I find it funny that despite having been to Hong Kong four times in my life, I still feel like I haven't explored the country enough.
This Special Administrative Region of China is populated by between 7M to 8.5M million people and counting. I share those numbers, which, are more or less accurate, with you with a bit of a disclaimer. Hong Kong can be quite crowded, especially when you go into the little side streets, and outdoor shopping areas and markets in certain districts. There is great food everywhere. Without being scientific about it, one can find some of the best kinds of dimsum, fried rice, roast duck, nasty bits, tofu, and on, and on, and on- on the planet, in HK. Despite recent diplomatic barbs that have been tossed back and forth between China and my home country, the Philippines, Hong Kong remains a prime destination for a relatively affordable vacation (just stay off the tour bus, please).
Hong Kong has a Gini Coefficient (scale by which dispersal of income is measured...okay, I had to slot this in to satisfy the stats geeks among us...all in all, if it tastes good, has poetic value, or, contributes to the overall artistry embedded in the consciousness of mankind, I'm there, regardless of Gini Coefficient) of 53% as of 2011. That's pretty high. Every country in the world has multiple phases, and faces. This happens to be a reflection of Hong Kong's. What makes this a point of interest would be that for one to truly be a traveler, a tourist, a man of the world, he/she needs to understand what makes a nation tick, and what makes it burst. That provides you with ample perspective on finding a sense of balance which would then, give birth to a true appreciation for both truth, and, the very essence of beauty.
And so, we return to the roast duck, and other related matters.
During my last trip to the island, I was surprised to have seen that a certain branch of HMV in Central, one that I had visited as a teenager, was still open for business. Piracy, the prevalence of internet-based content, has rendered traditional music (and media) collection through CDs and other such mediums, nearly obsolete. I for one, have not bought an audio CD in a couple of years. That's saying a lot considering that I see myself to be a bit of an audiophile. There is a distinct thrill involved in opening an album for the first time, popping it into your car stereo, and letting the music do its magic, one track, one note, one fragment of harmony at a time. We live in a world wherein technology has permitted us to forget the value of delayed gratification and just cut to the chase for better or worse. The process can sometimes be just as important- or even more important- than where the whole process ends up going. I love the iPod, and iTunes, and yes, Youtube Downloaders. Still, that does not take away the fact that places like HMV, Tower Records, CD Warehouse, and the like, will always hold a special place in mine and other people's hearts. Those are chambers of memories that seem quite unmatched in quality.
Roaming around Central Hong Kong on a Sunday afternoon (on foot) led me to a mountainside road called Old Peak Road. Hearing the name of that road brings me back to 1988, when I first had the chance to travel outside the Philippines with my mom and her friends. The first thing I remember about Hong Kong from all those years ago was the rubberized green flooring at the old Chep Lap Kok airport. I also remember losing a red toy biplane I had bought at a duty free shop sometime as we waited for our delayed Philippine Airlines Flight to Manila in the said airport. I wonder where that toy is now, 26 years after I had misplaced it? I tend to wonder about things like that to break the monotony of having to consider mundane, everyday, things.
We stayed in an apartment somewhere in Old Peak Road in '88. If I remember correctly, the flat belonged to a friend of my mom who was taking a course in medicine in Hong Kong (a fellowship, I think it was). I distinctly remember being in Hong Kong at the time and going on an Easter Egg Hunt (it was the Lenten Season), and going to Toys R'Us in Tsim Tsa Tsui to buy the Ghostbusters' Firehouse (this made my cry tears of joy!). I also recall getting all dizzy and nauseous on the Star Ferry, and getting lost and being so afraid in one of the hallways of a small branch of Watson's near Ocean Terminal (a saleslady began talking to me in Cantonese...and I got even more scared because I couldn't understand a thing she was telling me). I also recall using the landline in the apartment I stayed in & dialing my grandma's Philippine phone number, hoping for her to answer. I wanted so badly to tell her how amazing I thought Hong Kong was, and how, I felt like an "intrepid spaceman on an adventure on a new planet".
What I got was an answer from a grumpy Chinese man who sounded like he had just gotten out of the John. Atta boy. I was 5 and had no knowledge of what IDD was.
Hong Kong is also the home of one of my favorite Cantonese singers, Teresa Teng. I do not speak Cantonese, nor will I probably ever learn to be fluent in it. One would have to be tone deaf, though, not to appreciate her angelic voice, and totally devoid of a heart not to feel the emotion attached to the songs in the Teng catalogue.
I could go on and on about how much more I want to explore Hong Kong. While I did manage to go to Lan Kwai Fong ("LKF" to partygoers from the territory and those from other parts of the world) with my pal Denise last November, I feel like I wasn't able to really "feel the party scene" that much (not that I am a party animal to begin with). While I've been to some of the newer territories such as Sha Tin, I feel like I need to do a little bit better than Snoopy World (which is not to say that all I did was bum around in malls and shop). I need to return to Hong Kong and "do it" the way I want to do it.
I need to return to Hong Kong alone. No paparazzi. No tour buses. Nothing. Just me, a bottle of Gatorade, my personal point and shoot, some cash, and a wrinkly map.
Bucket list: Updated.
MC
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