It is by great coincidence that we are living in the same area of Hong Kong where we started off our life here three and a half years ago. I smile to myself as I review my first impressions and think about how I tried to make sense of what I was seeing and experiencing. My sense of direction was, and still remains, very poor so until I had a local sim card with google maps, I explored the area in ever increasing circles.

Mysteries faced me such as coffee shops’ loyalty card where you have to preload money on the cards, trying to work out how to open glass doors to shops (I failed to notice the small push mechanism) and getting caught in closing MTR (underground trains) doors. It is so painful … a mistake I made only once! And on Sundays seeing crowds of mainly women, dancing, singing and eating in the park and trying to work out if it was a Hong Kong celebration or simultaneous birthday parties. But it was the day off for Helpers (live in housekeepers, nannies etc) where they travelled to meet up with friends, relatives & village kinsfolk. Sadly, with Covid precautions this doesn’t happen in the same way now.

Hong Kong, with a population of 7.5 million, has a been a tourist hot spot for very many years, with up to 56 million visitors in 2019, 44 million of these from mainland China. With only HK citizens, those with residency status and those with work permits allowed in, the streets are noticeably quieter. No Mainlanders filling their wheelie suitcases with purchases of designer goods and baby milk, and I am no longer stopped by tailors along Nathan Road offering to make me suits, nor am I stopped by vendors trying to sell me tickets for the tourist Big Bus.

Retail businesses and restaurants are closing here as they are around the world. And new businesses are emerging, and pop up shops taking advantage of short term leases. We have seen shops selling masks & sanitiser, and have spotted our first vending machine dispensing face masks.

Whilst there are huge numbers of modern shopping malls selling world wide brands, I am drawn to traditional shops on the high streets. Particularly those that have been run by a family for many years. Real estate is very expensive in Hong Kong so one always has to look upwards to see businesses trading on floors above street level.

• 

I love seeing ‘shops’ set up between buildings, although I can’t figure out if rent is paid, and if so to whom.