#HereAndNow: Central Harbourfront

I’ve always been a pacer and the Central harbourfront was my favourite place to walk out my thoughts and emotions, to distract myself from ruminations and eventually immerse myself with the beautiful scenery. There was always something new to discover along the seaside as it was being refurbished and extended to connect the island harbourfront. Seasonal decorations were a delight to chance upon, and it inspired me to bring my loved ones along to share in the sight. The harbourfront became a place where I could have peaceful quality time with loved ones, where we can put aside strains within our relationship and be present in the moment together. Not only did I actively heal emotionally with my walks along the harbourside, I also healed physically.

The Central Harbourfront was paramount to my physical recovery, it was where I started to ease myself into fitness by walking along the sea to Wan Chai or Sai Ying Pun. I’ve always had a difficult time with regular exercise even though there’s lots of evidence for its benefits to our wellbeing. I started walking along the harbour once a week to 3 to 4 times a week, eventually walking further distances to discover and explore the new face of the Hong Kong island harbourfront. Seeing the joggers on my walks eventually spurred me to attempt jogging for the first time in my life. I’ve always been worried about my knee pain when it came to jogging and exercise. It was at the harbourfront where I learned to push past my pain, and also to listen to my body – I learned to stop when my knees hurt, that it’s more than enough to just walk and celebrate being here with Hong Kong’s beautiful skyline.