notes from fragrant harbour (iv)

One of these days, when I am older and look old enough that my relatives won’t worry about my getting kidnapped if I so much as walk on the streets alone, I’d like to go back to Beijing and do all the things I only caught glimpses of this time around: to walk the whole of Chaoyang Park, rediscover that street dedicated to selling musical instruments, find the one that sells art materials. I want to find the siheyuan my mother used to live in and stop by each of her schools that she pointed out when we drove by at a distance. Then there are all the museums and tourist attractions I want to revisit, see if I’ll feel differently from my memories, see what I’ll think now. Eat more Peking duck and laobing, find street food and hutong, go through every floor of the Beijing Books Building. So many books!

But I don’t mind that I didn’t this time around. It is good to just sit with my grandmother and be with her whenever I can.

On another note, I’m back in Hong Kong and giving up on the idea of taking photos through the eyes of a tourist; I can’t pretend to be a stranger to this place. Weaving through the crowds of people, dodging the drip-drip of air-cons on streets, jaywalking striding confidently across roads in the spaces between rumbling vehicles — these aren’t the things that a stranger knows how to do right away.

A stranger doesn’t have a list of favourite food items and restaurants that need to be ticked off before she leaves, some in the most random, tucked-away places. (There’s a place in Tai Po Marketplace that sells the most delicious tofu fa I’ve ever had. Smooth as silk and served with sweet ginger syrup, Old Granny’s beancurd dessert was only HK$6 the last time I went — about 75 cents Canadian.)

But there are black kites flying around our home quite often and I hope to take a picture of them. At first I thought they were eagles because, well, I don’t know birds.

Only two weeks more and then it will be back to Vancouver. Though I can’t complain about missing my family if I choose to be away, let’s just say I will.