Fire and Rain

One thing good about living near Nathan Road is that you get alerted whenever big events happen. As early as 8:30 am, I could hear a flurry of activity downstairs, and as I looked out the window, there was a large crowd on all four corners of Nathan and Austin Roads. "Of course," I thought, "the Olympic Torch Relay is today, and it's first route was in Tsim Sha Tsui, through Nathan."

Since my flat is just 2 minutes away from the path, I thought: "What the heck." Braving the light rain and the danger of being impaled by umbrellas, I planted myself in front of Bossini in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the torch that everyone wants to see or grab or extinguish. (Depending on how you view China.)



By 9:15 am, the crowds have swelled and the police had to put up additional metal railings because the spectators were becoming a bit too eager. I was pushed around twice or thrice, and even stepped on by a person who perched himself on top of the metal railing. There were also small groups carrying placards, and I reckon these were the protesters that the government was so wary of. At 10:10, the first caravan of sponsors passed through, and the crowd became more rowdy. They were pushing their way to get in front of the line, much to the chagrin of the crowd controllers.



Wild cheers and applause signalled the arrival of the torch. I caught a glimpse of the flame as it was burning brightly and carried by a lady with short hair. As expected, she was surrounded by the "men in light blue" and a small armada of escorts. Once again, people pushed and pushed and pushed, until no one could see anything. And in less than a minute, the torch was gone.





Yes Virginia, the torch was somewhere inside that crowd.

As the crowd was dispersing, the guy beside me - an Aussie, judging by his accent - was wondering what the fuss was all about. After all, it was just a flame on a rod being carried by a runner down the road. I told him that people must've turned out because it's a matter of national pride. People want to welcome someone - or something - that brings honor to the country - especially in the international scene. I told him that in Manila, people line up on the streets en masse for sports heroes (like Manny Pacquiao) or beauty queens (like Miriam Quiambao and Lara Quigaman) because they create a positive international image for the country.

Also, this is an event that doesn't happen very often. After all, 44 years have passed since the Olympic torch was last here. The people who were there probably weren't born yet when it happened, and some might have been too young to remember. Still others might not be there anymore when another 44 years pass by. By being there today, people can proudly say: "I saw the Olympic torch as it passed through Hong Kong."



And yes, I saw the Olympic Torch as it passed through Hong Kong.