It. was a few days before we were going to be leaving for the US. I was invited out by a few work friends to go to Trio Beach. I took the sampan from Pak Sha Wan Pier. From where I live, it’s sort of a pain in the bum to get to. It used to be easier when I lived in Tseung Kwan O. Still, totally worth the effort.

It was so hot that day. I went out prepared with water, wine, sake, and sun cream.

We met on the beach with A who is in my department. K is an English teacher, and J is a maths teacher and also the mother to one of L’s really good friends.

I was sort of jealous because J was going to be setting up activities for those who weren’t traveling over the summer. It was not something we really were able to do the last summer because of COVID. This summer though, there were still a lot of people who were going to remain in Hong Kong. I know for us we weren’t even sure if we were going to be able to go because our first flights were canceled because there was a long layover in Tokyo. Those weren’t allowed because you weren’t allowed to leave the airport. In the past, we would have gotten a hotel room for the long layovers. That wasn’t possible anymore. Luckily, my mom was able to find us other flights. We had to fly through Taiwan though.

There weren’t a lot of people at the beach. It was an absolutely gorgeous day.

I brought a bottle of riesling from home for everyone to try. It was a bottle that my mom had sent us for the last Christmas. I also had a bottle of sake. It hadn’t occurred to me how early it was when I asked everyone if they wanted to try it, but because these ladies are amazing, we all had a bit.

We spent a few hours there. Actually I think it was about 2 hours. I really did try not to get sun burned. I know that’s bad for me. It’s sort of cruel to have such sensitivity to sun and live in a place with so many gorgeous beaches. It’s really just not fair.

It was an amazing day with these people. It’s crazy to think that if I were still in the US, I would have never had 1/10 of the experiences I’ve had since coming to Hong Kong. I wouldn’t have seen the things I’ve seen or met the people I have met. I am so grateful to this place and this time.