Hong Kong – Exhilarating and Exhausting!

We were actually in Hong Kong twice, once on December 18^th and 19^th and then again from December 23^rd to 30^th. Each visit was to Hong Kong was both exhilarating and exhausting!

Exhilarating 1: to make cheerful and excited: enliven, elate 2: refresh, stimulate

Exhausting 1: to consume entirely or to tire extremely or completely 2: to draw off or let out completely 3: to consider or discuss (a subject) thoroughly or completely or to try out the whole number of

On our first port visit we reunited with Brenda and Alexis and our good friends who live in Hong Kong, Calvin, Vanessa and Anson! Our first “taste” of Hong Kong included dining out with our friends, riding the Star Ferry, going up the world’s longest outdoor escalator, walking the streets of downtown Hong Kong, browsing the markets and shops and dining out in the trendy Soho district. A great two-day exhilarating and exhausting introduction to Hong Kong!

After five days back out at sea to “wind-up” our courses and four-month experience we docked for our last time on December 23^rd in Hong Kong. It was an emotional time saying farewell to our friends but equally exciting as we were beginning our one-week adventure in Hong Kong!

Thanks to the wonderful hospitality of our friends in Hong Kong (Calvin – a former student of mine from Red Deer College, Vanessa – Calvin’s spouse, Anson – their son, John and Amy – former students of mine from Red Deer College, Mr & Mrs. So – Vanessa’s parents, Jeana, Ken and others) we had an “insiders” experience of Hong Kong!

Highlights included: Calvin and Vanessa’s anniversary dinner with their friends and family; the alumni reunion dinner with former students and their families; the “back alley” diners where we experienced the local cuisine and culture; the numerous conversations with our friends; our “talk with the teenagers” at a dinner in a Portuguese restaurant in Macau; the various sights and places we wouldn’t normally go such as Lamma island, the various local markets and shops such as “sneaker street”, museum of tea ware, Aberdeen and Stanley and so on; Christmas day dinner of Peking Duck; the hike around the Peak; the Sands casino on Macau; our trip to Lantau Island and the giant Buddha; the temples and so on. These experiences were truly “exhilarating and exhausting”!

Also exhilarating was the energy in the streets – the crowds, the neon lights, the constant “hum” and “noise”, the variety of cuisine, the shopping, the bombardment of media messages, the big buildings and other various sites and sounds. Also exhausting was the energy in the streets – the crowds, the neon lights, the constant “hum” and “noise”, the variety of cuisines, the shopping, the bombardment of media messages, the big buildings and other various sites and sounds. Yes, with one comes the other.

We are forever indebted to our good friends, Calvin, Vanessa and Anson for “sharing” their time, energy and selves with us. It made for a wonderful “exhilarating and exhausting” Christmas in Hong Kong!

Ken

P.S. Watch for future entries (e.g. The Rituals of Re-entry, The TSS Experience – the end or just the beginning?)