Closing in on 500 days of being stuck – Hong Kong

Written by Torbjørn C. Pedersen on 21 May 2021.

Day 2,780 since October 10th 2013: 194 countries out of 203. No flight, no return home, min 24 hrs in each country and 1 pandemic!

(The opinions expressed on this site are my own, and do not reflect the position or policies of the Danish Red Cross which I represent as a Goodwill Ambassador).

Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave

pano

The uncertainty of the global pandemic makes it far harder to make good decisions about the future. For now, I continue to be a prisoner with the key within my hand. Using the key comes with great consequences and is ill advised.

Last week’s entry: The BIG door remains closed – Hong Kong

If you’re bored with yet another update from Hong Kong then imagine how I might feel about this entire situation? It is my life which is being spent. This week the Saga turned 7 years, 7 months and 7 days of age. A nice number. 777 is used on most slot machines in the United States of America to identify a jackpot. As it is considered a lucky number, banknotes with a serial number containing 777 tend to be valued by collectors and numismatists. In Hong Kong they find the number 888 highly auspicious but I’m not keen on waiting another year. But what can we do? Give up and fly home or stick it out and grow older in the process? My goodness! This project was never meant to last more than four years at the most. When I announced the 777-day across social media a few people didn’t know how to react? Should they should offer their congratulations or mourn with me. Long term travel is no joke. There’s no more nor less pleasure in it than in an average life. It is not amazing and worth envying. Certainly not in my opinion. The achievements of this project are however rich and nice to behold. But they have come at a very high price and it has yet to be paid at its fullest. Let’s move on…because aparently I’m not allowed to be angry under the immense stress levels which I deal with on a day-to-day basis. I should “relax” and “take it easy”. I should “enjoy what I have” and “stop spreading misery”. Fine…smile and wave boys…just smile and wave…

I am deeply grateful to Ross DK and Geoop for their continuous support within this unique endeavor! They have contributed with finance and some on and off logistical support since the Saga began in 2013. That is a very long time but they value and appreciate loyalty much as I do myself. Back in 2013 they called themselves ‘Ross Offshore’ as you can see within the banner, I carry with me. I could wash the banner but I prefer it as it is. Rugged from an incredibly long journey through 194 countries without flying. That banner has been to more countries than most people will ever see. We now write 2021 and it is now ‘Ross DK’ and ‘Geoop’. There are still many familiar faces left within the company and several new ones too. So – what do they do? Well, they provide us with a deeper understanding of geothermal energy. I have been wanting to make a video about geothermal energy for a while and hope to do so soon. Geothermal energy is a renewable resource that can be used for generating heat and power, without emitting the greenhouse gasses that cause climate change. As far as I’m concerned it is a part of the future and possibly a big part of it.

We 'Hong Kong Super Fans' held our second online event which focused on Hong Kongs unique and growing art scene. It was organized by Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) aka Discover Hong Kong :)

Hong Kong. Well, I can praise Hong Kong in a million different ways without lying even once. Hong Kong is a very nice part of our planet and sure boasts a lot of opportunity. I wish I was in Hong Kong by choice and not because of a pandemic. More Hongkongers have been vaccinated this week than last week so things are heading in the right direction. Unbelievably slowly though. Covid-19 cases remain low within Hong Kong which has a great grip on the situation. Practice makes perfect. Looking around the world its clear to me that we certainly do not have control over the virus. It is spreading like a wildfire and mutating as it goes through millions of people. We are heading towards trouble and most people are blatantly unaware how serious this might be. One malicious variant could be all it takes to set us back to day one of the outbreak. But why would we only risk one? Isn’t it possible that we could have several? Imagine a variant which spreads faster, kills faster and claims a much higher percentage of young people. Science fiction? Not really…it could happen tomorrow and wipe out millions upon millions of families. Being in Hong Kong is like living in a bunker. Here we have no real sense of the risk. Things are quiet in Hong Kong. In some countries it is very apparent how bad things are. It is not about getting it right in one country. It is about getting it right on one planet – thins one. My goodness people, corporations and governments have been selfish. And it will continue still…

This work crew was hauling 20kg (44lbs) ceramic insulators for a some overhead power lines. It was 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 F) in a humidity of 80%.

How long will the Saga take to complete? Can we go somewhere else? The pandemic is not going anywhere anytime soon. Should I just give up? Not knowing is by far worse than knowing. I wish I knew on which day I would die. Then I could look at what I have and what I want and plan it out nicely. Imagine asking a powerful wizard about when you are destined to die and hearing the reply: on a Tuesday. Then for the rest of your life you could be fearing Tuesdays. Or possibly getting your life straight every Monday and go bonkers every Wednesday. I wish I knew when the pandemic would end and the world would open. If you told me it would happen in six months then I can deal with that. But not knowing if it is six months or two years is incredibly tiring. We are all in that boat. Not knowing when the Saga will end…that is my boat alone. My goodness I am tired. Give up on seven years and seven months of effort? Fight two more years for achievement? Where are all the people with the answers?

The Hong Kong Observation Wheel is 60m (197ft) tall. Wifey wanted to tick the experience off her list so we went. Only when the doors closed did she remember that she is afraid of heights :)

I wonder if I’m a better writer within my native language or in English? I certainly have a fuller comprehension of the Danish language which makes it easier to play with sentences. On another yet somehow similar topic I’m baffled how I have come to know Hong Kong far better than I have ever known Copenhagen. I have an apartment in Copenhagen and it used to be my home prior to all of this. I’m fortunate to have some really nice tenants who were happy to prolong the contract with another two years. This was made really easy thanks to the assistance of Home Connector which is a company a friend of mine started years ago. It has grown very successful and Home connector has helped me out several times over the years – thankfully! My bank in Denmark seems to think that I have recently relocated from Denmark to Hong Kong for the purposes of work which is causing all sorts of inconveniences for me. I see how it could appear to be the case. But the reality is that Hong Kong is a stopover…the longest transit of my life. Will I miss Hong Kong? Yes, for sure…but I will definitely leave. Leave so that I can return some day. Let’s take a look at what else happened this week.

I wonder why they call this one "Poodle Rock". Lamma Island.

Happy birthday Michelle!! :)

Oscar (bottom right) invited Wifey and I to come and celebrate Michelle's birthday on Lamma Island. We joined them for lunch :)

An umbrella vending machine. Where else if not in Hong Kong! Anyway - this photo stands in place of the photo I never took at Thomas' birthday gathering. That's Thomas of the Andersen Clan high up in the Hongkongian mountains. Thomas is a prolific host and always masters making everyone feel welcome. Here's to many more Thomas! :)

Salomon has a formidable lineup when it comes to pro athletes. And they have a single full time adventurer who has traveled 307,686km (191,187mi) and reached 194 countries in an unbroken journey completely without flying...solely in Salomon footwear. And now he has new shoes!! :)

The Danish Seamen's Church in Hong Kong received a new shipment of Danish sweets and delicacies for the online shop. And the Hong Kong Danes responded by getting online and ordering big time!!! My job as their assistant continues until we find a way out of Hong Kong. And the job keeps me from being deported on an airplane.

Weekly hikes with friends. In this case Poul the mountain goat :)

And on a final note I can always count on my father for support an encouragement. He recently had surgery as he got his hip replaced. My father returned home and is naturally experiencing discomfort. So he asked his wife to go and get his Once Upon A Saga 'Keep On Keeping On' t-shirt and sent this photo to me. Thanks :)

I would like to thank our esteemed partners for their invaluable contributions to Once Upon A Saga: DB Schenker Denmark, Kameli, Red Sand Solutions, Salomon, the Danish Red Cross and Ross DK / Geoop

Hi Res with Geoop