dried-out flattened squid, but I failed to recognize a single other item in the many bins and jars spilling out of the shops along these streets.
When I finally found myself at the aviary, I am pretty proud that I did not rush through: I even took some pictures of birds, admired the landscaping, and made lots of noise as I went so that the creatures would stay as far away from me as possible. Since feeding the birds is not
allowed, they obliged and kept their distance.
Hong Kong Park is really unique. It has great views of the Central skyscrapers, including I.M. Pei's Bank of China Tower. There are lotus ponds, a tai chi court that is quiet and serene (probably because no one wants to climb the 100+ stairs to reach it), and a conservatory full of rare orchids. My last stop was the Flagstaff House
Museum of Tea Wares. It's exactly how it sounds: a museum full of teapots and teacups and displays on the various ways that the Chinese have brewed their tea over the centuries. Unless you are a big fan of tea, I would say that it's really not worth it:
however, it is free, air-conditioned, and has nice toilets, so maybe it's worth your time after all. I personally enjoyed the displays and learned that, well, tea-making hasn't changed much in the last gajillion years.
Hong Kong really is one of those places where everything is uphill. I know you hear that a lot, but this is a city that actually has the longest escalator in the world to take people up all those hills. Tonight my calves are burning
and my knee is aching, but at least I can go to sleep happy that my eyes were not pecked out by birds.
**If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe by clicking on the "subscribe" button at the top left of the page! Tell others!
**New readers: Get the quick and dirty at
. You can start at the beginning or pick anywhere you like to start living vicariously (or laughing vicariously, as it will most likely turn out)
Advertisement
Tot: 0.081s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 8; qc: 25; dbt: 0.0338s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
amber
non-member comment
You can identify an orchid by several things. From what I remember, a few of the most notable traits of orchids: they have three sepals (the "petals" you see on the outside of a bud) and three petals, one of which (the "lip") is very different from the others. Orchids are also symmetrical so if you fold it in half like closing a book, both sides are the same. Probably more than you care to know about orchids, but now you can fake having knowledge of botany while you're there. I don't know how rare your orchid in the photo is, but it sure is beautiful. I love birds, any animal actually, and funky architecture, so please post more pictures! Looks like you're having a great time!