Tropical Storm Jelawat gave us some heavy rain this morning which made local transportation (i.e., walking along sidewalks and dodging umbrellas and copy-watch salesmen) all the more challenging. My conference is now over, my presentation done, and my time in Hong Kong coming to a close. I already miss this place and all the bustle and the surprises around every (street) corner.
After sessions were over the rain let up and did a little more exploring, seeing both Kowloon Park and Tin Hau Temple, the one we spotted yesterday.
Apparently, the temple is dedicated to the goddess Tin Hau, queen of the heavens and patroness of seafarers. I entered very slowly, not seeing anyone coming and going and not seeing any signs saying "welcome, come on in." Like a lot that I've experienced here, I haven't really known what I can do and what I shouldn't do, but I stood at the threshold of the temple and eased my way inside, and noticed one or two people standing around and a woman sweeping away ashes from burning incense.
I then saw a sign in English saying "no photos allowed" which was the closest I could find to something saying it's okay for me to be here. But I really wanted to take photos of all the really unusual (bizarre?) statues and trinkets and I-don't-know-what. The smoke from the burning incense was overwhelming.
And then I saw this sign, so I paused, sat at a table, and copied it onto the back of a business card:
SPIRAL INCENSE
LONG TERM OFFERING TO THE GODS / LASTS FOR TEN DAYS / WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY / GOOD LUCK GOOD HEALTH / AND GOOD FORTUNE
RED HK$ 160
YELLOW HK$130
After finishing there, I walked along Temple Street, off Nathan Road, which is a little quieter: smaller shops, slower pace, very pleasant if somewhat run-down. As I was rounding a corner in that neighborhood, there were rising voices and people gathering around some sort of confrontation between an old man and a couple of policemen, with some woman standing beside the man (his wife?). He was obviously upset about something but the police were handling it. I stood with the rest of the onlookers, and whispered to a young man if he spoke English and if he knew what was happening. His answers were yes and no. I wanted to take a photo but also be discreet, not knowing how the police might respond to my inquisitiveness. My hand started raising with my camera in it and I thought "no problem" ... until I snapped the photo and realized I hadn't disabled the flash. Oops. Got a few looks, though none by the police, so I casually slipped the camera in my pocket and headed on my way.
Heading back to the hotel I had to stop at Starbucks for a decaf cafe latte and cinnamon roll. There's one (a Starbucks) on every corner (practically).
My final brief thought on "east" and "west" which I'll more fully comment on later, has to do with religion: Christianity here appears to be mainstream and accepted, the influence of the British I suppose. And it's practiced seriously here I would guess, as it is elsewhere. In Hong Kong, there appear not to be substantial practical alternatives of any seriousness, as far as I can see.
Tomorrow morning I take the airport shuttle ... I'm a little sad. But Shanghai is next.
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