Today we found the elusive Dim Sum at a fantastic building in Hong Kong Central. The restaurant is located on the second floor of an old tea house in the heart of the city. For those of you who are not familiar with Dim Sum, it generally consists of a wide variety of dumpling like orduevres served piping hot and made-to-order. Each dumpling is accompanied by several sauces and spicy pastes to dip them in, which only adds to the already spectacular flavors in every bite. The drink of choice is green tea and our waiter made sure to keep our supply hot and plentiful. It was, in a word, perfection.
After breakfast we took a famous tram that was built in the late 1800s up the very steep slopes of Hong Kong Island to its peak. The views from the peak were stunning, but I had this slight feeling that it was all some sort of tourist trap. I can't quite put my finger on it, because the modern shopping mall equipped with McDonald's, KFC, Starbucks, and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. all seemed authentically Chinese. Oh well...
After our slighlty faster descent, Mariana and I walked through an older market filled with old Mao paraphernalia and intricate images of Buddha...totally cheesy when compared to the sweet shopping mall on the Peak. We also found our way to one of the oldest Buddhist temples on the island where you can meditate on the thoughts of your ancestors and make offerings in their memory. Typical protocol allows for the burning of incense and various other offerings meant to honor those who came before you. The respect for ancestors and elders that Eastern philosophy demands is both inspiring and enlightening.
I finished the day by buying a 12 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer and a bottle of Pearl River Bridge's finest Sancheng Chiew.
*International translation - "A Well-Aged Delicate Liquor" = "Distilled Toxic Waste"
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