Keeping the spirits up by venturing outside in Hong Kong

On a peaceful afternoon in Hong Kong

A beautiful blue sky winter's day in the Big Lychee

Yes, I do wish there were more days in Hong Kong like this...

  

Hong Kong is beautiful.  It's something many people who don't live her don't realize and many people who live here sometimes are apt to forget amidst the hustle and bustle of their daily lives -- or, lately, while major socio-political discord -- which threatens to destroy the Hong Kong we know and love -- is taking place. 

I admit though that thoughts of the Big Lychee's beauty weren't exactly at the top of my mind when I checked the news this morning and learnt that the traditional New Year's Eve fireworks has been cancelled -- following the cancellation of the October 1st fireworks (though some pyrotechnics did ensue that day).  And I was more inclined to see storm clouds over the horizon in my mind's eye when reading yesterday that two pan-democrats had lost their Legislative Council seats; this particularly since it was the consequence of the tangled mess in the electoral system caused by the Hong Kong government disqualifying candidates on political grounds beginning in 2017. 

I'm sure people who have been following what's been happening in this part of the world will know what I mean when I disclose that there have indeed been days over the past six months or so where I sometimes am disinclined to leave my apartment after reading lots of bad news online.  But when I do venture outside though, more often than not, I actually encounter sights that actually brighten up my mood.   

For example, while out searching for a lunch spot in North Point (an increasingly rare part of Hong Kong that's infamously pro-Beijing) yesterday , I was surprised and heartened to come across a number of "yellow" eateries.  This included one located just a few feet away from where pro-Beijing thugs had attacked extradition bill protesters in September and another which not only had lots of designs and other signs on its front that clearly trumpeted its pro-protestor credentials but a big stack of big Pepe the Frog plushies at an outdoor table too!

More than incidentally, the super obvious "yellow" restaurants in the neighborhood were the ones that appeared to be the most popular in the area; with quite the queue having formed at the eatery with the big stack of Pepes (which it reportedly is having a lucky draw for) way before popular lunch places usually get crowded!  So I'm inclined to think that Commerce and Economic Development Secretary, Edward Yau, is -- like much of the Hong Kong government much of the time -- wrong in his analyses of what's going on in Hong Kong and that the "yellow economy" is, in fact, working better than he thinks and would like.

Then today, I ventured out to an Outlying Island to hang out with a friend who lives there -- and not only had a good time there but also had the bonus of taking in some really lovely views from the ferry as well as enjoy a winter's day where it was so warm that I was in shirt sleeves for most of it but still cool enough that I wasn't sweating buckets (like I often do during Hong Kong's super hot summers).  The kicker was glancing around midway through the ferry ride out and seeing everyone else on the sparsely populated non-air-conditioned section of the upper deck had nodded off because it all was so peaceful around us.  And while I know Hong Kong's struggles are far from over, it was indeed nice to relax and enjoy the peace for even just a few precious moments there.