Hong Kong stresses me out.
I suppose every place is like this – a heaven for some, a nightmare for others. Hong Kong is insanely vibrant – a conglomeration of lights and skyscrapers. In this city you can find people from every corner of the world, and it certainly feels like anything is possible here. The streets are ripe with opportunities. Many have come with nothing but the clothes on their backs and made names for themselves. At the same time, as I walk through its storied streets and watch the crowds hurry by, each to their own unknown destination, I cannot remember feeling more alone. I struggle to keep up with the pace, both of the pedestrians and the city itself.
Some close friends are mine are currently here, and this past weekend I made the trip over. While still unused to the fact that my college days are over, I’m appreciating these meetings with old friends in new cities more and more. But with some time left on my hands, I instinctively sought to escape the city and headed to Kowloon’s Chi Lian Nunnery (志莲静苑), a photographer’s heaven and a rare sanctuary of solace. Though nuns still occupy the premises, it is now open to tourists and worshippers alike. The rhythmic chanting of Buddhist scriptures echoes throughout the courtyard, and I happily wandered around, immersed in my own thoughts, before grabbing some delicious vegetarian food from the nuns on my way out.
It’s such a lovely feeling, knowing such places do exist, even in the most crowded cities.
Musings of a Leaf 