1. HongKong was special for many reasons, mostly though because this was the first international trip where Zoe and I were going a-gallivanting all by ourselves! Hubster was here on work, so for two out of the four days that we spent here, the little one and I, day-tripped around by ourselves.
Hubster had spent the weekend with us, when we practically saw all the islands in this fantastic dynamic city and scaled all it's ups and downs (literally speaking), as we went about doing most of the 'must-do's' in this city.
On Monday and Tuesday, Zoe and I packed ourselves off early after a heavy breakfast, to go explore the 'other' side of the city. I had researched quite a bit and compiled a list of things to do in HK, with a baby in tow, making sure it listed stuff that would interest me and her, without being too 'baby-ish' (Read: No Zoo's, Bird parks, aquariums, theme parks etc). We have fantastic versions of all those in Singapore thankfully, hence they were first on our 'avoid-list' on this trip.
So we started our Monday with a long train ride, changing 3 trains as we went along, to go visit the Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian garden, both next door to each other. I was prepared for a lot of 'weight lifting' going by my experience from the previous two days around town in HK, knowing for sure that there will be an unwelcome set of stairs that I must encounter at least once in my journey with the little one. Usually, releasing her from her stroller (Yup, releasing is the right word there) so she can walk up the stairs with me, is the easiest solution in such situations. But a bird once freed does not usually like to be caged again! (For lack of a better analogy, but all you Mommies with similar monkeys for children, you know the feeling).
Anyhoo, the nunnery was beautiful, like a solemn spot of quietude in the middle of the city. Having been built in the 1930's this temple complex with wooden architecture, houses several statues in gold, clay and wooden statues of Buddha and bodhisattvas.
Frankly speaking though, it was the outdoor landscapes that interested me more than the divinity within the temple. It took me back to Bryant Park - Yes, you read that right! Bryant Park in Manhattan! The city's very own oasis of green between the high-rises that surround it. All major American cities, especially in their densest urbanity, have a park like Bryant Park (LA, SF, Chicago, NYC etc). The Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian Gardens across it, are HongKong's very own ode to Bryant Park!
The tranquility in the nunnery calls for a similar response from it's visitor - something even Little Zoe realised, who seemed to have decided that she'd be on her best behaviour while here. As we walked around the landscaped areas of the nunnery, glancing at the statues at times but more so looking around us at the tall HK buildings that peered into this oasis, we probably knew that silence of this degree doesn't often come into our lives. The 'Zen' that emanated from the nunnery was only interrupted, that too if at all, by the soothing sounds of the water falling in the courtyard or the fish blowing bubbles in their pond nearby. (Yes, it was that quiet here!) No wonder then my research had revealed this to be a top-spot for Mommy-Baby outings in this city. It seemed to be the perfect 'pacifier' (in more ways than one) any Mom would be thankful for!
The Nan Lian Gardens were across the street from the Nunnery. Located in the middle of Urban Kowloon, these gardens further the experience of tranquil that one experiences in the Nunnery. Here, deliberate attempts have been made in the landscape to place noise barriers that shield the gardens from the sound of traffic outside. This is a classic example of a traditional landscaped Tang-Style Chinese garden. Another oasis of sorts, one sees dynamic backdrops here. Scenic mountain ranges of Lion Rock, Tate's Cairn, Temple Hill and Kowloon Peak are all visible from here. With features such as the Chinese Timber Gallery, a Lotus Pond with a stunning gold pavillion, it's own Rockery, multiple bridges and galleries this is one place to spend an ideal afternoon in, especially appealing to curious adults and kids alike.
The Garden also has it's very own Vegetarian Restaurant - The Chi Lin Vegetarian Restaurant (managed by the Chi Lin Nunnery across, hence the name) which we fell upon during our stroll here, almost exactly at lunch time.
2. HongKong surprised me in it's Vegetarian cuisine. Having heard of the recent new spate of bird flu in the city, I'd made a conscious decision to try to stay vegetarian/ pesceterian on this trip. Hence, these gems of Chinese style Vegetarian restaurants that I came across almost every where I went in the city, were happily welcomed. The Chi Lin Vegetarian restaurant is a family-style eatery, where like in the case of other similar places, one can pick a pre-fixe multiple course menu or order a la carte. Zoe and I went a la carte, choosing to try some sauteed tofu with bean curd, vegetarian shu mai and a clear glass noodle broth packed with the freshest of vegetables. As we both slurped away, I had a tough time trying to convince her eager self that the chopsticks weren't really going to be as easily manageable for her, as a fork. Finally she succumbed to the idea and gave in to being fed by me, using the chopsticks of course! I like to believe it was her way to assimilate in the surroundings! She did prove me right as she comfortably ate out of our chopsticks throughout the trip. In fact, as part of her 'Asian assimilation' process, I've recently bought her and all my besties' kids (my little nephews and nieces), pairs of 'training chopsticks' so they can eat Asian meals the Asian way!
3. Post-lunch we wandered along a bit more, Zoe trailing random birds and babies in the garden while I went shutter-happy with my DSLR. I was letting her run around and play for a while, so that she'd be ok sitting in her stroller for the next couple of hours, as we took more trains to head out towards HongKong's many specialty markets.
Our first specialty market was the 'Flower Market' - very reminiscent of Dadar's Flower Market in Mumbai or a rather run-down, Asian version of the Chelsea flower market in NYC. The street began and ended with flowers. It was like a dream full of flowers of every possible kind. As I successfully maneuvered the little one's stroller through the narrow sidewalks, I realized I had quite the skilfull 'flower-plucker' on my hands here. For at the end of the street, when I turned down to look at her, Zoe had created her own little flower-arrangement that could beat the one's being displayed in any of the gazillion shops that lined the streets of this amazing floral market. Thankfully, this was not Singapore and we would not be put behind bars for taking what is not ours!
At the end of the Flower market was our next stop - the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden. While researching I had expected this to be a nice, quaint, back-garden of sorts, tucked away at the end of a noisy street market, where I could perhaps find a patch of green or a bench to sit down on with Zoe, as she munched away on her afternoon snack. But this place was for from that. A revelation of sorts - the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden was our first initiation at what the rest of our afternoon was going to look like. It is a marketplace to sell captured birds! As we strolled through it, cage after cage, in every possible variety of design, appeared before us, with exotic birds within them, shrieking away, cacophonously as if asking to be set free. At first I was not sure what to make of it. And I wondered why this was on the list of things to be done with children in this city. But then I reminded myself that there was tradition rooted in this place. An age old Chinese hobby - of old men taking care of their exotic feathered song-birds in return for their melodies and tunes, was what was on display here. This long, rectangular garden serves as a short-cut crossing for many regulars, who walk past it on a daily basis perhaps, en route to work. But for first-timers such as Zoe and myself, this was more than just a garden. It was history frozen in time and we were no one to judge!
4. Once Zoe was done snacking away to the sounds of beautiful songbirds, all of whom she happily yelled out to calling "Birdyyy..Awww....Birdyyyy" and pretending to cajole and careen with her hands, we left to walk a bit more, towards the next specialty market on our list. This was the Toy Street - Fuk Wing Street, where 'Made in China' toys screamed aloud from stalls stacked next to each other, endlessly all along the length of the street. Another high point for Zoe, who was clearly having a great time, what with all her senses coming alive one after the other. HongKong used to be famous for it's Toy manufacturing until recently when all that got moved to the Mainland. For now, it's just streets like these which keep that memory alive for it's many 'toy-collector' citizens.
5. The next market we walked across to was the 'Goldfish Market'. This is a 'pet-store' on steroids, possibly the largest and most diverse pet-store I've ever seen, that too out on the street (unlike a Petco in The US, for example). What starts off with 'goldfish' in individual transparent water-filled bags, moves on to reptiles/ turtles/ tortoises, rabbits, hamsters, cats and dogs in glass boxes, packed one on top of the other, incessantly voicing their disapprovals at being kept on display this insensitively. Again, I reminded myself to not judge, but just keep calm and carry on. My DSLR seemed upset with me and refused to point and shoot any longer, after a point, when all I could do was walk past store after store, wondering if there was even a more 'sensitive' way of carrying on this animal trade? The daughter too, who started off exclaiming in delight at the little "Goldfishyy's" and "Tortoise's" that she kept seeing as we walked on the street, eventually subsided and just plainly stared in horror at little kittens and puppies that were kept captive, to be presented to potential buyers. In my mind, I had brought her to yet another Zoo, the kinds that one can see only here - in China! While it was important to walk along these corridors to understand and assmiliate ourselves in their lives and trades, what was probably unexpected for us, was this sudden feeling of sadness that clouded around. The same feeling which after a point, made me put my camera down with shame and made her go suddenly quiet, while looking at the caged animals. I could bet the puzzled looks she gave me were to say - "Mumma, why are they inside and not running around everywhere, like in my books?" In a way I am glad she could not ask me this verbally, for I would not have any answer to give to her. All I could have then said to her, which is what I did sooner than later is - "Let's go home Zoe."
6. The evening cheered us both up a bit, as Hubster returned and the three of us decided to take a post-dinner walk around our hotel - at Times Square, HongKong! It wouldn't be fair to compare the two, so we didn't bother - the real Times Square and this fake Chinese one. All we did is walk around, taking in he night lives of the millions of HongKongers or HongKongese (depending on if you felt like referring to their British or Chinese legacy, respectively), marveling away at the multiple street food stalls and the crowds that ate at them. Street-side eating has got to be Asia's favourite way to eat! Age-old slim and slender, tall trams alternated with double-decker buses, creating a wonderful collage across time and space, of the past and the present, of the colonizers and the colonized.
7. The next morning, Zoe and I set off once again, this time after having 'checked-out' of our hotel room and leaving our bags with the concierge, for Day 2 of a-gallivanting around the city. We were hoping to go to HongKong Park for some light-hearted recreational fun. HongKong Park has among many other regular park-features a small aviary and the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea-ware, which was of particular interest to me (What with my new-found love for everything 'tea' since we moved to Asia). But as it turned out, my wonderful ex-colleague and good friend Cho (who had spent Sunday with us, showing us around town with his wife Jin) insisted that Zoe and I have lunch with him and then visit his brand new work space- an office he's set up on his own in HK, since the past 3 years now. We couldn't possibly decline, so the HongKong Park also makes it way to the list-of-things-to-do-the-next-time-we-visit-here.
8. Zoe and I met Cho at the 'Tai Koo' MTR stop. By now, I was getting used to remembering Chinese-sounding train station names. Singapore gives you good practice for stuff like that, somehow, although the eventual Malay names do ease up the effort one needs to make, in Singapore to remember difficult and similar-sounding Chinese station names. In HK for example, one can find train stations that baffle a newcomer such as - Tai Wo, Tai Fu, Tai Wo Hau, Tai Wai, Tai Koo, Tai Shui Hang....and the list goes on. There is a station called Wan Chai just as there is one called Chai Wan. And of course there are the welcome-break providing British names that English-speaking tourists such as myself, appreciate and remember best - such as Diamond Hill, Prince Edward, Admiralty, Olympic, Jordan, Causeway Bay, Fortress Hill etc. Another reason why I am tempted to live or visit here more often - is to get comfortable enough with the Chinese dialect (Cantonese and Mandarin) so that I could differentiate and more importantly appreciate the similar sounding names of places, without actually reducing them down to mere 'Chinese' names only. Living in Singapore sort of does that - acquaints and familiarizes one enough with a few Asian languages, their sounds, meanings and dialects, so that one understands and gets one tongue used to pronunciations that one hardly ever had to botherwith before, living largely in a world where everyone spoke or understood English!
9. For lunch, Cho suggested an "amazing' sushi place he frequents, close to Tai Koo station, for old times sake (When Cho and I worked at 14 Wall Street in NYC, we'd often go eat sushi lunches close to work). Besides, he got me all excited to use this as an opportunity to introduce sushi to Zoe and see what she thinks of it. So we went to Sen-Ryo where we picked freshly made sushi traversing before us on a conveyor belt, onto our plates. My experiment was fruitful and Zoe happily munched away at bits of sushi with rice, sea weed and semi-sauteed salmon on it.
(I've been asked often, why I am so experimental with a two year old - giving her 'alien' foods, street foods this often. My logic has always been, if other kids her age are eating it somewhere in the world, she can do it too. Besides I think that is Zoe's logic too, since she's always asking to eat, what other's eat in front of her, so it's all good so far!)
Zoe didn't think much of the egg roll though, which I realized later was sweet!!! Not a particularly delectable sushi offering even to my taste buds, I must say, that one! Next up was a clear bowl of Udon soup, that Cho was having, which Zoe insisted on 'force-sharing'. I had a wonderful baby-sitter in 'Uncle Cho' that afternoon, who ordered a separate udon soup just for his new little friend and happily fed her it's entire contents with his chopsticks. My first experiment at Japanese cuisine with the young one, was checked, making me a very happy Mumma that day!
10. Cho's lovely office was a short walk from the sushi place, where we spent the rest of the afternoon, discussing his work, other international architectural projects, competitions and our fun times together. We planned a tentative re-union with the entire team that worked together on the design and conception of the Mumbai International Airport Project, hoping to make the reunion happen in Mumbai, before the end of this year. That will certainly be something to look forward to, especially as the airport opens it's doors the public soon. Cho's architectural firm is working on projects in Korea and on some other international competitions. Inspite of being South Korean, he chooses to base himself in HongKong, so as to be in the 'Centre of Asia' at an easy access and vantage point for international projects on this side of the world. Here is his firm's website - http://theeae.com/home.htm.
Hubster's HongKong office is close to Cho's place of work, so Hubster walked over to spend some time with us there. Zoe who had taken it upon herself as a personal project to colour every sheet of paper placed before her by Cho, with his multi-coloured markers, was pleasantly surprised at seeing "Papa" albeit for just a few minutes, appear out of nowhere, in the afternoon.
Soon it was time to bid goodbye to 'Uncle Cho' who will be sorely missed, especially each time Zoe needs to be fed efficiently and quickly with chopsticks! With a promise to meet again soon, in Mumbai or Singapore this time, Zoe and I, waved our goodbye's to Cho and took the train back to the hotel.
It was time to leave for the airport, where we would meet Hubster again, at the ticket check-in. Another beautiful, and especially memorable trip had come to an end! HongKong had captivated all of us and we knew when we were leaving, that we were not done with it yet. Perhaps at some point in the future we might return to visit or stay a bit longer - which of the two it will be, we don't know yet, but what we do know for sure is, We 'll be back. For many many reasons but most of all because Zoe only knows how to say "Nee Hao KongKong" and hasn't yet learned how to say 'Goodbye' to this city, in it's language yet!
Hubster had spent the weekend with us, when we practically saw all the islands in this fantastic dynamic city and scaled all it's ups and downs (literally speaking), as we went about doing most of the 'must-do's' in this city.
On Monday and Tuesday, Zoe and I packed ourselves off early after a heavy breakfast, to go explore the 'other' side of the city. I had researched quite a bit and compiled a list of things to do in HK, with a baby in tow, making sure it listed stuff that would interest me and her, without being too 'baby-ish' (Read: No Zoo's, Bird parks, aquariums, theme parks etc). We have fantastic versions of all those in Singapore thankfully, hence they were first on our 'avoid-list' on this trip.
So we started our Monday with a long train ride, changing 3 trains as we went along, to go visit the Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian garden, both next door to each other. I was prepared for a lot of 'weight lifting' going by my experience from the previous two days around town in HK, knowing for sure that there will be an unwelcome set of stairs that I must encounter at least once in my journey with the little one. Usually, releasing her from her stroller (Yup, releasing is the right word there) so she can walk up the stairs with me, is the easiest solution in such situations. But a bird once freed does not usually like to be caged again! (For lack of a better analogy, but all you Mommies with similar monkeys for children, you know the feeling).
Anyhoo, the nunnery was beautiful, like a solemn spot of quietude in the middle of the city. Having been built in the 1930's this temple complex with wooden architecture, houses several statues in gold, clay and wooden statues of Buddha and bodhisattvas.
Frankly speaking though, it was the outdoor landscapes that interested me more than the divinity within the temple. It took me back to Bryant Park - Yes, you read that right! Bryant Park in Manhattan! The city's very own oasis of green between the high-rises that surround it. All major American cities, especially in their densest urbanity, have a park like Bryant Park (LA, SF, Chicago, NYC etc). The Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian Gardens across it, are HongKong's very own ode to Bryant Park!
The tranquility in the nunnery calls for a similar response from it's visitor - something even Little Zoe realised, who seemed to have decided that she'd be on her best behaviour while here. As we walked around the landscaped areas of the nunnery, glancing at the statues at times but more so looking around us at the tall HK buildings that peered into this oasis, we probably knew that silence of this degree doesn't often come into our lives. The 'Zen' that emanated from the nunnery was only interrupted, that too if at all, by the soothing sounds of the water falling in the courtyard or the fish blowing bubbles in their pond nearby. (Yes, it was that quiet here!) No wonder then my research had revealed this to be a top-spot for Mommy-Baby outings in this city. It seemed to be the perfect 'pacifier' (in more ways than one) any Mom would be thankful for!
The Nan Lian Gardens were across the street from the Nunnery. Located in the middle of Urban Kowloon, these gardens further the experience of tranquil that one experiences in the Nunnery. Here, deliberate attempts have been made in the landscape to place noise barriers that shield the gardens from the sound of traffic outside. This is a classic example of a traditional landscaped Tang-Style Chinese garden. Another oasis of sorts, one sees dynamic backdrops here. Scenic mountain ranges of Lion Rock, Tate's Cairn, Temple Hill and Kowloon Peak are all visible from here. With features such as the Chinese Timber Gallery, a Lotus Pond with a stunning gold pavillion, it's own Rockery, multiple bridges and galleries this is one place to spend an ideal afternoon in, especially appealing to curious adults and kids alike.
The Garden also has it's very own Vegetarian Restaurant - The Chi Lin Vegetarian Restaurant (managed by the Chi Lin Nunnery across, hence the name) which we fell upon during our stroll here, almost exactly at lunch time.
2. HongKong surprised me in it's Vegetarian cuisine. Having heard of the recent new spate of bird flu in the city, I'd made a conscious decision to try to stay vegetarian/ pesceterian on this trip. Hence, these gems of Chinese style Vegetarian restaurants that I came across almost every where I went in the city, were happily welcomed. The Chi Lin Vegetarian restaurant is a family-style eatery, where like in the case of other similar places, one can pick a pre-fixe multiple course menu or order a la carte. Zoe and I went a la carte, choosing to try some sauteed tofu with bean curd, vegetarian shu mai and a clear glass noodle broth packed with the freshest of vegetables. As we both slurped away, I had a tough time trying to convince her eager self that the chopsticks weren't really going to be as easily manageable for her, as a fork. Finally she succumbed to the idea and gave in to being fed by me, using the chopsticks of course! I like to believe it was her way to assimilate in the surroundings! She did prove me right as she comfortably ate out of our chopsticks throughout the trip. In fact, as part of her 'Asian assimilation' process, I've recently bought her and all my besties' kids (my little nephews and nieces), pairs of 'training chopsticks' so they can eat Asian meals the Asian way!
3. Post-lunch we wandered along a bit more, Zoe trailing random birds and babies in the garden while I went shutter-happy with my DSLR. I was letting her run around and play for a while, so that she'd be ok sitting in her stroller for the next couple of hours, as we took more trains to head out towards HongKong's many specialty markets.
Our first specialty market was the 'Flower Market' - very reminiscent of Dadar's Flower Market in Mumbai or a rather run-down, Asian version of the Chelsea flower market in NYC. The street began and ended with flowers. It was like a dream full of flowers of every possible kind. As I successfully maneuvered the little one's stroller through the narrow sidewalks, I realized I had quite the skilfull 'flower-plucker' on my hands here. For at the end of the street, when I turned down to look at her, Zoe had created her own little flower-arrangement that could beat the one's being displayed in any of the gazillion shops that lined the streets of this amazing floral market. Thankfully, this was not Singapore and we would not be put behind bars for taking what is not ours!
At the end of the Flower market was our next stop - the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden. While researching I had expected this to be a nice, quaint, back-garden of sorts, tucked away at the end of a noisy street market, where I could perhaps find a patch of green or a bench to sit down on with Zoe, as she munched away on her afternoon snack. But this place was for from that. A revelation of sorts - the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden was our first initiation at what the rest of our afternoon was going to look like. It is a marketplace to sell captured birds! As we strolled through it, cage after cage, in every possible variety of design, appeared before us, with exotic birds within them, shrieking away, cacophonously as if asking to be set free. At first I was not sure what to make of it. And I wondered why this was on the list of things to be done with children in this city. But then I reminded myself that there was tradition rooted in this place. An age old Chinese hobby - of old men taking care of their exotic feathered song-birds in return for their melodies and tunes, was what was on display here. This long, rectangular garden serves as a short-cut crossing for many regulars, who walk past it on a daily basis perhaps, en route to work. But for first-timers such as Zoe and myself, this was more than just a garden. It was history frozen in time and we were no one to judge!
4. Once Zoe was done snacking away to the sounds of beautiful songbirds, all of whom she happily yelled out to calling "Birdyyy..Awww....Birdyyyy" and pretending to cajole and careen with her hands, we left to walk a bit more, towards the next specialty market on our list. This was the Toy Street - Fuk Wing Street, where 'Made in China' toys screamed aloud from stalls stacked next to each other, endlessly all along the length of the street. Another high point for Zoe, who was clearly having a great time, what with all her senses coming alive one after the other. HongKong used to be famous for it's Toy manufacturing until recently when all that got moved to the Mainland. For now, it's just streets like these which keep that memory alive for it's many 'toy-collector' citizens.
5. The next market we walked across to was the 'Goldfish Market'. This is a 'pet-store' on steroids, possibly the largest and most diverse pet-store I've ever seen, that too out on the street (unlike a Petco in The US, for example). What starts off with 'goldfish' in individual transparent water-filled bags, moves on to reptiles/ turtles/ tortoises, rabbits, hamsters, cats and dogs in glass boxes, packed one on top of the other, incessantly voicing their disapprovals at being kept on display this insensitively. Again, I reminded myself to not judge, but just keep calm and carry on. My DSLR seemed upset with me and refused to point and shoot any longer, after a point, when all I could do was walk past store after store, wondering if there was even a more 'sensitive' way of carrying on this animal trade? The daughter too, who started off exclaiming in delight at the little "Goldfishyy's" and "Tortoise's" that she kept seeing as we walked on the street, eventually subsided and just plainly stared in horror at little kittens and puppies that were kept captive, to be presented to potential buyers. In my mind, I had brought her to yet another Zoo, the kinds that one can see only here - in China! While it was important to walk along these corridors to understand and assmiliate ourselves in their lives and trades, what was probably unexpected for us, was this sudden feeling of sadness that clouded around. The same feeling which after a point, made me put my camera down with shame and made her go suddenly quiet, while looking at the caged animals. I could bet the puzzled looks she gave me were to say - "Mumma, why are they inside and not running around everywhere, like in my books?" In a way I am glad she could not ask me this verbally, for I would not have any answer to give to her. All I could have then said to her, which is what I did sooner than later is - "Let's go home Zoe."
6. The evening cheered us both up a bit, as Hubster returned and the three of us decided to take a post-dinner walk around our hotel - at Times Square, HongKong! It wouldn't be fair to compare the two, so we didn't bother - the real Times Square and this fake Chinese one. All we did is walk around, taking in he night lives of the millions of HongKongers or HongKongese (depending on if you felt like referring to their British or Chinese legacy, respectively), marveling away at the multiple street food stalls and the crowds that ate at them. Street-side eating has got to be Asia's favourite way to eat! Age-old slim and slender, tall trams alternated with double-decker buses, creating a wonderful collage across time and space, of the past and the present, of the colonizers and the colonized.
7. The next morning, Zoe and I set off once again, this time after having 'checked-out' of our hotel room and leaving our bags with the concierge, for Day 2 of a-gallivanting around the city. We were hoping to go to HongKong Park for some light-hearted recreational fun. HongKong Park has among many other regular park-features a small aviary and the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea-ware, which was of particular interest to me (What with my new-found love for everything 'tea' since we moved to Asia). But as it turned out, my wonderful ex-colleague and good friend Cho (who had spent Sunday with us, showing us around town with his wife Jin) insisted that Zoe and I have lunch with him and then visit his brand new work space- an office he's set up on his own in HK, since the past 3 years now. We couldn't possibly decline, so the HongKong Park also makes it way to the list-of-things-to-do-the-next-time-we-visit-here.
8. Zoe and I met Cho at the 'Tai Koo' MTR stop. By now, I was getting used to remembering Chinese-sounding train station names. Singapore gives you good practice for stuff like that, somehow, although the eventual Malay names do ease up the effort one needs to make, in Singapore to remember difficult and similar-sounding Chinese station names. In HK for example, one can find train stations that baffle a newcomer such as - Tai Wo, Tai Fu, Tai Wo Hau, Tai Wai, Tai Koo, Tai Shui Hang....and the list goes on. There is a station called Wan Chai just as there is one called Chai Wan. And of course there are the welcome-break providing British names that English-speaking tourists such as myself, appreciate and remember best - such as Diamond Hill, Prince Edward, Admiralty, Olympic, Jordan, Causeway Bay, Fortress Hill etc. Another reason why I am tempted to live or visit here more often - is to get comfortable enough with the Chinese dialect (Cantonese and Mandarin) so that I could differentiate and more importantly appreciate the similar sounding names of places, without actually reducing them down to mere 'Chinese' names only. Living in Singapore sort of does that - acquaints and familiarizes one enough with a few Asian languages, their sounds, meanings and dialects, so that one understands and gets one tongue used to pronunciations that one hardly ever had to botherwith before, living largely in a world where everyone spoke or understood English!
9. For lunch, Cho suggested an "amazing' sushi place he frequents, close to Tai Koo station, for old times sake (When Cho and I worked at 14 Wall Street in NYC, we'd often go eat sushi lunches close to work). Besides, he got me all excited to use this as an opportunity to introduce sushi to Zoe and see what she thinks of it. So we went to Sen-Ryo where we picked freshly made sushi traversing before us on a conveyor belt, onto our plates. My experiment was fruitful and Zoe happily munched away at bits of sushi with rice, sea weed and semi-sauteed salmon on it.
(I've been asked often, why I am so experimental with a two year old - giving her 'alien' foods, street foods this often. My logic has always been, if other kids her age are eating it somewhere in the world, she can do it too. Besides I think that is Zoe's logic too, since she's always asking to eat, what other's eat in front of her, so it's all good so far!)
Zoe didn't think much of the egg roll though, which I realized later was sweet!!! Not a particularly delectable sushi offering even to my taste buds, I must say, that one! Next up was a clear bowl of Udon soup, that Cho was having, which Zoe insisted on 'force-sharing'. I had a wonderful baby-sitter in 'Uncle Cho' that afternoon, who ordered a separate udon soup just for his new little friend and happily fed her it's entire contents with his chopsticks. My first experiment at Japanese cuisine with the young one, was checked, making me a very happy Mumma that day!
10. Cho's lovely office was a short walk from the sushi place, where we spent the rest of the afternoon, discussing his work, other international architectural projects, competitions and our fun times together. We planned a tentative re-union with the entire team that worked together on the design and conception of the Mumbai International Airport Project, hoping to make the reunion happen in Mumbai, before the end of this year. That will certainly be something to look forward to, especially as the airport opens it's doors the public soon. Cho's architectural firm is working on projects in Korea and on some other international competitions. Inspite of being South Korean, he chooses to base himself in HongKong, so as to be in the 'Centre of Asia' at an easy access and vantage point for international projects on this side of the world. Here is his firm's website - http://theeae.com/home.htm.
Hubster's HongKong office is close to Cho's place of work, so Hubster walked over to spend some time with us there. Zoe who had taken it upon herself as a personal project to colour every sheet of paper placed before her by Cho, with his multi-coloured markers, was pleasantly surprised at seeing "Papa" albeit for just a few minutes, appear out of nowhere, in the afternoon.
Soon it was time to bid goodbye to 'Uncle Cho' who will be sorely missed, especially each time Zoe needs to be fed efficiently and quickly with chopsticks! With a promise to meet again soon, in Mumbai or Singapore this time, Zoe and I, waved our goodbye's to Cho and took the train back to the hotel.
It was time to leave for the airport, where we would meet Hubster again, at the ticket check-in. Another beautiful, and especially memorable trip had come to an end! HongKong had captivated all of us and we knew when we were leaving, that we were not done with it yet. Perhaps at some point in the future we might return to visit or stay a bit longer - which of the two it will be, we don't know yet, but what we do know for sure is, We 'll be back. For many many reasons but most of all because Zoe only knows how to say "Nee Hao KongKong" and hasn't yet learned how to say 'Goodbye' to this city, in it's language yet!
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