We start with this curious parallel. It was on January 23, 2015 when I arrived in Hong Kong with Marga. We were stationed in Yau Ma Tai, Kowloon for a five-day stay, one highlighted by a visit to Ngong Ping and an eight-hour day trip to Macau. It was a year defined by travel, as I fondly recall, and that trip truly set the bar high. However, save for a five-hour layover flying to and from Japan months later, I haven’t returned since. Much as there was an attempt to return in 2019, the riots made it impossible to push through. 

Fast forward to January 23, 2025, there I was setting foot once again, exactly ten years since my last arrival. The main difference, this time, is that we traveled via sea, specifically, aboard a ferry from Macau. Along the way, I had a quick glimpse of the Mainland. The “Welcome to China” text message effectively served as confirmation. But, obviously, we were headed to its other SAR.

 There’s also an amusing pattern regarding where I stayed. My odd-numbered visits were at the Hong Kong Island side, while my even-numbered visits were in Kowloon. It’s by sheer coincidence that this trip adhered to that alternating sequence.

For this go-round, Tita Anna picked Wanchai 88 in Thomson Road as our temporary home base. It’s a three-minute train ride from Causeway Bay, and more conveniently, it’s a block away from a tram station. Mobility was by no means a problem, not that it ever is in this city.   

When you visit a place frequently enough, gaps notwithstanding, you start to wonder if there’s anything else left to see. That almost applied in this juncture, since I didn’t really have anything in mind coming in. Compared to our loaded Macau schedule, our Hong Kong leg was far more flexible. For the most part, we were dependent on who among our respective local colleagues were free to meet up. That immediately determined that afternoon’s agenda. 

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After a quick tram ride to Central, Mom and Tita Anna stopped by the HSBC building to pay homage to their former employer. “Alkansya ko!” (My coin bank), I quipped, pretending to be “starstruck”. Per tradition, the two posed by one of the lion statues flanking the tower’s entryway for impromptu photo-ops. 

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We don’t always associate Hong Kong with beaches, when, on the contrary, it does have its share. I had the pleasure of visiting Shek-O Beach in 2014, when I visited my friend Marion, who’s since settled back in Manila. This time, I got to see Lantau Island from a different vantage point. So, different, in fact, that it didn’t feel like being in Asia. 

Discovery Bay is an idyllic seaside community located 12.8 kilometers from Hong Kong Disneyland. Originally conceived as a resort, the area has since become mostly residential, where the Chinese are, curiously, the minority and 25% of its inhabitants are Caucasians. Curiously, Pinoys tally in at 11.2%, but that’s hardly surprising at this point. Again, we’re everywhere. Mom and Tita Anna met with two from that sample for business matters. As for me, my inner wandering child prevailed. 

Among the Bay’s key landmarks is the Tai Peak beach, a 400-meter white sandy stretch which welcomes you at the harbor. It’s a pristine and inviting sight, that’s for sure. But with the temperature at 16 degrees Celsius that day, lounging was the last thing on anybody’s minds.

Sunset came and so did dinner. With our newfound local friends, we headed to The Chippy, a decade-old British pub that specializes on traditional fish and chips. Not that it was the intention, but it was like paying homage to the original colonizers. 

To our surprise, our meal entitled us to free return tickets. By 8:30PM, we boarded the last ferry back to Hong Kong Island. The boat was conspicuously near-empty. 

Thus ended Day One of my fifth visit, one that seemed bound to take unorthodox turns. Our visit to that hideaway indicated as much.