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POK FU LAM SHOWCASE
27
Jun-Jul15
John grew up at the cottage and has a
deep affection for the place. “There’s no
electricity; solar-heated water is pumped
out of the ground to a water tank, and there
are designated jeeps that carry people’s
goods back and forth. When we go, the kids
take off their shoes and don’t put themback
on for a month. They run, they raft, they play,
they climb trees and they learn about what
they don’t have here!”
Hong Kong highlights
But while part of his heart will always be in
Vancouver, John’s a big fan of his adopted
city. An enthusiastic and talented paddler,
he says he spends four days a week on
the water, and there’s much else he’s
enthusiastic about when it comes to Hong
Kong. “I love the city, but I also love the fact
I can be outside of it in five minutes – up on
a hill, or on the water. I love the fact there’s
a thousand different restaurants that are
always changing, and that there are so
many different people here, from a huge
variety of countries. When we entertain we
can have ten different nationalities around
our dining table!”
John continues: “Hong Kong has so
much to offer, so explore – don’t spend
all your time on the island. Kowloon has
interesting neighbourhoods, amazing
hikes, and there’s somuch else to discover.”
In the spring, for example, John took his
children strawberry picking in Tai Po. It
might not be the first Hong Kong-based
activity that jumps to mind, but he maintains
that not only was it fun, but the strawberries
were delicious. “They were small but they
tasted like candy! We took them home and
had them with ice cream, and we made
strawberry pie and strawberry crumble”.
So does he plan eventually to return
to that idyllic outdoors lifestyle by the
Canadian seaside? “I’ve lived overseas
for too long to move back to Canada for
good. I need to be able to travel and see
different places, do different things. When
I first started working I envisaged my
retirement home as a ten-bedroommansion
somewhere on a beach. Now I’m thinking
I’ll need a two-bed city apartment; maybe
three beds, for when the kids come to visit!
And perhaps a small hut on the beach!”
Sounds like this seasoned expatriate
won’t be leaving Hong Kong any time soon.