Roll On Hong Kong

Greetings from Hong Kong!

Well well well, it has been over two months since I moved (back) to Hong Kong, but it definitely feels like much longer than that. And what a fascinating time it has been.

During that time, I have:

• Successfully completed a project assignment for Earthwatch, acting as a facilitator for their Alcoa Sustainability Fellowship program. It was a great learning experience for me and I had loads of fun!
• Started working for a local consultancy as a Sustainability Advisor, which has been interesting. Lots to learn and plenty more to look forward!
• With the help from a friend, mapped out my life goals and a one-year plan to go with those.
• Explored parts of Hong Kong I had never seen before -- Mai Po Nature Reserve (米埔), Tiu Keng Leng (調景嶺), Long Ke Wan (浪茄灣), Cheung Po Tsai cave (張保仔洞), Lion Rock Hill (獅子山), and the Heritage Lodge (饒宗頤文化館).

• Revisited some excellent locations -- Cheung Chau (長洲), Sai Kung town (西貢), TST pier (尖沙嘴), Lan Kwai Fong (蘭桂坊) and Ladies Market (女人街).

• Met some interesting people at a number of networking events.

• Trialled a Kempo class -- sadly no one else came, but I did get a good workout and revision of the techniques.
• Done some comprehensive research into the local mobile and broadband providers. Message me if you’re new to Hong Kong and want any advice ;-)
• Had a few visitors already, and looking forward to many more in the coming months :)

A bit about my typical day, in case anyone thinks I've been bumming around all the time ;-)

So as a contractor I “work from home” on most days (but that also means I have to be disciplined). What that really means is that my commute is usually a 3-minute walk (more time for sleeping!) -- either to the local library (my primary office), or the local McDonald’s or Starbucks (my secondary office). The local library is actually a great place to work -- it is free, quiet, has good WiFi, and has decent opening times (9am-10pm most days; 12-10pm on Thursdays, 9-5pm on Sundays). But there are some drawbacks: the air conditioning is often too cold; being a library I can obviously only take calls outside in the corridor; the toilets are pretty dirty and smelly. Otherwise, McDonald’s and Starbucks are excellent alternatives if I need a change of scenery, or when the library is not open. Only thing about McDonald’s is it doesn’t have power sockets, so I can only stay there for as long as my laptop’s battery life. Obviously both locations come with a price tag -- the lowest expenditures are $4 for an ice-cream cone in McDonald's (but very unhealthy), or $25 for an iced coffee in Starbucks (but I'm trying to cut down on caffeine). But hey, beggars can't be choosers. It’s usually harder to keep your seat in McDonald’s if you want to leave your seat to use their (very dirty) toilet. It can be pretty noisy too, as it is often filled with rampaging kids. Some might even sit next to you and read out loud what you’re typing. Very annoying indeed. Starbucks is generally much better by comparison, though I've had to write to their head office to suggest they turn down their air con as I'm usually freezing cold despite wearing an extra layer of long-sleeves. 

I have also managed to maintain my meat-free diet. In all honesty it has been much harder to do than in the UK, especially when I eat out. Everything seems to have pork these days, even “prawn dumplings”. But it is doable. Guess I just have to eat more fish balls and sushi!

I must admit that the premise for my move to Hong Kong has changed somewhat - things haven’t quite turned out quite how I wanted / expected them to. But, c'est la vie, here I am nonetheless, and I should definitely not let it be a reason for not making the most of my time here or make it as successful as possible. Roll on Hong Kong.