Off the Beaten Path
My last day in Hong Kong was slightly bittersweet, and thankfully not as hectic.
During the day, we traveled to Lamma, an island renowned for its slow vibe, hipsters, beaches next to power plants, hiking trails and wind spirits. The typhoon was seriously felt here, and trees were torn and thrown all over the place, blocking many paths and generally ruining the landscape. But it gave the whole island a sense of connection to the elements.
After lunch, we enjoyed a lovely dessert at the Tofu Garden, and we made our way to the beach, and finally up the mountain to meet the Wind God.
The evening was capped off with a delicious Korean BBQ and a tremendous skyline of Hong Kong island as viewed from iSquare in Tsim Sha Tsui.
I was admiring the view and really thought back to the past 3 days, and how much I’d seen and how much I’d fallen in love with this city… So much controlled chaos, yet so safe. Every citizen, struggling to climb the social ladder, pushing back against the constant onslaught his or her neighbor. You can really make your experience here as “Chinese” as you want, and you’ll be perfectly happy if you so wish. Personally, I believe you need to, if you plan on making it big and connecting with its people.
As we were slowly making our way back, my phone buzzed as I received the *safest* text in existence:
We had to.
We just had to.
And as we did, we entered a dystopian cyberpunk world I never knew I craved:
Underground bars, deep technobabble music and strobe lights all adorned our surroundings, as we ordered the final drinks of the night.
And then I bid my final farewell to my friends, whom I’ve known anywhere between three days to twenty years:
T, my Airbnb host, and a 11/10 when it came to making my HK stay feel safe and smooth,
S, my primary and high school friend whose efficient running and planning made me see a week’s worth of HK in two days
L, my University long lost brother from another mother, who immediately gave me the high roller experience fifteen minutes in,
M, A, K and I, my own personal Swedish-Canadian-Russian House Mafia who sprinkled the entire experience with their crazy and fun antics. Please never change.
On to Thailand!