Hong Kong

12/28

Lisa and I are standing next to the Bruce Lee statue at the Avenue of the Stars while the light show in Hong Kong harbor begins. Scores of buildings are lit up in sync with a soundtrack by computer. With every downbeat, a different building light flickers on or off in the distance. I rub my head and am befuddled with amazement. It is in the Guinness Book of World Records for most lights in a light show. Pink Floyd never stood a chance. I wonder how these people on the other side of the pacific became so much smarter than us.

Welcome to Hong Kong, the land of efficiency. As we take the Airport bus into the neighborhood of Kowloon, Lisa and I see row after row of apartments. With a population of almost 7 million people, building up is the desired architectural plan. Street signs in Chinese and in English line up throughout every street corner. You are more likely to get lost in Disneyland than here. Oh yes, I almost forgot - Hong Kong has one of those as well.

It is easy to stay in Hong Kong for days. There's countless different markets. There is a jade market that sells all varieties of jewelry, there are men's a women's markets, there are fruit markets, meat markets and the like. Bargainers from all over the world come here to negotiate prices on various items. While bargaining is nothing new for us, I begin to enjoy it more here in Hong Kong. It's more of a game, more friendly, and most importantly I can leave anytime and not have a fear of being stalked.

Hong Kong is known for its food, especially its tea. Lisa and I take the afternoon in Hong Kong Park and visit the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware. The museum takes you on a journey of tea. Here's what I found out....

(begin tea stuff, skip if uninterested)

• People have been drinking this tea stuff for thousands of years. It all started with the Han Dynasty back in roughly 206 B.C. They boiled leaves together with some basic spices of spring onions, ginger, mint, dates, dogwood and orange peels.
• Chinese Tea drinking started in the south until the Tang Dynasty brought it national at around 700 A.D. The Tang Dynasty started the ideas of steeping and powdering tea.
• The Yuan Dynasty came out with cream tea in the 1200s. They used magnolia flowers along with salt and cream to make their concoction. They started the trend of using fragrant flowers , such as chamomile and chrysanthemum, like we do today.
• The Ming Dynasty perfected the tea steeping idea in the 1400s. They would wash their teapots and tea leaves and put the dirty water into a slop bowl. Afterwards, they would pour hot water over the tea leaves and wait. The longer the steeping, the more flavor the leaves would give to the tea.
• The Tibetans also have their own tea. They throw cheese and salt over their tea. The cold weather in the plateau must have made these people crazy enough to put cheese in their tea.
• The Qing Dynasty came in roughly 1700 and championed the idea of oolong tea. They also steeped their tea. The only difference is that they fill the teapots 3/4 of the way full of leaves. This becomes really popular in the eastern provinces of Chaozhau and Fujian.
• Even if you don't drink tea, it's nice to see how one beverage can be so ingrained with a society. Tea was the beverage for social occasions, for weddings and other religious ceremonies. So the next time Starbucks slops two teabags into your cup, stop for a minute and think about all of the sacrifices the Chinese made and be grateful.

(End of tea stuff)

The time goes by way too fast and the day is almost done. Soon we will be flying home to the USA. I feel as if there is much more to see in this strange but beautiful city. From the top of Hong Kong island, the mixture of skyscrapers and island chains provide a sharp contrast. Hong Kong to us was a place to stay on the way home to America. However, Hong Kong is a destination in its own right. With clean metros, delicious noodle soups with strange body organs, and dim sum restaurants by the dozen, this place is one of my top destinations. Stop your whining, I say. Hong Kong isn't going anywhere, especially now that the Chinese own the place. I'll be back to this continent sooner or later after a healthy dose of reality.

Keep travelling, wherever you are...

Travelling Sherman