TODAY in HONG KONG after 6 weeks in the States I realize I have forgotten how to walk in Hong Kong. Going into the subway there were so many people coming right at me and twice I had to make big adjustments in my gait or direction and, still, caused others to stop short or have to go around me. Usually I can navigate around people by looking ahead and gauging how people are going to go. Not today.
Hong Kong people have a crazy knack for being able to fit several people on very narrow sidewalks here and there obstructed by bamboo scaffolding but then, when there is space, to somehow spread themselves out so that two people can take up the entire sidewalk. This opening of the walking area also seems to be a good time to slow down. It is so frustrating as I can’t get around them when the space is so jumbled and small, and then, when there is room to go around, they have sort of morphed into a wall themselves. A slow moving wall. Today I was on my way down the labyrinth of the subway underground and found myself behind a family of three. As the subway has just let out, there are hundreds of people coming toward us and streaming all around us. The family is huddled together to protect the little one in the middle. There is about 3 feet between the mother and the wall. I can make that for sure! As I go for my opening, somehow the mother is now only 3 inches from the wall, but the father is still walking down the middle of the hallway. For me to change tactics and go around them will mean having to get through the people who are now coming into the hallway to board the cars. And of course the family has slowed down.
Hong Kong is a vibrant busy international city. Part of its appeal is the excitement and constant movement. But sometimes it can get overwhelming and the constant crowds can be very stressful. I am lucky to live in the most exciting and happening area of Hong Kong, but it is also one of the busiest.
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