Jan 4 2010
The combination of jet lag and the night before sent me into an immobile morning. I tried to make it out of the bed at least three times before noontime, got some water and rolled back over, not actually getting out until around 1pm. I suited up for a new day and decided I would attempt to re-wander the path Aaron and I had explored, but this time, with a camera. I got as far as Austin Street and lost my whereabouts, so I ducked into Kowloon Park once again hoping it would bring me clear to the other side of the block and back to Nathan Road.
I stumbled upon a Kung Fu competition taking place right in the center of the park. The participants were a mixture of Shaolin 5 Animal and Wing Chun Kung Fu practitioners. Wing Chun deals with self-awareness, rooted, and balanced movements. When I saw the older people performing this particular style, I loved how graceful and poised each movement was. I also loved how incredibly focused and in shape these elders presented themselves. The other type, Shaolin Kung Fu, exhibited many different aspects of body movement and positioning, as each performer used in this category used a different prop, motion, or technique to reveal their mastery. This competition ranged from various ages starting as young as 10 or as old as 40. The young boys were fast little boogers, and I was especially impressed with one boy that twirled a bamboo stick at least twice the height of him.
I even got to jump up and show a little bit of my skill, too bad I couldn't understand the announcer and went the opposite direction just about the whole time. It was fun, nonetheless.
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