Improvise

A year after travel restriction in place around the globe, the unprecedented threat to the emotional toll of boredom remains difficult to beat. But it's worth saying that improvisational travel adventures may still be the ticket to globe-trotter's pleasures.

Small as it might be, Hong Kong can offer us quite a number of captivating countryside paths to explore.

The farther we explore into the countryside, the more we love the hidden green places. With flight trips off the agenda for now, countryside walk has become our family’s pastime.

No two hikers agree on the best local hiking route, but a good starting point would be those falling off the radar of the public. Be aware that popular hiking trails could be too crowded to give us a leisurely weekend break.

Often, even without highly revered attraction (think sweet gum trees in autumn, bell-shaped Chinese New Year flower in spring, or cherry blossom in Japan, for that matter), a dash of imagination is good enough to help our family capture the best of nature. There’s nothing quite like being far from the madding crowd, our creative minds running wild. In this I owe much to the ingenuity of my wife and daughter, who always make their own games, a state of mind as quick-witted as Julia Donaldson. Today, we spent an afternoon putting leaves on the zigzagging downstream water along a pretty stream near Luk Keng, the way Englishmen enjoy punting in Cambridge. Such an unbelievable way of having fun.