Thursday, February 11, 2010

The sand is always whiter on the other side



I was never much of a fan of the beach when I lived in Sydney. In fact (be real, Natalie) you could say I loathed it.

It was all a bit too hard... too sandy, too hot or too cold, too far, too windy, too many waves, too many sharks, too little parking, too much risk of boredom.

Can you say 'spoiled much'??

Now that I live in Asia I (insert surprise) find myself missing the white sandy beaches of Australia all the time... Shortly before moving to Hong Kong I took this photo at Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay, which claims to have the whitest sand in Australia.
B and I 'popped down there' one weekend to do a spot of whale watching, as you do when you live on the coast of Oz.

Whale watching and the whitest sand in Australia. In ONE weekend. Again with the spoiled.

Of course Hong Kong is an island, so technically there are beaches. And they are much prettier than some of the black sand or pebbled beaches you see in Europe. But with their small-size, overcrowding and pollution - not a pinch on what you see in Australia. Do I sound like a beach snob? Well that's because I am. It's only natural when you grow up surrounded by some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Even if I didn't appreciate them at the time, my much smarter subconscious did.

So from today I vow to completely immerse myself in the unique pleasures of Hong Kong, and not take any part of them for granted. Because I will leave here too one day. And when you leave a place, you leave behind all that belongs to it. None of it is loyal to you and your memories, only to the Earth that holds it close. So for Hong Kong, that means: ribbons of rugged green mountains, sprinkles of untouched islands with quirky personalities, proximity to so many wonderful places just across the sea (hello Vietnam, I hear you calling) and some of the most incredible ancient Chinese architecture in the world.

There's such beauty everywhere. I vow to not let it pass me by.

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