another lifetime

When I went to New York for college, there were many occasions during that four-year period where I was in constant awe and development of my life experiences after having grown up in small town America in an immigrant family. As I got older, those moments have lessen as I got used to the lifestyle and experiences of 'keeping up with the Joneses'. Part of the appeal to relocate across the world was to recapture some of the excitement of new learnings and experiences.

My first trip to Hong Kong has now set a high bar. Upon our arrival, we were whisked to a beach on a remote island that can only be accessed by private boat. It was a catered, theme party for someone's 30th birthday. Au d'oeuvres and champagne were brought to us while we were frolicking in the ocean. Warm water, beautiful weather and good friends - a formula for great fun that ended with dancing on the top deck of a boat surrounded by fresh ocean breeze and scent under a cloudless sky filled with stars and moonlight.

Just when I thought the surreal moment was the highlight of the weekend, we ended up at another part of the remote island on Sunday finding snails, exploring caves, and drinking and chatting it up on a millionaire's speedster. Lunch at Jaspas Beach Club that can also only be accessed by boat was full of laughs and casualness. We all had a hard time leaving to catch our flight that evening, and for once, I was hoping to miss my flight. More importantly, I met new friends from all walks of life (from farmers to entrepreuners) that appear to just enjoy life and tell it like it is - something I find I miss a lot living in a very passive-aggressive country like Vietnam. They reminded me of my friends in New York, and while I'm not entirely sure whether it is the metropolitan city that shapes people or whether people like that gravitates to such cities, I just know it was a breath of fresh air for me.

Of course, I didn't realize how unconventional my weekend was as a 'day in the life' of a Hong Kong tourist until I got back to the realities of everyday life and was told that Hong Kong does not have any nice beaches so I could not have spent a weekend in Hong Kong. Looking back, it was definitely one of those 'who would have thunk?' moments. Here's to more of where that came from!! Cheers!