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April 15, 2011
Finding Jewish in Hong Kong
On a solo trip to Asia, the author attends a unique Passover seder.
MASADA SIEGEL
Life has a funny way of working out, at least that is what I keep telling myself, over and over again. Nonetheless, I was scared, as I was leaving for a working holiday in Asia and flying to China, solo.
You might think someone who has by choice stepped out of perfectly good airplanes at 12,000 feet in New Zealand, raced on the Olympic bobsled run in St. Moritz, Switzerland, with the Swiss Olympic silver medalist at breakneck speeds (1,612 metres in 49 seconds, to be exact) and dared to be seen in a bikini having a swim lesson with the all-time great Olympic gold Medalist Jason Lezak, that nothing would phase me. Wrong! Not only was I flying to China, I was spending Passover in Hong Kong and I did not know a soul. Passover is such the family-oriented holiday, I debated not going on my Asian adventure, but my mom of all people said, “It’s such an opportunity, you can always go to the Chabad House in Hong Kong for seder.”
I immediately contacted Chabad in Hong Kong and they were more than gracious with information. Meanwhile, from an article I wrote for the New York Times about Israeli figure skater Tamar Katz not being allowed to represent Israel at the Olympics, from the possible millions of people who might have read the article, I received an e-mail from a man named Steve Goldberg. His son, Brian, in 2002, qualified to compete for Israel in luge. Alas, he suffered the same fate of not meeting Israel’s internal standards and was not allowed to participate in the Olympics.
I asked what Brian was doing now, and he explained that Brian had completed his master’s degree at Columbia University (just like me) and was now living and working in Hong Kong. Reading his e-mail, I started to laugh. Talk about an answer to my prayers! It also got me thinking about reaching into my own network on Facebook and finding a few friends in Hong Kong.
After posting a request to be introduced to people, immediately my friend Ilknur from Turkey introduced me to her friend, Rita, and my friend, Ed, a James Bond-type who works for the U.S. State Department in South Africa, introduced me to Timothy, a colleague of his who also works in international security. Needless to say, I felt a lot safer and less scared; it seemed as if my Hong Kong adventure just might work. I contacted Brian, and we decided to go to a seder together; talk about an interesting first meeting.
Hong Kong is a mix of East meets West, as it is a sophisticated city mixed with ancient Chinese culture and customs, a fusion of sorts. Most intriguing was walking around Soho, an area that is filled with pricey clothing stores more expensive than those in Rome on one corner and, on the next stands a wet market, a whole street filled with stands and stores selling everything from fresh fish to furniture. (They are called wet markets because at night the shops are closed and the streets are hosed down with water.)
Hong Kong is a shopping paradise and the street markets are a must-see; they have great stuff to buy and provide an insight into everyday Hong Kong culture.
The flower, fish and bird markets are all within walking distance of one another and are filled with color and character. Thousands of fragrant flowers fill the air, and the colors are blindingly beautiful. The streets are adorned with a variety of bright orchids, pinks, purples and yellows. The markets sell daisies, carnations, roses, proteas, bamboo and a vast variety of plants and flowers specific to the region.
Hundreds of plastic bags holding shimmering fish and fauna hang on the doors of shops in the fish market. The streets are packed with vendors sitting outside, pricing the bags filled with live fish that they pull out of ice coolers for display. There are also tiny turtles and miniature frogs in buckets of water.
The bird market is significantly smaller. It’s filled with chirping birds as well bags of live crickets sold as food for the birds. Just as Hong Kong is a packed city, so are the cages. While intriguing to see, many of the colorful birds are housed in unsettlingly small cages.
After a day of touring, I was ready for some relaxation and the Four Seasons Hotel is second to none. I experienced jade stone therapy, possibly the best massage of my life. A full-body massage, this therapy is based on the ancient Chinese practice of gua sha (literally, to scrape away fever). According to this practice, heated jade stones produce negative ions that strengthen the immune system. The description got lost in translation, but, afterwards, I certainly felt fantastic.
Prior to the Chabad House seder, Brian took me on a tour; we drove in his little green convertible all through Hong Kong Island, past beaches and lush green forests. It was a surprise; Hong Kong so far seemed to be just a metropolis, a banking city at most.
We arrived at the seder, and I could have been back home at the Chabad House in Scottsdale. The reception was warm and inviting. The service was filled with meaningful stories and happy children shouting out, making us all laugh, and plentiful delicious food. It was the first time in my life that I was away from my family for a seder where did not feel completely homesick.
This was a global community: there were South Africans, Russians and French, among the many others. It’s marvelous how a Jewish connection can make anywhere in the world seem like home, or close to it.
My Asian home was now at the JW Marriott. They host kosher events and can accommodate for their Jewish guests in a variety of ways year round. Tea in the lounge is a real treat, with 60 different choices, and you can even buy some to take home, which I did.
The next day, I met Timothy and his two best friends, Rich and Dave, who were also visiting the area. Timothy became my personal bodyguard and guide, introducing me to Buddhist temples, fantastic views and parks, and to my new best friends, two Jewish women, Melissa, an international television correspondent, and Stacey, a South African woman. With our Judaism as a connection, we immediately bonded. It was crazy, thousands of miles away from home, and I was invited to a girls’ night. We met up with another lovely woman, Laura, a midwife from Scotland, and spent the night laughing at life’s stories, and our similarities stood out. It was as if we had been friends for years.
Luckily, wandering around Hong Kong is simple; the ultra-modern MTR subway is easy to navigate and well designed, while the Star Ferry is a fun way to travel on the water from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island.
Among the magical places to visit is Victoria Peak. It soars 1,810 feet above sea level and is a premier destination for a bird’s-eye-view of downtown Hong Kong, Kowloon and Victoria Harbor, and it’s only a seven-minute ride on the Peak Tram to reach the top.
Many people take the tram down the mountain, but we hiked the winding and green steep hills to the bottom. Hong Kong is a unique city, as so much nature is mixed into pockets that are surrounded by sophisticated structures. Walking will most likely take you to Hong Kong Park, a visual masterpiece built in 1991 for nearly $400 million. (If you do hike down, ask directions on which roads to take.)
The park is enchanting: it houses an outdoor zoo filled with exotic animals such as lemurs and an enormous bird garden. Turtles wander freely out of the artificial lakes and there is an enormous waterfall adorned with flowers. There is also a small replica of an Olympic stadium built to promote the spirit of competition.
The park also boasts the Museum of Tea Ware, created in 1984; it houses Yixing teapots, as well as explanations of the history of tea. The museum is housed in an old colonial building called Flagstaff House. It was built in the 1840s, and served as the office and residence of the commander of the British forces in Hong Kong.
I only spent a week in Hong Kong and, as per usual, my anxieties were unfounded. Somehow life does work out, and occasionally in the most wonderful of ways. By the time I left, I felt a sense of community and as if all the pieces of the puzzle of travel and adventure had fallen into place, including the Jewish piece.
The next time an adventure comes knocking at my door, will I embrace it or be nervous? Probably a bit of both.
Masada Siegel can be reached at [email protected].
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