'Hong Kong Has Her Now' (part II)

After sleeping only two hours, I woke up with Big Buddha on my mind. It would have been impossible to sleep in, as the street noise found my 8^th floor window, impeding my sleep and beckoning me out of bed. Slowly, I coached myself to an upright position and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I’d never looked better; with eye make-up smudged down the pillow side of my face, hair matted down and frizzed out by sweat and humidity, and dark circles under my tired eyes. I laughed at the abstract painting on the wall resembling myself, and then hurried across the hall, into the bathroom before anyone else could take its possession. I took a shower in the cramped shower-over-the-toilet hostel bathroom (whoever invented those is a sadist), then packed my belongings into my backpack and set out, ready for another adventure. I found breakfast at an organic market that carries American health foods-or as I like to call it- ‘Heaven’. As I scanned the shelves stacked with muesli, almond milk, whole food nutrition bars, and various cooking oils, I imagined them all in my pantry (right now the only thing in my pantry is a bag of almonds and dried ginger). Unfortunately, these imported items are sold for the monetary equivalent of your firstborn child (…unless it’s a girl).  I could have easily spent my paycheck, so I limited myself to a dragon fruit for breakfast and a bag of organic flax seeds for my pantry.

With Monty’s directions in my sleep-deprived head, I hopped on the MTR and went to the furthest stop, out by Chinese Disneyland and the airport. I was soon off of the subway and in line for a gondola to Lantau Island, where the Po Lin Monastery is located. This monastery was founded by three monks in the early 1900’s,

and is now is a major attraction visited by hundreds of thousands of people per year. The ‘Big Buddha’ was erected in 1993. He is 34 meters tall, made of 250 tons of bronze. He faces north, looking over the people of China, with his raised right hand delivering a blessing to all.  The gondola takes 25 minutes to travel the 5.7 km (3.5 miles) to the North Coast of

Lantau Island, where the Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha are located. When Monty told me about his visit to Lantau, I knew I had to go because the scenery looked beautiful and the culture, rich. The gondola ticket line was long; after an hour and a half of waiting, I was finally coasting high over the bay, along the airport grounds, and up the mountain. The view of the water below, the skyscrapers in the distance, and the mountain ahead was breathtaking. We arrived at the village, which is comparable to a ski resort village: over-priced restaurants, bullshit souvenirs,

teeming with tourists. I powered through the mob and up a long incline to get to the nectar of the place-the Buddha. He is beautiful. I walked around the courtyard at the base of him to take it in. The heat and humidity were intense. All at once, the heat and my exhaustion hit me. I saw a woman sitting down in the shade, smoking a cigarette and enjoying the view.

‘I want to do what you’re doing.’ I said as I approached her with a tired smile. We sat together at the base of the Buddha and talked about his creation as she chain-smoked. I wish I could remember this woman’s name, but her Australian accent was so thick that I honestly only understood every other word she said. Though, when she mentioned food, I understood immediately. She informed me that the monastery offers a cheap and delicious vegetarian meal. With that knowledge, I bid the woman farewell, stopped at the monastery to pay my respects to the Enlightened One, and found the vegetarian restaurant. A

woman with an ‘all-business’ attitude took my meal ticket and sat me down in one of hundreds of chairs surrounding round tables in a big, shabby banquet hall. Every table was full of people laughing, talking, and eating. An old man came by with a cart of covered dishes. He set my table with a large, covered soup bowl, a tea set, a spoon, and a bowl to eat out of. The soup was delicious- a kind of clear Chinese minestrone. As soon as I finished my soup, a woman came by with another cart. Three items were set on my table this time: a small pressure cooker full of rice, a mushroom/greens/garlic sauce dish, and a plate of sautéed vegetables. It was all delicious. Feeling well fed, I walked out of the restaurant, past

an incense shrine, and up the steep stairs to the Buddha. The front side was swarming with tourists, so I walked around back where it was quiet; I believe this was the most quiet place in all of Hong Kong-the busiest, most crowded city I’ve ever experienced.  The view from the Buddha was magnificent, as he sits on a mountain towering high above the coast, but below nearby peaks. I looked up at the Buddha towering above me- the giant protector- then out at the scenery. This was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. In the magnificence of the moment, I was filled with gratitude. I was thankful for everyone who had a part in leading me to this point in my life, namely my parents. I was thankful for Siddhartha, a man who sought out danger and discomfort for the sake of knowledge and enlightenment…..a man I can relate to. Also, I indulged in gratitude for myself for being brave enough to answer a call and come to China. Experiences such as my weekend in Hong Kong are why I do it. It’s nice to be reminded of this from time to time.

Once again, I came back down to earth. The MTR took me back to the ferry station where I bought a ticket back to Zhongshan. After I bought the ticket, the cashier used his sub-par English skills to explain to me that I would have to go to the other ferry terminal in Kowloon (across the bay) to board my ship home. I looked at my watch. I only had 40 minutes to get there. Over the next 45 minutes, there was a lot of running around in order to follow a string of bad directions given in broken English. The end result of this was me bawling on a random woman’s shoulder on the ferry dock (the wrong ferry dock) as people passed by and shot us uncomfortable looks…..(I was REALLY tired). I’ll spare you from the confusion of the whole story and tell you this; I missed my ferry home- a 300 HK dollar mistake. I had to buy a new ticket and wait two hours for the next ferry out to Zhongshan.

When I finally did board a boat, I reflected on the incredible journey that had played out over the previous 48 hours as we pulled away from the dock. I couldn’t believe how much life had been packed into those hours. I had met new friends, accomplished an important step to my future academic career, and seen a few of the best sights in a great city. With contentment in my heart, flax seeds in my backpack, and tearstains still on my cheeks, I drifted away from a beautiful city and off to sleep. Thank you, Hong Kong. See you soon.