Have you ever gotten off at the wrong stop, taken a wrong turn or perhaps misread directions, only to end up far away from your intended destination? Are you unsettled at moments like these? I usually am and often want nothing more than to retrace my steps or stop to check the map. If I'm too far off from where I wanted to explore in the first place, it's likely I'll abandon the plan, retrace my steps and take the safe route back to the starting point or to civilisation.
My husband and I took a ferry to Lamma Island, HongKong over the weekend, in search of the famed beancurd dessert and fresh seafood. It wasn't long before we discovered that in order to get to the recommended seafood stretch on Sok Ku Wan, we had to trek a good hour and a half from our landing point to the other side of the island. On top of that, it was raining.
Oh dear, we should have checked the ferry dropoff point more carefully before boarding I said, upset that we had rushed up without verifying which side of the island it was headed.
Walk so far in the rain, without proper shoes, no umbrella or ponchos... not a good idea, I thought, especially when I saw how prepared the locals were - armed for the outing with their brollies, towels and hiking shoes. Let's turn back, settle for the seafood restaurant near the pier (the only one with any customers actually, due to the lack of choice) so we can head back to the mainland in good time.
Who knows, the choices may be pretty much the same on the other side of the island and we'll be disappointed at having wasted time and effort.
But never one to balk at a challenge, hubby won me over with his enthusiasm.
We made a good trek of it (also a much needed exercise session for me!), all the way round to the other side of the island, trudging uphill (in the rain) at several points!
A little unplanned hike, a small step into the unknown but certainly a powerful reminder for me - that not everything in life can (or even should) be planned and executed accordingly.
It may be a good thing to detour sometimes, to take a risk instead of retreating to the familiar, comfortable or convenient when faced with choices...
what's more, mistakes can give us great experiences we may otherwise miss!
Who knows what one might discover at the end of the road...
Well in our case, there was an entire street of seafood restaurants with mouthwatering fare for us to choose from :)
Have you been doing much travelling this month with your family and loved ones?
We take such care to plan and record these journeys, don't we?
Often we also spare no expense in our efforts to make sure that everyone on the trip has the most unforgettable and complete experience.
But surely life's multitude of journeys needs more than a map, money and forward-planning?
With a constantly evolving itinerary, it takes courage to embrace new paths as they open before us.
Let's keep a grateful heart when faced with detours, and... remember to smile and take the hand of the person next to you when walking uphill in the rain!
Don't forget, Serena and I will be waiting for you with some of our handmade goodies, (above: sneak peek of my altered notebooks) tomorrow (Sunday 17th June) at Rochester Mall, 12 noon to 6pm! Do drop by and say hi to us!
Sheon
