By Mike Johnson
Hong Kong airport has the scarriest approach in the world. The pilot had prepared us for the last minute right hand turn just before landing. He forgot to mention that we would by then be flying down between the buildings. It didn't help that he said we were landing on runway number 13. Amazingly, in the airport's 50 plus year history the town has not yet been wiped out. A new airport, at a safer location, will be opening soon.
It was noon on Friday April 18th and I was about to experience the Mensa SIGHT (Service for Information, Guidance and Hospitality to Travellers) program for my first time. I had just finished presenting a workshop, on Design of Experiments, in Singapore and thought it would be fun to spend a few days in Hong Kong on the way back. My travel agent found a few "bargain" hotels for $150US on up so I contacted Hong Kong Mensa on the internet; "Anxious Mensa needs floor space to sleep". HK SIGHT coordinator Mitzi Pearce was in New York, en route to London for a few months but she arranged for Mensan Margaret Fidow to meet me at the airport.
Margaret, originally from New Zealand, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Accountancy at City University, Hong Kong. We took the twenty minute taxi ride to Margaret's two level apartment just across from the University. She explained that Hong Kong is very popular, especially right now with the Chinese take over scheduled for July 1st. She already had five guests; Andy and Scarlet are Chinese, Evelyn from the US, and two German gentlemen. The Germans had kindly volunteered mattresse space on their bedroom floor. This suited me just fine.
After meeting my fellow guests I took the 30 minute bus ride from the University to the Star Ferry at Kowloon. The ferry provides a five minute trip from Kowloon across Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong. As a culinary gormet, my favorite hangout is the MacDonald's overlooking the ferry at Kowloon. It's always packed so that you share tables and this makes it a great place to meet all nationalities.
I spent the first evening hanging around Hong Kong Center, a park and plaza overlooking the harbour. The US Navy was in town and half a dozen black sailors were running a spontaneous Christian revivalist meeting with about fifty young Philippino "Domestiques". These women do house work, usually under a two year contract, for people in various Asian countries. I got to meet several of them on my trip. They live with the family and get paid a small salary. It is their custom to send much of their pay home to support their families.
One young Domestique explained what was going on and asked if I too was a Christian. My professed atheism resulted in a long and interesting discussion of our views. There was no hostility and she invited me to visit her church on Sunday. I politely declined.
I spent much of Saturday wandering the streets of Kowloon and Hong Kong. I am happily entertained by observing the millions of people scurrying around. In the afternoon I attended a short concert at the Hong Kong Acadamy for the Performing Arts. Albert Cheng Yu (12 years old) played some very impressive classical violin music by Paganini.
That evening I visited the Hong Kong Philharmonic concert. The star attraction was Canadian born violinist Corey Cerovsek, playing Beethoven's Violin Concerto. Cerovsek looked to be in his early twenties. At eighteen he had obtained a PhD in Music, AND a PhD in Mathematics.
Cerovsek played an encore by Fritz Kriezler that really showed his talent. But apparently there's no money in music; he was playing an old "ex Sennhauser" violin, made by Joseph Guarneri of Cremona in 1735. He probably picked it up at a garage sale, but even with this handicap he played beautifully. It's a shame that such talented performers have to scrape by with obsolete instruments. Those of us sensitive to the arts should start a fund to buy the very latest in equipment for these people. I've seen some very reasonable, brand new, violins in the mail order catalogues.
I spent Sunday in Kowloon Central Park which houses the Hong Kong Museum of History. On one hand the British colonial involvement in HK sounds like the supreme drug pushing scam of all time. On the other hand, it's incredible to see the skyscrapers of HK and realise there was virtually nothing there only 150 years ago.
Sunday evening I joined Margaret and her other guests for a delightful dim sum dinner at the University sponsored restaurant. Andy did an excellent job as our Chinese food advisor. Scarlet and I found we had a common obsession with classical music. She will spend the summer working in Connecticut helping the handicaped. I invited her to contact me while there. The Germans were setting up training/vocational business contacts for German students. Evelyn is retired and after spending many years in HK is headed back to the states via Hawaii. Margaret is working on a PhD to add to her many qualifications. A very interesting group.
I was listening continually to the Asian BBC on my portable radio during my wanderings. Much of the discussion was on the Chinese takeover. It seems that the Hong Kongians are far less concerned than the rest of the world about the Red Menace.
My flight wasn't till 10 p.m. on Monday so I spent another day exploring downtown Kowloon and HK. This was a historic day for HK; the Chinese sent in their first contingent of 40 officers to prepare for the takeover. They were very low key; no weapons, no fanfare. By chance, at noon, I happened to be on the Kowloon ferry headed to HK when there was suddenly the loudest blast I've ever heard. I could feel the light pressure on my body. A few hundred yards away was a warship continuing to blast what I concluded to be a twenty-one gun salute. By the time it was over the ship was completely obscured by it's own smoke. Later, I could see that the ship was flying a British flag so I guess it was a respectful welcome to the Chinese. I think they were firing blanks!
A few minutes later, in HK City Hall, I purchased Mao's little Red book. I clutched it like a bible later that evening as we plowed down the runway again to either downtown Kowloon or San Francisco. It worked. I read it most of the way home and I must say it's extremely clearly written.
My Mensa SIGHT hosts had made an excellent visit possible. I hope I can return again after the takeover.