Ahhhhhh Lamma

Having Graham (Mr G) here has reignited my love for Hong Kong. It reminds me of when I first arrived. Just what I needed as my life begins to settle into a more normal way of life here. My Hong Kong love was alive again. Having a visitor is the perfect excuse to go back and do all the touristy things that you just don't have time for when going about your day to day Hong Kong life.

Being the tour guide gives me such pride as I repeat the stories and facts I've been told revisiting the sights that made me fall in love with Hong Kong back in May.

I managed to squeeze in some shopping on route to Mr G's hostel. Trying to do normal things in Hong Kong is a challenge in itself. Basic things like, buying shampoo, flat shoes for work, toothpaste etc etc. Time flies and as it is filled with meetings.

Grabbing 15 minutes to nip into a shop is quite exciting and I was glad I found the few minutes. I have been living out of a suitcase for over eight weeks now, and I only brought enough 'office attire' to last the interview process.

I found a beautiful lace dress and flats for my first day. Off to the hostel where Mr G was staying and straight into Central for sim card/phone arrangements, then down to the ferry pier to sail to Lamma Island for some much needed time away from the city.

It was a choppy ride over to Lamma which was clearly too much for some (as sounds of other passengers struggling and making ample use of the black 'everyone listen I'm being sick' bags)

I found myself getting quite excited to land on Lamma which was an amazing feeling, to still have that moment of delight even on my 4th visit. I hope this never fades and each time I go I fall in love again and again with this beautiful, peaceful and unique little island.

An instantly slower pace followed as we meandered our way through Yung Shue Wan towards a little cafe which had caught my eye on my last visit, The Green Cottage where we took a seat outside on the veranda to settle to eat and watch the Lamma life pass us by. A little gem of a place. The perfect escape from the city. It had the feeling of a little cafe on the back streets of Brighton. Tables dotted with city goers who had escaped to read the paper, catch up on work and drink tea and fresh juices. It's also organic and vegetarian so to say I was in my element, isn't far off. When the city gets too much, I shall grab my book and head straight to The Green Cottage.

After some yummy lunch; vegetable, pesto linguini, we set off for the beach passing little boutique shops selling jewellery, bags, dresses and souvenirs. I hadn't ever looked in the shops before, and now I was actually requiring some new clothes I stepped in a few.

We met a lovely lady who was from Brighton, Annie. She told us about when she went on tours with her rock star partner, when she used to be an illustrator, writer and Bohemian (and still is). She reminded me of my previous work colleague Hazel. So warm, kind and such a free spirit. Lamma is definitely the little Brighton of Hong Kong.

The beach was a perfect 32 degrees and we settled into the cold beers and some good reminiscing. A few hours later we set off on the famous Lamma Island walk over the hill, around the sea front, down the cobbled paths, through the luscious forests, past the dark caves, a quick look into the temple until we arrived at the famous Rainbow Seafood Restaurant on the other side of the island. We found a table on the waters edge, ordered two local beers and watched the sun set. We ate fresh crab with garlic, which was one of the most amazing dishes I'd ever had the pleasure of eating.

The restaurant offers a free boat trip back to Central and at this time of night, it was going to be a boat trip to remember. People pay good money to see the Hong Kong harbour lights from the water and I knew that it would be a special moment. Coming into Central at night allows you to see the full magnificence of Hong Kong's skyline, lit up in all its multicoloured layered lights. It's still breathtaking. Beautiful. It's my home and I'm so SO proud to say that. I came, I fell in love, I returned and in this moment, I never want to leave.