Day 19, 7/22, Hong Kong

***New Territories***

*Bamboo Forest Monastery*
We climbed up into the New Territories (about 300 sq. mi) today to see the Bamboo Forest Monastery, among other places in this large region north of Hong Kong Island and above Kowloon. Don Lau joined us along with our HK tour guide Jason when we left from the Empire Hotel. Along the way we passed Hong Kong’s massive harbor. It truly is a jewel and dwarfs our big ports like L.A.’s and New York’s. I also remember marveling at the bus driver’s ability to snake through small streets in this hilly region to get us as close as possible to the monastery. The quickly gathering clouds cried out, “Rain!” Sure enough, as Typhoon Signal 3 would have it, it started sprinkling. I halfway expected the bus tires to lose their traction as the bus climbed up. What if it slipped a little? What would I do? I started hatching my escape plan while dragging a couple of you to rescue.

The three largest Buddha statues in Hong Kong are housed at this monastery. First we found ourselves in the hall of dozens of gilded statues of Bodhisattvas. (How many were there again? I lost count.) I couldn’t tell what each one represented or whether they were supposed to represent anything, but I was drawn to those with a calm, cool, and collected look. There was some literature at the door and we all received a yellow pendant with Chinese characters, which, I was told, was the Saint Christopher of Buddhism to help us with our life’s journey.

As we came down the stairs from the great Bodhisattva hall we saw a huge fireplace. At first Clay asked us what we thought it was. A crematorium, perhaps? Probably not: too out in the open and too small. It was used for paper offerings to bring good fortune to the living and the dead. I’m surprised at how paper offerings did not come to mind. Throughout the tour we had seen people pray at various Buddhist sites and we were told that worshipers wished for a long life or prosperity for their elders and those close to them. The importance of ancestors was made even more powerful to us as we walked passed an assembly hall of some sort (dining area?) for the monastery’s 50 residents. Its residents have built up a wall of soul tablets and photographs to honor the dead. At one time, Don told us, 600 residents lived here. Where have the people gone? Have elders become affluent enough to afford their own living space? Are more moving in with family? If one does choose to live here, he must be able to live independently, give paper offerings, and pay for his own funeral. The annual (correct?) rent is 20,000 HKD. If it is indeed annual, the approximate 214 USD per month seems hefty for someone living a relatively monastic life.

I must’ve been expecting Buddha statues close to the size of the Yungang Grottoes because after we left I was still expecting a big Buddha to emerge from the verdant surrounding mountains. The hall in which they were was nonetheless resplendent with fabrics hanging from the ceiling, more gilded statues, and wall paintings of Buddha’s life. I wondered whether the bell and the drums were ever sounded, but I was glad that they were there since they are important parts of a Buddhist ceremony (certainly for sects of Tibetan Buddhism, which I knew closely).

I’ve come to realize that the Chinese Buddhism that we’ve seen was very Confucian. I thought that in the supposed hybrid of Buddhism/Confucianism and maybe Daoism I would see more Buddhist elements like the emphasis on suffering of all sentient beings and surrendering to the Way, but I saw ancestral worship and praying for things that seemed materialistic to me and was in no way spiritual, and may be that was okay.

As we tooled around the region along the small highways we stopped to take pictures and to take in the view below where Hong Kong meets China. We were pretty high up in the Tai Mo Shan Country Park. Mountains and vegetation blocked our view of China from our vantage points, but I was astounded to learn how much the area had been built up over the past 15 years. The Chinese city of Shenzhen in neighboring Guangdong province was once a fishing village. Now it’s quickly becoming a bustling metropolis with more growth to be made.

We also saw remnants of Hong Kong’s past. Since the handover in 1997 British military housing has been vacant. I was surprised that there had been nothing done with it since then because of what I perceived to be the SAR’s housing needs, but I guess most of the development was still on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Don then took us to a three-story Ranch 99 of some sort. Was this where he really did his grocery shopping or did I imagine that? Thank you, Priya, for pushing that pear-type fruit on me. It was interesting and I was glad I had it when I did because I was hungry. Most unusual finds: Manny’s paper suit and Jenn’s elasticized towel wrap—a must for the lifeguard when she’s just lounging. We hoped that Manny would wear the suit, but no dice.

*Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall & Lo Wai Walled Village*
Again, the Confucian theme of ancestors and honor remains strong. Built in the 16th century, this ancestral hall also has two chambers for important clan members and donors. Don showed us the soul tablets that have been maintained for many years. Apparently the Tang clan occupies much of this area including the walled community of Lo Wai just next door to the hall. At the beginning of today’s journey, Don said that he was taking us to his home. I thought that that couldn’t be right, but he really did! Turns out that Don is not really a Tang but a Lau. Yet the coupling of one of his dogs (both rather densely packed canines) and another, a Tang, made it okay for him to be there, he jokes. Did anyone else hear it like this? I was struggling to get the details right on paper. Anyway, I really liked the time we spent visiting his place and wondered whether there were other tour groups who also received the honor of sitting in his living room. Both the hall and the village were named heritage sites and are part of an off-the-beaten-path tourist trail.

After our lunch for which we chose our meal (pasta or beef?) way back in Shanxi on a bus with Indy as our guide, we returned to Wan Chai. We dropped Jacqii off at the immigration center on our way back to the hotel. It seemed like such an exciting thing for her to do, that is, to renew her residency status. It just goes to show that it’s good to leave all options open and to do the legwork to get them.

This was the end of our scheduled day and our tour extravaganza. What a terrific time it had been! Now it was free time until we had to meet to go to the airport the next day. But just how free was our free time? The clouds looked even more foreboding and in a short span of time the heavens came down and how! When Jenn and I split off from the tea-hunting group and boarded a double-decker tram, rain started pelting the vehicle. We were headed to see more ancestral worship at the cemetery near Happy Valley, but as valiantly as we tried to reach it, we didn’t get very far. I found myself really wanting my waders at this point. My clothes were wet. (I would bring a poncho next time; my umbrella was no match for this.) Times Square was close by and we sought shelter there and even considered going to a movie (Toy Story 3—have you seen it yet?). However, we ended up taking the subway train to Jordan Street to check out Temple Market, and lo and behold there were all of you! It truly is a small world! The stairs near the exit were crammed with people waiting for the rain to subside. Jenn and I entertained shopping for a few minutes outside the station, but then went back to Wan Chai. At a Tapas restaurant we had a chance to briefly talk to a couple having dinner. We were not sure how to tip or whether people did that at all; we needed their advice. The woman explained that while there are service charges on the check, wait staff aren’t actually paid extra for their service. We also found out the two were both North American expats, she from Vancouver and he from San Diego. How people decide to relocate and commit themselves to a place far from home always amazes me, especially when they move to a place that is in flux like Hong Kong is. After three weeks learning about centuries of Chinese history it is poignant to spend our last moments here in a Spanish restaurant in this very international city. These locals sitting next to us reflected Hong Kong history in which the city has served as refuge and a place for adventure. This was also where we first put our learning to good use—by giving the wait staff a fair tip by local standards.