Life in Hong Kong – being sick & meeting monks

Normal Life

The last month, life in Hong Kong was very much ‘normal’ life. Or normal life when you have moved to a brand new place and have a brand new job. I am still trying to adjust to teaching at the center. I really want to share that I am relaxed and flowing. But to be honest, I am still learning. I keep thinking that if it was just ‘this one thing’ or ‘that other thing’ that I did not like, I would adjust better. But it is many things and they are things I cannot change. So I am still aspiring to be like the river and flow.

So normal life in the sense that, like many people, some days I am not loving my job. Normal life like I am trying to juggle a heavy workload with exercise and laundry and groceries and budgets. Normal life like I got overwhelmed for a bit and forgot to be grateful for my life in Hong Kong.

In the midst of getting overwhelmed and unsuccessfully trying to flow, one of my least favorite things happened. I got sick. Actually, I got really sick. I am thankful as this has only happened 3 times since starting my nomad life. But getting sick in a different country when you are travelling solo – well it is one of the saddest and most lonely things.

I have a lot of thoughts about the difference between being alone and being lonely. Many people think that it must be lonely to travel solo. I will say that for me, in my life, I have been the most lonely when I have been with other people. When I am travelling solo or even just living solo, I am alone but it is a choice. And for me, a very happy choice.

But for a few days I was very sick, very overwhelmed and very lonely. Something about being sick and exhausted makes a person dramatic (or is that just me?) And there were some moments where I thought, “what if I die from this hideous fever in this teeny tiny room in a different country? And no one even notices for a week because I ridiculously moved to another country all by myself. What if I die and a cat breaks into my room and I end up being some bizarre news story about the random Canadian lady who died alone in Hong Kong and got eaten by a cat and no one knew for 2 weeks?” This is where my feverish and lonely thoughts went.

I am being lighthearted now because the moment has passed but honestly, being sick somewhere where you do not have a support system is really hard and very lonely. Usually I have strong, boss lady vibes and I am my own support system. But for a few days, my vibes were sad, lonely, overwhelmed and feverish.

Lantau Island

Thankfully, my fever broke just in time for my first long weekend here. We had 2 days off to celebrate Hong Kong’s National Day. I had planned a trip to Lantau Island and decided to go even though I was still not feeling my best. But it was just the thing to help me feel better – maybe not physically, but mentally and emotionally. Exploring the island helped me remember how lucky I am to have this experience. It reminded me that I chose this solo adventure and I can do hard things.

Lantau Island is actually the largest island in Hong Kong, located west of the Kowloon Peninsula. Parts of Lantau Island are modern and densely populated. Disneyland is located on Lantau Island, as well as the large expat community of Discovery Bay. But I had heard of a little town called Mui Mo on the eastern coast that locals visit to relax. It is less than an hour by ferry and a popular spot for a day trip. But I decided to treat myself and get a room at a local hotel. Then I spent 2 wonderful days exploring and recharging. It was lovely and I hope to return one day before I leave Hong Kong.

Ngong Ping, Tian Tan Buddha & The Wisdom Path

On one of the days of my Lantau Island visit, I checked off a couple of the ‘top 10 things to do in Hong Kong.” In the central part of the island is the famous Tian Tan Buddha, often called the Big Buddha. It is next to the Po Lin Monastery in the Ngong Ping Village. You can reach both by bus but I felt like splurging and ticking off a “must do.” So I took the Ngong Ping Cable Car from Tung Chung. You can buy round trip tickets to go both up and down but if you are on a budget, I recommend taking the cable car up and then taking a bus back down. Ironically, I had to take a 60 minute bus from Mui Mo to get the cable car. However, the cable car was a beautiful 25 minute trip and totally worth it.

It was one of those perfect ‘solo travel days.’ The Big Buddha was very cool to see in person, as was the Po Lin Monastery. But my favorite was this little path called “The Wisdom Path” which was a 30 minute walk from the village, the Big Buddha and the monastery. It is a collection of large carved sign posts and although I have no idea what they said, they were beautiful and the surroundings even more so.

But the best part was stumbling across a group of monks, who were obviously also tourists. They were so full of joy, laughing and fooling around much more than I expected monks to laugh and fool around. Then one of them noticed me, started talking to me (in Chinese so I don’t actually know what he said although I am sure it was very wise). Then he invited me to take pictures of them. It was one of those surreal travel moments when you have a situation that you never dreamed of. Just me and a monk chatting and enjoying the “Wisdom Path” on Lantau Island in Hong Kong.

Mui Mo

I enjoyed the rest of my time at Mui Mo just as much. Then I had a nap on the beach and an iced coffee with Randy, the owner of a cute little beach bar. I wandered and chilled. It is not the most beautiful beach or cutest village but it was quiet and had a laid back ‘local’ vibe that I loved. The people were so friendly and there were zero crowds.

Sometimes the most incredible tourist spots are very crowded and very expensive. And they are that way for a reason – they are either exceptionally beautiful or really out of the ordinary and so everyone wants to see them. And that is great! I love and appreciate places like the Tian Tan Buddha, Machu Picchu and La Basilica de la Sagrada Familia very much. But I have discovered that sometimes I love to go to the ‘not quite incredible’ but still very cool spots. They are cheaper, easier to navigate and more relaxed. And Mui Mo was just what I needed to recharge, feel better and most important, remind myself to be grateful for my life in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Park

A few other things I have loved recently are the Hong Kong Park, which is a beautiful (and free) park, right in Central district. It has a conservatory, an aviary, a couple of little waterfalls, some turtles and a lovely (if expensive) cafe. Just a wonderful pocket of nature right in the heart of Hong Kong Island.

I also explored my new love for the little ferries called ‘kaitos.’ The kaitos and my obsession with them will likely be a whole post of their own one day. Sadly as I finish writing this up I am sick again. Apparently my immune system is not used to Hong Kong viruses. I am thinking that 2 of my ‘life in Hong Kong’ lessons will be learning to go with the flow at work and learning to take time to rest when I am sick. That last one will be hard as there is just so much that I want to do 🙂

As always, feel free to leave a comment or a question. And if anyone has any suggestions how to quickly and dramatically improve my immune system, I would love that!! Also, let me know if you have heard of any “things to do’ in Hong Kong that you would like me to visit.

The cute and affordable family run hotel I stayed at in Mui Mo is linked below. Also included links to Ngong Ping Cable Car and Tian Tan Buddha if you want more information.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063787211262

https://www.plm.org.hk/eng/home.php

https://www.np360.com.hk/en

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