Right from my childhood, anyone going to a foreign country seemed so lucky for me, a girl, who was brought up in Coimbatore with little exposure to cities like Bombay (Mumbai now), Delhi and Calcutta.
When I was about 27, and a mother of a kid and expecting another, the trip to Hong Kong was finalised and I felt that it was a dream come true. . Though it was going to be a pure business trip with my husband, I was very excited about stepping into Hong Kong and visiting one of the best cities of the world. This was in 1984. Emotionally I was at the lowest because I had left my little one back in with my parents and siblings, so that I could go on this tour.
We boarded the Air France from delhi, and after some time, I told to myself - at last I have entered a foreign sky. The landing view at night was marvellous. I was wondering at the beautiful view, thinking that foreign is so beautiful. We took a cab and headed towards Tsim Tsa Tsui, the area suggested by the friends back home to look for a hotel to stay in. The sight while passing through the streets was a real feast to the eyes. On reaching the place, we started our hunt for a hotel.
This was where I was shocked. We were taken by an Indian inside a hotel(a good one -as per his view), had a look at it and I thought I could not just stay there. But the cost was so high that we would have to think about even affording that, going to look for a better one, was something not to be thought of. I just could not imagine sleeping in that small room which could hardly fit a cot 4 feet wide and using a common bathroom, so damp and wet, without ventilation, and such other problems.
Anyways , the thrill of being in a foreign city did not decrease. I got ready early the next morning to walk out on the street of Hong Kong and experience the new environment and the surroundings. Being able to communicate in english was a big plus point because otherwise it would have been really difficult . We visited a few shops whose address we already had.
It was very much different from home. The way people greeted each other, shaking hands, with be it any gender, was all strange. When one person brought his hand forward, I folded my hands and I could see the strange feeling on his face. An Indian man would shake hands with any client or customer be it a man or a woman, but if an Indian woman shook hands with a man, the first thing is the woman herself would be a little hesitant. But then thinking that it is a custom in this country or any other country for that matter, and if she shook her hand with the opposite gender, even her husband would give a strange glance in question. Very awkward situations were in store during that visit. (I am talking about things way back in 1984, I know things are very much different now). This is not any kind of a complaint. But a reality, about which when I think today, find it so ridiculous. But it required quite a few foreign tours to get used to things and start feeling them as very normal. Now even in India it is quite normal.
Coming back to the point, I did have many such different experiences. Apart from that, the commuting, the ferries, the big malls, the beautifully laid streets and the skyscapers were amazing, interesting and really worth seeing. It felt like a totally different world. Someone remarked that now that we had seen Hong Kong, we had seen a mini world, because Hong Kong was so developed and had the latest of everything .
A nice trip at that. But the anxiety to reach home back and see my little one gripped me on my way back. I had a shock of my life when she refused to come in my arms though she recognised me showing her anger and unhappiness at my leaving her off during the travel. Till this day, I cannot forget the look of pain and anger that I could see in those little eyes. The memory of it still brings tears in my eyes. I could not explain to her then that it was a totally business trip and that I could not take her with me.
