Last Days of Funemployment

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.  

Back home now I’ve gotten my suit, shirt and tie ready for tomorrow, all ironed and laid out. I’m very excited for this next stage of my Hong Kong life to begin. Wish me luck as funemployment comes to an end and I re-enter the Asian financial marketplace! Good night!

Oh the Humidity!

It’s hot in Hong Kong right now. Worse than the heat, though, is the humidity. It’s a fact of life here that summers are hot and humid. And by now, in many ways, I suppose I’m used to it. But “used to it” doesn’t mean you sweat any less. It just means you’ve come to expect it and garners you less sympathy when you complain. So I guess I should just shut up about it. It’s my fifth go around, and I knew exactly what I was in for.

But even after the sun goes down, the humidity doesn’t seem to let up. A cool breeze blows through every now and then, and it’s one of the most pleasant feelings you can imagine, but it's all too fleeting. When the breeze subsides, it’s as bad as ever. And I'm sure you can feel the stickiness in most of the accompanying photos.

O.K. Rant over. I still love summers in Hong Kong. 

This July has been chock full of exciting events. From the July 1st SAR Establishment Day and Independence Day celebrations, through the World Cup (which actually started while I was still in the States but didn’t really heat up until after I had returned to Hong Kong) and plenty of old friends passing through town, not to mention a couple of new roommates, so much has happened in the brief month that I’ve been back. And, as always, the time is just flying. 

I don’t know that I’ve written much about it before on here, but July 1st is one of Hong Kong’s major public holidays. You see, British rule over the former colony officially came to an end at midnight on July 1st, 1997, and ever since, the day has been celebrated as SAR Establishment Day. For over a century, Hong Kong had been a British colony, but on that date, it became a Special Administrative Region of China. 

Despite keeping its own currency, retaining the British practice of driving on the left while the rest of China drives on the right, preserving the status of Cantonese as an official language instead of switching to Mandarin, maintaining a border between the two places, granting its citizens plenty of basic rights not enjoyed by the Mainlanders, and even competing independently in the Olympic Games, Hong Kong still has official ties to Mother China.

And not everybody is happy about that, most specifically about the fact that Beijing still has a massive say in the “election” of the Hong Kong Chief Executive. So on July 1st, a massive pro-democracy march occurs, where the people take to the streets to exercise their right to protest—a right that doesn’t exist on the other side of the border. This year, an estimated 500,000 people marched to demand universal suffrage in time for the next election of Hong Kong’s highest official. 

The proximity of SAR Establishment Day and the Fourth of July means the public holiday also affords American expats a day off to party fairly close to our own Independence Day. Still, on July 4th itself, we have to do something to display our national pride. This year, I invited a few friends over to the roof, drinking assorted American beer and Kentucky whiskey out of red solo cups, the stars and stripes hoisted over the clothesline, and, after it got dark, projecting Clueless on the big screen. I guess we could have found a more patriotic movie, but as a celebration of ‘90s American pop culture, it was pretty perfect.

My ever-growing list of Hong Kong roommates has also recently been updated. Jonny found a studio apartment in Central that stole his heart, and he decided to move in there, leaving space for a (permanent) roommate in my flat. To boot, Lisa, our landlord’s helper, is traveling with her employers for the next two months, meaning there was yet another (temporary) room for rent for the rest of the summer. So Derek, a very relaxed American, and Frank, a very friendly Chinese guy, have moved in. I find it ironic that almost five years and seventeen (!!) roommates since I’ve moved to Hong Kong, each of these new guys is the first from their respective countries with whom I’ve shared an apartment. 

So I’ve made some new friends in the last month and also gotten to chance to reconnect with several old ones! Through some twist of fate, tons of them have made their way to Hong Kong these past few weeks. My old roommate Veronique was in town, passing through on her way to Kunming for vacation. We savored the opportunity to return to the island of Cheung Chau one beautiful Saturday, for wandering, beach time and seafood dinner. 

A glorious Cheung Chau sunset

The next day, after a morning stroll around the Peak, I headed out to Sha Tin Racecourse for the last day of the season, meeting up with my friends Matt and Ana. Although Happy Valley is undoubtedly Hong Kong’s more famous racing venue, I shall always love a long day spent at this beautiful track in the rugged New Territories. I miss my frequent race visits during the summer months, and am already looking forward to mid-September’s start of the next season! 

Fun at Sha Tin with Matt and Ana

Vero will be back in town later this week for one more night before flying home to France, and she strategically planned it to be a Wednedsay, so you know it will be good fun!

In another French connection, my friend Michelle, with whom I studied abroad in Paris way back in 2007—and whom I hadn’t seen since that semester—was in town for her grandmother’s eightieth birthday! It’s kind of funny... Michelle’s parents were born in Hong Kong, and she comes back about once or twice a year. Although she grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania, she now lives in New York City, where I also visit several times a year. But somehow, even with the magic of Facebook, neither of us had been aware of that fact that the other lives in a place where we frequently find ourselves. 

Luckily, this time, she saw one of my random posts mentioning Hong Kong and reached out! We got the chance to meet up for afternoon dessert and then again for a Saturday night in Lan Kwai Fong, which just so happened to coincide with the local French community's Bastille Day botellón, a massive European street party. How appropriate! Of course there was lots of nostalgic reminiscence over our time in France and our travels around Europe, and I look forward to catching her next time she’s in town (or I am back in New York).

Botellón in LKF

And my friend from Singapore, Christine, was also here with some friends from the States taking a grand tour of Asia, again giving me a perfect excuse to gallivant around the town showing it off to visitors. Hopewell Center elevator, dumplings, tram ride, Star Ferry, markets, Hong Kong French Toast. Check, check, check, check, check, check. 

Of course, perhaps the biggest event of the summer was the World Cup. And although the time difference between Hong Kong and host nation Brazil meant that games started between midnight and 4am, the passion of our considerable population of soccer-crazed European expats meant that bars were always crowded when a match was on, no matter the time.

World Cup watchers in LKF one Saturday night

As fate would have it, my local bar Typhoon, which I have been frequenting since 2009, is the favorite watering hole of Hong Kong’s German community. So I naturally wound up there watching the final at 3am last Monday morning. You can imagine the wonderful chaos that ensued when they emerged victorious! Even though many people had to head to work just as the game was ending, it didn’t do anything to dampen the celebration! 

Outside Typhoon with some German friends following the World Cup Final

German flags were waving, beer was flowing and songs were being sung, all while a new work week was about to commence. The street was so crowded with partying fans that the police had to come and ask us to clear the roads for the morning commute! 

Post-Victory street party on Lockhart Road

So in spite of the heat, there’s been lots of fun taking place in this city, and I’m looking forward to the rest of Hong Kong’s crazy, glorious, action-packed, humid, wonderful summer! 

LAyover

It is oh-so good to be in Hong Kong, as always. But my journey back the other day was quite a nice little adventure in and of itself. I flew via Los Angeles to spend a day with Rusty and get a little taste of his West Coast life. I've been meaning to fit in a layover in Los Angeles for literally years now, so I'm delighted to have finally managed to pull it off. 

On the ride to Rusty's apartment

I landed around 1pm last Tuesday and departed LAX the following afternoon at 12:45. I hadn't been to the city since the summer of 2004, so obviously it was nice to go back. Rusty picked me up at LAX and we drove to his awesome Manhattan Beach apartment where he and Britney live. In their guest room, Britney had created an elephant out of towels, a la Thailand! Leave it to Brit to make me feel right at home! It was such a nice touch.

Towel elephant

Rusty and I enjoyed a few drinks, as he toured me around the apartment and showed me their great little outdoor patio. It was a perfect spot to enjoy a drink and catch up while we tried to make plans for the night.

Our good friend Sean also lives in LA, and before long, he was at Rusty's too. They took me to their old neighborhood, Hermosa Beach, and we picked a spot at a beachfront bar, Hennessey's Tavern. Sipping cocktails on the roof deck, as we looked out over the waves, volleyball games in progress on the sand, I was glad I had decided to finally return to LA. 

Since Rusty and Sean used to live in Hermosa, they know the area very well, and still have friends who live there. So we then went to a nearby apartment, where Britney finally arrived and, as a special surprise, even my old pal Mara showed up! I hadn't seen her since my Chicago layover en route to the Minnesota wedding in 2012, an equally unexpected reunion! 

With Sean and Mara

The next morning, Brit whipped up some banana pancakes and we all just savored the time together. In the end, like my San Francisco layover earlier this year, we eschewed sightseeing in favor of basking in the glorious company of old friends, and it was surely a blast! 

I couldn't believe how quickly the time had flown, but before I knew it, it was time to head back to LAX. I flew All Nippon Airways, with a short connection in Tokyo. Although I didn't leave the airport in Japan, I did squeeze in a delicious sushi session before continuing on to Hong Kong. 

I would love to go back to LA in the future and spend some significant time there, but until then, at least I have some great memories to keep me going! Thanks Rusty, Brit, Sean, Mara and everybody else I met during my LAyover! I hope I get to see you all again soon. 

What a Weekend!

 

As hard as it is to believe that five years have elapsed since my graduation from Villanova University in May of 2009, my incredulity turned to sheer bliss this past weekend as I returned to the campus green for our first major reunion.

I took a BOLT from New York City to Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, a bit earlier than most people returned, because I really wanted to revisit my old Thursday night haunt, the Grog, a bar on Lancaster Avenue only a few minutes' walk from my senior year front door. You see, in addition to great food, the Grog boasts a Thursday night drink special in the form of $3 Long Island Iced Teas, and so it became a sort of staple on our weekly calendar senior year.

Outside and inside my favorite Mainline bar

To visit again, indulging in some old favorite dishes before (over) indulging in that old favorite cocktail, was a surreal experience, especially since I was joined by several great friends whom I hadn't seen in a long time. 

Simply waking up on Friday morning was a delightful throwback, since most of us were staying on West Campus, where we had lived during our junior year. Although most of my friends were arriving at some point during the day on Friday, just wandering around the buildings breathing in the Villanova air and soaking up the early rays of what promised to be a peerless day was fine for me!

West Campus Apartments

After officially registering and receiving tickets for the events I had signed up for, I made a beeline for Austin Hall, the Admissions Office, where I got to chat with all the people I worked closely with during my time on Blue Key. And seeing the beautiful buildings and renovated center of Main Campus made it feel like 2009 all over again.

My roommate Joe called while I was there to say his flight had arrived and he was on campus. We met up and decided to go to Wingers for lunch. While waiting for our order, our other roommate Ryan called to say he had arrived, so we upped our order, brought it back to our room, and feasted while we caught up. Although I had seen both of them at Shea and Jen's wedding just last month, it was magical to all be together on campus.

After a stop in the book store and a visit to Bartley Hall's Clay Center, where I got the chance to catch up with some great faculty member's from my VSB days, Joe and I walked down Lancaster Avenue to Kelly's, another of our old local watering holes. At the first table as soon as we entered were a trio of memorable faces—Tina, Walter, and Nicole—and Joe and I joined them while we reminisced over scads of college memories. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard! 

At Kelly's

Many people joined us at Kelly's, and it was just great enjoying some Friday afternoon beers in such a familiar setting.

That evening was the "Class Party" in the center of campus, with impromptu bars and buffets set up all over the place, while a diverse crowd mingled from one area to the next bumping into old faces right and left.

Of course, post-party, we hit up the Main Line bars again and there was some revelry on West Campus as well! It was funny to think this was once our life, and it was amazing to realize again just how many incredible people are a part of the Villanova community.

Saturday included the alumni picnic, where hundreds of members of the class of 2009 gathered on the steps of Bartley Hall for our group photo. Seeing more old friends, and complimented by more pitch-perfect weather, it was another highlight of this weekend of highlights.

Between the picnic and that evening's Supernova dinner dance on Mendel Field, my friends and I ordered Campus Corner favorites and had them delivered to our apartment in Farley! Talk about a throwback to our salad days! 

The Supernova event itself was very classy, with an air of elegance that was reminiscent of many a college formal. They even showed the Belmont Stakes on big screens, while the whir of music, dancing and various intersections of alumni of different generations all met on the memory-filled "Hello/Goodbye Field" on Main Campus, not to mention an appearance by Villanova President Father Peter himself! 

Father Peter and me

After it ended, a bus shuttled a nice little crew of us down to the Main Line bars yet again, with Kelly's and also Maloney's proving the venues for further unexpected encounters with old friends! 

Sunday morning quickly turned into Sunday afternoon, and everybody suddenly disappeared back to reality... except me! I took the rest of my time on campus slowly, savoring just being there. I met my friend Erin and her husband Adam for dinner at the Mediterranean Grill, across the street from the Grog, making it fitting for my last meal in the area, since we had had dinner on the other side of Lancaster Avenue a few nights earlier. 

Erin and Adam live in Saint David's, and I stayed in their guest room that night, before wandering around Wayne the next morning and ultimately catching the R5 to 30th Street Station. It was far too brief a return to the old stomping grounds, and I wish the weekend hadn't flown by so quickly, but I loved every minute of my time back at Villanova. Although I know the next five years will fly by even more quickly than the past five, I'm comforted by the knowledge that our ten year reunion in June 2019 should be just as awesome as this one was! 

ONCE A WILDCAT, ALWAYS A WILDCAT!