I’m sitting in Starbucks in KLIA. Shame on me you might say, but I have currently a 5 hour lay-over whilst I wait for my flight from KL to London. It’s been an eventful time in Hong Kong, plenty of catching up with friends and a further taster of what life is really like in HK.
* A RETURN TO HONG KONG *
With plenty of friends in HK and a promise to someone (I forget who exactly) that I would come pay another visit in March, “as the weather will be nicer and not too hot,” I did the crazy thing of flying to HK after spending a morning in Singapore. That’s 3 flights in one day, including a return ticket from KL to Singapore. It takes just an hour flying from KL to Singapore, with actual flying time more like 35 minutes. It is somewhat annoying when your flight gets delayed by two hours then, but at least I got to see a lot of Singapore Airport as well as breaking up another 4 hour layover in KL.
But anyway, arriving in HK late in the evening, I was surprised by the pilot’s announcement on my flight. “The temperature in HK is currently 13 C.” Only 13 C. Not too hot, it certainly wasn’t. And when you consider that few places in HK have heating, it’s cold! It was a shame since the previous week (and in fact later this week also), the weather was a nice 20+C. Anyway, there was consolation in that unlike everyone back in London, I would not see any snow.
On Thursday, since my mate Peter W had to go on a business meeting, I could only stick around in Hong Kong instead of going to Shenzhen. So to kill two birds with one stone, I went off to see my grandfather in our family village.
It’s been seven years since I came back to Fung Yuen. As I had previously posted on my website, it was already very different to the old days of the village. Seven years later, even more has changed. More hew houses, including a new one for my grandfather, with three floors and thoroughly modern. It may be small, but for a holiday home it fits.
Times have changed a lot back in the village. Even Tai Po, the neigbouring ‘town’ has an environmental association, and now Fung Yuen has a Butterfly Reserve. I’m rather proud of that, for such a small place.
* SINGING A HEART OUT *
One of the good things about a visitor to a place where so many of your friends are is getting them together. Often with the busy people that they are, they don’t see each other all the time that often too. But the extra visitor provides that incentive.
So on Friday, I had lunch with Cecilia and I managed to catch up with Pete P, Peter W, Mona, Paloma, Charles for dinner then drinks at Kazbah. It was a good night where we saw Paloma a bit sullen at the start, but very giddy at the end 
And on Saturday, that old activity called Karaoke, with extras including Rui, Jonathan, May and Liana. I was actually surprised on several accounts on that night. For example, how well Rui sang, how many Cantopop and Mandopop songs I had heard, and how badly I can sing Nobody Knows by the Tony Rich Project without warming up my voice. Good thing though is that I can sing Wannabe by the Spice Girls and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody just fine.
A trip later to a good club called Jewel, I managed to outlast everyone, but Paloma. The lightweights! Alison back over in London, you asked someone to keep a track on me, but if everyone goes to be, what am I to do!
Sunday was mostly composed of a late lunch with Marianne, Liana, Peter, Rui, Shengyan and Jennifer. And an evening with Paloma consisting of dessert, shopping, hotpot and even a haircut, it all rounded off a nice trip over.
I love coming to Hong Kong, not so much because of the sightseeing or the things to do. It is and will always be a place where my friends are. Thanks to everyone for making it such a good trip.
Links:
Hong Kong Tourist Assocation
Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve
Lest’s Visit to HK in 1998