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Experiencing China An Intentional Cross-Cultural VacationDay 12:
Hong Kong Sweet & Sour Today I had a more potent taste of Hong Kong; a sweet and sour taste, in fact.
We then ate at Ruby's Chinese Restaurant in downtown Aberdeen though neither of us ordered Chinese food this time around - Tony ate spaghetti, I tried the peppered chicken special.
The "sweet" of Hong Kong, at least in my limited
experience, has been the cornucopia of cultural goodies available to
visitors: wonderful food, Hong Kong movies,
the art and cultural centers on the coast of Kowloon Peninsula, the international
make-up of people buzzing down the street, the mix of languages and
cultures,
even the adrenaline of so much activity. Beyond this opulence, such a stroll bombards one with thousands of sex-crazed images. Newspaper kiosks have numerous magazines with half-clothed women hanging all over the cover (don't even want to consider the contents). Seen several signs for topless bars. One billboard in Chinese and English, with a male Chinese caricature accompanied by a dragon read, "Wherever you go, whatever you do, be sure to take, a condom with you." I've found that just as in the West folks here are obsessed with hair loss, image, being desirable, having a big bust, small buns, and/or toned muscles. Another billboard, one for a clothing store, had a Caucasian brunette in a tiny flowered dress leaning in sultry disinterest beside the text "Your Identity" and then the store logo. I can't help but wonder how this might subtly influence the thousands of Asian men and women a day who walk by, influence the way they view themselves or those around them. True, the point is the department store itself and the clothes therein, but to make one's identity even remotely grounded in these is destructive. It's subtle, but dangerous. But we all know that we're not lovable unless we're "beautiful" and wear the right clothes, right? This feels like a tirade. Maybe I'm simply responding as one who prefers the mountains to malls and simplicity to shopping sprees. And again this is nothing we don't have in the West. But I can't help but bring such things under scrutiny when a passive response would allow marketers and product designers to dictate how I see myself. There's certainly been uncountable good things here and I feel hope in the University students' concern with social issues, in the ministry at the Chungking Mansions and other similar activity. We did watch some television this evening, a late show taped from the United States. Most definitely do have our own crassness in America and this came through quickly as I've been away from television for awhile. What was supposed to be funny felt terribly degrading. Maybe I'm just too conservative or uptight or anxious. But I don't think so; just responding to that which doesn't feel best or quite right with what's around me. All of these moral quandaries aside, it was another good day of sharing with Tony and hearing his hopes and fears for the rest of the school year. Both Aberdeen and the Peak were picturesque; wish I could spend more time on the Aberdeen vessels, experience more of such a life. I'm intrigued. Even with these activities, we spent a fairly low-key day and will probably do more of the same tomorrow. I pray, Lord, that I not have a critical spirit. I've got my own hang-ups. Give me the wisdom and strength to seek your justice and goodness.
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After
settling into our new hostel room for the next couple of days - a bit
pricier but nicer and more comfortable by far - in the Mongkok area of
the Kowloon Peninsula, Tony and I took the subway and a bus to the far
south side of Hong Kong Island to Aberdeen. Aberdeen has a harbor filled
with fishing, cargo, and merchant boats, many of them serving also as
part-time residences for fishermen and their families. Tony and I bargained
with a woman for a thirty-minute tour of the harbor by junk boat; forty
Hong Kong dollars each. 
We
snapped a couple of dozen photographs and enjoyed the view of the city
and surrounding terrain from the water. Would have loved to join the
fishermen
for a day, though it can't be easy work. After sitting in the bow of
the boat jacketless and exposed to the damp wind for too long, I think
I'm
already feeling a bit of a "bug"; throat's a little scratchy
and I've certainly not rested well the past few weeks. Still, I've been
healthy up to now for which I'm grateful. 
From
Aberdeen, we rode back to the Central region of Hong Kong Island and found
the tram to Victoria's Peak, the famous mountaintop overlook. The tram
itself treks up the mountain side at what feels like a good forty-five
degree angle, though occupants sit vertically just as in any other train
car upon tracks; made for an odd sensation as we progressed upward; not
a few moments of doubt concerning the soundness of the tram's engineering.
We made the top just before 
nightfall
and thus had a view both during dusk and as the skyline lit up in neon
and nightlife; beautiful and impressive, full of lights and activity,
a postcard view of sorts.
of
the same human tendencies that we do in the West. For whatever reasons,
though - maybe because I'm travelling and thus have my eyes wide open
and my antennae of cultural scrutiny in full operation - I acutely sense
here our basic, human waywardness concerning both materialism and sex.
A walk down the main streets of Hong Kong provides one with an opportunity
on most every city block to buy jewelry, electronics, cuff links that
cost more than my car, digital cameras by the dozens, diamond watches.
Shopping centers are everywhere. Not that these are in and of themselves
bad or evil, but the sheer mass and 
availability
of these things tells me we're spending a good deal of money on a great
many gadgets. Tony and I found one hotel room that goes for $39,000 Hong
Kong dollars a night (almost $5,000 U.S.). And on this same avenue (day12.6)
a homeless, handicapped man is stepped over like an oily puddle of street
water. 
