truly fragrant

im back in asia after almost 5 months away. its good to be back. because it didnt cost more, i scheduled my flight to allow a few hours to putz about in hong kong before leaving for seoul tonight. after de-planeing, it was but a few short minutes through immigration and customs to the bag check, where i left my backpack, fetched hong kong dollars from the atm and proceded to the airport express, which whisks ya to the central mtr station in less than 30 mins. international travel can be so easy.

im writing from a free internet kiosk on victorias peak, a tourist trap wonderland high above hong kong. the spectacular views of highrises flanking victoria harbour are obscured a bit by thick clouds, but its still nice. and tho the weather is actually quite lovely, ive been reacquainted with asias humidity and am thankful for the misty cool up here. after heading back down ill spend the next few hours shopping, visiting a photography exhibit at the visual arts center (from china to italy on a motorcycle) and then will head to admiralty to have lunch with a korean/chinese guy with a black mans name.

i have had basically no emotional reaction to leaving the states or being back in asia, which is weird. no nostalgia, sadness or trepidation. what i did recall upon emerging from the central hk mtr stop was asias smell. its the pungent mix of food, vehicle exhaust and laundry, and the conspicuous absence of natural smells and body odor/perfume. the heavy humidity holds these smells closer to the earth and doesnt let them escape into the ether. for now im ok with that.

on another note, once in seoul i shall bid pop-id adieu. its been real but pants is moving on. stay tuned for the new url.

xo pants

update: the exhibit was pretty fantastic. the italian vagabond was there in the flesh to detail his exploits. i wanted to exchange stories about pakistan with him but didnt. his photos helped push kashgar (tibet), iran and turkey to the top of my travel list. anybody want to join me? the traditional cantonese dim sum at pacific place was yummy. i think the zung ju gai (glutinous rice with pork wrapped in a lotus leaf) was my favorite. so glad for the hk layover.