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I Flew Back to Hong Kong During COVID-19 to Undergo the Longest Quarantine Period in the World

February 20, 2021 //  by Lily Wu//  15 Comments

Pinterest Pin on Traveling to Hong Kong During COVID-19
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It’s February. It’s been over a year since I first saw masks on the faces of Hong Kongers, mere days after news of a strange new virus had appeared close by. At the time, I was amazed at the super-elastic mobilization, the decisiveness of a city of people who knew this all too well.

As restrictions were slammed on the city, we were encouraged not to leave Hong Kong. And no wonder, because traveling back to Hong Kong during COVID-19 now requires hours of research and bundles of money.

Hong Kong IFC in late January
Hong Kong in late January 2020

It’s now 2021, and 2020 is behind us – a year filled with grief and disruption uncertainty, and at saturated with both measured optimism and crushing despair.

I have been on more video appointments than I can count. “Zoom fatigue” is now a thing. I wondered if Zoom therapy would be just as effective as in-person therapy. I missed my paper cup of water and the black leather couch, and the free stress balls in blue and red and green by the front desk. I double masked and wore gloves every time I did the weekly grocery shop. I was obsessive about wiping down the shopping carts before I used them. I washed my hands with my gloves on as soon as I got home, discarded them, and then washed my hands again, sanitizing the doorbells I’d touched. I was at once grateful and terrified to be home and (ostensibly) healthy.

I wrote a post on traveling back to the US here. This post, although in spirit is about the same content (traveling from x to y during a pandemic), is so utterly different that I don’t know whether to laugh or to sob.

Table of Contents

  • Requirements for Traveling to Hong Kong, and How I Messed Those Up
  • Disembarking in Hong Kong During COVID-19 
  • The Health Declaration Form and the Stay Home Safe App
  • The Hong Kong Quarantine Order
  • Getting Tested for COVID-19 in the Hong Kong Airport
  • Traveling to the Quarantine Hotel from the Hong Kong Airport 

Requirements for Traveling to Hong Kong, and How I Messed Those Up

I already knew that Hong Kong had stringent requirements for passengers coming in. The city currently isn’t open for tourism. There exist tiers of requirements for each type of passenger – the most defining feature being the country/countries that you are traveling from.

Here’s a snapshot of what the Hong Kong government requires prior to your departure if you’re coming from a “very high-risk” place – ahem, the United States, which is, as of now, one of the hardest COVID-hit countries in the world.

  • You must present a negative result for COVID-19 conducted within 72 hours of your departure flight to Hong Kong.
  • You also need to present documentary proof that the lab or healthcare institution where you were tested is certified by the appropriate government body.
  • Lastly, you would need to present a confirmation of a room reservation in a designated “quarantine hotel” for 21 nights starting on the day of your arrival.

At this time, Hong Kong had designated 36 existing hotels as “quarantine hotels”  – strictly for inbound travelers to Hong Kong. This means that the during this time, the hotel can only serve returnees from Hong Kong and no other customers, and inbound travelers can’t stay at any other hotels or their homes for the quarantine period (that’s TWENTY-ONE days, making Hong Kong’s quarantine period the longest in the world.

Undergoing a compulsory 21-day quarantine comes with its own set of problems, not least of which is the amount of money spent.

Before I took the figurative plunge and gave my credit card details to the hotel for my reservation, I thought about the time I painstakingly traded a gorgeous AirBnb in Wellington, New Zealand for one that was slightly less gorgeous, because it would save me 20 USD. I wondered if the very full and very animated discussion I had with myself was just wasted time, because here I was, spending nearly 2000 USD on a hotel, and I wasn’t even going to get to see any hot pools or glow worms or hobbit holes for my trouble.

The cheapest hotel on this list is 400 HKD a night at Ramada and 51000 HKD for a splashed out entertainment suite at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. I’m sure the free amenities cost more than my entire skincare kit at home.

Straightforward enough, right? Not exactly a walk in the park, but it wasn’t, like, impossible. I booked a mid-priced hotel and scheduled a test three days prior to my departure from Boston.

Except, of course, due to some sometimes-charming-but-mostly-not absentminded personality traits, I made some truly spectacular mistakes. Those mistakes, in conjunction with factors outside of my control (which rested entirely on COVID-19-era travel), postponed my arrival in Hong Kong to nearly four full days later and 600 USD, give or take, poorer.

  • The first problem was the time at which I took my COVID sample. I took the test almost exactly 72 hours prior to my departure from Boston. It was only the day after when I, in horror, squinted at a bullet on the Hong Kong coronavirus government page and realized that the sample had to be taken 72 hours before the departure of my flight to Hong Kong. That meant my departure from Tokyo. This cost me: 1) my dignity by pleading with a clinic to take a last minute walk-in rapid COVID test IMMEDIATELY PLEASE BECAUSE I AM TRAVELING TOMORROW I AM TRULY SO SORRY BUT PLEASE?? 2) A cool 150 USD for a new test (I’d already paid 150 for the first one). I wish I could fling the fault of this mishap on an airline or on the front desk receptionist at the clinic or a false                    government page. ANYTHING. But I can’t. I was just careless, and it hurt.
  • The second problem occurred after I’d already gotten to the airport. I was informed, calmly and politely, by an airline employee that the second leg of my flight – Tokyo to Hong Kong, had been cancelled. After I’d finished spluttering in panic, I rushed another terminal to book another ticket that would get me as close as possible to my original arrival time in Hong Kong as possible. I only hope you never find yourself at an airplane check-in counter, desperately searching for a flight that isn’t three flights totaling nearly 24 hours of flight time – which of course ended up being the “best” flight, sweating under two masks and a pair of fogged-up glasses, calculating the time you’d taken a COVID sample in Boston, and feverishly confirming if the test would still be valid by the time you boarded your flight from LA to Hong Kong a day and a half later. I called my dad and asked him to come and get me, as I wouldn’t be flying until the following day. This cost me: 1) An extra 1-2 days of delays and flight time; 2) Rebooking my hotel for a day later.
  • That wasn’t the end of my problems. I made it so close. I really did. I was at the gate, for crying out loud. Nothing was going to stop me.Except that, of course, something did.As I waited with bated breath for the attendant checking all my documentation to give me the green light to board the flight, she furrowed her brow and pointed to the name on my COVID test.“Can you call the clinic and get them to reissue you a test result with your full middle name please? It has to be your full name. No initial.”I couldn’t believe it. It was midnight at the clinic in Boston. I called, but I knew it was a lost cause. I whispered a please to her. I almost cried, but got the feeling that tears would discomfit her even more than my “please” had.And that was how I found myself at the Hilton LAX, seething at myself yet again, waiting for the results of my third COVID test in less than a week. I cursed having a middle name. I promised myself not to check my checking account balance. I ate really good tacos in an attempt at self-care.What it cost: 1) even MORE time, 2) having to rebook the dates for my hotel yet again, 3) 200 USD in another COVID test. I checked and rechecked and tripled checked the name. And checked it again.

Disembarking in Hong Kong During COVID-19 

Because I am here, in this hotel munching on gummy bears, on Day 10 of my quarantine period, I did get on that flight. I got on that flight, sat in seat 72A (the reason I know this is because it was double emphasized to me that I could not switch my seat on the plane for contact-tracing purposes). I took the liberty, instead, of sprawling myself and my belongings across three seats, a luxury that I had only experienced one other time – on my flights from Hong Kong to Boston.

For the entire duration of the flight, I thought about my documents. I braced myself for yet another disaster. I imagined someone taking a cursory glance at my documents, shaking their head, pointing to the lowercase letters in my name or the CLIA number of the clinic or the fine print of the hotel confirmation, and sending me on a flight straight back to Boston.

the view from the airplane
A comfortable and solitary flight from the USA. Sunsets and sunrises never get old.

None of that happened. What came after disembarking the flight was a series of smooth and sterile procession of steps – ruthless and yet calming in its efficiency.

The Health Declaration Form and the Stay Home Safe App

Upon landing, I filled out an online health declaration form on my phone. The form took about 3 minutes to fill out and requested information on recent travel history, my flight number, my nationality, and the hotel that I had booked.

After filling out this form, the page spits out a QR code for you – a unique identifier, just for you.

Then, after filing silently through a maze of roped off lines (with no people in them!), I was supervised as I downloaded Hong Kong’s Stay Home Safe app.

It looks like this.

the stay at home safe app in Hong Kong
“wristband” ends up, inevitably, being exactly what it sounds like

The Hong Kong Quarantine Order

By the time I left the terminal and traveled to the main body of the airport, I wondered how many more times I would have to show them my QR code. It was a lot of times.

At a long panel of tables, a woman asked me for my number. She called the number, waited dutifully to see that my phone actually rung. Nodding satisfactorily, she sent me on my way with a badge around my neck with the QR code.

This QR code appeared again in the form of a wristband punched indestructibly around my wrist (the wrong way around – argh!). I was (and still am) fascinated by this wristband. I wondered what would happen if I extended my wrist outside the perimeter of the room. I wondered if I would immediately receive a phone call. I wondered if someone would come and knock on my door. There’s a camera outside my hotel room, so….

I was pointed in the direction of a long panel of tables, set up uncannily like those at the DMV, and sat down at an empty booth. I was asked to show all of my documents, including my negative COVID test, and the hotel confirmation. The staff typed all of it up and printed out a new form for me – a “Compulsory Quarantine Order.” On it was my full name (middle name fully spelled!), my number, the name of my quarantine hotel. It basically ordered me to quarantine myself for the period specified, and that if I failed to, I might be liable to a fine of $25,000 HKD ($3,200 USD) and to imprisonment for 6 months.

I was then given a packet that told me how to, well, do the quarantine, with gems like “After using toilet, put the lid down before flushing,” reminders on how to properly wear a surgical mask, and a full blank table with a list of symptoms for me to help track my physical wellness during the time. Travel to Hong Kong during COVID-19 means not messing around.

It’s a long list of symptoms

At this point, I was forcefully reminded of the way I flounced into Boston at the Logan Airport nearly three months prior, where not a single soul asked me a question that wasn’t related to whether I was carrying fresh fruits and vegetables. And then of the hotel-check in staff who wore her mask below her nose. And then of the guy who approached me outside the taco shop in LA to ask a question, maskless.

Getting Tested for COVID-19 in the Hong Kong Airport

I was given a plastic baggie with a tube with a slip of paper and a number, and was told to proceed to a small encampment of white tents – all set up within the terminal. Each tent had its own attendant, encased in PPE, and a single white chair in the middle.

a photo of the Hong Kong airport during COVID
Approaching the tents. The airport is really, really, quiet.

Mine was chatty. She smiled kindly as I struggled with carrying all of my luggage and bags, and after she’d taken both a saliva and a nasal swab sample, told me I’d done a “great job.”

I was given yet another slip of paper with a series of letters and numbers, asked to take a bottle of water, a sandwich, and a packet of Ritz crackers, and pointed in the direction of another section of the terminal, set up like a giant study hall.

All of the desks were facing one way. There was 1.5m between each desk. Each chair had a series of numbers on the back. I saw people snoring. On their laptops. Munching on sandwiches. And so, I went to the chair that had my number on it, sat down, and waited to be cleared to go (assuming the test result was negative).

Traveling to the Quarantine Hotel from the Hong Kong Airport 

I did some work. I listened to an Arctic Monkeys album. The woman next to me had gone to sleep. Two and half hours later, I was approached by someone, who told me I was free to go.

I collected my baggage, which was waiting neatly in the baggage hall, and was handed several alcohol wipes by a wandering member of staff, who pointed to a sign saying that luggage should be disinfected before leaving.

On the ground floor of the terminal, I once again waited in line to show a staff member my Quarantine Order. Peering at the name of my hotel, she wrote the hotel’s name on several tags, indicating that they were meant to be attached to my luggage. She then pointed to several roped off lines, each line headed by a sign with 5-7 hotels listed on it. These were the shuttle buses that were meant to take passengers to their hotels.

If I was pleasantly surprised at the cold clean orderliness of the study hall, the disinfection of the luggage again sent me into shock. And by the time I got the following text message on the bus, I shook my head – completely and totally impressed.

Clearly me disinfecting my own luggage wasn’t enough
Have never been so enthralled by a text

After I watched the passengers slowly drop away from the bus, one by one, received by beings encased in plastic and masks and gloves, it was my turn. After the check-in I wandered up to my room and activated the StayAtHome app. It prompted me to walk around the room for 60 seconds. A couple hours later, I received a call.

“Hello, Ms. Wu. This is the Hong Kong government. Did you activate the app?” the voice on the other end said. After my assurance that I was indeed set up and fine, the line clicked. I was told that I would be tested for COVID on days 12 and days 19 of the quarantine, and if I tested negative, would be free to go on day 21.

I wanted to collapse on the fresh sheets immediately so, so, badly – the way that I’d done on hotel beds hundreds of times before. But I didn’t.

I wiped down the doorknobs and the surfaces of the desks and gingerly made my way to the bathroom for the shower.

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Category: Asia, Hong Kong, Travel, United States of AmericaTag: COVID, covid19, hong kong, personal life, quarantine, travel, usa

Previous Post: « I Traveled from Hong Kong to the USA During the COVID-19 Pandemic and This is What It Was Like.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephanie

    February 23, 2021 at 5:06 am

    Sounds like a very frustrating stressful time getting to Hong Kong. Why I understand it is insane the amount of stuff that you had to go through. I am glad you eventually made it though. Hopefully you enjoyed it!

    Reply
    • Lily Wu

      February 23, 2021 at 6:50 am

      Thanks Stephanie! It was actually insane, and highly stressful – but now I’m on the other side (13 days and counting…!)

      Reply
  2. Shafinah

    February 22, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    Wow this looks like quite the ride! But the up side is that at least there is a meticulous order about it to ensure safety… hopefully it gets better as things start to improve!

    Reply
    • Lily Wu

      February 23, 2021 at 6:50 am

      I honestly am still thrown by how organized Hong Kong is when it comes to, at least, funnelling the people who are coming IN to Hong Kong. We’ve had a massive downturn in cases, so fingers crossed that it gets better here on out!

      Reply
  3. Jamie Sharpe

    February 22, 2021 at 7:07 am

    I also had to fly during the pandemic, from Bali. Was a harrowing experience like yours!

    Reply
    • Lily Wu

      February 23, 2021 at 6:51 am

      Oh my goodness, I can only imagine. I really feel like traveling during this period means you’re opening up to a million things that could go wrong.

      Reply
  4. Gloria

    February 22, 2021 at 4:56 am

    Wow that sounds quite stressful. But very useful tips thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Lily Wu

      February 23, 2021 at 6:52 am

      Thanks for reading, GLoria!

      Reply
  5. Krista

    February 21, 2021 at 9:19 pm

    So interesting to read about your experience flying here during the pandemic! I flew at the beginning of it all and had no problems but that was only from the UK to Spain.

    Reply
    • Lily Wu

      February 23, 2021 at 6:51 am

      Lucky! I can only wish that mine had gone more smoothly (if it was only to have a slightly fatter wallet by the end of it…)

      Reply
  6. Keena

    February 21, 2021 at 6:30 pm

    Sounds so overwhelming but I love the safety precautions taken . Everyone has a different experience and I like that you provided so many details .

    Reply
    • Lily Wu

      February 21, 2021 at 7:53 pm

      THanks Keena! Just trying to make it as informative as I can for people coming back to Hong Kong…

      Reply
  7. Nora

    February 21, 2021 at 6:03 pm

    This looks tough, stressful and expensive! Really hoping that life could get back to normal (sort of) and travelling will be made easy again soon.

    Reply
    • Lily Wu

      February 21, 2021 at 7:53 pm

      It was definitely expensive. I still wouldn’t recommend that anyone do this unless they really really had to !

      Reply
  8. Hannah

    February 21, 2021 at 3:57 pm

    Wow, what a stressful experience! I’m avoiding all travel right now because of the virus. It sounds like such an ordeal! However, as stressful as it was, it is reassuring to see that governments are taking the virus seriously. Let’s hope that these actions and the stress that it has caused are all worth it in the long run! Thanks for sharing your story!

    Reply

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A girl in Boston Common
Boston Common. Boston, MA. November 2019.

Hi, I’m Lily!

I’m a Boston-raised, Hong Kong-based writer, traveler, and content creator.

My site is about sharing stories relating to millennial travel, travel blogging, Asian diasporic identity, and Hong Kong living.

📍Malibu, California, USA 🇺🇸 I kind of w 📍Malibu, California, USA 🇺🇸 I kind of wanted to not like LA. I wanted to not like it because I was jealous of the weather and could hear the crows of “west coast, best coast!!” from some of my friends I met in college. I had just escaped Boston’s second big snowstorm of the season and below freezing temperatures. Instead, I liked it. I was only here for a hot minute but loved the birria tacos 🌮 and the weather and even the grassy scent that hung in the air (wonder what that was? 😁). Even though I was reeling from an unexpected travel delay, being with a friend whom I hadn’t seen for 3 years for a few hours was amazing!! Thank you @prepeateaten for driving me around, loved every second. And I definitely want to come back (and eat wayyyy more tacos). Have you ever changed your mind about a place?? #usaroadtrip #malibucalifornia #ilovecalifornia #californiausa #westcoast_exposures #westcoastlife #pointdume #pointdumalibu #hkbloggers #travelgirldiary #travelgirlsdiary #westcoasttrail #westcoastliving #californiacoast #californialiving #californiadreamin #californiavacation #bostonbloggers #californiadreams #travelgirlscollective #travelgirlsvibe #cathaycreators #malibubeach #californiahiking #hikingphotography #hikingtheglobe #hikingadventure #hikingviews #hikingvibes
📍Los Angeles, CA, USA 🇺🇸 Lol this photo 📍Los Angeles, CA, USA 🇺🇸 Lol this photo was taken during one of the most arduous and expensive trips of my life - trying to make it back from the USA to HK is no joke. My flight was cancelled last minute and I had to reroute with three new flights....then at the last minute I was turned away at the gate because my COVID test had my middle initial instead of my full middle name! HK doesn’t mess around. Hundreds and hundreds spent on hotels and a new COVID test notwithstanding...I got to spend time with a dear friend of mine on the west coast and it was so, so, nice. The air smelled of weed and the air was salty and sandy and amazing and nice. And the tacos!!!! Ugh. Just a few hours of an almost-vacation....here I am sitting at Venice Beach eating the Fairfax sandwich from Eggslut. Ugh. So good. I’d love to come back and do a more proper trip next time - any recs for the LA/SoCal area?? #losangeles_city #losangeles_la #losangelescalifornia #bostonbloggers #losangelesbloggers #travelgirlshub #venicebeachcalifornia #venicebeachskatepark #journeysofgirls #damestravel #lifeofadventure #alwaysgo #wanderfolk #letsgosomewhere #exploreeverywhere #visualwanderlust #welivetoexplore #adventurethatislife #adventurevisuals #californiadreamin #californiablogger #californiavacation #westcoastblogger #hkbloggers #hongkongblogger #ilovecalifornia #californiacoast #californiaroadtrip #westcoast_exposures #westcoastlife
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 I was laughing to a f 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 I was laughing to a friend last week about how cold it is here in New England, but how much better I am actually dealing with the cold even though I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 4 years now! When I go out NOW, I’m wearing at least 4 layers of clothing and a thick coat on top, and always, always 2 layers of pants. If I run I’ll put on leggings and joggers on top of those, OR two pairs of leggings, one on top of the other. I don’t know if I thought I was too cool for dressing warmly or what - but I’d shiver through countless snowy days in Boston waiting for the bus to get to school, refuse to wear a hat - and even sometimes wore skirts. This did not, I am sad to report, make me cool. It just made me very cold. Here’s a photo of the moon at sunset, a few miles from my parents’ house. #bostonbloggers #newengland #ilovemassachusetts #massachusettsnature #massachusettsphotography #bostonphotographers #cathaycreators #hongkongblogger #bluehillreservation #bluehillsreservation #newengland_igers #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #newenglandphotography #newenglandoutdoors #newenglandwinter #travelgirlsgo #journeysofgirls #newenglandsunsets #sunsetgram #sunsets_oftheworld #sunsetoftheday #sunsetcolors #sunsetlove #massachusettslife #massachusettsoutdoors #bostonliving #bostonweather #bostonphotography #bostongram
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ I loveee the New E 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ I loveee the New England vibes in this photo so much! This was taken during a short run I did with my brother - I always always always avoided running because I was obsessed with “maintaining gains” when I began weightlifting 6-7 years ago. I’m surprisingly really loving it - I love just putting on a new album in whatever genre (so far have listened to Kanye, the Beatles, Linkin Park, and a LOT of Bach) and listening to it all the way through with no interruptions. ⁣ I can only really go 3-5km at a time right now without feeling like I want to stop (and I won’t be running any marathons soon) but I’m really happy I’ve found something else meditate and good-for-me to do! ⁣ Do any of you run and have any tips for a novice like me?? ⁣ ⁣ #newenglandwinter #newenglandoutdoors #newenglandfall #randolphma #newenglandblogger #newenglandpictures #bostonblogger #bostonbloggers #hkbloggers #newenglander #newenglandnature #newenglandtravel #newengland_photography #ilovemassachusetts #iloveboston #beantown #newenglandigers #bostonian #bostonlife #travelgirls #travelgirldiary #travelgirlscollective #damestravel #dametravelers #runningstyle #runningviews #winterrun #winterrunning #winterruns #belcherpark
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ Since I’ve been 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ Since I’ve been here, I’ve been going on walks with my parents a few times a week. My dad always ALWAYS wants to catch the sunset (he’s an avid photographer!) so here’s one that we caught a few weeks ago. ⁣ Life here is, as one of my friends described, so wholesome here. I’m still working remotely, but without a social scene all of my free time has been spent listening to new music, reading new books, practicing yoga, and moving my body. I honestly don’t miss the hectic life at all and I always wondered if I could ever live outside of a huge metro urban setting (and whether I’d get bored). I honestly think I could do it, I love living the way I have been! ⁣ For those of you who live in cities and love it, do you think you’d give up the go-go-go lifestyle for something more simple? ⁣ ⁣ #ilovemassachusetts #bluehillreservation #bluehillsreservation #cantonma #newenglandphotography #newenglandsunsets #newenglansphotography #iloveboston #beantown #bostonsunsets #bostonbloggers #travelgirlsdiary #journeysofgirls #journeyofgirls #randolphma #sunsetsofinstagram #sunsetsgram #hongkongbloggers #hongkongblogger #hongkong_ig #sunsetscape #massachusettsoutdoors #massachusetts_igers #massachusettsmade #naturalmassachusetts #sheisfromhk #agameoftones #girlswhotravel #massachusettsgirl #bostongirl ⁣
📍USA 🇺🇸 (Massachusetts) ⁣ It snowed a 📍USA 🇺🇸 (Massachusetts) ⁣ It snowed a huge snow last week! ❄️ We had a proper “nor’easter” - which, according to Wikipedia, is “a macro-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean.” After having missed snow for many years living in Hong Kong, I honestly can’t tell you how much I’ve missed even the meter-high walls of snow we’d get, without fail, every winter in New England. ⁣ My family is driving down the Cape (Cape Cod) for Christmas! What are your plans?? ⁣ ⁣ #massachusettssnow #ilovenewengland #newenglandsnow #noreaster #bluehillreservation #newenglandphotography #newenglandphotographer #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #cathaycreators #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #ilovemassachusetts #snowsnowsnow #snowmountain #snowlove #snowhike #snowscape #snowcovered #journeyofgirls #journeysofgirls #travelgirlsgo #snowfilter #snowseason #massachusettsoutdoors #massachusetts_igers #massachusettslife #travelgirldiary #travelgirlsofficial #travelgirlscommunity
📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (Lion Rock) ⁣ This was t 📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (Lion Rock) ⁣ This was the second time I’ve hiked to Lion Rock in Kowloon (the first time being over 3 years ago), and I still love the little Lego-pieces of HK’s buildings as far as the eye can see! ⁣ I’m not jn Hong Kong at the moment, but I’ve been telling my family here in the US that it isn’t all dense concrete and gray cityscapes, a huge amount of HK is literally just lush tropical wilderness. ⁣ Hope everyone is having a lovely start to their holidays! My family has never been big holiday people (don’t think they place a lot of emphasis or value on atmosphere), but we still got a little cat-proof tree tree at my insistence to spruce it up a bit. ⁣ ⁣ #ilovehongkong #homekong #hongkongphotography #hongkongphotographer #cathaycreators #hikinginhongkong #hongkonghiking #hkhikes #hongkonghikes #sheisfromhk #sheisnotlost #lionrockhike #lionsrock #hk_iger #travelgirlsgo #livetoexplore #hongkonglife #hongkonginsta #hongkongig #explorehongkong #discoverhongkong #awesomehongkong #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #hongkongblogger #damestravel #traveldames #thedreamytravel #girlsvsglobe #girlsborntravel
📍Massachusetts (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ What’s th 📍Massachusetts (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ What’s the coldest place you’ve ever been to? ⁣ Can you smell how crisp the air is? It was also bone-shatteringly cold - 🥶 30 F (just below 0 C) feels just as fresh and stingy on my face as I remember! There are ZERO “Instagram spots” in the classical sense here - so you’ve got to get creative with Mother Nature! ⁣ Life has been funny lately. I’ve been in the USA for about 2.5 weeks now and I’ve finally settled into a rhythm and a routine. Part of that routine involves 3-4x weekly walks with my parents in a nearby “reservation” - big swathes of land with hiking trails, ponds, and lakes. I’m wearing leggings underneath jeans here, and could STILL feel the sharpness of cold air penetrating all the way through to my skin. ⁣ I’ve traded skyscrapers and haze for lakes and sunsets, and right now, feel super content. ⁣ ⁣ #ilovenengland #houghtonspond #newenglandsunsets #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #newenglandphotographer #newenglandphotography #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #newengland_igers #newenglandfall #newenglandblogger #sheisnotlost #travelgirlshub #damestravel #dametraveler #sheisfromhk #agameoftones #cathaycreators #newenglandpictures #newenglander #ilovemassachusetts #masachusettsphotographer #massachusettsoutdoors #bluehillsreservation #hikingboston #newenglandhikes #massachusettslife #massachusettsmade #naturalmassachusetts
📍Boston, MA (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ This photo was 📍Boston, MA (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ This photo was taken last year in one of my favorite places in Boston, the Boston Public Library (where my dad still works!). ⁣ If I get my negative COVID result today, I’m finally out of my self-imposed quarantine! It won’t bring me much freedom, but I’m excited to meet the two new cats in the house and to finally be able to make and serve my own meals. Hope everyone is having a good week! ⁣ ⁣ #iloveboston #bostonpubliclibrary #beantown #newenglandphotographer #newenglandphotography #bostonma #bostonblogger #bostonbloggers #lifeofadventure #alwaysgo #wanderfolk #letsgosomewhere #exploreeverywhere #tasteintravel #instatravel #stayandwander #welivetoexplore #neverstopexploring #visualwanderlust #femmetravel #girlslovetravel #dametraveler #wearetravelgirls #ladiesgoneglobal #sheexplores #girlsborntotravel #theglobewanderer #traveldiary #travelphotography #bostonphotography
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    Asia, Hong Kong, Travel, United States of America I Flew Back to Hong Kong During COVID-19 to Undergo the Longest Quarantine Period in the World

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📍Malibu, California, USA 🇺🇸 I kind of w 📍Malibu, California, USA 🇺🇸 I kind of wanted to not like LA. I wanted to not like it because I was jealous of the weather and could hear the crows of “west coast, best coast!!” from some of my friends I met in college. I had just escaped Boston’s second big snowstorm of the season and below freezing temperatures. Instead, I liked it. I was only here for a hot minute but loved the birria tacos 🌮 and the weather and even the grassy scent that hung in the air (wonder what that was? 😁). Even though I was reeling from an unexpected travel delay, being with a friend whom I hadn’t seen for 3 years for a few hours was amazing!! Thank you @prepeateaten for driving me around, loved every second. And I definitely want to come back (and eat wayyyy more tacos). Have you ever changed your mind about a place?? #usaroadtrip #malibucalifornia #ilovecalifornia #californiausa #westcoast_exposures #westcoastlife #pointdume #pointdumalibu #hkbloggers #travelgirldiary #travelgirlsdiary #westcoasttrail #westcoastliving #californiacoast #californialiving #californiadreamin #californiavacation #bostonbloggers #californiadreams #travelgirlscollective #travelgirlsvibe #cathaycreators #malibubeach #californiahiking #hikingphotography #hikingtheglobe #hikingadventure #hikingviews #hikingvibes
📍Los Angeles, CA, USA 🇺🇸 Lol this photo 📍Los Angeles, CA, USA 🇺🇸 Lol this photo was taken during one of the most arduous and expensive trips of my life - trying to make it back from the USA to HK is no joke. My flight was cancelled last minute and I had to reroute with three new flights....then at the last minute I was turned away at the gate because my COVID test had my middle initial instead of my full middle name! HK doesn’t mess around. Hundreds and hundreds spent on hotels and a new COVID test notwithstanding...I got to spend time with a dear friend of mine on the west coast and it was so, so, nice. The air smelled of weed and the air was salty and sandy and amazing and nice. And the tacos!!!! Ugh. Just a few hours of an almost-vacation....here I am sitting at Venice Beach eating the Fairfax sandwich from Eggslut. Ugh. So good. I’d love to come back and do a more proper trip next time - any recs for the LA/SoCal area?? #losangeles_city #losangeles_la #losangelescalifornia #bostonbloggers #losangelesbloggers #travelgirlshub #venicebeachcalifornia #venicebeachskatepark #journeysofgirls #damestravel #lifeofadventure #alwaysgo #wanderfolk #letsgosomewhere #exploreeverywhere #visualwanderlust #welivetoexplore #adventurethatislife #adventurevisuals #californiadreamin #californiablogger #californiavacation #westcoastblogger #hkbloggers #hongkongblogger #ilovecalifornia #californiacoast #californiaroadtrip #westcoast_exposures #westcoastlife
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 I was laughing to a f 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 I was laughing to a friend last week about how cold it is here in New England, but how much better I am actually dealing with the cold even though I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 4 years now! When I go out NOW, I’m wearing at least 4 layers of clothing and a thick coat on top, and always, always 2 layers of pants. If I run I’ll put on leggings and joggers on top of those, OR two pairs of leggings, one on top of the other. I don’t know if I thought I was too cool for dressing warmly or what - but I’d shiver through countless snowy days in Boston waiting for the bus to get to school, refuse to wear a hat - and even sometimes wore skirts. This did not, I am sad to report, make me cool. It just made me very cold. Here’s a photo of the moon at sunset, a few miles from my parents’ house. #bostonbloggers #newengland #ilovemassachusetts #massachusettsnature #massachusettsphotography #bostonphotographers #cathaycreators #hongkongblogger #bluehillreservation #bluehillsreservation #newengland_igers #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #newenglandphotography #newenglandoutdoors #newenglandwinter #travelgirlsgo #journeysofgirls #newenglandsunsets #sunsetgram #sunsets_oftheworld #sunsetoftheday #sunsetcolors #sunsetlove #massachusettslife #massachusettsoutdoors #bostonliving #bostonweather #bostonphotography #bostongram
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ I loveee the New E 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ I loveee the New England vibes in this photo so much! This was taken during a short run I did with my brother - I always always always avoided running because I was obsessed with “maintaining gains” when I began weightlifting 6-7 years ago. I’m surprisingly really loving it - I love just putting on a new album in whatever genre (so far have listened to Kanye, the Beatles, Linkin Park, and a LOT of Bach) and listening to it all the way through with no interruptions. ⁣ I can only really go 3-5km at a time right now without feeling like I want to stop (and I won’t be running any marathons soon) but I’m really happy I’ve found something else meditate and good-for-me to do! ⁣ Do any of you run and have any tips for a novice like me?? ⁣ ⁣ #newenglandwinter #newenglandoutdoors #newenglandfall #randolphma #newenglandblogger #newenglandpictures #bostonblogger #bostonbloggers #hkbloggers #newenglander #newenglandnature #newenglandtravel #newengland_photography #ilovemassachusetts #iloveboston #beantown #newenglandigers #bostonian #bostonlife #travelgirls #travelgirldiary #travelgirlscollective #damestravel #dametravelers #runningstyle #runningviews #winterrun #winterrunning #winterruns #belcherpark
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ Since I’ve been 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ Since I’ve been here, I’ve been going on walks with my parents a few times a week. My dad always ALWAYS wants to catch the sunset (he’s an avid photographer!) so here’s one that we caught a few weeks ago. ⁣ Life here is, as one of my friends described, so wholesome here. I’m still working remotely, but without a social scene all of my free time has been spent listening to new music, reading new books, practicing yoga, and moving my body. I honestly don’t miss the hectic life at all and I always wondered if I could ever live outside of a huge metro urban setting (and whether I’d get bored). I honestly think I could do it, I love living the way I have been! ⁣ For those of you who live in cities and love it, do you think you’d give up the go-go-go lifestyle for something more simple? ⁣ ⁣ #ilovemassachusetts #bluehillreservation #bluehillsreservation #cantonma #newenglandphotography #newenglandsunsets #newenglansphotography #iloveboston #beantown #bostonsunsets #bostonbloggers #travelgirlsdiary #journeysofgirls #journeyofgirls #randolphma #sunsetsofinstagram #sunsetsgram #hongkongbloggers #hongkongblogger #hongkong_ig #sunsetscape #massachusettsoutdoors #massachusetts_igers #massachusettsmade #naturalmassachusetts #sheisfromhk #agameoftones #girlswhotravel #massachusettsgirl #bostongirl ⁣
📍USA 🇺🇸 (Massachusetts) ⁣ It snowed a 📍USA 🇺🇸 (Massachusetts) ⁣ It snowed a huge snow last week! ❄️ We had a proper “nor’easter” - which, according to Wikipedia, is “a macro-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean.” After having missed snow for many years living in Hong Kong, I honestly can’t tell you how much I’ve missed even the meter-high walls of snow we’d get, without fail, every winter in New England. ⁣ My family is driving down the Cape (Cape Cod) for Christmas! What are your plans?? ⁣ ⁣ #massachusettssnow #ilovenewengland #newenglandsnow #noreaster #bluehillreservation #newenglandphotography #newenglandphotographer #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #cathaycreators #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #ilovemassachusetts #snowsnowsnow #snowmountain #snowlove #snowhike #snowscape #snowcovered #journeyofgirls #journeysofgirls #travelgirlsgo #snowfilter #snowseason #massachusettsoutdoors #massachusetts_igers #massachusettslife #travelgirldiary #travelgirlsofficial #travelgirlscommunity
📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (Lion Rock) ⁣ This was t 📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (Lion Rock) ⁣ This was the second time I’ve hiked to Lion Rock in Kowloon (the first time being over 3 years ago), and I still love the little Lego-pieces of HK’s buildings as far as the eye can see! ⁣ I’m not jn Hong Kong at the moment, but I’ve been telling my family here in the US that it isn’t all dense concrete and gray cityscapes, a huge amount of HK is literally just lush tropical wilderness. ⁣ Hope everyone is having a lovely start to their holidays! My family has never been big holiday people (don’t think they place a lot of emphasis or value on atmosphere), but we still got a little cat-proof tree tree at my insistence to spruce it up a bit. ⁣ ⁣ #ilovehongkong #homekong #hongkongphotography #hongkongphotographer #cathaycreators #hikinginhongkong #hongkonghiking #hkhikes #hongkonghikes #sheisfromhk #sheisnotlost #lionrockhike #lionsrock #hk_iger #travelgirlsgo #livetoexplore #hongkonglife #hongkonginsta #hongkongig #explorehongkong #discoverhongkong #awesomehongkong #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #hongkongblogger #damestravel #traveldames #thedreamytravel #girlsvsglobe #girlsborntravel
📍Massachusetts (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ What’s th 📍Massachusetts (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ What’s the coldest place you’ve ever been to? ⁣ Can you smell how crisp the air is? It was also bone-shatteringly cold - 🥶 30 F (just below 0 C) feels just as fresh and stingy on my face as I remember! There are ZERO “Instagram spots” in the classical sense here - so you’ve got to get creative with Mother Nature! ⁣ Life has been funny lately. I’ve been in the USA for about 2.5 weeks now and I’ve finally settled into a rhythm and a routine. Part of that routine involves 3-4x weekly walks with my parents in a nearby “reservation” - big swathes of land with hiking trails, ponds, and lakes. I’m wearing leggings underneath jeans here, and could STILL feel the sharpness of cold air penetrating all the way through to my skin. ⁣ I’ve traded skyscrapers and haze for lakes and sunsets, and right now, feel super content. ⁣ ⁣ #ilovenengland #houghtonspond #newenglandsunsets #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #newenglandphotographer #newenglandphotography #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #newengland_igers #newenglandfall #newenglandblogger #sheisnotlost #travelgirlshub #damestravel #dametraveler #sheisfromhk #agameoftones #cathaycreators #newenglandpictures #newenglander #ilovemassachusetts #masachusettsphotographer #massachusettsoutdoors #bluehillsreservation #hikingboston #newenglandhikes #massachusettslife #massachusettsmade #naturalmassachusetts
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