Pack Up & Go

Dodging pedestrians in SoHo, Hong Kong and pulling my H&M shopping bags further into my body, I walk down Staunton Street towards Man Mo Temple. I am surrounded by intoxicating smells of exotic food, the clinking of beer glasses as foreigners indulge in happy hour and sunrays peeking through a mixture of clouds and smog. As I continue further down the cobblestoned path, I notice that the storefronts become less Westernised and more traditional. The red and gold shop signs are plastered with Chinese characters with no English subtitles, as you would usually find in Hong Kong.
A Chinese herbal medicine store catches my fancy, with its pungent smell and doctor measuring a concoction of herbs with a copper scale. I lock eyes with a tabby cat sitting on the counter and greet it by stroking it, and it acknowledges me with a satisfied purr. It's a refreshing encounter considering the abrupt nature of the people amongst the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. I always thought of Hong Kong as Asia's Manhattan.
Finally, I reach the temple. As soon as I step inside, my eyes well up from the incense. The smoke engulfs me as it comes billowing down from the huge incense spirals dangling from the ceiling. Yet, the candles and vibrant red and gold interior draw me further into the smoke. Monks are chanting, bells are ringing and several people are deep in prayer in front of gold statues. After dropping several coins in a box, I proceed to use the brass drum and bell set that everyone has been lining up for. The resonating boom of the drum and clang of the bell signify my wish for good fortune. Towards the back of the temple is the golden pen, which my Aunt once told me would make me smart, and the golden blade, which she told me would give me amazing kung fu skills (I have yet to try out my axe kick in public). I let my hands glide over both, which I have done each time I visit Hong Kong ever since I could remember. I feel my lungs give and I hurriedly make my way out of the temple and take a gasp of fresh air.
As I make my way back to SoHo I stop by a green street stall, which I have been to since I was little and order a delicious treat of sweet glutinous rice balls. They are topped with a mixture of sugar, coconut and roasted sesame and come in a tiny metal dish with toothpicks, which for HKD 8 is quite a bargain! A dingy dessert stand on a slanted hill, eating my favourite childhood dessert, amidst this fast-paced, ever changing city - some things just never get old.