Hong Kong

Today I was on my way to catch a ferry from Lamma island an outerlying island here in Hong Kong. Walking towards the ferry dock I was happy to see a lot of people walking in the opposite direction. I thought to myself sweet this must mean the ferry just arrived, it must be leaving shortly to head back to Hong Kong island! I also thought thank goodness I won't have to waste time waiting for the next one! But as I approached the ferry pier I noticed that although people were loading onto the ferry there was a big gate that had been closed behind them. No one else was allowed to board this ferry.

A little bummed out I sat down on the edge of the pier to wait for the next one. However within a few minutes a great sense of calm and pleasure came over me. I started to notice my surroundings and I started to think about how lucky I was to have missed the ferry .Otherwise I would have missed so many wonderful things. I would have missed the refreshing breeze coming over the pier, I would have missed seeing the sun that was slowly setting and shining at a beautiful angle on the water, and I would have missed the wonderful view of mountains in the distance. To top it all off, suddenly a stream of bubbles started flying over my head and all around me. I looked back and a child had started blowing bubbles.The breeze was carrying them over my head and out towards the water. In this moment I couldn't help but smile and extend out my hand to try and catch one. It was a simple but brilliant moment. Had I caught that ferry I would have missed out on the bubbles too!

Maybe sometimes life isn't always about saving those extra minutes and always working our hardest to avoid "waiting". Maybe life is more about enjoying the unexpected moments that come along with it. How come it has become so difficult to sit back and really taking notice of our surroundings. I believe that we all could benefit from putting down the phone, iPod or any other distraction we may have from time to time and enjoying these moments.
I also believe we all could use just a little bit of bubbles....

Oh by the way... I know most of you are probably thinking but wait you are travelling no wonder you can appreciate this with so many beautiful and new things to see around you. Yes this is true... but I also think that this can apply to our everyday lives as well. If you miss that bus why not take a walk to the next station and explore a part of your city that you never see. If you miss the subway why not dip into a restaurant or cafe that you have never tried. Why not take the time to have a pleasant conversation with the cashier when you grab your coffee...
I think there is the potential for nice moments in some of the most "mundane" places..but it's really up to us to give it a chance.

If you really can't find some beauty in your everyday routine then maybe you are due for a change......

I have arrived to Hong Kong! I left my hostel in Munich at about 9am on Monday morning and got to Hong Kong City center at about 4pm tuesday afternoon. Despite being on the move for over 24 hours, waiting around in airports, and having a chatty kathy beside me on my 8 hour flight from Doha to Hong Kong.... I have arrived and feeling good!

I have a good buddy from University to stay with here in HK...so I am so lucky to use his laptop to write this post. I hope to bang out a few more posts in the next few days...so many things to talk about!

I am wondering how and when jetlang will set in.... so far I feel pretty good..but that might be my adrenaline from being in a brand new country on a brand new continent!

If anyone has tips or suggestions for what to do while in Hong Kong let me know!