Fun Times in Hong Kong

I once read that the prettiest girls in the world are in whatever country you arrive in first after leaving England. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but using a similar premise I will put forward my latest theory. I believe that the most fun place in the world is where-ever you go first after leaving Pakistan. This must be the case because I am having way too good of a time during my visit to Hong Kong.

It hasn't been continuous action since I've arrived, but compared to life in Islamabad it certainly feels that way. We had a big night on the town on my first Saturday and although we paid the price the next day, it was still worth it (although Kristian may not agree). We went out to a number of establishments that night and after a valiant but failed attempt at improving Sino-Canadian relations I returned home a bit after seven the next morning. Later in the week we went to the horse races in Happy Valley where the Expat community socialized in the beer gardens alongside the race track and the Chinese sensibly stayed inside where it was air-conditioned and there was better betting access. This evening we will barbeque on "our" boat and tomorrow we are joining others for a day of sailing on a rented junk. Coming from a place where there is not much to do this place seems like Disneyland (speaking of which, the new HK Disneyland is less than 10km across the water and we can watch its fireworks each night).

When Kristian & Stine told me that they lived on a boat they didn't tell me that their marina had resort calibre facilities with a big outdoor pool, tennis courts, training gym, restaurant and pub. One could keep quite entertained without going anywhere. The boat has all the comforts of home and Stine has been busy stocking-up with all the baby items that they will require when junior arrives in July. As his main contribution towards these preparations Kristian has purchased a big flatscreen TV and is trying to figure out how the various remote controls work.

All this activity and excitement has gotten me thinking about my next mid-life crisis. Within a day of arrival I was asking Kristian about boat rental possibilities and when Stine was interviewing for nannies I was tempted to ask her to get me one too. The South China Morning Post is awash with advertisements for jobs that I could do and I saw one today that I almost thought seriously about (actually, I'm still kind of thinking about it).

Of course, I realize that there are trade-offs to living in Hong Kong. Working long hours is a way of life here. With an hour commute to work there aren't many nights when Kristian and Stine are both home before 8:00 pm. While there are lots of things to do there are also many activities that you can't. More importanlty, none of the TV stations pick-up hockey games.

All told, this has been a most enjoyable holiday and visit with friends. It seems like a long time ago that I was last in Pakistan and I'm sure that this break will provide me with renewed enthusiasm for my last 4 months there. In addtion, this break has provided me with an unexpected opportunity to contemplate my potential next mid-life crisis. I really don't expect to end-up moving to Hong Kong, but then again, two years ago I didn't expect to end-up in Kenya and Pakistan.