Father’s Day in Hong Kong
by Jeff
(Sichuan, China)
My daughter loved this aquarium in a Hong Kong dim sum
While living in Shenzhen, China, I often made trips to Hong Kong for shopping or dining. But the trip I will remember most is one special Father’s Day in Hong Kong.
You see, because I was a foreigner living in China, I had to exit the country every 3 months. That included my two daughters, who were also born outside of China.
On the other hand, my Chinese wife didn’t have the right paperwork to leave China. Not even for a visit to Hong Kong.
So that meant I would need to travel with my two daughters, ages 1 and 3…without anyone to help!
If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong, I don’t need to tell you that it didn’t take me long to master the skill of navigating a baby stroller safely up and down an escalator. (Thank heaven that the two daughters could ride in one stroller – otherwise the trip would have been impossible!)
You know what the best thing about Hong Kong is? The MTR. In my opinion, you won’t find a better transit system anywhere else on our planet. It’s fast, convenient and logical. It’s easy to find your way and it’s hard to get lost.
That said, there are some MTR stations and entrances that you can’t get into without riding an escalator.
And so, I found myself in one of those situations. It seemed there was no elevator, and I would have to take an escalator to get on the MTR.
So, with my two daughters in the stroller, we rode down the escalator and arrived at a landing.
To my horror, the only way to leave the landing was a flight of stairs going down, and another flight of stairs going up. There was only one escalator leading onto the landing and it was the one I just came down on.
Why was that so scary? Normally it wouldn’t be, my daughters would just hop out of the stroller, walk down the stairs, and I would carry the stroller. No problem.
But, what happens if one daughter is sleeping? It was worse, both girls were fast asleep.
So after a minute or two of feeling helpless, stuck on this landing with no way to get out…I was touched by the kindness of Hong Kong’s citizens.
A good Samaritan helped me lift the stroller and carry both daughters down the stairs. And believe me, they aren’t light. I’m so grateful for that generous soul.
And what’s more, on that same trip I met other friendly and generous Hong Konger’s who helped make my trip easier and smoother.
One friendly passerby even went out of his way to guide me to a nearby Church so my daughter could use their restroom.
If you’re ever wondering about whether Hong Kong is a friendly city, I can assure you that it’s one of the friendliest places I’ve ever been. As a visitor, you will be delighted with the natural hospitality of the Hong Kong people…it made for a magical Father’s Day!
And if you enjoyed this story, you are welcome to visit my website – it’s filled with many more stories about traveling in China, learning Chinese and understanding Chinese Culture.
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