Each morning when I take
my shower I marvel at my good fortune in finding Ascension House. I stand in an
honest-to-god shower stall, with a large spray nozzle, a (clean) curtain, and
an infinite supply of hot water. I don't have to shower inches away from the
toilet, which, I've discovered from online research, is common in many Hong
Kong hostelries other than my old haunts in Chungking Mansions.
A room with a view is
another amazing feature. As I look up from my keyboard, I see city lights
glowing through breaks in the greenery. My usual Hong Kong view in the past was
straight into someone else's window.
Best of all, this place
has broadened my outlook and made me aware that flexibility is a crucial part
of staying alive. Sharing a bathroom with strangers, sharing a pathway with
monkeys, remembering "Nothing is either good or bad but thinking makes it
so." Or as my very dear friend Sak used to tell me, "You don't have
to look at this that way."
And that upward path is
getting easier every week--who needs a hotel fitness center?
At the end of next week,
I will drag my suitcases up to the place where I originally came in, ask
someone to call me a taxi, and go off to Shatin's nicest hotel. But as I wallow
in comfort for two nights, I know I will look up at the green hill that I've lived
on for the past month and feel grateful that I was allowed to stay there.
No comments:
Post a Comment