So I am lazy par excellence, but this is definitely a new low. Never have I delayed a travel blog for over 4 weeks post return ( it was a week when I started it … and have been shamelessly editing the timelines ever since ).
Anyhow, my recent trip was an eye-opener to say the least. I am not a very prejudiced person in general, but once I develop them, I can be really obnoxious about my views. So the Chinese according to me were tiny, mean, robotic people, who ate all of Mother Nature’s creatures. Well, the latter does hold true .. but my former prejudices took a major hit!
The Chinese happen to be the living examples of the fact that awesome things come in small packages! They are amazingly friendly, extremely courteous, unbelievably nice hosts… and what always seemed like suspicious whispering on their part, is now soft spoken behavior in my eyes! (I have no middle path .. the pendulum of my emotions always stays in extremities it seems :( )
Hong Kong in itself is a beautiful place. I had gone expecting a concrete jungle (more pre-conceived notions.. sigh .. ), but in the midst of those tall buildings and shipyards, there were stretches of land that made you forget that you were in a city in the first place! The Hong Kong-ians have created tiny green havens amid the chaos that usually prevails in cities like these.
So while the airport is a concrete self-contained township, as you move out you see nothing but greenery and gorgeous mountain ranges. Just when your brain lulls you into believing you are in a heavenly hill station, BAM .. You get onto an intricately patterned bridge over the sea ..surrounded by hundreds of vessels in the dockyard … Soon the architecture that the city is famous for makes itself known to you, in the form of impossibly high buildings that disappear into the heavens above! Just loved the way there were surprises at every nook and corner!
Anyhow, the street on which our hotel was located was a really busy one (JUST like the China I had imagined :P ) .. There were jewelry stores all over the place, and extremele stinky medical stores that kept a lot of dried animal brains ( Don’t know what they were…but that’s what they looked like I swear…)
So, on Day 1, having landed at 6 in the morning, we had half a day to kill (post attending to sleep deprivation from the previous night). So off we went to our local “temple” .. the HSBC Center :D. This was the first HSBC building that had been set up .. with the majestic Stephen and Stit manning the entrance … just LOVED the sense of history associated with it all!
Next on the agenda was the Victoria Peak .. we had heard hat the view from up there is breathtaking. Alas, it was so foggy that day that all we did was freeze over in the dense mist that surrounded us! Though the tram ride to the top and back was truly breathtaking!
We had 1 weekend as usual to explore the place (16 hour workdays don’t leave you with much scope otherwise)… So off we went to Lantau Island in a cable car with a see-through bottom. The view was unbelievable as the trolley glided over land and sea … The view of the giant bronze statue of the Great Buddha which was the chief attraction gave me a weird thrill .It is so majestic and the place has such a mystical feel to it, that you feel completely cut off from the rest of the world. We climbed 200 stairs to see the Buddha up close. The view from the top was amazing as expected, but what really got to me was the sense of peace that prevailed there. It was as if silence had taken a dimension of its own, and the chaos outside could not touch you as long as you were there … One of the most beautiful experiences ever!
The next day however was devoted to shopping .. Nothing spiritual about that experience .. but highly satisfying nonetheless :) .. The Hong Kong Metro is totally unbelievable .. Just loved how there was end to end connectivity all over!
Our last day there was spent lunching with the team there (pretty sure I’ve eaten some poor animal accidentally ) .. and shopping in their Midnight Market ( a cross between Sarojini Nagar and Dilli Haat :D) … Just loved the goods and the bargaining there!
All in all it was an amazing trip … Whether it was the adorable Chinese babies .. or extremely helpful people (even when they didn’t know English!) .. .or the shopping expedition .. or the peace that I carried away in my heart from Lantau .. I loved every bit of my visit ! On top of it all, I got over my stupid prejudices .. what more could I have asked for :)
Anyhow, my recent trip was an eye-opener to say the least. I am not a very prejudiced person in general, but once I develop them, I can be really obnoxious about my views. So the Chinese according to me were tiny, mean, robotic people, who ate all of Mother Nature’s creatures. Well, the latter does hold true .. but my former prejudices took a major hit!
The Chinese happen to be the living examples of the fact that awesome things come in small packages! They are amazingly friendly, extremely courteous, unbelievably nice hosts… and what always seemed like suspicious whispering on their part, is now soft spoken behavior in my eyes! (I have no middle path .. the pendulum of my emotions always stays in extremities it seems :( )
Hong Kong in itself is a beautiful place. I had gone expecting a concrete jungle (more pre-conceived notions.. sigh .. ), but in the midst of those tall buildings and shipyards, there were stretches of land that made you forget that you were in a city in the first place! The Hong Kong-ians have created tiny green havens amid the chaos that usually prevails in cities like these.
So while the airport is a concrete self-contained township, as you move out you see nothing but greenery and gorgeous mountain ranges. Just when your brain lulls you into believing you are in a heavenly hill station, BAM .. You get onto an intricately patterned bridge over the sea ..surrounded by hundreds of vessels in the dockyard … Soon the architecture that the city is famous for makes itself known to you, in the form of impossibly high buildings that disappear into the heavens above! Just loved the way there were surprises at every nook and corner!
Anyhow, the street on which our hotel was located was a really busy one (JUST like the China I had imagined :P ) .. There were jewelry stores all over the place, and extremele stinky medical stores that kept a lot of dried animal brains ( Don’t know what they were…but that’s what they looked like I swear…)
So, on Day 1, having landed at 6 in the morning, we had half a day to kill (post attending to sleep deprivation from the previous night). So off we went to our local “temple” .. the HSBC Center :D. This was the first HSBC building that had been set up .. with the majestic Stephen and Stit manning the entrance … just LOVED the sense of history associated with it all!
Next on the agenda was the Victoria Peak .. we had heard hat the view from up there is breathtaking. Alas, it was so foggy that day that all we did was freeze over in the dense mist that surrounded us! Though the tram ride to the top and back was truly breathtaking!
We had 1 weekend as usual to explore the place (16 hour workdays don’t leave you with much scope otherwise)… So off we went to Lantau Island in a cable car with a see-through bottom. The view was unbelievable as the trolley glided over land and sea … The view of the giant bronze statue of the Great Buddha which was the chief attraction gave me a weird thrill .It is so majestic and the place has such a mystical feel to it, that you feel completely cut off from the rest of the world. We climbed 200 stairs to see the Buddha up close. The view from the top was amazing as expected, but what really got to me was the sense of peace that prevailed there. It was as if silence had taken a dimension of its own, and the chaos outside could not touch you as long as you were there … One of the most beautiful experiences ever!
The next day however was devoted to shopping .. Nothing spiritual about that experience .. but highly satisfying nonetheless :) .. The Hong Kong Metro is totally unbelievable .. Just loved how there was end to end connectivity all over!
Our last day there was spent lunching with the team there (pretty sure I’ve eaten some poor animal accidentally ) .. and shopping in their Midnight Market ( a cross between Sarojini Nagar and Dilli Haat :D) … Just loved the goods and the bargaining there!
All in all it was an amazing trip … Whether it was the adorable Chinese babies .. or extremely helpful people (even when they didn’t know English!) .. .or the shopping expedition .. or the peace that I carried away in my heart from Lantau .. I loved every bit of my visit ! On top of it all, I got over my stupid prejudices .. what more could I have asked for :)
