Travel in Hong Kong

Hong KongIt’s almost midnight, but the jet lag in my brain thinks it must be morning. I don’t know whether to be tired or wide-awake as I pull my car out of its airport parking place and head for home.

In the moonlight, I can see the outline of the Rocky Mountains, so I know that I’m back in Colorado. Yet, the lights of Hong Kong still reflect in my mind, and it’s hard to leave the images behind. My coat still carries the rich smells of the Golden Bauhinia, where I ate the most amazing sautéed crab claws last night. And my body is becoming sore from my first Tai Chi lesson, taken this morning at dawn along Hong Kong’s gorgeous Waterfront Promenade.

The miracle of flight has whisked me from that colorful Asian world to this quiet alpine setting, which I know so very well, but it’s a mental transition that admittedly takes some time.

Yet there is sweetness to returning home. The mountains loom larger as I near the foothills, and I look at them in a fresh new light, marveling at their beauty. My small hometown, lazing on the hillside, has already gone to sleep. There are no cars on the road, and the few street lights have been turned to blinking mode as if to say, “Yes, we’ve gone to bed for the night, but we’ve left the nightlights on for you.”

I take a deep breath and exhale, truly glad to be back. Traveling is one of life’s most precious freedoms, but home is still a wonderful destination, and it’s well worth the rediscovering.

In this week’s articles, Austrian Nicole Falmbigl (Under My Skin) realizes that home is where her heart is when she returns to Vienna after living abroad. Susan Miles shares her affection for her adopted home of Japan in Going Geisha, while Rob Faughnan admits to some culture shock upon moving to New Orleans.

We hope you’ll enjoy these articles, and will pass them on to other travel lovers. Happy travels!

Janna Graber, Managing Editor

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