Tomorrow I start a new job here in Hong Kong, after many months of searching. I’m excited and hopeful that everything will work out for the best. My new office will be in Sheung Wan, not too far from the last building where I worked in this city.
The past week or so I’ve been savoring my last days of stress-free liberty around town. Whether lazily lounging on my roof, spending time in favorite neighborhoods, or exploring new places, it’s been a great finale to what I’ve affectionately dubbed my funemployment.
My friend Myles also recently got a new job after a lengthy search, and at dinner last Friday, he invited me to join on a Sunday hike to Tai Long Wan. He was set to begin work on Monday, you see, and he wanted to do something special to mark the end of one chapter in his life and the start of the next.
So a nice little group of us all met up early on Sunday morning to head to Sai Kung, a rugged area of the New Territories hugging the seaside. I’d been to Sai Kung before, on quite a few junks and also just to feast on fresh seafood, but Tai Long Wan had always eluded me. Most people here agree that it’s the single most stunning beach in the whole of Hong Kong, but you have to hike for about two hours to reach it, and I’d never managed to work it out.
I am not exaggerating when I say that it turned out to be one of my all time favorite days. The hike, although lengthy, was absolutely stunning and never so strenuous that it detracted from the view. (Or perhaps it was the view that masked the trail’s intensity.) As we crested the final mountain and descended to the beaches, with green hills meeting blue skies while clear water crashed into jagged rocks, I could not believe the sheer beauty of the landscape.
I wasted no time jumping into the cleanest water I’ve yet seen in Hong Kong, and I swam amidst the cool azure waves for hours. Floating in the sea, looking back on the verdant hills and rocks rising behind the white sand, I felt like I was in paradise—a literal Garden of Eden. When you think of Hong Kong, you think of soaring towers and a surge of humanity, crowded streets and flashing neon. But the natural beauty of Sai Kung should have its place in your mind, too. Tai Long Wan is one of the most gorgeous beaches I have ever visited.
After the two hour hike back, a few of us enjoyed a quick local dinner at a noodle shop in Sai Kung before making our way home. Although I was slightly tempted to order "noodle in soup with guts," I ultimately opted for "noodle in soup with shrimp dumpling" instead. I sometimes wish I were a little braver, but I devoured the whole bowl that night, so I think I made the right choice.
Yesterday I spent some time in Kowloon City, another place I’d visited before but never quite given its fair chance to dazzle me. Wandering the colorful roads and alleys of the hectic neighborhood, I stumbled upon an old cattle depot that has recently been transformed into a local artist’s community.
The historic buildings, constructed in the early 1900s, have a new lease on life, and of course, the resident artists have quirkily decorated the former abbatoirs and filled empty areas with all sorts of potted plants.
Nearby to these former slaughterhouses sits Kowloon City Pier, providing yet another ferry link between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. In my seemingly never-ending quest to ride every ferry in the SAR, I took the opportunity to add a new crossing to my list. With the sun setting over my city as we glided across the harbor, I couldn’t help but wonder why anybody would prefer to take the MTR.
Today, my last day before starting work, was a perfect end to my funemployment. I whiled away the afternoon on Cheung Chau, my perennial favorite of Hong Kong’s outlying islands. Although it was a rainy morning, the skies turned blue and sunny right before my ferry’s scheduled departure. On the outdoor deck, sailing past the skyline, I kicked off my flip flops and opened a cheap can of beer. "Enjoy every minute," I kept telling myself. And I did.
I’ve been to Cheung Chau many, many times. It was one of the first places I visited upon my arrival in Hong Kong back in 2009, and ever since, I’ve returned frequently, both alone and with friends, to uncover more of this tiny gem's intriguing secrets. Today I finally hit up the cave of a legendary pirate named Cheung Po Tsai, said to have hid his booty on the island in an age when the surrounding waters were rife with cut-throat high seas bandits.
Cheung Chau is just a phenomenal place to wander. The tiny, ancient-looking lanes are lined with curious houses, shops and restaurants. No other Hong Kong locale is even remotely similar. And every time I stroll around here, I seem to find a new building or back alley or view that catches my eye.
After hiking around for a little while, I set up shop on Kwun Yam Beach, taking a dip, reading a bit and, again, trying to relish the precious hours, before embarking on a quest to find something to eat.
After a helping of dan dan la mian for dinner, I reluctantly hopped back on the ferry to Central. As a final bonus, we happened to pass Disneyland just as the 9pm fireworks were shooting off over Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, and although the rain had started up again ever so slightly, I stuck it out on the open deck until we docked back at Pier 5.
After hiking around for a little while, I set up shop on Kwun Yam Beach, taking a dip, reading a bit and, again, trying to relish the precious hours, before embarking on a quest to find something to eat.
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