Hong Kong is my place of birth; however, I have no recollection of my first year of life in Hong Kong before moving to the US. My family must have maintained somewhat the same traditions and way of life as if we never left so my first visit back did not seem too 'foreign.' I have made 4 return visits since I first left.
THE MOMENT I stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac, I knew I was in a different place. I had landed in Hong Kong during the thick of summer and the humid air engulfs my senses like never before. That was my first of what would eventually turn into four visits to Hong Kong over a period of fourteen years. I recall with vivid excitement as the pilot maneuvered the jumbo jet between skyscrapers, expertly descending down between buildings. I could look over my window seat and see families eating their afternoon meal - we were that close. In those days, commercial pilots were required to have additional specialized training to land their planes in Hong Kong. In subsequent return trips, those landings got re-routed away from tall buildings and eventually the new airport opened on Lantau Island a few miles outside of the city center. Hong Kong is divided into four main geographic regions: Hong Kong island - where the pulse of the financial center and seat of government preside, the Kowloon peninsula - the heart and soul of all that Hong Kong represents, the New Territories (Sha Tin) - once vast countryside and farmlands have turned into residential communities and mega malls, and the outlying islands - where day to day life resembles nothing of that on the mainland. It never ceased to amaze me that Hong Kong is so diverse and that everything has its polar opposites. Infrastructure for mass transportation is unrivaled and state of the art, yet occasionally you'll see a sinewy looking man whose appearance has been weathered by a storied life pull his rickshaw looking for a fare. The rickshaw pulling era has long ended as their "drivers" passed on. High rise condominiums and beachfront homes are impeccable, yet much of the population lives in what Americans would call sub-standard housing at best; small, crowded, dark, damp and pest infested. And there are those rotting wooden shanties precariously built along a hillside with scrap pieces of corrugated rusted tin for cover that blows off during the first typhoon. There is no question that Hong Kong is far ahead of the US in electronics technology. By that I mean the availability of products. I saw my first ATM in Hong Kong - it wasn't until a year later that I saw my second one in the US. Cute pocket size cameras and camcorders left you oohing and ah-ing to bring one back to show off to your friends back home. When mobile phones exploded on the scene, it seems that everyone in Hong Kong had pocket sized mobile phones, while the few Americans who had one sported the military sized walkie-talkie style. Not much had really changed in Hong Kong over the 2 decades I visited except the New Territories. Steam trains out to Sha Tin have been replaced by modern trains. On one visit, we tried to find the home where my husband spent his early childhood before his family moved to Kowloon. He remembers his home had dirt floors, no plumbing, and a loft covered with hay was the sleeping area. Water had to be collected by rain or pumped from the community well. Sanitation consisted of a community sistern in the ground to collect waste. With the help of an auntie, we located the area but was unrecognizable even to her. The countryside, where playing outside meant bending and tying twigs together and wafting it through a spider web (basically stealing it's home) to make a net to catch insects unfortunate enough to get in the way, was no more. The land had been leveled for new suburbia and nearby was the largest five story shopping complex I'd ever seen. I have not returned to Hong Kong since the hand-over back to China, but that's only because my wanderlust has called me to another part of the world since. I travel to where my heart tells me to go.
History of Shing Mun Park & Reservoir
The Reservoir (following photo) was built in 1933 and completed in 1937.
Shing Mun Reservoir - New Territories. Wow, that big hair dates me. o_o
Fishermen in the Harbor
Jumbo Floating Restaurant on the Hong Kong side
One of the biggest floating restaurants anywhere. Hong Kong literally translates as "Fragrant Harbor"
Hong Kong Harbor
I couldn't tell if they were tourists on an excursion or locals commuting on these boats. Check out the contrast against the sleek yachts moored.
Shopping Complex - New Territories
This is a 5 story mega mall that takes up almost an entire city block. There is a floor below street level, making this 5 stories of shops.
Village Store Near the Reservoir - New Territories
Laundry hangs everywhere (upper right) - in the city, in the country, on the islands...
Temple in Shing Mun Reservoir - New Territories
Another Temple
Bamboo Scaffolding in Kowloon
I was amazed to see the entire building of bamboo scaffolding. Talk about your house of cards!
St Teresa Church - Kowloon
This church is where I was baptized.
Aw Boon Haw (formerly Tiger Balm) Mansion
Home of the founder and philanthropist of the Tiger Balm ointment empire.
The mansion's courtyard. The swimming pool is drained and appears there are some renovations or maintenance going on at the moment.
Aw Boon Haw Garden (formerly Tiger Balm Garden)
The founder of Tiger Balm built and opened this property for public enjoyment. The garden is filled with gaudy artworks of mythological characters.
The Buddah at Aw Boon Haw Garden
Aw Boon Haw Garden (formerly Tiger Balm Garden)
The Protector
One of the many Chinese gods
Double Decker Tram
I can't begin to recall all the various modes of transportation in Hong Kong.
Street Life in Kowloon
In Your Face! And you thought the internet inundated with ads......
Street Life in Kowloon
All neon signs in Hong Kong do not blink because it's against the law. The airport is too close and it poses a hazard. I don't know if that changed now that the airport is on Lantau Island.
Buddah Statue - Taiwan
This photo was from a separate Taiwan trip. With me is Donna, a New Yorker I met there.
Buddhist Temple - Taiwan
This photo was also from that same Taiwan trip. With me are 2 friends I met traveling - Miss Chinatown and 1st Runner Up.