A city I've always wanted to see

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For the better part of my life, I have wanted to visit Hong Kong. My father actually worked there (visiting for week long stints every month or so) from the time I was 11 or 12, and I have grown up hearing stories about the city pre and post-handover. I had high expectations for Hong Kong, and it did not disappoint.



When I arrived in Hong Kong, I was still feeling quite fragile. It was the day after my laptop and money were stolen, and part of me just wanted to go home. Thank-god for Hong Kong. It provided me with exactly what I needed to lick my wounds and move on with my travels. As we travelled to where we were staying, I was immediately struck with the biggest difference between Hong Kong and the mainland – manners and respect. People were happily following all rules – no eating or drinking on the subway (have I told you my stories about watching people spit out chicken feet bones on the Shanghai subway?), queueing as told, waiting for people to disembark the train before getting on, and saying sorry when you bump into someone (my Canadian heart sang at this one – I didn’t realize I missed common courtesy so much). It was glorious. The hardness I have gotten used to in China over the last two and a half months melted away, and it really did help me to feel a little bit more stable.



The second thing that helped me recover was the abundance of western food. Now, I told myself when I started this trip that I would eat like the locals (pescotarian style, of course). Well, I needed a break from this rule and technically I had it without breaking the rule in Hong Kong as they eat a lot of Western food. I had a proper English breakfast tea with milk and sugar the first morning I was there (it was never quite right in Shanghai), sandwiches, and other ‘western delights’. The crowning glory though was on my last full day when some Norwegian friends and I went to Victoria Peak. Shortly after we arrived I saw something that made my heart sing. New York Fries. A wholly Canadian fast food chain (wiki it if you don’t believe me) which offers the comfort food all Canadians crave in bad times (and drunk times… and really just in general, actually: POUTINE. And the franchise at Victoria Peak did not disappoint. While my Norwegian friends watched amusedly (and tried their own, two thumbs up naturally), I mmmm’d and aaah’d my way through a large poutine which tasted exactly like it does at home (wiki that too if you need to). It may be a little thing, but I needed something familiar after the theft to right myself, and this did the trick. As I said before, thank-god for Hong Kong.



Now, I did visit a few sites while in HK. I did the Peak, which really was an amazing view and worth the trip (although the tram is really not necessary). Wandered around the markets, saw the light show (biggest waste of my time, even if it was free), checked out the bar scene around Lan Kwai Fong, and ate at the Temple Street night market. The one thing I’m disappointed about was that my attempt to eat the dim sum was a bit of a bust. We tried to get a sitting at Tim Ho Wan (the Michellin starred shoebox that is also super cheap), but it was already booked solid. Dim sum elsewhere was so expensive that I settled for quick takeout bits (still delicious, and I got to see how one of my top-5 food, shrimp rice noodles, actually gets made which was cool). I had a nice dinner with a classmate from my b-school, and h



Now my absolute favourite thing (even more than the poutine) was getting to see the building my father designed in Hong Kong, which he won several awards for. He’s an architect and designed Phase 1 of the Canadian International School of Hong Kong. I’ve grown up hearing about his buildings (my Mum’s an architect too, and they love to talk shop), but this is the one he’s most proud of. With good reason as I have now seen. It’s pretty spectacular – it’s on the side of a mountain in Aberdeen and the building runs down the side in almost a waterfall format. The way he’s designed the space is so that it is full of light, and the rich wood inside makes it feel like the building should be for a museum or theatre. Needless to say, I’m pretty damn proud of my Dad (he also just got invited to be a Fellow at the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada so clearly I’m not the only one who thinks he’s awesome). If I do nothing else on this trip worthwhile I don’t care because getting to Hong Kong to see the work he is most proud of is all I need.



Of the standard sights I saw, the best was going to the Big Buddha in Lantau. Something about it just fascinated me (the overabundance of Big Buddha photos in this entry has probably tipped you off to this). I don’t know why exactly, but I just loved exploring the statue from every angle. Some things just speak to you, and this was one of those things for me.



My time in Hong Kong was short, but great. It gave me a bit of a taste of the west, which I really did need. I wish I could have spent a bit more time there (especially with the HK7’s coming up – I saw a team arriving as I was departing at the airport, *sob*), but I know I will be back. I imagine my next taste of the west will be when I hit Singapore in early May, and I am totally good with that. Now it’s back to travelling, exploring and simply having fun, with an increased vigilance in regards to my belongings.

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