Finding Peaceful Moments

There are plenty of places around the busy city Hong Kong to steal a quiet, peaceful moment. Last week, after a lot of train hopping, I finally found one of HK's favorite hidden sanctuaries - the Chi Lin Nunnery. This home of the devout was built during the Tang Dynasty and without the use of a single nail. Architects of that period used interlocking wooden beams to hold everything together; even this Nunnery with a 176-ton clay tile roof.

One of the best things about being a tourist in China is that there aren't many. In this instance, I was the only person at the entire complex. The front courtyard consists of a couple small rooms and lotus ponds with dragon-head fountains. It's noisy because you can hear the traffic from the highway below over the tinkling fountains, but once you step over the threshold to the center courtyard, there's a silence that hits you like a wall of pure peace. It's so calm, the silence almost feels heavy, broken only by the faint sound of Buddhist monks chanting their spiritual songs. Around the courtyard are small alters with statues of well known Bodhisattvas and their alters. The Buddha is featured as a large gold statue in the temple at the far end.

It's considered very disrespectful to take photos in a temple, so I didn't have a chance to take any, but I secretly snapped a shot of the big gold Buddha from outside.

The nuns at Chi Lin are not only responsible for their own grounds, but for maintaining the Nan Lian Garden - known as one of the most lovely gardens in the area. The garden wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped and, truth be told, I almost left shortly after arriving. Then I turned a corner to see a quiet koi fish pond with an inviting breeze and felt compelled to sit in the stillness. I ended up sitting for almost an hour - I couldn't move from that spot. It was so beautiful and quiet; for the first time in a long time, the only thing I felt was peace.

Blind People, Massage Therapy, and the Metro

In mainland China, there is a lot of prejudice against disabled people. In Hong Kong, there is much less, however, it still exists among some local and indigenous communities. In an effort to support the disabled community, the Hong Kong government offers massage training programs for the blind, so they can learn a trade using the senses they have and make a living for themselves. Yesterday, I ventured out to one of these "massage therapy centers of the blind" to see what they're all about. 

It wasn't like any other massage I've ever had. Rather than dressing down and getting under a blanket, they give you gym clothes to wear. The entire massage is done by putting light silk blankets over you to make it smooth, rather than using lotion or massage oil. Otherwise, it was a pretty standard massage. It was super painful and not very relaxing, but I feel amazing today!

I was feeling so tranquil after my massage, I decided to take the metro home. The metro systems in China are pristine. No nasty rats or urine odor - a la NYC - just clean, air-conditioned platforms with a revolutionary invention called a "wall" to keep people from falling and/or being pushed onto the tracks (hmmmm perhaps the MTA could put this into practice?).

I no longer fear for my life while waiting for the train...

Another perk of the MTR (HK) vs MTA (NYC)? You tap your "Octopus Card" when you get on the metro and again when you get off, so you only pay for the distance you travel. I love that it doesn't cost me $2.50 every time I get on the train - if I'm only going two stops, it's about $0.50. 

One thing that isn't different in China? Will is sill working around the clock - I've only seen him a couple times since we got here. Bleh.

Home Sweet Hong Kong

For those of you who don't know, Will was recently transferred to Hong Kong on business and I decided to join him on the journey. We arrived at our new apartment in Causeway Bay last night. Given that we currently live in a Manhattan walk-up, our new luxury one-bedroom apartment is a very welcome change (so much space for activities!).

The view from our bedroom (that's the Times Square building) 

Living in Times Square has its perks; my favorite of which is the life-size replica of Monsters University right outside our front door. On our morning stroll, I snapped some photos just for you:

Oddly, the entire town was asleep at 7am when we woke up, so we had breakfast at the 24-hour McDonald's downstairs. I love to eat at fast food chains in China because they are so vastly different from the ones in the USA. The food is freshly made and you can definitely tell - there aren't any chicken "nuggets" - and there's a McCafe at every McDonald's location, which is basically like a Starbucks. Look at these lattes:

I love the "M" and the heart. What a great way to wake up!

We don't have much on the agenda for today, just some unpacking and exploring the area. Keep you posted!