Leaky Faucets

I’m afraid that all of my hard work in providing Ana with positive and diverse musical influences in her first year is being undone.  My mother-in-law has these dreadful CDs in the car-cheesy instrumental re-workings of pop songs such as Madonna’s “Crazy for You.”  I must intervene with some more artful tunes-more jazz and classical and less elevator and supermarket tunes.  The punk rock can wait till later–don’t think she’s ready for that yet.

Over here I have less control over Ana’s play list.  Certainly I can do something about what gets played at home, but things also need to be changed in the car.

Seems there’s not much to do in Hong Kong but shop and eat, and I finished my shopping bit yesterday spending an hour or so at HMV (normally I try to avoid chain music stores but I’m starved for music and there is little choice here) buying 2 CDs: Aimee Mann’s “I’m with Stupid” and Manu Chao’s new one, “La Radiolina,” which I’m listening to for the first time as I write this. So that leaves eating, and if I do much more of that I’m going to explode.

So I had to figure out how I’d spend my afternoon-my last full day in HK. I was on my own so I could set my own itinerary. Of course, I had to eat first to give me the energy to explore the city on foot. I only had HK$100 in my wallet (about $13 US) to last the whole day so it would have to be cheap. Chinese food can be inexpensive here, but I was already right sick of Chinese, especially the greasy foods we’ve been eating here such as duck and pork and pan fried noodles. (I will, however, have Dim Sum tomorrow-can’t miss a chance for good Dim Sum in Hong Kong and we haven’t had time yet.) I was in the mood for a sandwich, but unfortunately all the Pret a Manger locations are on the other side on Hong Kong Island, and I was too hungry to go that far.

I walked down Nathan Road-the main thoroughfare in Kowloon-and then Haiphong Road, another congested main road. I decided to take a turn down one of the less traveled and dingier side streets hoping the places there would be cheaper. I briefly considered stopping in a noodle shop because I love noodle soup, but it looked pretty bleak. Next door was a Turkish place. I was skeptical, but it was full and most of the staff looked sufficiently Turkish, so I decided to give it a try. Turned out to be delightful and quick, and pretty healthy too. And more importantly, it was cheap at HK$50 for a chicken doner roll (thinly sliced chicken with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and a delicious sauce on pita), a cup of creamy lentil soup and bottled water. Actually, this was probably the best meal I’ve had so far in Hong Kong and absolutely the best value; most of our prior meals have been in LKF, Central-a very pricy district with mostly overpriced establishments. Even the Whisky Priest Irish pub was expensive, although at least the burger there was tasty.

I was out of Istanbul Express in 30 minutes. I decided I would check out Kowloon Park which borders Nathan Road and Haiphong Road on two of its sides. It’s gorgeous out today (about 21C/70F and sunny). The park is small compared to Central Park but it’s bigger than Washington Square Park. It is very serene compared to the pedestrian clogged streets just outside. Frankly, I’m really tired of looking at commerce and wanted to be in a place where no one tried to sell me anything like a Rolex copy or a custom-tailored suit. (Actually, later I discovered there is a McDonald’s inside the park.) A beautiful high-rising, geyser-like fountain greeted me near the Haiphong entrance. I sat there for a while to start writing this in my notebook while a young girl in a graduation cap and gown posed for pictures with her friends.

During my walk, I observed a few old guys doing Tai Chi or something and several other groups of locals practicing dance routines, some involving swords. A creepy guy tried to make eye contact with me at the park’s public urinal. Every park I’ve ever been to-no matter how small or urbane-has had its share of creeps and freaks. Why should Hong Kong be any different?

I ended up spending about two hours in the park-a good way to spend time in an expensive city without spending any money. Other attractions in Kowloon Park include an aviary with tropical birds, gardens, a bird lake with exotic ducks and flamingos, a gigantic swimming pool which now sits empty due to the season and a soccer field. There is also the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center which I stopped in for a few minutes to see the exhibit on Hong Kong’s history and cultural heritage.

I’m absolutely a parks person and think they represent the best things about cities and governments along with libraries. These are places for people to hang out freely (mostly anyway) together or alone at no cost. Locals and tourists mingle. People exercise, sleep, read. Kids play. Parks really give me a feel for a new place so I like to visit them when I travel. Seeing so many people there gives me a really good feeling. I really miss Central Park more than almost anything in New York.

Having nothing really to do today, it was good just to wander. It was small enough where I wasn’t going to get lost, and I had a map just in case. There were signs all over the park pointing toward a Footbridge to Hong Kong City, China. I was confused at what this meant-I didn’t think it meant Hong Kong Island after looking at a map, but was hoping it was. Kind of like walking across the Brooklyn Bridge (which I only ever walked about halfway across), it would be cool to walk from Kowloon to HK Island. But, after crossing over an expressway, the footbridge ended at the harbor and ferry terminal with service to Macau and Mainland China. (I’m still not sure what HK City, China refers to. It’s on my map-could be another mall or a building or port.) I was disappointed that I’d reached the end of the line but I was pleased with the spectacular view of the skyline across the harbor. Hong Kong really is visually stunning and unique city with its mountains and water and hilliness and many skyscrapers (it’s up there with San Francisco), but unfortunately it always seems to be covered in a layer of smoggy haze.

I wish I had brought my camera today, but all I had was my phone. I took a few shots but they’re pretty crappy (as usual as I’m a hack photographer), so I’ve posted here a few pics from the web, which approximate where I was today.

I took the MTR subway yesterday and twice again today after taking cabs for a few days here.  I felt a freedom I haven’t felt since I left New York.  To me, public transportation represents the ultimate in independence.  Everyone else took a cab back to Kowloon today but I insisted on taking the MTR on my own.  I miss those days of riding the train and listening to my iPod or reading a book or magazine.  The ride was short-only two stops from Central to Tsim Sha Shui-but it gave me some needed time to myself, something I’ve missed since my days riding the F train to and from Jamaica, Queens.  The Hong Kong system is relatively small but each station covers a lot of ground, which translates to a long walk to get from the train outside and vice versa.  Most people wouldn’t go out of their way to ride the subway but I really miss getting around this way.  I don’t even know Hong Kong very well but I felt very comfortable today due to my chosen mode of transport.   The subway makes me feel at home.

We arrived in Hong Kong SAR, China (that’s Special Administrative Region, which is part of Hong Kong’s official name since it reverted back to Chinese rule–one country, two systems, blah, blah, blah) two days ago. I’m here with Aya and Gahum and a few others from Pan Arts for a jewelry show of sorts. We didn’t join the official trade show at the Asia World convention center; instead, we decided to get a suite at a trendy hotel in Central Hong Kong and invite buyers here. It hasn’t been too successful so far but there’s still one more day. Mostly, we’ve been hanging out in the hotel waiting futilely for someone to show. A buyer from Paris stopped by briefly earlier and said he’d be back, but we’re not holding our breath.

Coming to HK was a welcome change for me. It brought me back to a place of order–something that is mostly lacking in the Philippines. (Chaos and randomness and informality can be good, I think, but one really needs to time to get used to that sort of thing.) What I’m talking about is this: in HK, all streets seem to have names (and people actually refer to them), buildings have addresses and there’s a very orderly and efficient public transportation system here. Like New York, you can easily make your way around here without a car of your own. Walking is common here too, although parts of the city such as the trendy Lan Kwai Fong in Central where our hotel (aptly named Hotel LKF) is located, are extremely hilly and replete with steep concrete stair cases. It’s kind of a cool effect if you can manage not to trip and get run over by one of the ubiquitous red taxis. I really do miss walking around outside even if I just wander and have no clue where I’m going. The weather is nice here (high 50s to low 70s) and refreshing for a change, although it feels a little cold after two months of being in a place where the thermometer never drops below 70.

There are also some giant, outdoor escalators in the middle of the city leading to what else? Another mall. Yes, Hong Kong must have more malls and retail space per square inch than any other city I’ve been to. It seems that shopping is the favorite pastime here with eating being a close second. Obviously, Chinese food is king here but there is also a nice variety of ethnic cuisines: Lebanese (we ate at Beirut last night which was overpriced and disappointing), Italian, Vietnamese, Russian, English, Japanese, etc. I’m taking a little break from Chinese food right now as I had it two days in a row and Gahum tends to order the greasy, fatty stuff which tastes good, but does a number on my stomach. Today, I had a healthy nicoise salad from Pret a Manger down the hill from our hotel. Wish they had one of those in the Philippines. I am looking forward to getting some dim sum this weekend, though.

Yesterday I was reminded of my former life working in Manhattan. I went to order lunch at Tsui Wah restaurant near our hotel. I had to shimmy my way past the hordes perched near the entrance in order to get to the cashier so I could place an order. Luckily, she spoke English and was able to understand me, I think. Then, Sammy (one of our companions here) and I stood amongst the aforementioned hordes waiting for our number to be called as I got dizzy watching the crowds of lunchgoers hustle in and out. This was the lunchtime rush of office workers, mostly Chinese though some were white. There still seem to be a lot of Brits here. It was a little too much for me after spending two months in the calm and relatively sedate Cebu. And I haven’t worked in Manhattan and dealt with this kind of lunch rush since 2002 anyway. I don’t think I want to go back to that anytime soon as much as I can complain about the slowness of the Philippines sometimes. In this place, like New York, you must be assertive and shout to be heard and often push your way past others to be seen. It’s even more complicated here where many restaurant workers do not speak English.

Neither do most of the cabdrivers. This can make getting around a little difficult sometimes. Even if you show them the address they can be confused if it is not in Chinese. Apparently, this was not the case before 1997 and the end of British rule.