Our time in Asia draws to a close--for now!


Greetings from Minneapolis!  We're now back (mostly--but a bit disoriented by the trip, as we left one morning from Hong Kong, flew to Seoul, and then back to the U.S., not arriving until the evening of the following day, and my body may be getting a little old to do that gracefully).  One our last day we revisited a beautiful and expansive garden connected to the Buddhist Nunnery, a good way to bid farewell.

We were reminded of the various peoples, cultures and histories we've encountered at least briefly in Hong Kong, including Muslims (from South Asia, China, and Indonesia and Malaysia), Sikhs and Hindus from India and Pakistan, Christians (both Chinese and Western/British), and those who still worship in the several Taoist temples we've visited   (the Pak Tai Taoist temple is seen below).  


We also encountered political differences, movements, and struggles in Hong Kong, most directly when we walked with over a hundred thousand demonstrators towards downtown, protesting the attempt by the city's administrator (appointed by Beijing rather than elected locally) which would have made it possible to extradite Hong Kong folks to the mainland and its justice systems.  For the moment, the movement has succeeded in getting the new proposal withdrawn, though the future is less certain than many younger Hong Kong people had wanted.  

Hong Kong is a fairly prosperous city, though of course its wealth is not distributed equally.  Those who have "more" continue to drive up housing prices, and immigrants and guest workers from Southeast Asia and the Philippines, mostly women, "subsidize" more affluent family whose houses they clean, whose food they cook, and those children they often take care of.  They usually gather together on parks or under overpasses to share their company with each other, to do each others' hair, and cook and eat, and often to stand and sing old songs on Sunday (their day off).  They gather outdoors, since each woman usually lives with their employer and so wouldn't really able to "entertain guests); parks are their best venue (and perhaps preferable in the warmer months).  Many women construct a temporary "shelter" made from cardboard. In this photo they are seen in the shadow an "Armani" store where they would likely not be able to afford to shop.

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I had good memories of attending a Filipino service (at the Anglican Cathedral, in "  "Filipino" or Tagalog).  Most of the worshipers were "domestic helpers" (the common term for those who come, to earn enough to send money to help support their kids back of home and pay for school fees).  The service began with the "processional" by the clergy, escorted by a dozen Filipino women dressed in white.  I was sitting in a pew which had gradually filled with women, and when it eventually was time for the congregation to come forward to take communion, the women turned to me to gesture whether I was going to come up with them.  I was happy to come up with them.
My favorite subway exit, near our hotel, has several art projects that I always enjoyed wandering past.  This photo is a small part of a photo collage, about 8 feet high and 60 feet long, capturing the a sense of  the history of the surrounding area.  

 And with that, I will "exit" for this year's Asia blog.  At last for now!

 Safe travels!  Bruce

















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