Today I went to the South side of Hong Kong island. I slept in quite late b/c i've been feeling pretty crappy the past couple of days. I got lost on my way to Stanley Market and ended up in this residential area called Aberdeen.
In Aberdeen, I happened to stumble upon this magical temple that wasn't much from the outside but was so pristine on the inside. There were these huge coiled incense burning on the inside and hanging down from the roof. Rich and colourful fabrics mostly in Gold and Red were draped over these Buddha shrines and fruit and Lai see were offered to the God. It was smoky inside and smelled of incense and although there was noise from the busy streets just outside the doors, I felt peaceful, relaxed and was so happy and excited to be in my first Chinese Temple. There were doors (circle holes in the wall) on each side of me and these areas had no roof and so it was bright looking through the smoke into the rooms that they lead into.
on the way to Stanley I took a 15 passenger 'light bus' I saw a Chinese cemetery. It was so incredible! There must have been a thousand buried in it lined up right next to each other and kind of stacked like a logo castle. The only reason I could see it was because it was on the other side of a very steep valley wall. I didn't get a picture but it surprised me to say the least.
Stanley market was alright, a bit too touristy kind of reminded me of Disneyland. I bought some earrings that are made of two Mah-Jong blocks. I'm quite happy with them:). they remind me of playing the Chinese game with Grandma and mom.
I've been practicing my Cantonese but it is so hard! It's a tonal language and so not only are the words new and foreign but they have a special way that you have to say them. It's very much like music. Some words go up and some go down, some start high then go lower then go high again. J's are pronounced Ch but not really more of an S with an Sh...anyways, the waitresses all get a kick out of me and my Cantonese phrases book. It takes me like 10 mins to plan out what I'm going to try to say. And using the right tone takes a hell of a lot of guts because I feel absolutely ridiculous!
Around 7:30 I was back in Central HK. The buildings were all lit up and the architecture here is so different than in Vancouver. I took my time( I have to here anyways b/c i get lost so much) and took a lot of pictures of these massive neon buildings. While I was taking pictures this hobbling cripple guy who was really nice, gave me tips about HK. He gave me directions without me asking him then told me about how all of the buildings light up at 8 and there is a light show! He was so helpful and friendly. A few minutes later this EAst Indian guy asked me if I wanted to go up in the bank he worked in for a drink. I agreed b/c I thought it would be really cool to go into this HUGe building i couldn't even count how many stories. Well he was really pushy, insisting that we had a lot in common and wanting to travel with me. He even suggested me going to India with him in a couple weeks. He wanted me to drink a lot too and said that he lived nearby. The light show started and I missed it because he wanted to sit there and drink. Anyways, I got creeped out and left politely afterwards.
In Aberdeen, I happened to stumble upon this magical temple that wasn't much from the outside but was so pristine on the inside. There were these huge coiled incense burning on the inside and hanging down from the roof. Rich and colourful fabrics mostly in Gold and Red were draped over these Buddha shrines and fruit and Lai see were offered to the God. It was smoky inside and smelled of incense and although there was noise from the busy streets just outside the doors, I felt peaceful, relaxed and was so happy and excited to be in my first Chinese Temple. There were doors (circle holes in the wall) on each side of me and these areas had no roof and so it was bright looking through the smoke into the rooms that they lead into.
on the way to Stanley I took a 15 passenger 'light bus' I saw a Chinese cemetery. It was so incredible! There must have been a thousand buried in it lined up right next to each other and kind of stacked like a logo castle. The only reason I could see it was because it was on the other side of a very steep valley wall. I didn't get a picture but it surprised me to say the least.
Stanley market was alright, a bit too touristy kind of reminded me of Disneyland. I bought some earrings that are made of two Mah-Jong blocks. I'm quite happy with them:). they remind me of playing the Chinese game with Grandma and mom.
I've been practicing my Cantonese but it is so hard! It's a tonal language and so not only are the words new and foreign but they have a special way that you have to say them. It's very much like music. Some words go up and some go down, some start high then go lower then go high again. J's are pronounced Ch but not really more of an S with an Sh...anyways, the waitresses all get a kick out of me and my Cantonese phrases book. It takes me like 10 mins to plan out what I'm going to try to say. And using the right tone takes a hell of a lot of guts because I feel absolutely ridiculous!
Around 7:30 I was back in Central HK. The buildings were all lit up and the architecture here is so different than in Vancouver. I took my time( I have to here anyways b/c i get lost so much) and took a lot of pictures of these massive neon buildings. While I was taking pictures this hobbling cripple guy who was really nice, gave me tips about HK. He gave me directions without me asking him then told me about how all of the buildings light up at 8 and there is a light show! He was so helpful and friendly. A few minutes later this EAst Indian guy asked me if I wanted to go up in the bank he worked in for a drink. I agreed b/c I thought it would be really cool to go into this HUGe building i couldn't even count how many stories. Well he was really pushy, insisting that we had a lot in common and wanting to travel with me. He even suggested me going to India with him in a couple weeks. He wanted me to drink a lot too and said that he lived nearby. The light show started and I missed it because he wanted to sit there and drink. Anyways, I got creeped out and left politely afterwards.
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