In Great Company

The irony of course is that the title of this blog is "In Great Company", but I'm sitting by myself.

Sometimes it’s good to get away. I was lucky that two very generous and stellar friends provided me accommodations in Hong Kong for three weeks. It gave me an opportunity to really experience Hong Kong in depth. Hong Kong felt like a place that was different enough from your average North American city yet it is different enough that you know you’re living in a foreign land. The time away, although brief allowed me to reflect and enjoy things in life from a different perspective.

Hong Kong is ultimately a place where I can be a chameleon of sorts. The identity of Hong Kong (the fusion of Eastern and Western ideals) is similar to my make up as a person. Perhaps that’s why I felt so much at home when I was there. I can blend in with the ex-pats and just speak English at Central or I can blend in with the locals and haggle for prices at the street stalls of Mong Kok. The city itself is vibrant and everything is located just around the corner, no matter where you are. I can have a blast in Lan Kwai Fong or chill out at a nice local cafe or cha chan teng just to collect my thoughts and read the “South China Morning Post” (the only local paper I CAN read). Sure, I can do something similar at home, but work and life’s many distractions find a way to take up your time. Perhaps that’s what a great vacation is all about. It’s not about the things you’ve done or things you’ve seen but rather, it offers you an opportunity to get away to just be yourself again, minus the distractions of life.

It didn’t hurt of course that I had great friends to keep me company in Hong Kong. That’s always a plus.