Hong Kong Revisited – A Celebration

Just as we were to step on the express train that was to take us from the airport to the center city, Mary Kay stopped and turned to me with a horrified look. “Oh my God! I left my passport on the counter back in the bathroom near the customs gate.”

“You did what!” I exclaimed with as much pity as there was alarm.

“Here, hold on to my luggage, I have to go back and try and find it.” And off she went.

The good thing was that the airport was largely empty. It was almost desolate as a matter of fact. It made it easier for MK to be fleet of foot as she made her dash back to the security area.

Just as empty was the airplane we were on during our connecting flight from Taiwan. The Hong Kong economy, particularly its tourism industry, had taken a deep dive due to the civil unrest and protests that have overtaken the city for the past seven months. Only those who had to or who were of the adventurous spirit were choosing Hong Kong as their travel destination. While we were a little of both, our main reason we found ourselves in Hong Kong again (the last time was two years ago during a larger Pacific tour - see here) was for us to be a part of the Chinese half of the wedding celebration of MK’s son, Clark, and his beautiful bride, Emily. The U.S. half had occurred a month earlier in Chicago.

I paced and worried, praying that MK was going to be successful in her quest to retrieve her wayward passport. Then, off in the distance at the far end of the empty concourse, I saw MK jogging back toward me while giving me two thumbs up. Fortunately, a person with the cleaning staff had found it and turned it into security. After much paperwork and proof of her identity, MK had the passport and all of the other essential travel documents she had tucked inside returned to her. 

After a heavy sigh of relief and a refreshing shower after finally arriving at our hotel, we made our way to a restaurant near Clark and Emily’s apartment. Interestingly, this restaurant must only be known to the locals for there were no indications or signs of its existence as we ventured up and down the street looking for it. It was only because of Clark, who smartly figured we would be lost forever had he not come out onto the street to see us aimlessly wandering about, that we were able to be ushered inside a non-descript doorway, down a flight of steps, and through several rooms and passageways to a dining area where Emily and her family were waiting for us.

An added bonus for the evening was at the end of a cab ride that took us to a local hangout where Clark and his band, Cracklebox (see here), played their latest songs for over an hour. Primarily the band’s bass player, Clark was conscripted into also being the night’s lead singer due to their normal lead singer having laryngitis. Overall, it was very good music and highly entertaining. Even Emily’s 92-year-old grandmother, sitting on a bar stool, was rocking out the evening with the rest of us (you will see a picture of her later in this report). 

Walking Around

We spent a leisurely next couple of days strolling around the Wan Chai and Warehouse districts walking the streets and back lanes while taking in the sights. I normally pride myself on my map reading skills and sense of direction. But here in Hong Kong, such reliance would get one lost or in serious trouble due to the tangle of streets, overpasses, ramps, walkways, and stairwells all at different heights and elevations designed to negotiate the hilly terrain above the flats of the main central city. So, we had to resort to GPS to find our way around.

Having to continuously walk up and down the hilly streets is no small feat. Fortunately, city planners had installed what is touted as one of the world’s longest series of connected escalators that transport weary walkers from the city flats down by the harbor all the way up to the heights where many Hong Kong-ers live. We would come to heavily rely on these escalators in the coming days. 

Interestingly, these escalators reverse direction, first taking users down to their offices and other places of work in the morning then, sometime in the middle of the day, going upwards to bring these workers home. A whole series of unique enclaves, neighborhoods, shops, and restaurants have since evolved in and around these escalators.

Somebody's been working on her triceps.

We ducked into one store looking for envelopes to hand out at the Chinese tea party that was to be part of the wedding festivities in the coming days. Envelopes of all kinds were on offer but all had Chinese script on their covers. We found a fellow shopper who spoke English as well as who could read Chinese. She assured us that what was written was “wishing for great prosperity,” or words to that effect.

A proper tea party envelope. 

We took a break inside a church where an English-speaking service was underway. It was only after wondering why all of the attendees were wearing black and other shades of dark clothing, did it become apparent that we intruding in on a funeral service. A picture of Phyllis, the dearly departed, that was on an easel up on the stage should also had been a clue to us clueless Americans. Recognizing our disrespect, we quietly slinked away out the back door and onto the street to resume our journey.

We moved on into the commercial district to admire the architecture of the buildings soaring high above us. Certainly, this was a vantage point different from that which we saw earlier this morning from our upper story hotel room window.  

View from our hotel room window.

The same view after dark. 

Later, the neighborhood transitioned into an area filled with antique stores, street art, and street artists. On one street, a man playing an electric piano stopped me to ask where we were from. When I told him we were from Chicago, he made an attempt to sing and play Sinatra’s famous song about our city. When he couldn’t hit the right notes, he instead played a beautiful rendition of Sinatra’s “My Way.”

"I did it my way..."

As dusk approached, we enjoyed a unique happy hour with Clark at his place of work in the Causeway Bay district. In an among the desks and computer stations is a bar area where free draft beer is served on Fridays. Now, this is my kind of office! This was followed by a hot pot dinner with Emily’s family at yet another restaurant all but impossible to find if you are anyone other than a local. Eventually, and after too much sake for me, MK and I took a cab back to the hotel so that I could sleep things off for the evening.

The Celebration

It is a Chinese tradition that a wedding celebration begin with a tea ceremony. The bride and groom kneel before their seated guests and serve them small cups of tea. After taking a couple of sips and giving blessings and wishes, the guests hand to them a red envelope with cash or other small gifts. And always, without exception, the oldest family member, in this case Emily’s 92-year-old grandmother, is seated first. This is followed by the groom’s parents (um, that would be us), the bride’s parents, then all of the other relatives in descending order according to age – oldest to the youngest.

Emily's grandmother. 

By tradition, she is the first to be served by the bride and groom at the tea party. 

Emily's parent, Andrew and Colliza, were served their tea after MK and I had our turn. 

There we are!

Emily's father, mother, and sister, Elaine. 

Emily and Clark exchanged their heartfelt vows which was followed by Emily’s father, Andrew, singing a wonderful rendition of Minnie Ripperton’s “Loving You.” It was only after some more speeches and a beautiful song sung by Elaine, Emily’s sister, did thinks really kick off. The liquor began to flow and the dancing began in earnest. 

Andrew sings his rendition of "Loving You."

Emily's sister Elaine sings her sister and new brother in law a song. 

Emily and her aunt, Pam.

As the evening wore on, things really started getting carried away - in this case, it was Clark. 

And later, the tears flowed. Grandma wanted to dance with her granddaughter before the evening ended. There wasn’t dry eye in the house as we all watched with great emotion.

We enjoyed ourselves immensely. We met, talked, and even danced with people from all over the world (China, Australia, Canada, the U.S., the UK, Scotland, Spain, France, Singapore, Indonesia – the list was endless) who had come to visit or who currently reside in Hong Kong. 

All of the family members, friends and co-workers - of all ethnicities, races, and nationalities - had come together to share and celebrate Clark and Emily’s marriage and all of the joys that life brings. 

A very happy mother of the groom. 

More Walking Around

With a fuzzy head from having too much fun last night, I joined MK on a walk the following morning along a route that took us back down the escalators and then through the Old Central Police Station and Prison. This complex of old buildings have been, in part, converted into shops, restaurants, and banquet halls (one such hall was where the wedding celebration was last night). The old prison cells have been converted into a museum, but back in the day (the 1930s), it housed Ho Chi Minh as one of its prisoners. It is here the Ho’s imprisonment helped to foment his revolutionary ideology.

We visited various centuries-old temples that were sprinkled among the otherwise more modern buildings and structures. At Man Mo Temple, one of the most notable temples in Hong Kong, I did as instructed and tapped both the drum and the bell three times to show respect to the gods and to alert them of my presence.

Feeling a bit peckish, we stopped in some locally owned shops for some refreshing milk tea and egg custard treats, and later some tasty tart candies devoted to the upcoming Chinese New Year. For me, a follow-up beer was just as the doctor ordered.

Time for some milk tea.

...and an egg custard treat. 

When was the last time you have seen one of these old school pop tops?

Further on were several streets with shops that sold various roots, powders, dried insects, and animal parts used in the culture’s traditional medicines with supposed magical curatives for diabetes, arthritis, infertility, impotence, and other maladies. 

Dried fish bellies. 

Deer tails.

Deer legs. 

Shark's fin. I should try some one of these days. 

...on second thought...

Being a Sunday, much of the covered spaces within walkways and underpasses were filled with domestic workers all enjoying each other’s company. Many Hong Kong households employ such workers, many of whom are from Indonesia and the Philippines (approximately 300,000 live here). They can earn more money here as a maid or a nanny than they can as the professional, university-educated person they were before leaving their home country.  

Their employers provide housing for them during the week. But come Sunday, their day off, they have nowhere to live. So, to get by, they find sheltered spaces where they can find them and use the occasion to visit with each other, play games, eat, and other make the best of their situation until Monday morning arrives. 

And many others were out and about on their weekend off from the daily grind. 

I ducked into a gambling parlor where betting on horse racing was underway.

The following morning, we took the iconic Star Ferry across Victoria Harbor to spend some time in the Kowloon area on the mainland.

Our path centered around the Nathan Road corridor, the area where many of the recent protests had taken place. The issue involves the residents' desire that Hong Kong keep its level of autonomy from the mainland Chinese government that is now trying to assert greater control and authority. This independence is at risk despite promises made to the UK government went it turned over control of Hong Kong to China back in 1997. 

Several months earlier, this street was filled with nearly one million protesters, a mass of humanity. 

Not too many people today. 

The swankiest hotel in Hong Kong.

Contrasted with this tenement just down the block. 

Another mid-day snack break. My waffle was filled with peanut butter - something I had be jones-ing for. 

Left-over graffiti and squads of police personnel manning some of the major street corners were some of the evidence we had seen of the civil unrest that is simmering and lurking in the minds of those who live and/or govern this city over the past seven months or so. 

We didn't know if this police presence was precautionary or if there was trouble brewing nearby. 

Fortunately, all was quiet today, However, we could see other evidence of past activities as we walked about. Notably were the areas where asphalt had been put in place of destroyed brick work (the bricks were gathered and stacked to block the police from using some of the streets). Elsewhere, young people lined up outside of various restaurants, not because the fare inside was tasty, but instead to show solidarity with the business owners who have expressed support for their political movement against the Chinese government.

Missing bricks are patched over in various areas throughout the district.  

Showing solidarity with the businesses. 

As we headed back across the harbor on the ferry, we reflected on our experiences over the past several days, the sights we’ve seen, the celebration of a marriage between a beautiful couple, and the different people from all around the world that we have met or have seen out on the streets and in the neighborhoods.

Despite the different corners of the world we may come from, we all have the same wants and desires in life – security, health, freedom, love and comfort. Indeed, we have much more in common than we have in any of our differences. In these divisive times, we should learn from this lesson that we were reminded of while on our journey here in Hong Kong.