Hong Kong Part 1

One of the things that drew me to this contract was that it was a chance to go to a part of the world I have zero experience with, which is far East Asia.  Because of the unknown experiences to come, the ports from Manila to Sri Lanka were really interesting to me.  After Manila we sailed to Hong Kong, which I was SO EXCITED for.  Two of our dancers, Sergii and Anastasia actually worked for 2 years based in Hong Kong, and from hearing all their advice, I had gotten that much more pumped for our 2 days in this amazing city.  I figured it would be a good idea to stick closely to them for much of our time in Hong Kong, since they knew it so well, but then also had some places I wanted to explore for myself.  

Bird market

To start off, I headed out with Sergii and Phillip, our other male dancer, and we went to see the street markets.  First up was the goldfish market, with tanks and bags and pools of fish up and down the street.  There was every sort of fish imaginable and people were there, delicately finding their pick.  Next was the flower market, a full street of nothing but flower shops.  Every sort of flower imaginable was there for sale.  That led us to the bird market.  You could hear the birds chirping and screeching from pretty far away.  Then we turned up the small avenue sort of hidden away and there were dozens of wooden birdcages hanging from stalls and along railings and people selling all over.  It was really interesting and just so unlike anything I had ever seen before, which is always cool.  I loved seeing the cages of crickets and cockroaches for feeding and even spotting some crazy exotic birds like toucans and vibrantly colorful parrots.  The whole scene was so interesting that I decided to buy a little birdcage to remember it all.  

Next up was the Ladies Market, basically just a street market with all sorts of things for sale from trinkets and souvenirs to fake designer bags and sunglasses.  We met up with the girls there and did a bit of shopping and bargaining before heading to lunch.  We jumped on a double decker bus (where I insisted we ride on the 2nd level) and headed to get sushi.  Sergii and Anastasia have literally talked about this sushi restaurant since we were in rehearsals in Northampton, so we knew it was a necessary stop.  Haha!  We had a great lunch with all sorts of rolls and soups and sake and sashimi.  YUM!  

Afterward I wanted to head off and explore a very different part of Hong Kong and the singer girls went along with me.  Before we got too far, though, I made a stop.  I had seen so many guys on the street in suits, advertising for custom tailors.  I had also heard of this before arriving in Hong Kong; there are tons of tailors here who will make custom clothing overnight for visitors.  I decided it would be fun to get a suit made and I found a guy who had a well-fitted suit on and he led me to his corresponding shop, a tiny hole-in-the-wall place.  I was measured, chose my fabric, discussed fit, chose linings, etc.  I was told to return later that night for a fitting.  

Off I went with the girls.  We headed to the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Temple, a Buddhist temple that I had read about, which sits right in the middle of Hong Kong.  I love taking public transport to get around a city because you get a real sense of the speed and how normal people are living their lives, etc.  We took the underground, which was incredibly clean, easy to navigate, and fast.  Once we reached the temple it was pretty spectacular to see the incredibly ornate arches and colorful gables with their sculpted icons and gods everywhere.  I had never seen anything like it.  There were many worshipers there with incense, praying and bowing in front of the different areas of the temple.  The smell and sound of the incense being burned and shaken as offering is something that really sticks with me.  This whole place was so foreign and fascinating to me.  I loved exploring the grounds, which were beautifully landscaped and had nice bridges and pavilions around ponds and waterfalls, but the most amazing thing about the whole place was its positioning; it was right in the middle of a bunch of skyscrapers and near a busy highway.  The juxtaposition of new and old was so prevalent here, and so special to Hong Kong.  

Hong Kong old and new

Nearby was another area I had read about, the Chi Lin Nunnery and gardens.  We found our way again on the train and walked around the beautiful gardens first.  They were highly landscaped with sculpted trees and bright red bridges, golden temples, pagodas over-looking ponds… again just an absolutely beautiful area to see in the middle of this HUGE metropolis.  We eventually made our way to the Chi Lin nunnery, which was a pretty extensive building itself.  It is famous for being made completely out of wood, including the pegs instead of nails that still hold it together.  It was a very peaceful place to be and I was really glad to have made the effort to see this side of Hong Kong, as opposed to the ultra-modern city that it is.  

Chi Lin Nunnery

That night we all went out together as a cast, which is always fun.  That was quite the experience, as was the next day... more tales to come tomorrow!

From the other side of the world, 

Tripp