Sheung Wandering

It's not been the easiest three weeks for me since returning to Hong Kong. I miss my family more than I can ever remember, and I feel farther away from them than I have at any point over the past five-and-a-half years. That being said, there have been moments that have totally affirmed my love of this place, and ensured me that, as tough as it is right now, this really is where I want to be—and where I still see myself living and working for a decent chunk of my future. 

In fact, when I landed at 5am on May 12, the Airport Express wasn't running yet, so I had to take a bus to my apartment. The sun was rising over the city, and it was a beautiful sight, as if Hong Kong itself was welcoming me back and trying to say, "it's going to be alright."

Then it rained for a few weeks solid, with oppressive humidity battering the masses by day and by night. And I thoroughly needed to remind myself of why I was here. I needed a plate of greasy noodles at my favorite dai pai dong; I needed several bumpy rides on the rickety old tram; I needed waterfront strolls with views of the most impressive skyline on earth; I needed quality one-on-one time with some of my best friends. Having done all these things, my life started to come into focus again. 

But I still owed myself a good Sheung Wander, the designation I've given to the extended, somewhat aimless strolls I've come to taking around one of Hong Kong's most intoxicating neighborhoods, Sheung Wan.

It's hard to single out just one area as my all-around favorite part of this incredible city. However, I do have a short list of top spots, and Sheung Wan is certainly a strong contender for the place of honor.

This morning, at last, I took a long Sheung Wander, starting at Western Market and crisscrossing all over the district for hours before finally ending up in Grand Millennium Plaza. I found a few new back alleys and stone staircases I had never chanced to stumble upon on previous walks. And I had a delicious (albeit spicy) lunch at one of my favorite local noodle shops.

It's impossible to fully capture Sheung Wan in photographs. As a purely visual means of describing something, a photograph can never truly reproduce a living, breathing place, complete with sounds and smells—and Sheung Wan has lots of smells! That being said, I still think it's one of Hong Kong's most picturesque neighborhoods, so I had my Pen in tow today to try to document what I saw.

I've included quite a few more shots than I normally do on these posts, but I hope you enjoy looking through the photos I took this morning, as I try to re-acclimate myself to life here, and summer comes into full swing in the Pearl of the Orient.