When I visited Hong Kong in 1996 I experienced a Hong Kong few Filipino tourists ever knew. Really, there's more to Hong Kong than shopping. I discovered new places, new friends, new sensations and new insights. I went sailing for the first time on my first day, went to an American Independence Day picnic, attended a great party at one of the Star ferries, saw a couple getting married at Hong Kong Park, met a Filipino teenage gigolo in Macau, and got myself adopted by a bunch of Filipina DHs at Ocean Park.
DAY 1: SAILING
Tony, my American expat host, lives in MacDonell Road in Hong Kong Island. "You won't have any trouble giving the taxi driver directions," he assured me over the phone, "that's where the gweilos live. The word is Cantonese for "white devil" and is the common term for Caucasians. I arrived at the flat without any problem and was welcomed by Manny, Tony's roommate, who has been living in HK for seven years and their Filipina amah Julieta who hails from Tarlac, who has not gone home to the Philippines for three years.
Tony arrives from work minutes later. It's 1:30 p.m. but he has not eaten lunch yet. Julieta promptly whips up chicken adobo. Manny tells me he taught her to cook all their favorite Filipino dishes. Manny, a Cuban-American, is great chef. During my stay he cooked dishes like paella and spaghetti which I learned to enjoy with wine and cocktail drinks.
After lunch off we go to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. The guys planned to go sailing with their friends and I felt fortunate to be their guest. While waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive my hosts each ordered a bottle of San Miguel Beer. "This is imported from the Philippines," Tony said, "more expensive but we like it better than the San Miguel Beer in cans made in Hong Kong."
Our companions started arriving: Mike and Annie Stevens, the British couple who own the boat; Simon, Alex, and Virginia, a tanned Taiwanese. After the customary pleasantries and introductions we proceeded to the wharf. There must have been hundreds of yachts in all shapes and sizes in there. I have never been on a sailboat before and was pretty excited about the whole thing. The Stevens' boat is a 46-ft. schooner called Marinero. They raced this boat from Hong Kong to Vietnam during the Chinese New Year and finished fifth in their division. A full-page photo of the boat and its crew reaching the finish line was featured in the inside front cover of "Sailing World" magazine's May issue. A copy of this magazine, given by Manny, is one of the souvenirs I treasure from this particular trip.
Sailing entails a lot of work. Virginia and I didn't know where to sit as the men scampered around cranking this lever, pulling this rope, tightening that sail. Simon explains to me that this is what they like about sailing. There were brief moments which afforded them rest and the chance to open a cold can of beer, but every time the wind blows too hard, or too low, or changes directions off they go again.
We arrived at Port Shelter, somewhere in the New Territories after three hours. It was past 7:00 p.m. How odd, I could still discern a tinge of the golden sunset in the horizon although my view of the sun was blocked by the islands. Dinner consisted of barbecued potatoes, steaks and sausages peppered with jokes and anecdotes over red wine, beer and soft drinks at the club restaurant. Then it was time to head back for HK.
I'm glad I didn't doze off because a couple of hours later a good wind blew in and the crew jumped off their feet to take advantage of it. We hit over eight knots which to them is really fast. Simon was exhilarated, "isn't this exciting!?" Things slacked for a few minutes then we hit eight again. Simon was really getting high on this. He told me he'd pick a sailboat over any motor boat any time because of this kind of challenge.
DAY 2: SUNDAY PICNIC
Sunday is Julieta's day off. When the three of us got up at around ten she was already gone. We took a cab to the American Club for an Independence Day picnic. Manny is a club member and we were welcomed with commemorative plastic mugs as soon as we registered. The buffet featured hamburgers, sausages, potatoes, chips, fries and other American staples. Counters manned by corporate sponsors gave away free beer, soft drinks, and ice cream. Yeah, I checked and found a San Miguel Beer stand. The uniformed waiters were Filipinos, so was the band that performed during brunch.
Hundreds of guests of all ages everywhere, mostly Americans. Since it was a hot and humid day it was not surprising to see most were dressed casually in shorts, sleeveless shirts and thongs. The ones lounging by the poolside were appropriately in bathing suits and swimming trunks. Close by the US Navy band, in their sailor uniforms, played familiar rock and soul tunes. The club looks over Repulse Bay. The crowd cheered at the sight of three paragliders jumping off a plane and landing in the sea. Surrounded by all these white people, and with "Proud Mary" blasting from the speakers, I didn't feel I was in Hong Kong at all but in America.
DAY 3: HK PARK
Monday the guys have to go to work. I'm on my own now. Taking Manny's suggestion and directions, I walked a couple of blocks to find the Hong Kong Park. I found the place and liked everything I saw. The park has a walk-through aviary where I saw wild ducks, pelicans, mynahs and parrots in all colors and plumes. Saw a lovely Chinese couple at the ampitheater - he, dashing in a tuxedo and she, radiant in a white wedding gown - posing for a photographer. There was a wedding registry nearby and couples in wedding outfits are a common sight here.
The park also has a lily pond graced by a pair of elegant black swans, artificial falls, an artificial lake, a fountain, sculptures, plus lots of trees, plants and flowers everywhere. Worth exploring is the tea museum in the two-storey old firehouse building. So is the conservatory. I mistook it for a school music so imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a simulated dessert inside a modern-looking building. The pathway led to the tropical climate section which was a cross between a jungle and rainforest replete with a running brook. No artificial flowers could match the lush colors and rich texture of the anthuriums and birds of paradise I saw that day.
Hong Kong Park is truly an oases right in the heart of the steel and concrete "jungle" of the Admiralty business district. Every two minutes a harried executive in a dark business suit or a smartly dressed woman in platform heels would whisk past. The idyllic tranquility was briefly disturbed by a flock of briefcase-toting executives, about 20 of them, passing through. They like to take a shortcut through here but they seemed oblivious to the beauty of the park.
DAY 4: MACAU
Tuesday I traveled to the Portuguese colony of Macau. I took the hydrofoil for the one-hour trip. It was pleasant and uneventful, no different from traveling in our high-speed catamarans. There were long lines for immigration checks both at the departure area in Hong Kong and upon our arrival in Macau. My heart skipped a few beats when the immigration guard directed me to the interrogation room. There were three groups of tourists ahead of me - Indonesians, Taiwanese and Indian. The two immigration officers had their hands full photocopying passports and filling up forms for everyone while I sweated nervously. When my turn came the officer in charge quizzed me with routine questions: how long and where am I staying, etc. I presented my return ticket to Hong Kong at 6:00 p.m. of that same day. Just like that and he let me go. So even in Macau they look at Filipinos as intending TNTs.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed myself in Macau. A free tourist map at the tourist information office helped me find my way around. For lunch I had the popular Macanese dish called African Chicken, grilled chicken smothered with chili sauce and spices. The European architecture at the city square took my breath away. The highlight of my visit though was making the acquaintance of Filipino guys. Clarence has been in Macau for two months and works as security guard at the Sao Paolo, while his friend Boyet has just arrived looking for a job. I suddenly had my own tour guides, escorts, companions and bodyguards in these two new friends. We went to Sao Paolo. This landmark which has come to represent Macau in many travel brochures is all that's left of a cathedral that was destroyed during the second world war. It looks as grand as our Basilica del Sto. Nino but viewed from another angle the façade appears as flimsy as a stage prop because there's nothing else behind it but empty space.
From Sao Paolo we hiked to the Monte Fort which is similar but bigger than our Fort San Pedro. The view was great. Mainland China was separated by a narrow channel, much like the way Mactan is from Mandaue. My new friends egged me to take the bus to the border so I can have my passport stamped. I was tempted but didn't take to the idea of "being" in China for less than an hour. We visited other tourist sites but I enjoyed best the architecture of the pastel colored Europe-inspired buildings and Chinese curio and antique shops. Meanwhile, Clarence kept me in stitches about tales of his romantic escapades. He has courted five Filipinas since he got here and all turned him down. It's okay, he said, he's got three back home. "Masarap dito sa Macau dahil pinag-aagawan ang mga lalaki," he explained, "at ang babae ang gumagastos lagi tuwing date." He's only 17 but prefers older women, "for experience."
DAY 5: SHOPPING
Wasted my Wednesday at the shopping malls because I couldn't find anything I could afford. Hong Kong is only cheaper than Cebu if we buy from the streetmarkets and vendors. And we might even get the same bargain at our own Tabo sa Banay. Looking for CDs that my father wanted was equally time-consuming. They stack CDs and casette tapes here in alphabetical order by the artists' first names. I couldn't find Billy Eckstein among the Billy Idols, Billy Joels and Billy Prestons. At least I had my photos developed and printed. Film here is cheaper but processing is cheaper in the Philippines. Still, I wanted to show my kind hosts where I've been.
DAY 6: OCEAN PARK & STAR FERRY
Nothing like starting my holiday with a bang, and closing it with a bigger bang. First, I went to Ocean Park and was promptly adopted by a group of Filipina DHs. In typical Filipino fashion they brought along pork adobo, chicken curry and rice and also packed spoons, fork, plastic tumblers, and cold softdrinks - for snacks. The long lines at the rides made me thankful for Tony's advice not come to Ocean Park on weekends or holidays. Even then I waited in line for 30 minutes for a ride that lasted only 3 minutes. I quickly lost interest in the rides and persuaded my new friends to watch the show at the marine stadium featuring killer whale, dolphins and seals. The lines to the cable cars were shorter so I took a ride three times. The shark aquarium and atoll reef were impressive.
From Ocean Park I headed straight to the Victoria harbor for another American Independence Day celebration. Manny, Tony, and a friend rented an entire Star Ferry for a party. A boxed story in the South China Morning Post that day featured Manny's photo and their preparations for this event, also dubbed as "final fling for HK's American expats." Because of the uncertainty about the handover next year. Manny was expecting 300 guests. The two guys have been busy in the last few days monitoring ticket sales, ordering 100 cases of beer, as well as pizzas, corn on the cob, and friend chicken. Manny admitted their biggest concern was that "the ice does not arrive." They ordered about 700 kilos.
The party did not start on time but once we set foot on the ferry everbody automatically shifted into the party mood. Some people immediately went looking for beer or food. The band played "Mustang Sally," one of my favorites. Hanged out with guys I met at the American Club last Sunday. One of them had a bagful of blond jokes. Q: What do you call a blond who dyes her hair black? A: Artificial intelligence. Boys will be boys. They asked me to take their picture smoking cigars before a sign that said "No smoking. Violators will be fined $5000." The party officially ended at 10:30 when we docked at Wanchai. There was so much beer left Tony urged everyone to bring home some.
LAST DAY: HOME
On my last night in Hong Kong a kababayan from Surigao who spent years in HK as a DH treated me to dinner at a Filipino-Indonesian restaurant. I ordered Indonesian food and she had a Filipino dish. Our Filipina waittress is also a Cebuana. She said one of the cooks used to work for Cebu Plaza. When she saw the Freeman newspaper I brought she begged us to give it to her, homesick that she was. My own feelings exactly and I was gone for only a week.
On the flight home I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of our "flat" Cebu and its skyscraper-free skyline. I had a ball but it feels great to be back.