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November 5, 2012 The Asia Trip: Hong Kong パート 3
Our last day in Hong Kong. So much to do in only half a day. This was the day we would be leaving to go to Beijing. I was excited to get going to Beijing but also sad to be leaving Hong Kong.
Our plans for the day consisted of taking a quick trip to the LDS Hong Kong temple and then meeting up for lunch with my grandparent’s friends. So after some complimentary breakfast from our hotel (since they messed up our paperwork) we left to catch the subway and a bus to the area of Hong Kong where the temple was located. It was a nice trip on the bus. We sat on the top level and I was able to get some good pictures of the city. Like this one:
View from the top of the bus.
I loved the look of the city. Even though it was so smelly and dirty, I really loved it. I had never been around such tall buildings all crammed together. It gave me a feeling of claustrophobia which wasn’t something I was too fond of, but the city has a beauty of it’s own. Hong Kong seemed to be place of contrasts with it’s smelly streets and dirty buildings juxtaposed to the incredibly clean, stylish and fashionable Chinese who inhabit them.
The bus dropped us off right across the street from the temple. It was quite beautiful and very different from the temples in the U.S. The grounds were small and beautifully landscaped and the fountain out front was stunning. We walked around the grounds and the janitor came and talked to my grandparents while we walked around. That’s something that I really love about being LDS. No matter where you are in the world, there is an instant camaraderie when you find another member of the church. So you’re never really alone.
We stayed long enough to get a good look and then walked across the street to take a few pictures and to see if we could take a look inside the new mission home. I didn’t get a good picture of the angel Moroni… The mission home was interesting because it was reminded me of a stake center, but it had a distribution center inside of it. But having never been on a mission myself, I’ve never really had experience with that kind of thing. When we were wandering around the mission home, we met the Hong Kong mission president who knew a missionary that Tyler was friends with. Which I guess makes sense since he was the mission president. I found a poster for Hong Kong EFY also. Fun Fact.
First square temple I have ever seen.
Tyler and I, standing in front of the temple fountain.
After a short tour of the temple grounds and mission home, we had to head back to the Wan Chai area to meet up with my grandparent’s friends for lunch. I was excited to meet them. These were people who had become somewhat legendary in my mind as people whom my grandparents really respected and loved. They had worked together at the Church Administration Building while my grandma and grandpa were on their mission. I had heard so many stories that I couldn’t wait to meet them. I wish I had gotten pictures of them all, but I only have pictures of Ashley. We met up at the Church Administration Building and Tyler and I were briefly introduced to Vivian and a few other people. As a side note, Vivian was the nice lady who helped us figure out why we had been having so many problems with our flights and the hotel in Hong Kong. She even took the time to call ahead and make sure we were all set for Beijing and Japan. She was such a great help!
Left to Right: Ashley, Sharon, and Avis
Anyway, we took a quick walk down the street to a tiny Italian restaurant and had lunch there. I sat next to Tyler and a man named Jason. Jason was such a crack up! Just from the brief amount of time I sat and talked with him I could tell he was a jokester and I love jokesters. I also was able to talk with a lady who had a daughter who was trying to get into the same college I go to. It was really fun talking to her as well. I wish I could remember her name…but unfortunately I’ve forgotten.
Lunch was very pleasant. An interesting fact about Hong Kong is that they don’t have lemonade there. If you can find real lemonade, it’s a rare treat but what they have in Hong Kong is much better than lemonade in my opinion. At lunch they brought out ice water for everyone along with a few slices of lemon and a little pitcher full of liquid sugar. This was how they make lemonade. It’s not as sweet or powerful as the lemonade we have in America, but I liked it a lot better. They give you a little spoon like thing to stir your drink once you add the sugar in. The spoon is also used to crush the lemons up to get the lemon juice mixed in the water. I’ve tried to recreate it now that I’m home but it’s just not the same.
We all had a really good time at lunch. When it was over we went back to the CAB and said our good-byes. It was very touching to watch my grandparents have to say good-bye to these people they had come to love. I hope they can see each other again. Sometimes the world is so small…but it’s times like this when it seems so large and a little bit lonely. I realized at that moment that it’s people who make the place and not the place that makes the people. I’m so grateful that my grandparents shared Hong Kong with me.
By the time good-byes were said, we had to leave for the airport. We had left our luggage at the CAB before lunch, so we grabbed our things, caught a bus and headed off to the next part of our adventure–Beijing.
The Asia Trip: Hong Kong パート 2
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