The Journey of the Four Goats and the Wolf

(Allen)

I can’t believe it but I’m finally here, bringing you a blog update about the journey of the four goats (greatest of all time) and the wolf. After getting off the plane in Hong Kong, I think I can safely say that Hong Kong is probably an even bigger melting pot than the entity known as America. The city, divided by the gorgeous South China Sea, consists of two parts: Kowloon and mainland Hong Kong. The area outside the hotel we stayed at was a bustling sphere of wealth and prosperity. Walking down the street at 11:00 PM, the city vastly resembled a Times-Square-esque feel. With flashing neon lights, bright green Ferraris, classy Louis Vuitton stores, and magnificent skyscrapers, heck, it was nicer than Times Square. Surprisingly, the city had a very clean feel, with hardly any trash on the ground and clear-ish skies. The night air was very breezy and vibrant and almost felt like day, due to all the light pollution, which isn’t so much a bad thing. What struck me the most was the amount of diversity in the Asian metropolis. You couldn’t take five steps without seeing multicultural faces, be it Caucasian, African, or Indian, among the sea of Asian faces.

Of course, the grandeur and opulence was only one facet of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is also a cultural mecca, retaining many of the traditional Chinese values such as street vendors, bartering, and even Buddhist nunneries. Walking through some of the poorer parts of town, we saw many of the roadside shops and vendors. The smells of the local food, the disharmonious sounds of the Cantonese dialect, and the beautiful sights of local antique stores reminded me that this city still retained many of its humble roots. Despite all of this, the most profound experience in Hong Kong was definitely the Buddhist nunnery in the Nan Lian Garden. The garden itself was located right in the city, under a highway, so you can imagine the dichotomy of nature and urbanity that was present. But the more you walked in this garden and absorbed the serene and tranquil setting, the more you transcended past the annoying city noises and appreciated nature. The calming koi ponds, flowing cascades, and the vibrant Dunhuang cave exhibit all had an amazingly therapeutic effect, but came nowhere close to the Buddhist nunnery across the bridge.

After crossing the bridge and stepping into the nunnery, I felt at peace with everything. Whether or not it was the ambient Buddhist music playing or the fact that we were in a walled-in Forbidden city-like area, the whole place had a very spiritual vibe. As I walked over the threshold into the actual room of the temple, there I saw the giant forty-foot statue of one of the gold-plated Buddhist gods. But that wasn’t it, as I walked deeper into the temple, more and more of these monstrous statues stood side adjacent to each other, commanding your attention like the skyline of New York City. Interestingly, in front of each of these statues was a pedestal where you could bow on your knees and pay your respects. It was only proper that I stuck with tradition and bowed a couple times in front of the mighty Buddha. After walking around in the nunnery for a while and really absorbing in the spiritual and cultural aspects of the Buddhist religion, we left and crossed the bridge back into garden and then out to the city. It’s amazing how two completely dichotomous communities can coexist side by side. On one hand, you have the noise-pollution ridden city and on the other hand, there is the amazingly calm and tranquil scene of the Nan Lian Garden and nunnery.

If I could sum up Hong Kong in one word, I'd say it’s a massive “juxtaposition”. The city itself exhibits so many aspects that any modern hub would with the expensive stores and cars but at the same time, preserves many traditional practices such as cheap street vending and overstuffed, run-down apartments. It’s amazing how so many different people and places coexist and thrive to form such a lively and bustling city that I will never forget.