March Marches On

March is nearly over, and April will be here with the coming weekend. That means the Hong Kong International Film Festival will soon be taking place (11 - 25 April), in addition to the boozefest that is the Rugby Sevens (7 - 9 April). As ever, the time is just flying, but this has truly been a fantastic month, and I'm so grateful for the string of unforgettable and amazing experiences that it has given me.

As is usual here, life in Hong Kong has been exciting and energizing, and that's never so true as when friends come to visit. In addition to all the other events taking place, this month has seen repeat visits from my pals Courtney, Joe and Chris, whose visits will linger long in my memory as all-time standouts.

March 2017 started with Ash Wednesday, which fell on the first of the month this year. As usual, I've given up soda, coffee and swearing (HKD 10 for every slip, deposited in the offering on Easter Sunday). I attended the beautiful Ash Wednesday evening service at Saint John's Cathedral for the first time in several years, as the past few Ash Wednesdays have fallen over Chinese New Year while I've been out of town. It was nice to be back for it.

As part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the British actress Jane Birkin performed at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in a piece entitled Gainsbourg Symphonic, a tribute to her late partner Serge Gainsbourg, which saw her performing some of his most iconic songs backed up by the Hong Kong Philharmonic!

Courtney returned to Hong Kong towards the end of February into early March. Even before she joined the Laos trip, she had known she was coming back to her old stomping grounds to revisit her favorite restaurants, sights and bars. She stayed for two weeks, and we also took the chance—post Oscars—to see as many of the winners and contenders as we could squeeze into her two weeks here. In fact, right after Ash Wednesday service, I bolted to Times Square to meet her to see Lion, and the following day I caught Manchester By the Sea and Arrival.

Courtney flew down to the Philippines on 4 March, so I had four or five days to get ready for the arrival of my next guest, Joe! You may remember that Joe's work took him to Japan early last year, and he squeezed in a side trip to Hong Kong while in Asia. Lucky for me, Tokyo called him back again earlier this month, and at the end of his trip, he stopped in the Pearl of the Orient again. 

He arrived around 1pm on 9 March, and as I had a work lunch nearby, I was able to meet his Airport Express train as it pulled into the station in Central. I passed off the key to the apartment, and deposited him in a taxi to Happy Valley, as the afternoon dragged at the office until I could bolt out the door at 5pm.

We had a full night ahead of us, starting with celebratory rooftop champagne at the flat before catching the Star Ferry across the harbor for dinner after. We met up with Matt and Ana at the elevators of Chungking Mansion, where we were feasting on Indian curries, rices and naans at the always-delicious Kybher Pass, a non-descript restaurant on the seventh floor. 

Post-dinner, we migrated to Ashley Road for drinks at Ned Kelly's Last Stand, a dark, crowded jazz bar which is unique among Hong Kong watering holes. Matt and Ana didn't stick around, but Joe and I ordered a jug of beer and listened to a few sets before popping up to Knutsford Terrace for more live music at All Night Long. Of course, no night on the town is complete without stopping in Lan Kwai Fong, so we had a few final drinks in Al's Diner and le Jardin before calling it a night. 

I met Joe downstairs in my office building for lunch Friday afternoon, and we went for Sichuan food at a tiny place up the road. Again, the second the clock stuck five, I was waiting for the elevator so that Joe and I would make the 5:20pm ferry to Lamma Island. What better venue for dinner on a Friday during Lent than the seafood restaurants lining Lamma's colorful main village, Yung Shue Wan? We stuffed ourselves with steamed scallops, salt-and-pepper squid, clams in black bean sauce and more! 

My friend Emily joined us about two-thirds of the way through the meal, and then my Lamma friends Ailee and Ben popped down for some beer, as we chatted the time away counting down to our ferry. You see, we had to be back in time for a 9:30pm tram party, hosted by my friend Christina in honor of her birthday.

Sadly, Christina severely injured herself while jumping on a trampoline a couple months ago. The tram party had initially been scheduled closer to her actual birthday, but while she recovered from her injuries, she had to change the date. This worked out very well for me, because the newly-selected timing coincided perfectly with Joe's visit, and Christina was more than happy to have him along for the ride! 

After the tram party ended, it was back to LKF and then up to Wyndham Street as we soaked up the Friday night mayhem of Central's party scene. 

For lunch on Saturday, I was bent of taking Joe to Shatin Inn in Tai Wai. And since we opted to bring Fredric with us, we had no choice but to take a cab. Again, we ordered far too much food, but it was just all so good. And sitting in the garden always makes for a pleasant dining experience.

Later that afternoon, my friend Allan had organized his birthday party at a new bar in SoHo called 99 Bottles. With an insane free flow package that included tequila, Jaeger bombs and bottomless prosecco, Joe and I had a great afternoon the slowly turned into evening and finally late night. And all capped off with some spicy Thai food on Elgin Street.

Sunday was a day I had been waiting ages for! Ever since 2014 when I celebrated the fifth anniversary of my arrival in Hong Kong at Sha Tin Racecourse's Hay Market, I've been longing to return... and Joe's visit proved the perfect excuse to organize a decadent Sunday brunch overlooking the track. 

And as if Joe's presence wasn't enough, earlier that day, my friend Chris—who lived in Hong Kong back in 2009 when I first arrived and subsequently moved back to Germany—returned for a week with his girlfriend Uli! They also joined for the brunch, along with Matt and Ana, and our friends Sophie and Yvonne.

Brace yourselves for a small shock: Sunday also marked Courtney's return to Hong Kong, potentially for good. You see, after her two week visit earlier in the month, she rekindled her old love for this place. She's decided to give it a go again, and has since returned to look for a full time position as a nanny or personal assistant. Although our booking at Hay Market was only for eight people, she decided to crash the party anyway, and nobody seemed to mind having an extra guest at our table.

It was a long and amazing day, with ten races, more bottomless prosecco and—I don't mind saying—more than a few big wins for yours truly! Of course, Joe and I celebrated in Wan Chai into the wee small hours of the morning afterwards. 

By the time he left to catch his flight on Monday morning, we were both exhausted, but I don't think either of us will ever forget his second visit to this crazy metropolis. I can't wait for trip number three!

Of course, Joe might have left, but Chris and Uli were still here, meaning I still had plenty of excuses to celebrate, whether it be Wednesday night at Happy Valley and Wan Chai or a massive Chinese feast at American Restaurant.

In fact, Friday of that week happened to be Saint Patrick's Day, one of my favorite days of the year. The old Laos crew—Courtney, Creeks and I—reunited at Jimmy's Kitchen for lunch, as it's the only place I know in town serving corned beef and cabbage. (I swapped my no-meat Friday with Wednesday that week so I could indulge in the traditional Paddy's Day meal.)

For six years running now, I've hosted a communal Saint Patrick's shindig on my rooftop, and this year might have been the biggest installment yet. A great group of my friends assembled, and even Fredric donned a dapper green bow tie to get in the spirit. In spite of the lightly falling rain, we all had a blast drinking green beer and wearing those old leprechaun hats that have seen more than a few crazy parties. 

To make the event even more special, the stroke of midnight marked Chris' foray into thirty-hood, as he celebrated his own birthday on the roof!

The celebration continued on Saturday night with a delicious French dinner at Plat du Jour in Pacific Place and even more revelry in Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai before he and Uli flew out again on Sunday.

You probably won't be surprised, but I didn't leave the apartment that day, resorting to ordering Pizza Hut and watching movies on the couch. After Joe and Chris' visits, I was in need of well-deserved relaxation, but, oh, what fantastic memories March 2017 has given me! I can only hope April will be as much fun—and with the major events that have come to define it, I have no doubt it will meet my expectations!