My first hazy glimpses of the metropolis beneath. Practically bouncing with excitement as the plane touches down at last. Passport at the ready, and I’m nearly there. Who should I spot through arrivals? Only Melody.

The search for an airport taxi. Getting hit by the sultry heat. Strange fascination. In awe at all around me, then confused by Hong Kong Dollars! The cool luxury of a 5* hotel, with a 39th floor harbour view. Not to mention an ultra intelligent move-able TV!

The joy of no jet-lag. The wonderful disorientation at somewhere familiar but new. The high from just having travelled so far.

First night with the glistening lights of the city, almost like stars in a night sky. Venturing out on the first morning, amongst smelly markets, talkative strangers and 35 degrees of heat. Never has air conditioning been more cherished, or music so often listened to through one earphone. Days disappearing. Eating Fish sticks, Chocettes and Pocky to the Adventures of Pan and James. Late night walks through the little park. Tsuen Wan West Station. Toys R US and Starbucks. The insane noise of Kowloon. The Star Ferry – a quiet, floating escape. The crowded modernity of Hong Kong Island. Riding packed trams and retracing childhood steps. Food courts always on top of malls the size of towns. Lifts gliding down the outside of flashy buildings. Fancy restaurants, eating who knows what.

MTR, KCR and the most nauseating bus journey in the world. A million steps. Chips and Coke to the rescue. Hair wax bus windows. New Territories. Nerves and no subtitles. Moon cakes and delayed Jet-lag. A hundred different songs – each a different memory. A comfortable floor and a soft red glow. Waking up to Idlewild.

Speeding “vans”. Over-sized Cigar-like Puffs. CUHK Campus. That awesome breeze and view. Crowds watching us suck at Drum Master. A temple in a sea of apartment blocks. Countless conversations, both deep and jovial. Copious staring, both rude and random. Unplanned Ice Cream, Cakes and Bubble Ice Tea. Balloons, Roller-coaster rides and Cable Cars to ‘Big Chair’. Raging rivers, playful Pandas, freakish fish, and the gay ‘flying swing’. Sweet Honey Ice Green Tea. An elusive MOS Burger. 10,000 7-Elevens (and the several dozen Doraemon minis that resulted). Spontaneous hair cuts in Mongkok. Jaunts through Mei Foo. Dinner in Wan Chai. Skipping Imaginary Rivers. Krispy Kreme. Etiquette on Escalators. Horse face advertisements. Mile-long elevated walkways.

Tuen Mun Light Rail. Thai. Shark fin soup and Octopus Cards. Tenuous evening walks over train tracks. Towns decorated with mid-Autumn Festival lanterns, and kids waving glow sticks. Generous gifts. Japanese arcades. A plethora of suggestive anime figurines. No plans, no direction and it not really mattering. A near death experience, and being haunted by Westlife!

The stray bulls and dogs of Lantau. The nearly deserted beach. Getting caught in heavy rainstorms and taking cover with yet more Ice Cream. Sprinting home in rainstorms! Being soaked but not caring. A not so nauseous bus journey, but other passengers still thinking we’re crazy. Settling into ferry window seats. New umbrellas and impulse buys. Evenings with South Park. The sound of rain beating against windows in the dead of night. Hot Fuzz mornings. Being foreign but feeling at home.

Paddy the Cactus. Pet street and Fish shop corner. Late for dim sum. Many cheesy photographs. Some geeky photographs. Night time at Victoria Peak, overlooking the glitter of the Harbour. Ferries, buses, taxis and planes to catch. The sadness of leaving. The delight at having been.

More importantly, in tune with the entry, every fleeting but perennial moment in between. This was one of the happiest times I can remember.

To ‘Always Returning’