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Wow Place #255: The Junks of Aberdeen, Hong Kong
I owe my passion for travel to one singular moment: the day I looked at my grandparent’s slides.
I was maybe 10 years old when, upon digging around in the family closet, I discovered an old, hand-held slide viewer. Next to it was a box of slides labeled “China,” which I learned were from my grandparent’s (Zach and Addy’s) trip to the far east. It’s hard to fathom nowadays, with YouTube and TikTok videos just a click away, what a window to the world slides once were – especially when viewed by a little box with back lighting. For pre-teen me, in particular, the slides were a revelation! There I gazed upon gorgeous gardens, elegant architecture, and ornate temples – resplendent in freshly-painted red and gold. I gawked at floating restaurants with multi-colored lanterns. And best of all, there were junks – sometimes confused with their cousin, sampans – these tiny, old, wooden, sailing ships from the era of ancient Chinese glory. Nothing could have been more exotic to me, or more enticing, and I started to formulate a dream…that someday, somehow, I would visit this part of the world. I would actually see these places. I would bathe myself in the exoticism.
Fast forward a decade or so and there I was, on a plane to Japan to teach English, marveling that my wild pipe dream was actually coming true. A couple of years later, after saving up my yen for a long trip through Asia, I arrived in Hong Kong – eager to see the floating restaurants, eager to see the junks. And hence I make my way to Aberdeen.
Interestingly, Aberdeen – an area on Southwest Hong Kong Island – used to be called Hong Kong. Foreigners visiting Aberdeen Village in the early 19th Century mistook the name of the village for the whole island. In Cantonese, it seems, Aberdeen is known indigenously as Hong Kong Tsai, meaning “Hong Kong Minor” or “Son of Hong Kong” or “Little Hong Kong.”
Kind of reminds me of a Japanese monster movie. “Son of Kong!”
Aberdeen, today, is famous for its floating village and floating seafood restaurants. During the Tuen Ng Festival, Aberdeen Harbor becomes the venue of the dragon race boat in the Southern District. Fantastic stuff!
Although a fascinating area to explore in its own right, I’ve come to Aberdeen to see the junks. And to be honest, there aren’t many of them left. Nevertheless, me and my buddy Trent splurge $20 for a one-hour boat trip around the area…peaking in on houseboat dwellers as they cook their food, do their wash, and well, whatever else they do out there. Make babies I suppose. It’s quite cool, and eminently exotic.
Does it live up to my fantasies and expectations? Not quite, alas. It’s VERY nice, but doesn’t quite match, say, Shangri-la quality of Durbar Square in Kathmandu, or the glittering exoticism of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Still, I’m glad I made the journey to Aberdeen. It’s always worthwhile to complete a quest, to fulfill a dream, and to prove to yourself that if you dare to stretch your wings wide enough, the world truly is your oyster.
(Where is your “dream” location, and what’s holding you back from actually visiting there? Fear, perhaps? Fear that it will be too scary, too confusing, too hard…that you’ll get robbed and end up sleeping on the street? To be honest, I still feel that way sometimes when I’m going someplace new and intimidating. By and large I can always figure things out upon arrival the locals for help. Or maybe it’s fear about money. “How can I afford a trip like that?!!” The answer to that question is fairly simple – you start saving and assume that you have a lifetime to make more money. What holds most people back, however, from realizing their travel dreams is procrastination. “Oh, I’m too busy working now. I can travel when I retire.” Which is often true…except you travel so differently later in life. Your knees hurt. Your back hurts. The beds are too hard! Lol. I say, whatever your age, just do it now. You’re never going to be as healthy again as you are right now! The clock is ticking, and exotic locales await you. Stop putting off that journey. Do it now!)