It wasn’t our plan to spend Summer 2020 in Hong Kong, but with no travel options available to us, it did present the opportunity to continue exploring this intriguing place we have been living in for the last two years. I have a strong belief in the power of positivity and the energy it provides so I certainly wasn’t going to let the COVID19 situation dampen my enthusiasm for adventure. I’m also very well trained at looking for, and finding, silver linings, so what a bonus this summer came with so many!

Once the decision had been made that it was best for us to stay in Hong Kong, our thoughts immediately turned to all of the things we wanted to do here. One benefit of my husband and I both being teachers is that we share similar holidays, give or take a few weeks, so we had the gift of time on our side. Also, our girls are very self-sufficient and are old enough to choose to come with us on our adventures, or to do their own thing. Most of their friends were still here too so they had the best of both.

Before writing this, I spent some time to look through the thousands of photos I have taken this summer. From the tranquility of nature to the energetic metropolis and everything in between, each one brought back a memory and a reminder that we didn’t waste a single day!

Nothing Ever Becomes Real Until It Is Experienced

Having a ‘STAYCATION’ didn’t mean we were going to approach this summer with any less enthusiasm and excitement than is usual. After all, what are the hallmarks of an amazing holiday? For me, that would be family time, exploring new places, trying and learning new things, outdoor activities, fun experiences, hotel buffet breakfasts, meeting new people, poolside reading in the sunshine, sandy beaches, scenic walks, taking photos, going off the beaten track and finding amazing places to eat. This summer in Hong Kong, had it all….and so much more!

Our book ‘111 Places in Hong Kong that you shouldn’t miss” was our ‘go to’ tour guide and the challenge was set to see and experience it all. Often when you travel, you only have the time to skim the surface of the place you are visiting and don’t really get to immerse yourself and appreciate everything there is to see. But to know that everything here is available and accessible to us even when the holiday ends, gave us the freedom to take everything in and stay just a little bit longer in each place.

When Nothing is Certain Everything Is Possible

Rather than this be a review of the ‘111 Places’ book, whether we achieved our challenge of visiting them all, and everything else we got up to this summer, I wanted to focus more on the ‘Unexpected’ part of our ‘Summer In Hong Kong’, hence the title.

Life is unpredictable, and don’t we know it?! But all we can do is take control of our own personal situation and be inspired by the thought that ‘When Nothing Is Certain Everything is possible’. Our plans for this summer obviously didn’t unfold as we expected them to and we were saddened that we couldn’t get back to the UK to see our family, but the only choice we had was to abandon the original plan, and head off in a new direction.

A Willingness To Embrace Uncertainty And Learning To Go With The Flow

Life’s dynamic nature means change is inevitable and there will always be some things that we can’t control. The situation we were faced with this summer was one such example, but to let this be a source of anger, frustration, worry and stress, was just not going to happen.

Accepting and embracing the persistent ups and downs of life, and being able to thrive throughout any situation, are skills very much worth developing. I like to think of it as ‘going with the flow’ and actually would prefer to live a life of diversity and challenge than one of constancy and predictability.

As it turned out, spending our summer here in Hong Kong was a great experience and one we wouldn’t usually have had. It’s also unlikely that we will ever spend another summer here, so with that thought at the back of our minds, it was important to make the most of it. Some of the best things in life come from chance, randomness and luck and we certainly had our fair share of these moments.

Keep Calm And Carry On

We have been fortunate here in Hong Kong in that we have never been in a lockdown situation. Of course there have been restrictions which have been updated as the individual health situation has evolved and although it’s made us rethink a few of our plans and make new ones, it’s never stopped us from experiencing much of the outdoor fun Hong Kong has to offer. The weather would have been the only thing that could have done that, so the fact it has been unusually dry and free from typhoons this summer, has been a real bonus!

With over 260 islands, secluded beaches and trees as far as the eye can see, who could imagine there could be such breathtaking natural beauty in one of the earth’s most densely populated cities? It certainly came as a big surprise to us when we first moved here and it’s been such a privilege to have had the time to experience more of the true essence of Hong Kong. We also had a taste of being a ‘tourist’ here too and took advantage of Hong Kong’s famous five-star hospitality and amazing hotel staycation deals.

Expect The Unexpected

The only thing about our ‘unexpected’ summer in Hong Kong was the fact that we were spending it here and not traveling elsewhere. One of the things I love about living here is that you just never know what you’re going to see. So much so that the ‘unexpected’ is not really something you think about when you see something ‘unusual’ here…..it’s totally expected. In fact, not many days have gone by this summer where we haven’t been amused or perplexed by something we have seen.

I’ve covered over 600km this holiday, and that’s just on my feet. Add to that the bikes, boats, kayaks, taxis, MTR, trams, mini buses and buses that have transported us on all of our daily adventures, and I would say it’s been a summer very well spent.

What Next?

It’s back to (online) school next week for me and as I write this, my husband and girls have already been back a week so they are in full flow. We had our first typhoon of the summer the other night and a few heavy downpours. Perfect timing for me, as I find it difficult to stay indoors, but it’s given me the opportunity to focus on some new future ventures and my school planning.

Who knows when we will be able to travel again? I’m really hopeful we will make it back to the UK in December, but maybe a ‘Hong Kong Christmas’ will be the next ‘first’ I know for one thing, it won’t be unexpected.

‘Make The Best Use Of What Is In Your Power, And Take the Rest As It Happens’