making the most of it
While the “urgh we’re back in HK” funk was hanging around I decided my only way forward was to try and make the most of it and go back into tourist mode here in Hong Kong. With a notepad and HK lonely planet in hand I made a list of all the things I hadn’t done yet that I wanted to do and set about booking them all in. It wasn’t that we were planning to leave (although the thought was somewhat appealing), just more about having things to look forward to that felt new and different. Lucky our crew are as weird as I am and I was able to find company for pretty much everything, and if not I went solo. It was actually pretty awesome, amazing how many things were still to be discovered after 4 years here. I think it did help too, even if it was a little manic, I was seeing things in HK that I loved, spending time with the remains of our decimated HK friend group, building those friendships and just generally giving myself something positive to focus on.
Alongside the usual hikes, beaches, brunches, junks, dinners we also spent a few months ticking off:
Spent a very zen morning in Tsz Shan Monastary (free but requires prior booking - WORTH IT)
Explored a century old water reservoir in Sham Shui Po (free but requires booking - not sure if it was really worth it, it’s a guided tour and there’s a lot of procedure around it all, it’d be way cooler if they turned it into a venue and you could go there for a drink or a concert or a party, however Sham Shui Po is a fun area to explore so if you make a day out of it, still probably worth it!)
Did a Snake Safari (awesome experience, made me less scared of snakes and was really well run by knowledgeable snake experts who work with HK police on snake related incidents)
Went to the newly opened Water World at Ocean Park (super fun water slides and rides, go in winter on a school day, there are heaters, it’s mostly indoors and best enjoyed minus the queuing!)
Staycationed in Yuen Long (enjoying birdwatching at Mai Po, the Ping Shan Heritage Trail, Kam Tin village, sunset at Pak Nai and my first Genki bullet-train sushi experience!)
Took in all the colours at Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple (stunning place, would be a great first temple experience in HK)
Rode up to Big Buddha (in the glass bottom gondola, absolutely worth the extra money, it’s really cool and the queue was WAY shorter!)
Searched for stars on the roof of the science museum (not quite as romantic as we thought it would be, felt more like a school science trip, got a cool view of the moon through the telescope though)
Finally checked out M+ museum (totally worth a visit, you’ll need at least 2 trips to see it all!)
