I remember how every single traveler I talked with was so eager to pronounce the word ‘family’ as soon as Christmas entered in the conversation. I am going home for Christmas! I am gonna see my girlfriend for Christmas! I will be so happy to be with my family for Christmas! Where will you be for Christmas? Oh, first Christmas away from home?

Seriously, what the hell. Is the first Christmas away from home a big celebration, a big step in life, like the first laundry your mum does not do for you, like the first lion you kill, like the first time you get caught by the police? Or is it something like a blasphemy, something forbidden by the gods themselves – or by the conventions, normality rules of the Western society?

Christmas is a day in the calendar, a day like all others, only this day, a few thousands years ago, someone special for the Christians was born – and now, alright, nowadays it has become a world-wide pretext to express love with your family, to gather, to celebrate together. Fair enough. That’s cool. Not a bad idea, after all.

But, for the love of all the gods from all the pantheons, stop acting like being away from home during Christmas is the saddest thing that can happen to a human. It might seem strange to you, but I am happy wherever this planet is in its revolutions around the Sun, I am happy at any possible place on Earth, and I am happy to see my family at any time of the year, even if it is not a celebration in a specific calendar. Oh, and I do not need an excuse from the calendar to offer gifts to people that I care about.

Because Christmas is just a day. Because my family does not magically change during a precise day. Nor does my relationship with them. And I am proud of it – and of them. I am proud that they are honest and constant, contrary to what the Western conventions seem to think about the society. About us.

And because of the fact that actually, the whole world is my home.

Christmas carols as ambient music in the Hong Kong International Airport. Holy smokes. Alright, just take your ticket and ride your bus man, they are waiting for your arrival. Flashforward.

“The bus that took me from the airport to the city had WiFi man”
“Wow. I love countries like these. You know, countries that respect the Internet”
(David Maher)

I met my uncle Kent (a.k.a. 4 tonton) before he went to work, and dropped my backpack at his place. What can I say about the following days? It was not much of a thrilling adventure, especially after India, rather a few calm and relaxing days, dedicated to visiting family and doing a few preparations for the trip to Malaysia. And practicing moves I had forgotten, like taking showers and doing laundry. Damn, showers.

Showers symbolized all the difference between the developing countries I had been to, and the developed ones I was heading to. Running with my equipment under a harsh sun and still not taking showers for weeks had become quite usual to me; of course, I still enjoyed hot showers, but they really were optional. Strangely enough, when a reached Hong Kong, showers, from an option, a luxury that took time and used water, became a need, a mandatory daily act of maintaining an extreme hygiene in order to be accepted by your civilized fellows.

We (yes, we: if you are reading this, you have the Internet), I was saying, we have solved our basic needs, like eating every day, drinking clean water, having a roof every night; on top of that, we have an advanced hygiene system, access to education, branded clothes, high technology products, etc. – it seems normal, doesn’t it? Normal. So we demand the same for everyone around us: if you are not like me, you will have a hard time trying to become my friend. And the luxury, quality, comfort brought by civilization, instead of satisfying us, instead of making the luckiest animals on Earth out of us, become new needs.

With the development of civilization comes the shift from survival needs to social ones. The sad thing, I guess, is that we forget to be happy of what we already have in the middle. And we forget that some are still battling for survival as well.

I always thought that I would love to live by the sea,
To travel the world, alone, and live more simply…
(Dido – Life For Rent)

And Christmas came. Perfect pretext to share a family dinner together, hehe. And see the city (of blinding) lights afterwards.

What people generally do not know about Hong Kong (well except if you have been following me since the beginning of this blog) is that the major part of its territory is only nature. Wild nature and national parks, mountains and beaches – more than you can explore in half a year living there.

It was then a joy to go back in the mountains, with almost our whole family, for a day of hiking near Sai Kung (西貢).

Short stay, yep, short one, but still as enjoyable, magical as always. It is Hong Kong, after all, my favorite city in this world. Even if I have not seen everything on this planet. Yet.

Next objective: Malaysia.