An Adventure in Hong Kong

It was my first time to spend Christmas and New Year without my family. It was lonely at first but then again, it was not. I went to Hong Kong the day before Christmas and thought that it would be sad. But my friend Filmer and his workmates had this small party at another workmate's place and we had a great dinner and a lot of wine. It was fun.

The rest of my 10-day trip were spent going around Hong Kong. I went to places I was not able to visit the last time I was there. (Besides Hong Kong Disneyland, of course, I'd be coming back to Disney over and over again, lol.)

With only a map to guide me, I went each leg of the Hong Kong Walks brochure/map. Each stop is a tourist spot where one can discover, appreciate and take pictures of. I had an adventure. It felt like I am in a quest to find a lost treasure. I visited a lot of museums (well, they say if you want to know about a certain place or country go to its museums), old temples, parks and flea markets. I went up and down the steep streets of Central and Western District where one can see a lot of Old European Style buildings and the famous Man Mo Temple where I prayed and shook a wooden glass filled with bamboo sticks, each time a stick would come out and fell on the ground, I took note of a number and this has a corresponding character in a book on the reception where your fortune will be read. ( I will be having a favourable 2007!)

I also went to suburban Hong Kong, this time another I used another map to take me across Sha Tin, a place outside the hustle and bustle of the city. The place was a bit laid back, not too many cars, and not too many buildings. There is a feeling of freedom and ease in the place. I visited a park, another musuem, another temple, this time a large one built a centuries ago, a library and a Snoopy theme park!

I often miss eating, cause I didn't feel any hunger, not until I came home to the place where I stayed. I gorged on dinner every night. Maybe just to fill up the lost energy during the day...or am dying of hunger, ha, ha, ha!

I also visited Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok, a pleasure and leisure district in Hong Kong, one can find a variety of shops and stores there. There is a long street of petshops selling almost all species of goldfishes. My eyes were rolling around as I watched those colorful animals in their tanks. (Wished I bought some, but I don't think thier custom would allow me to take it back in Manila though.) Some more stores that sell electronics, toiletries and clothes.

All in all, it was the best trip ever. I really enjoyed the trip, not to mention the freezing weather. It was cold yet nice. I can really dress up.

The New Year was a blast. I spent it in a disco/bar in Lan Kwai Fong, a famous bar and disco district in Hong Kong, where I danced the night away. Had a few drinks with new friends, chat and danced again. I even went up the caged ledge and felt like a go go boy! The music is great until the count down and everyone wished each other a happy new year. Friends and stranger alike hugged and kissed and greeted one another.

I prayed in the temples that I had visited that I would like to live and work in Hong Kong. I love the place. I love the lifestyle. I really feel I will be better in Hong Kong. Maybe because of that sense of independence, or the weather, or the people, or the opportunities. Maybe because it is in my blood, for a long line of Chinese ancestry is running through my veins and calling me home.