It was raining when I got there. I had arranged lunch with two friends so I checked in at the hotel and my feet barely grazed the room before I was off to meet them. Over the course of lunch the rain reached "Black Rain" status (there's a description here, probably from June 2008 about black rain; it's an indicator of a whole lotta rain). Good to be back! It was an excuse to linger over tapas. Eventually, the rain mostly subsided and husbands resurfaced from work and tracked us down. Paul met me pre-dinner time after his half day at the office and we ate in Yung Kee, an HK classic. We went straight back to the hotel and quickly surrendered to exhaustion.
The next morning I was a tourist. There's a place, the Chi Lin Nunnery, that I honestly meant to visit for almost two years and, somehow, I failed to get there. I was determined this time. It's quick and easy to travel by train from the city. My friend Peggy met me there before she took off for a trip home to New Zealand. The rain had cleared overnight and it was hot. I know I live in Singapore, a tropical climate. So could Hong Kong possibly be worse - in July and August anyway? It seems impossible, but I boldly say, Yes. Sweat rolled down the sides of my nose the minute I stepped from the train station.
Luckily, the trip was worth the sweat. What a beautiful, tranquil spot in the midst of a bustling world. I've seen lots of temples in my Asia travels, but this one was perhaps one of the prettiest, and all the wood structures were built without one nail. What I found most interesting was the juxtaposition of a scenic retreat against the ubiquitous high-rise apartment blocks and the backdrop of green hills. There was a tea house on the grounds and Peggy and I stopped in for some tea and dumplings in an effort to escape the heat. If any of you ever visit someone else who lives in Hong Kong, I highly recommend a visit to Chi Lin.
Later that afternoon I ran off again to meet two friends for afternoon tea. My friend Victoria brought her one-year-old son and my friend Hester is pregnant, as is another friend whom I didn't get to see because she was visiting the UK. Something about that rain...
There are important decisions to make in life. As the dinner hour approached again, Paul and I faced ours. After careful consideration we chose our favorite little sushi place in our old neighborhood of Wan Chai. No regrets with that decision, except that it was so good it makes me wish I could go there right now. Did you know salmon could melt in your mouth? Back at the hotel we stopped in the bar, which we always liked, for some live music. Morning tea + afternoon tea + a few sips of dinner tea = I know better but I like tea and I'll sleep some other night.
Early the next morning I got my hair done since I haven't yet found anyone too reliable in Singapore. In my non-stop social blitz of Hong Kong, I met a group for lunch at a posh restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. My friend Leslie made it her noble ambition last year to dine at as many Michelin starred restaurants as possible. I made it to two with her before I left and I was lucky to be present for another on this day. Leslie is in treatment for breast cancer and my visit also coincided with one of her good weeks between chemo rounds. She looks great and has an inspirational strength and an irrepressible sense of humor.
At lunch I also got to see my friend and old J Residence neighbor Maggie who, as of this past weekend, has moved to China. She and her husband were also staying in a hotel since movers packed them up the day before, so I didn't get to visit J Res.
A drink with Leslie then off again to dinner. This time we chose our overall favorite HK dining spot, Wagyu, and my friend Victoria and her husband John joined us. Happily none of our chosen meals disappointed. A final drink in Lan Kwai Fong and then I finally saw the hotel room for more than a few minutes.
On Saturday morning Paul and I did a little required shopping and I had a stroll around Wan Chai before we met one of his coworkers for a dim sum lunch. Then Maggie and her husband Chris met us in Wan Chai for the event I had been waiting for: a foot massage at Siam Thai Massage. I got really accustomed to those massages. Hey, when you can have your feet rubbed for an hour for about $10, it's simply wrong to pass up. Singapore lacks such economical pursuits of relaxation.
Then we got tattoos. You see, I love Maggie, but I don't love her love of theme parties. That night was her and Chris' farewell party and - similar to her birthday last year where everyone had to wear a uniform and I was a Mad Men style secretary and Paul was a chef - the theme was trailer trash. When in Rome... So Paul sported a big eagle on his arm and one on the other forearm: the double eagle. I went for a classy rose on my chest. Let's just say that the tats complemented the chosen outfits. And let's also say that after the party while everyone was hanging out at a bar, someone asked Paul where he was from. When he said NY, the guy said, "No way! You look more like you're from Texas than I do - and I'm from Texas." Maybe it was the handlebar 'stache. My husband dedicated himself to the occasion and shaved part of his face that I haven't seen in about 15 years. My outfit, complete with pink fuzzy pants that I wear to sleep but some people wear in public (often with a logo written across the butt) earned a lot of stares. Trashy costumes: successful. Oh, my friend Kathleen is also pregnant now but not yet pregnant enough to pull off the classic 'pregnant woman in a too small shirt holding a beer can and cigarette.'
I had to leave a little earlier than Paul for my flight home on Sunday. I was sad to leave - again. I miss Hong Kong - again. Everyone asked me how I find life in Singapore and for most, "Fine" was not a sufficient answer. I sincerely don't wish to sound negative or unappreciative, so I managed to provide some details of how Singapore is "fine," but I can't deny that I (we) prefer Hong Kong. I was asked, if we had moved to Singapore first, do I think we might like it more. That's a good question and I think, perhaps, we would. But it's impossible to withhold comparisons now that it is in fact our second home in Asia. As I walked through the streets of Hong Kong, the strangest feeling was that I was not a stranger. We haven't been gone so long and everything remains so familiar that it still felt like I was home, and the only odd part was not staying.
2 comments:
Just don't forget where "home" really is!
She won't - it's Hong Kong ;-)
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