Showing posts with label Sha Tin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sha Tin. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Demand to Serve
Today I went to Sha Tin to the New Town Plaza mall with Chase to buy a few supplies for our trip to Taipei next week. All I needed was a bag and he was looking for a camera. This was the first time I actually spent any time shopping in New Town Plaza. Most of the sales representatives spoke broken English and at times passed us on to someone with better English. However, the thing that stood out most was the fact they demanded to serve you. Back home most sale representatives will be nice and some will be helpful. In Hong Kong they are rather forceful. Not forceful in the way street vendors are in demanding to sell something, but just forceful in being helpful. For example, at one store Chase was looking through a rack of various items and when he was done he began to put them back. One of the employees quickly rushed over and said that she would put them back. When I was looking at some bags at the Columbia store, one of the zippers got stuck while one of the sales clerks was walking by. He quickly told me he would do it and opened it for me before I could respond. Another odd service was at McDonalds. You go and order your food, wait for it, and then go sit down. However, there are no trash cans or places to put your trays. Why? Well there are men and women dressed in suits to take those away and clean up your table for you. Yes that is right. McDonalds in Hong Kong hires people to dress business professional to clean up after guest who eat in their fast food restaurant. The same thing happens in the canteens (only they are not dressed as nice). I have gotten in the habit of just abandoning things like that because by the time I push back my chair they have the table cleaned (they really pay attention and are really fast at serving customers they think are in need). They never ask if you need help, they just do it. To most back home this probably sounds like pushy or impatient employees, but a lot of these instances came off as having good intentions. It is interesting to note that most people would at first find it a little insulting to have someone do everything for you. However, it is insulting to them if they cannot serve you. They rush to go out of their way to serve the customer without asking (I assume asking for help is a sign they are not doing their job and thus somewhat insulting) and they wont accept tips.
Monday, January 19, 2009
10,000 Buddhas and a McDonalds
Sunday Chris, Jacque, Jesse, and I decided to do something touristy. We wanted to visit the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. Chris had a guide book to Hong Kong that said we needed to get off of the train at the Tai Wai stop. It then said that we just have to follow the signs to get to the temple. This was perfect since Tai Wai was only 3 stops down from University (the stop on campus). When we got off at Tai Wai we started looking for signs to the temple. We found a map of the local area around the station, but Temple of 10,000 Buddhas was not on it. Not too far away there was a temple called Che Kung Temple. We wondered if that might be another name for the 10,000 Buddhas, so we wandered over that direction.
Che Kung Temple had a walled court yard with gates to the outside. On one side of the courtyard was a building that contained a shrine. We noticed a lot of commotion inside the court yard as people were praying. We were not sure if we should go in (or were allowed) but the man at the door encouraged us to go in. He didn't speak English but was very excited and waved us in. Once inside, we noticed almost everyone burning incense and praying. Although there were variations on how it was done, it seemed common to take the incense stick between your hands, which were clasped similar to how Christians pray, hold your hands up to your forehead and then bow multiple time in succession. There was no leader, and it seemed each individual prayed separately in their own way at their own time. It didn't seem like a family event, there were no children but we did see what looked like couples having their fortunes told. There were chimes hit a certain number of times followed by a big drum being hit a certain number of times. We walked cautiously in the building with the shrine. Inside was a giant statue in armor which was too tall for me to see his face. This is what people were praying to and leaving offerings. At this point we decided that this was not the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas and decided to wander down the path. There was a map we found that had a suggested walking trail (mostly for tourist) that we determined had to eventually lead to the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. It didn't take us long to come to another shrine.
I am not sure what it is called but it was all outdoors and a lot smaller. It also was not on the map. There were fewer people inside but we did see a shrine to what I later determined to be Avalokiteśvara which is a figure in Buddhism. Again there was incenses everywhere. There were pots all over the place that had many sticks of it burning. We decided to continue on to the next place the map suggested called Tsang Tai Uk. We didn't know what it was, but we knew we just wanted to see it. When we turned the corner that was suppose to have Tsang Tai Uk we didn't see anything but tennis courts. They were called "Tsang Tai Uk Temporary Recreational Park." Everyone felt that the tennis courts was it and just sat down for a break. However, I decided to go a little further down the road to see if I could find anything else.
After turning the corner I found the Tsang Tai Uk, which is a mid 19th century stone village. It is still being used as residence and was not that exciting. We then continued on and crossed a canal. On the other side was the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. We decided to look around in side since it was air conditioned and only HK$5. Inside we saw all kinds of art and displays from various cultures within China. There were also historical displays on the development of Hong Kong. After spending some time inside we left and crossed the street to get our bearings. We then realized that we were next to New Town Plaza which is the ridiculously large mall that contained the Sha Tin station. We had walked from one train station to the next and still hadn't found the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. Chris's book mislead us. In any case by this time we were very hungry and just wanted food. So we went to a McDonalds inside the mall. This McDonalds was packed. We got a quick bit to eat which was nice since it was the first time I had ice cream and a hamburger since getting into Hong Kong. Afterwards we debated about whither or not we should continue looking for the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. We found a map of the Sha Tin station area and discovered that the Temple was on the other side of the station. In fact we could see on the mountain side from the train station. So we walked that direction.
This is what we thought was the entrance to the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. It looked very nice and religious. A short walk up the hill we found shrines to Avalokiteśvara and Buddha. We continued almost all the way up until we got to some buildings. Inside one there were monks gathered around a couple of tables chanting. In most of the buildings it seemed to have pictures of people (I assumed deceased) much like a mausoleum. There were lots of Chinese around us praying and leaving offerings. Nothing was in English. When we got to one side of the top we looked at the compound right next to us and could see statues of golden monks. It was at that point we decided (yet again) that we were not in the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas, but this time we knew where we had to go and were very confident about it. The only problem was that we had to go back down the mountain in order to get on the right path to climb back up the mountain.
The path up the mountain was long and very steep. Statues of monks covered the entire path. The top was rather awesome. There was the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas, more statue monks, giant statues of other Buddhist figures, a tower, and other structures.
Inside the temple, there were Buddhas covering the wall. Each little statue was unique. We climbed the tower that was nearby for an amazing view of the temple and the city of Sha Tin. The path we took didn't end at the temple, so we continued on up the mountain. There were still statues but they became more diverse. Some were of female figures while others seemed more warrior like. There was another small shrine to Buddha and another mausoleum. After that we were so exhausted we all just wanted to go back to CUHK.
Che Kung Temple had a walled court yard with gates to the outside. On one side of the courtyard was a building that contained a shrine. We noticed a lot of commotion inside the court yard as people were praying. We were not sure if we should go in (or were allowed) but the man at the door encouraged us to go in. He didn't speak English but was very excited and waved us in. Once inside, we noticed almost everyone burning incense and praying. Although there were variations on how it was done, it seemed common to take the incense stick between your hands, which were clasped similar to how Christians pray, hold your hands up to your forehead and then bow multiple time in succession. There was no leader, and it seemed each individual prayed separately in their own way at their own time. It didn't seem like a family event, there were no children but we did see what looked like couples having their fortunes told. There were chimes hit a certain number of times followed by a big drum being hit a certain number of times. We walked cautiously in the building with the shrine. Inside was a giant statue in armor which was too tall for me to see his face. This is what people were praying to and leaving offerings. At this point we decided that this was not the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas and decided to wander down the path. There was a map we found that had a suggested walking trail (mostly for tourist) that we determined had to eventually lead to the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. It didn't take us long to come to another shrine.
I am not sure what it is called but it was all outdoors and a lot smaller. It also was not on the map. There were fewer people inside but we did see a shrine to what I later determined to be Avalokiteśvara which is a figure in Buddhism. Again there was incenses everywhere. There were pots all over the place that had many sticks of it burning. We decided to continue on to the next place the map suggested called Tsang Tai Uk. We didn't know what it was, but we knew we just wanted to see it. When we turned the corner that was suppose to have Tsang Tai Uk we didn't see anything but tennis courts. They were called "Tsang Tai Uk Temporary Recreational Park." Everyone felt that the tennis courts was it and just sat down for a break. However, I decided to go a little further down the road to see if I could find anything else.
After turning the corner I found the Tsang Tai Uk, which is a mid 19th century stone village. It is still being used as residence and was not that exciting. We then continued on and crossed a canal. On the other side was the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. We decided to look around in side since it was air conditioned and only HK$5. Inside we saw all kinds of art and displays from various cultures within China. There were also historical displays on the development of Hong Kong. After spending some time inside we left and crossed the street to get our bearings. We then realized that we were next to New Town Plaza which is the ridiculously large mall that contained the Sha Tin station. We had walked from one train station to the next and still hadn't found the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. Chris's book mislead us. In any case by this time we were very hungry and just wanted food. So we went to a McDonalds inside the mall. This McDonalds was packed. We got a quick bit to eat which was nice since it was the first time I had ice cream and a hamburger since getting into Hong Kong. Afterwards we debated about whither or not we should continue looking for the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. We found a map of the Sha Tin station area and discovered that the Temple was on the other side of the station. In fact we could see on the mountain side from the train station. So we walked that direction.
This is what we thought was the entrance to the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. It looked very nice and religious. A short walk up the hill we found shrines to Avalokiteśvara and Buddha. We continued almost all the way up until we got to some buildings. Inside one there were monks gathered around a couple of tables chanting. In most of the buildings it seemed to have pictures of people (I assumed deceased) much like a mausoleum. There were lots of Chinese around us praying and leaving offerings. Nothing was in English. When we got to one side of the top we looked at the compound right next to us and could see statues of golden monks. It was at that point we decided (yet again) that we were not in the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas, but this time we knew where we had to go and were very confident about it. The only problem was that we had to go back down the mountain in order to get on the right path to climb back up the mountain.
The path up the mountain was long and very steep. Statues of monks covered the entire path. The top was rather awesome. There was the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas, more statue monks, giant statues of other Buddhist figures, a tower, and other structures.
Inside the temple, there were Buddhas covering the wall. Each little statue was unique. We climbed the tower that was nearby for an amazing view of the temple and the city of Sha Tin. The path we took didn't end at the temple, so we continued on up the mountain. There were still statues but they became more diverse. Some were of female figures while others seemed more warrior like. There was another small shrine to Buddha and another mausoleum. After that we were so exhausted we all just wanted to go back to CUHK.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
First Weekend
Saturday was the first full day that we spent in Hong Kong. Starting at 11 we had orientation and other meetings that we attended. Throughout the day I started meeting more people. Later in the afternoon we were all anxious to get phones so we could communicate with each other so we decided to go to the Sha Tin Mall. It was Francesca, Natalie, Charlie, Jennifer, and Chris. Carlos came too even though he already had a phone. This mall was ridiculous. It had 10 floors with three "phases" (I think they were phases of development?). It was packed with people and sprawled for ever. I had never felt claustrophobic before but the ceiling height in most places was probably close to 7 feet. Everywhere there were TV screens and projectors. Other then the mentioned above, it looked like a mall would back home. It had a modern sleek style and was very clean. In one of the many junctions there were even still Christmas activities. Due to the size, it took us a while to figure where a cell phone store was. At one point we went down escalators thinking we were going from the third floor to the second, when in fact it took us straight outside to the first. We eventually found the place we were looking for. The phones there were incredibly cheap. First we had to purchase a SIM card which was HK$100 and came with a ridiculous amount of minutes. Then we purchased a phone which was HK$390. That was it! No need for a plan or all the other crazy stuff that comes with purchasing a cell phone in the States. Texting was free to phones in the network (Vodafone) and HK$.7 outside. The phone just has an account balance that you can add to when ever you want. After everyone got a phone we decided to find food. The first few places we went to had very long waits. We decided to look at a restaurant that was very fancy and thus had no wait time. Once we looked at the prices we realized that even though it was rather upscale for the area, it was relatively cheap for us. We ended up getting a ton of food and a round of Chinese beer for HK$110 (less than US$15) each. The best way to describe how it worked was family style. We ordered several dishes and then took portions to our own plates. One of the appetizers we ordered was jelly fish. It had a light sesame seed sauce on it and that is all I tasted. I do not recommend it. Very chewy and very bland. After that we headed back to our rooms for the night.
Sunday was our first day of really exploring. I went to Hong Kong Island with the same people as I did to Sha Tin plus Jesse, Jacque, and Matt. We were going to meet Carlos in Hong Kong since he has an apartment in down town. Since CUHK is just outside of Sha Tin which is about an hour train ride from the island. We all wanted to take the Star Ferry across the bay so we got off of the train at Kowloon which is the peninsula side. Hong Kong itself is huge. There are a significant number of relatively new super high rises. There is also a significant number of Starbucks. On our way to the Star Ferry we walked on the Avenue of Stars and found Jackie Chan's hand prints. The ferry was cheap (maybe US$.25) and was really rocky. The turn around time on both sides was very fast but the ride was interesting. Once in Hong Kong we started to wonder around to find food. One of the first things we came across was a demonstration for lesbian rights. Several blocks where closed to traffic as people just sat around in the street and activities accrued on a stage (mostly singing and dancing). Unlike the shopping centers, everyone was spread out and the number of people was probably not that great (1000?). Jesse had a guide book that recommended a restaurant which we found. It was very good and again very cheap. I got lamb, rice, soup, and a coke for about HK$50. Once we found out that Carlos could not meet up with us that day we just started wondering around. We found an out door escalator that looked pretty long so we got on it. Once we started riding it we looked it up in Jesse's book and found out it was the world longest escalator. It went for ever through the city and had its own exits. The main part of Hong Kong is on the side of a mountain with Victoria's Peak being the top (not many buildings that far up). Part of the trip went through a district that was called Soho and seemed very western (pubs and burgers). At the top of the escalator we were in a very jungle like area. In fact it was right next to the botanical gardens. We walked through some of the gardens which were very well kept. In one portion it was like a zoo and had monkeys, lemurs, turtles, and other animals you might find around the area. On the walk back down to down town the side walk was more of a platform at some points being maybe five stories off the ground and twisted and turned in and over itself. On the way down we stopped at a bar in Soho to rest which was priced about the same as back home. Once we got back to the bottom it was starting to get dark so we decided to go back across to the Kowloon side so we could watch the Symphony of Lights. The Symphony of Lights is a light show with many of the buildings in Hong Kong. The skyscrapers had multicolored lights running up and down the sides and many had lasers and spot lights on the roofs. Once the show started all the lights were synchronized to music. On some days they even have fireworks. After the show was over we head back for the night.
Sunday was our first day of really exploring. I went to Hong Kong Island with the same people as I did to Sha Tin plus Jesse, Jacque, and Matt. We were going to meet Carlos in Hong Kong since he has an apartment in down town. Since CUHK is just outside of Sha Tin which is about an hour train ride from the island. We all wanted to take the Star Ferry across the bay so we got off of the train at Kowloon which is the peninsula side. Hong Kong itself is huge. There are a significant number of relatively new super high rises. There is also a significant number of Starbucks. On our way to the Star Ferry we walked on the Avenue of Stars and found Jackie Chan's hand prints. The ferry was cheap (maybe US$.25) and was really rocky. The turn around time on both sides was very fast but the ride was interesting. Once in Hong Kong we started to wonder around to find food. One of the first things we came across was a demonstration for lesbian rights. Several blocks where closed to traffic as people just sat around in the street and activities accrued on a stage (mostly singing and dancing). Unlike the shopping centers, everyone was spread out and the number of people was probably not that great (1000?). Jesse had a guide book that recommended a restaurant which we found. It was very good and again very cheap. I got lamb, rice, soup, and a coke for about HK$50. Once we found out that Carlos could not meet up with us that day we just started wondering around. We found an out door escalator that looked pretty long so we got on it. Once we started riding it we looked it up in Jesse's book and found out it was the world longest escalator. It went for ever through the city and had its own exits. The main part of Hong Kong is on the side of a mountain with Victoria's Peak being the top (not many buildings that far up). Part of the trip went through a district that was called Soho and seemed very western (pubs and burgers). At the top of the escalator we were in a very jungle like area. In fact it was right next to the botanical gardens. We walked through some of the gardens which were very well kept. In one portion it was like a zoo and had monkeys, lemurs, turtles, and other animals you might find around the area. On the walk back down to down town the side walk was more of a platform at some points being maybe five stories off the ground and twisted and turned in and over itself. On the way down we stopped at a bar in Soho to rest which was priced about the same as back home. Once we got back to the bottom it was starting to get dark so we decided to go back across to the Kowloon side so we could watch the Symphony of Lights. The Symphony of Lights is a light show with many of the buildings in Hong Kong. The skyscrapers had multicolored lights running up and down the sides and many had lasers and spot lights on the roofs. Once the show started all the lights were synchronized to music. On some days they even have fireworks. After the show was over we head back for the night.
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