It was the strangest feeling to be waiting at my departure gate for my flight from Singapore to Heathrow. Without sounding spoilt, I had flown quite a lot in the month prior to that particular day in late May, and so it didn't feel unnatural to be getting on a plane again. The fact that this journey meant I would end up in London was hard to get my head around! Even as I was onboard and settled in my seat, high up in the night sky towards England, I'm afraid there was no point, whatsoever, during those fourteen hours at which I felt all dreamy and thoughtful about my lovely year hopping around the world. Nope, not all all. In fact, all I could do, was swear. Swear repeatedly, over and over again. To myself of course - in my head, under my breath..at least I hope I am right by this and didn't accidentally say it out loud and offend anyone..
I continued swearing when I landed at 5.30am, groggy and sleep deprived on a cold Wednesday morning in May.
"Oh my goodness" I thought. "I'm actually back! F***!"
Typically, I had to get unsettled again as I stepped off the plane into the corridor after hearing the air steward announce, "Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to London Heathrow. The outside temperature is a cool 10 degrees"
"F***!! It's COLD!!"
Then of course, I remembered that in less than half an hour I was about to be reunited with my parents, who had got up at the crack of dawn to collect me from the airport.
"F***!"
I should clarify that this expletive was purely based on the fact I was about to see them after a whole year, not to suggest that I was unhappy about it at all!
Yep, who could have thought I was capable of such vocabulary. Though I'm sure we're all victim to the odd swearword as a means of relief when we're faced with something peculiar. And peculiar it was to be back in my parents' car and on the M1 up to Northern England. I really hadn't mentally prepared myself for this. With such a jam packed lifestyle in May, I was too busy enjoying myself and all the little adventures along the way.
The most recent of which, had been my trip to Hong Kong. Funnily enough, I caught myself in another state of shock on this flight - but for completely different reasons, and I promise there was no f-word in sight! The plane was making it's slow descent over Hong Kong, at about 9 o'clock at night, and I was casually looking out of my window at the cloudy black sky. All of a sudden, the plane must have sunk below the clouds, because the sight infront of me was like someone had just switched on the lights. I could see the whole of Hong Kong and it's endless skyscrapers and towers, lit up in dazzling gold lights, sprawling for miles and separated only by little breaks of water between the islands. It was breathtaking. Picture me, nose and hands pressed up to the window of the plane, totally awestruck by the lights of Hong Kong, and completely blocking the view for anyone sat next to me to see! Oops.
My Chinese friend, Connie, who I had met during her work & study year in England, was waiting patiently to meet me at the arrivals gate. It was lovely to see her in her home country, and a real relief to be touring the city over the next four days with a local. We soon found our way by bus to our tiny guestroom on the 16th floor of a residential style building in Tsim Sha Tsui, where we dropped our bags before heading out for some dinner at a chinese restaurant. I couldn't wait to have a cup of tea - and didn't mind the fact that Hong Kong style tea is made with evaporated milk - surprisingly tasty.
I had a great time in Hong Kong. I pleased myself on my first day whilst Connie was out at work by walking around some shopping malls, grabbing some lunch and then taking the Star Ferry over to Wan Chai to meet Connie after she finished her shift. Considering that I had just come from the quiet life of Bali to a busy city, I wasn't overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of city life in Hong Kong. My only annoyance about it all was that I was targeted, amongst a crowd of local people, by Indian shop sellers to buy rolex watches or have a suit tailored...rather irriating when I am just minding my own business trying to get to the art museum!
Connie was keen to have me try many weird and wonderful delicacies in Hong Kong. I felt I was doing quite well on the adventurous side by happily dining out at a sushi restaurant on one of our first evenings together, sushi something that I tried for the first time in Sydney and loved. Eating raw scallops, raw salmon and raw tuna with rice and seaweed was utterly delicious. On account of this tourist victory, Connie decided to take me to a cafe for noodles the next day. For breakfast. Hmm, a bowl of steaming noodles in stock water with fish dumplings floating about....not quite what I'd usually stomach first thing in the morning. I happily tried it, ate half of it, and couldn't face the rest. It wasn't that it didn't taste good - I would have easily eaten the meal for lunch or for dinner, but since it didn't resemble weetabix and banana I was having trouble. Not to worry. A day of shopping in Hong Kong's endless variety of multi storey shopping malls, window shopping at the high fashion labels such as Gucci, Versace and Louis Vuitton, and nipping in and out of street markets, we decided to rest our weary soles and have a Korean style barbeque for dinner.
I wondered how on earth we were meant to have a barbeque inside a restaurant, but as the waitress showed us to our table, it all made sense. In the middle of the table was a sunken metal dish, lit by a gas hob below. We were invited to choose our raw foods from the buffet table, which I left Connie to do, not believing what she would actually come back with. Pig's neck, chicken dumplings (made of tiny edible bones) and cow's gut to name but a few. Thankfully, she'd brought some vegetables and fish over as well. Phew. So we laid out a few items and watched them sizzle in front of us, quite entertaining really! Until I decided to try some fish, and could barely enjoy the thing for the amount of fish bones I had to keep retrieving. Ah dear. All in all, not a bad meal really and I was able to enjoy a few familiar things, and steer well clear of the meaty things I wasn't too keen on.
Hong Kong Hot Pot night was disasterous however. In a similar way, we had a hob in the middle of the table with a large pot of stock bubbling away, and we ordered several raw items to cook in it. So far, so good. Until I discovered that all the foods get cooked together, in all the juices, and so even a nice corn on the cob or fresh prawn would be lifted out with chopsticks and covered in beef bits. Eek, I just couldn't do it. Up until then, I'd been pretty good I'd thought, trying unusual chinese desserts, a couple of traditional breakfasts and crazy half tea-half coffee drinks. As grateful as I was for the cultural experience, hot pot was just not for me and I sat the second half out!
That was the only glitch in a brilliant few days however. In between mealtimes we managed to go by cable car to the top of the mountains to see a big buddha statue, which unfortunately was largely masked by prolific fog that day, but I believe made for some very atmospheric photos! It was also an opportunity to witness a bit of nature aside from the concrete jungle of the city, albeit with a tint of grey cloud. We also spent a lovely day browsing the art museum, watching a dragon boat race and then catching the bus up to The Peak, which gave you fantastic views over the city as the evening got darker and the buildings switched their lights on. A fascinating city, that's for sure.
I was sad to wave goodbye to Connie at the airport on a lovely blue sky day, but we left on the note that we will see each other again, and in the meantime, social networking makes it very easy for us to stay in contact. She informs me that I am not to get married in the next three years or so, as she doesn't think that she can afford the plane ticket. Fine by me I told her. Though of course my future husband be so rich by then that he'll pay for her ticket! ha!
After Hong Kong I stopped briefly in Singapore again, and stayed in a very nice hostel in Little India. I went out for some yummy Indian food and treated myself to a session at an Indian beauty salon where I had beautiful henna designs semi-permanently tattooed over my hands and arms. Love it. Sadly it did not last more than a week but I was thrilled with it while it was there and loved watching it being applied. Of course, I squeezed in another trip to an art gallery in Singapore before my time was up and I had to be on the shuttle bus to the airport.
So that concludes recent events, I believe. Sadly, my gap year is over but they are memories that I will hold on to for ever. I'm very lucky to have been able to take the year out and enjoy myself so much. For the near future, it's England for me, and high time to sort my life out. I'm done with university, working to save, and gap year travel. Now it's time for the grown up stuff. Work. My new swearword - it has four letters after all!
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