It’s rather fitting that I spent today in Aberdeen, home of the boat people, because tonight is my brother Robin’s show at the American Chamber of Commerce (Bank of America Building) about Hong Kong’s relationship with water.  Robin is a world reknown photographer.  I’ll be going to the opening cocktail party.

As I said, today: Aberdeen.  I drove over with Gopal in the morning and spent the day walking all over the town.  I literally did not see another caucasian person the whole time I was there, which was about 6 hours. 

Back in the 60s when I was a student in HK,  I remember coming to Aberdeen for two reasons only:  to see the dragon boat races and to take our visiting friends to lunch or dinner on the floating restaurants, where you would select your fish from huge tanks, the staff would pull them out with nets, throw them flopping around on the tiles, and they would be sent straight to the kitchen for preparation.  The dragon boat festival was a hugely popular event.  Back in those days, the village of Aberdeen abutted the waterfront and there was only a low wall to keep the ocean water from filling the streets.  There was a very small stone temple right next to the water where people used to burn incense and other offerings (paper money; tiny paper shoes, clothes, appliances, and anything else they thought their ancestors would need in the other world).

After Gopal let me off, I walked east and came to the Tin Hau Temple, which was built in 1851 by the Aberdeen fishermen.  Tin Hau Temples, of which there are 70 in Hong Kong, are usually built on the hillside next to the coast, but due to land reclamation over the last hundred years, this temple is quite a ways inland.  Tin Hau is a patron diety of seafaring folks in Guangdong (Canton) and Fujian provinces.  This temple was built so the fishermen could pray for protection from Tin Hau.

Tin Hau Temple

Dragon fish roof tiles grace the corners of the Tin Hau Temple roof.

 

Temple Rules

 

Incense Cones

 

 

  

These large spirals hanging from the ceiling of the Tin Hau Temple are incense cones. Buddhist and Taoist belief holds that the smoke purifies the surroundings, attracts the attention of the gods, and carries prayers to heaven. It is also believed that the smoke is food for the spirits of ancestors who had previously died. After an incense cone is ignited at the end, it burns for weeks, carrying the worshipper’s prayers and wishes up to the gods in heaven and ensuring good fortune and prosperity. Temples benefit financially from the sale of incense cones, each of which has a red tag with the name of the worshipper who made a donation to the temple. Those who cannot afford a large incense cone can light individual incense sticks, which they wave over their heads during prayer to attract the attention of the gods.

 

 

Dieties for 1918 and 1919, the years my parents were born

 

 

 

I left Tin Hau Temple and walked east until I came to Old Main Street, which runs parallel to Main Street.  This intrigued me.  Sounded like something from the past.  It was a narrow one-way street that had shops on one side and backs of buildings that fronted Main Street on the other.  So I followed Old Main Street south toward the waterfront.  There I saw what was finally a familiar sight:  the small temple area that used to be right at the waterfront.  Finally I was beginning to see the Aberdeen I remembered from my youth.

 

 

 

 

Small temple that was next to the waterfront in the 60s.

 

 

 

 

More small temples that are on a steep incline behind the other temple.

 

Looking down on the other side of the steep incline, there are more small temples.

 

I would like to know more about the history of this group of small temples.   I can only speculate that since the Tin Hau Temple is supposed to be on the water and since the land reclamation has made the main temple so far from the water, these smaller ones were built to remedy that situation, allowing crowds of people to send blessings to their ancestors on special holidays.

 

On up the incline was an incredible structure.  It looked like a treehouse built in a Chinese Banyan tree.  I again assume it has some religious significance because there are many coils of incense hanging under the roof.

 

Treehouse in Aberdeen

 

Incense coils hanging inside treehouse

 

Discarded stone Chinese guardian lion next to small temple

 

My next objective was to walk across the bridge to Ap Lei Chau so I could get a good view of Aberdeen harbor and see what else there was to see.   First I had to figure out how to get across the main thoroughfare.  I found the overpass and noticed that there were stairs on one side and a rampway on the other.  Clearly in this part of Hong Kong they are thinking about wheelchair users and the elderly.  In Central, new construction affords them the use of elevators.  Not here. 

 

Stairs to overpass

 

Rampway to overpass

Accommodating people who use wheelchairs.

 

Pretty steep incline to go it alone!

 

Ingenious way to keep homeless people from sleeping under the sheltered overpass.

 

Bridge to Ap Lei Chau

 

 

 

Schoolyard playground and basketball courts -- taken from bridge

 

 

 

Young boys being trained to march -- ROTC???

 

I took a video of their practice.   It will take a while to upload…

 

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Aberdeen Tennis and Squash Center -- taken from bridge

 

 

Water taxis docking to pick up passengers

 

 

 

It was a great day, very interesting and rewarding.  I made my way to Main Street where I had seen a bus stop for the #973 or #73 bus that I needed to catch to get back to Repulse Bay.  When I got home, I got ready to go out to my brother’s show. 

 

Gopal had to go into town, so he dropped me at the Bank of America Building.  I was a bit early (6:15), but I had to leave by 7:30 so that was okay.  I met some of Robin’s colleagues and friends, also some people whom he did not know either.  The event was well attended.  Proceeds from the sale of Robin’s photos go to raise funds for water quality awareness.  The photos sell for $1,000 US and upwards.  I ordered a book, which is much smaller than the photos and has about 40 photos from several photographers.

 

 

Robin applauding what someone else was saying about "the cause." Some of his photos in background.

 

After I left Robin’s show, I took a bus home, where Gopal and Monika had just begun their dinner party with friends from Paris, Jean Pierre and Moni.  I had met them 5 years ago.  It was a very nice evening of memories, good friends, good food, and good wine.

 

Until next time….

 

 

 

 

Monday and Tuesday were really quite miserable, weather-wise.  It was cold and rainy-misty-drizzly-foggy.  I wanted to do nothing but stay home and read and communicate with friends, so that’s what I did.   Even Donna and Xena were miserable and stayed next to the heater as soon as it was turned on.

I dibs the left side of the heater! I get the right side!!! Ah, warmth!

On Monday night, all three of us settled down and watched a movie called August Rush.  If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it — it’s about an little orphan boy who turns out to be a music prodigy.  My brother, Scott, would love this movie!  Robin Williams was great and played a role very different from the roles he usually plays.  The young boy was incomparable!

On Tuesday, Monika invited me to go to the sauna at the Repulse Bay Club.  That was great, but I could only take about 5-10 minutes of it before I was dying of the heat.  A nice cool shower and rest afterwards did the trick.  In the afternoon, Monika and I went to the store to do the inventory, but instead of trying to learn new computerized methods from me, she decided she would be better off staying with her manual procedures, as she only wanted to be operating it for another year. 

On Wednesday, after spending two days cooped up in the house, I got up early in spite of the hazy weather and headed out for Kowloon where my plan was to find China Travel and inquire about a trip to Guilin, China, and possibly Moganshan, where my mother spent her summers when she lived in Shanghai.  The area of Kowloon nearest to the Star Ferry Pier is called Tsim Sha Tsui, and it is the area of Kowloon most well known for its restaurants and shops.  I had already been given the address where I needed to go, which was at the China Pier several blocks north of the Star Ferry.  I decided today was a day to do some liesurely window shopping and see what the high end department stores had to offer.  Hong Kong is basically a fashion mecca.  Just like New York and Paris, you have every designer store you can imagine — on both sides of the harbor.  Here I am looking for just a plain, solid teal cotton button down shirt with collar — like a man’s shirt, but for women — to go with a particular jeans outfit, I am in the one place in the world where there is a clothing store of some kind or another every few steps you take (Central and Tsim Sha Tsui), and every store is so packed full of fashion items there is no room for common stuff like I want.  On the way to the China Pier I passed Lane Crawford (a British icon in HK), Hermes, Salvatore Feragamo, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Fendi, Coach, Dolce & Gabana, and Armani.  When I said “passed,” I meant it.  I did not go in, except Lane Crawford, which also was way too expensive for my taste.  I finally made it to China Travel, which was actually in the China ferry terminal, so people were coming and going with luggage in tow.  I had one heck of a time finding it, and when I finally did, and my number was called, I was told they only do tours in Chinese for Chinese tourists.  They gave me the address of the China Travel location for English tours, which was multiple blocks east toward Nathan Road.

I continued my exploration straight east and came to Kowloon Park.  I had wanted to see this park anyway, so since the address of China Travel was further south toward the ferry, I decided to take the time now to see it.  I am so glad I did.  This was the highlight of today’s adventure.

Kowloon Park is a magical green gem of a mecca in the midst of a concrete jungle!  It’s located on property that used to be the famous British Whitfield Barracks that protected the harbor.  The park was officially opened in 1970, and was redeveloped in 1989 at a cost of HK$300 million funded by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.  It consists of nearly 33 acres (13.3 hectares) of prime land devoted to birds, lakes, natural flora, and active and passive activities for people of all ages.  The park is on a hill, so from the street level, you have to climb up quite a number of steps to get to it.  I immediately noticed how beautifully landscaped it was — just full of greenery and flowers.  As I moved through the park, I came to lakes and all sorts of waterfowl and other animals that love the water (turtles and such)…

My first view of Kowloon Park

One of many fountains

 

Pink Flamingos by the lake

 

 

Pink Flamingos

 

Gorgeous blue and white bird -- a Black-crowned Night Heron

 

Male Wood Duck -- stunningly beautiful!

 

Peacock

 

A little further on, I went up more steps and found a wonderful display of birds in an enormous screened-in enclosure.  I had to look twice at this one because it looked like the bird had two heads at first, but I found out it’s a horn on top of his beak, not Siamese birds!  Amazing!

 

Palawan Hornbill -- Philippines

 

Eclectus Parrot -- Australia

 

Red and Green Macaw and Blue and Yellow Macaw

 

Green eclectus parrot - Indonesia

 

Palm Cockatoo -- the feathers on top of its head stand up and look like a fan. I just missed it!

 

I'm free -- and you're not

 

When I was in Sydney, Australia, in 2001, the Eclectus Parrots (blue and red bird) were everywhere.  I have a picture of me holding one in my hand.  They were very tame — perhaps because of all the people feeding them….

 

Other amenities of the park include restful areas with specially sized tables for people to play board games, soccer fields, a huge acquatic center, a fitness trail designed specifically for the elderly, and the whole park is wireless internet accessible.  You can read all about the park if you Google it.  There is one really nice site that gives you a 360 video of various locations within the park.

 

Common park site -- Chinese checkers or mah jong and onlookers

 

Kids playing soccer in Kowloon Park

 

Park swimming pool -- one of 5.

 

Park swimming pool

 

Park accommodation: Fitness area for elderly

 

Park accommodation: WiFi

 

I probably could have stayed in the park all day, but knew I had to accomplish my mission.  As I left the park, I saw a store called Bee Cheng Hiang that sells delicious barbequed pork snacks — a chain that originates in Singapore.  I had just read about this place in a brochure, so I had to try it.  I bought a bag and went on my way.

 

China Travel for English tours was located on the first floor (i.e., several flights of stairs up) of a building down Nathan Road from the park.  By this time I have to admit, I was getting a bit tired and my feet were starting to ache.  When my number was called, I discussed travel to Guilin.  They gave me their brochure which shows their only offering: a 4 day 3 night trip for what would cost $1000 US, exclusive of air fair to and from Guilin and exclusive of dinners.  So add another $300 – $400 US.  It included a guide to meet me at the airport, travel to hotel, next day guided tour to three of the usual tourist attractions, next day guided cruise down the Li River, and next day return to Hong Kong.  Only 2 other people were signed up for the tour at that time.  I wasn’t ready to commit, so I told them I’d be in touch.  I wanted to see if I could find a better deal.

 

On my walk back to the Star Ferry, I passed the well-known YMCA which is located in a prime spot right next to the famous Peninsula Hotel.  The YMCA is a very popular place to stay in HK because the prices are extremely reasonable and the location is great.  Many of my friends who will be coming in for my high school reunion later this month will be staying there.  I bought a book on the China countryside (which my mother will love) in the YMCA bookstore, then headed for the ferry.

 

The Famous Peninsula Hotel near Star Ferry, Kowloon

 

I can’t resist taking pictures of some of the gorgeous things I see in shop windows.  This absolutely amazing work of art was in the China Arts and Crafts window.

 

Horses carved from presumably an elephant tusk

 

Detail of horse carving -- incredible, eh?

 

Horse carving showing tusk from which it was carved

 

I caught the ferry, then took bus to Repulse Bay and home via the market where I picked up some wine and other items for dinner.  Ciao until next time.

 

 

 

Today is Sunday — really!

Monika, Gopal and I drove to Aberdeen to look for a number of items of furniture in a multiple floor furniture warehouse on Ap Lei Chau (remember, this is the island that is now connected by a bridge to Aberdeen, and is now where all the “boat people” have been relocated). 

The first store we visited was way too modern.  Then we went to one that was far more ecclectic, with items from all over the world.  Gopal and Monika fell in love with a couple of unfortunately pricey wall units they have put on their wish list for when the economy improves.  Here are two items I found fascinating.  If only I didn’t live so far away!

Russian Tea Dispensers in Aberdeen Furniture Warehouse

Beautiful teak Bali hut (7'10" on all sides) for use as an outdoor bar or simply a refuge!

 

Monika and Gopal purchased a large plastic outdoor unit in which to store things that will not mildew in the humidity.  To be delivered the following Saturday.

 

We sat and drank coffee in the store with the Bali hut.  They have a nice coffee bar right there.  Then we drove to Causeway Bay to check on a small Indian scooter that was being repaired for resale.  These are the only pictures I took on that trip.

 

Entryway to orphanage above Happy Valley

 

Depicting lovely bamboo design of orphanage enclosure

 

Spring has sprung in Hong Kong

 

We then drove to the Hong Kong Cricket Club and had a nice buffet lunch in the bar.  The place was packed.  The Cricket Club has several bars and restaurants that offer different kinds of food.  The food served on the buffet was British fare of cheeses, pork roast, spinach and leek casserole, browned potatoes, a variety of breads.

 

Home we went to clean up the place.  Gopal went to open their store in the Repulse Bay Club.  Monika and I cleaned house and got ready for our dinner guests — my brother Robin and wife Boots, and friend Tony.  Monika spared Gopal in the store and Gopal drove to the HK Cricket Club to pick up all the Indian food he had ordered for our dinner.  Then he took over the store and Monika returned and we prepared the food for dinner.

 

I regret that I did not take any pictures of the dinner.  We were having so much fun talking and visiting that I never even thought about my camera!

But a good time was had by all!

 

Here are a couple of pictures I took of pictures of Gopal and Monika taken years ago:

 

 

 

Monika and Gopal probably soon after they met - late 80s

 

 

 

Monika and Gopal in 90s

 

 

 

I’ll get pictures of Boots and Robin next time I see them….

 

That’s all for today.

 

Friday.  I have to apologize to all my readers.  I have been too busy to post, but am doing my best now and over the next few days to update you on my daily activities since March 8.

The time difference between here and the eastern coast of the US, where I am from, has mixed me up because the date in my camera is still set on US time.  I’ve been depending on the date the pictures were taken to help me remember what I have been doing every day!  March 9 is actually Saturday, so please excuse the error.  Somehow I managed to miss a day of reporting (probably Friday the real 8th) but does it really matter?  To me, yes, but to the readers perhaps not so much.

Just to quickly say what I did on Friday the 8th, I had a hair appointment at 11:30 — which I scouted out the day before, as I reported.  I really like how Dennis cut my hair, and he was a very personable guy.  Afterwards, I called my sister-in-law, who was still at work and wanted to join up with me at 1:30.  I had an hour to kill, so I walked to Prince’s Building to find a shop called Alessi. I had brought a metal bowl with me that was missing a leg, and Monika had wanted to know if they could repair it, since she bought it there.  They told me they do not do repairs, so I just chucked the bowl in the nearest refuse bin, upon Monika’s instruction.  That lightened my load considerably.  I made it back to our meeting place in good time.  We walked half a block to Nga Trang, a Vietnamese restaurant.  The food was outstanding.  Midway through our meal, another patron sat beside us, as is the custom in crowded restaurants.  Turns out Boots knew her from the FCC, so we had a very nice conversation amongst the three of us.  I made up my mind that on occasion, when I am in Central, I will pick up some TO GO meals at Nga Trang and bring them back for dinner with Gopal and Monika.  After lunch, Boots had to go back to work, so we said our good-byes and that we’d see each other again on Sunday when she and my brother would be coming over for Indian food at Gopal and Monika’s apartment.  I did more exploring in Central, which I always love to do.   I think the pictures I posted on the other March 8 included some taken on the real March 8.  Those two days obviously sort of blended together in my mind.

Today, Saturday, I headed out fairly early so I could spend a lot of time exploring Sham Shui Po, which is reknown for its fabrics and beads and all sorts of stuff from which to make jewelry and jeweled fabrics, like sequined purses and blouses, etc. 

I had a very nice time on the bus to Central.  I went to the top level, as usual, and sat next to a Chinese man who almost instantly struck up a conversation.  He asked if I was going to go shopping, and I told him I was headed to Sham Shui Po, but today just to look and later to buy.  He said that was a good idea.  After talking for a while, with him even showing me pictures of his family on his smartphone, I asked him what he did in his career, since his English was pretty good.  He told me he was 75 and had retired 10 years ago, and that he had only had 2 jobs in his life.  His first was with (did I remember?) TWA.  I told him I certainly did remember TWA because I had been a stewardess with Pan Am, their rival airline.  That was funny.  He then said his second job was with a chemical company.  I asked him which one.  He said, E. I. DuPont Company.  I looked at him with incredulty.  I said, “That is amazing.  That is the company my father worked for all of his career, and it’s why we came to Hong Kong in 1962!  My father was #2 man for DuPont Far East.”  We both laughed and then tried to figure out if any names were familiar, but alas there was too much of a time difference.  He only started working for DuPont in 1979.  My father had retired by then, as was a good nearly 20 years older than this man was.  He had been in charge of safety at all the plants that DuPont owned or did business with.  That was quite an experience.  Before he left, he asked if I communicated via Facebook and I said yes.  Then he gave me his Facebook name: Samko, which means “Uncle Sam.”  I have, unfortunately, not been able to find him with that name.  Others, but not him.  Sad to have lost my connection with him.

Believe it or not, this was the first time I took the Star Ferry across the harbor.  When I lived here in 1962-65, I took the Star Ferry every day to school.  Of course, things have changed a lot since then.  Much of the land at the waterfront has been reclaimed, massive tall buildings have been built, and the Star Ferry pier has been relocated.  The trip across takes only 5 minutes compared to 7 or 8 when I was a student.  The ferries are no faster; the distance is shorter!

At the Hong Kong side ferry pier, there is an historical display of the Star Ferry.  It originated in 1880 when Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, a Parsee (Zoroastrians who fled Iran due to religious persecution) cook, decided he would start a ferry service between Hong Kong island and Kowloon with his steamboat, the Morning Star.  A second deck was added, and within 10 years the service was bought by Sir Catchick Paul Chater who created the Star Ferry Company.  Every vessel has “Star” in the name, and the boat with the green bottom and white upper deck is one of the icons of Hong Kong.  At both the Hong Kong and Kowloon sides of the ferry, there is a clock tower.  The one on Hong Kong side belongs to the Star Ferry Company, has a clock on all four sides, keeps time via state-of-the-art GPS tied to universal time, and has 5 bells which are tuned to result in a perfect, harmonious Westminster chime every 15 minutes.  This clock tower is an important landmark at the waterfront in Central.  The one on the Kowloon side is also a landmark, but it is now officially called the Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower.  It still stands where the railway station used to be.   

Approaching Star Ferry Pier from elevated walkway. Reclamation underway as always.

Star Ferry Pier and clock tower

 

 

Star Ferry at pier

 

Inside front section of Star Ferry, showing seat backs that move both directions.

 

Last people on this trip shown leaving the ferry.

 

Once all passengers have alighted, the new ones are allowed to board. This is quite a herd when schools let out and during rush hour!

 

 

Having made my way across the harbor, I then took a #2 bus to Sham Shui Po.  The excellent staff at Hong Kong Travel right at the ferry pier told me which bus to take and when to get off, showed me a map and everything.  I am lost without maps! 

I got off at Kweilin Street and walked 2 blocks to the street where all the bead shops are.  Every shop offered something different.  Several looked very much like the shops I saw at the Jade Market.  Some offered just chains.  One offered all plastic beads, one all wooden beads, one all silver items, several offered a vast variety of stone beads, another glass beads.  One store was just for ribbons.  One was just for buttons. Another for sequins.

I really did spend hours just walking around and looking and checking on prices of everything so when I go to Shenzhen (China) later I can compare to see which is the better buy.  I also did not want to buy until I saw what they had and would then make up a list of what I absolutely need to have for my business.  I was walking around and it was beginning to get dark when I noticed people lined up for blocks and wondered what the attraction was.  I followed the line to its origin and discovered they were all waiting for freshly deep fried bean curd strips, sheets, and rolls.  Must be quite a delicacy.  Unfortunately, I did not have time to wait in line to try it out!

I found the return bus stop, and back I went to the Star Ferry and Central.

Night lights in HK Central from Star Ferry

 One of the “sights” that attracts people leaving the Star Ferry as they walk along the escalated walkway toward Des Voeux Road is the Apple store.  Two glass enclosed floors – built across one of the busiest roadways in HK — always packed with people trying the Apple products and buying! too.  Imagine that!

HK Apple Store

Thursday.  Emailed my sister-in-law to find out how she’s been.  She has had a flu bug.  Just getting over it, and Robin, my brother, was due in from Kuala Lumpur later this morning.  Arranged to meet Boots for lunch on Friday and she told me a good place to get my hair washed, cut and blow dried for HK$138, or less than $20 US.  So I made an appointment for Friday morning.

After lunch at home with Monika I took the bus to Central to look around and make sure I can find the hair dresser when I come back tomorrow.  It was real easy because it’s located on the street that goes under the mid-levels escalator — the one that starts at the bus terminus and ends mid-way up the mountain above Central.  That was my stomping grounds when I was here 5 years ago and stayed with my brother and sister-in-law. 

Some information about transportation here.  You must have exact change when you board any transport (bus, subway, ferry, tram) or you can purchase an “Octopus Card” for HK$50 ($7+ US) and add money to it, like a debit card.  Then, all you have to do is place your card on the card reader in any bus, tram, peak tram or ferry, and the fare is automatically deducted and you’re on your way.  You can add money to your card in any 7-11 store or at any transport terminus.  You can also use the Octopus Card to buy things at the 7-11 stores.  It is super convenient.  The other day I didn’t realize it, but my card was low.  I got on the bus and saw it had a balance of negative $1.10, so I went to the 7-11, put HK$100 on the card, and it gave me the new balance of $98.90. 

After locating the hair dresser, I just walked around SOHO (South Of HOllywood Road), the area reknown for restaurants, antiques, and high-end dress shops.  As this is a tourist town, it’s fairly easy to get around because nearly every corner tells you how to get where you are going.

Street signs for tourists

Hong Kong has not escaped fast food and their unbelievably absurd locations; in fact, here is a MacDonalds right next to the Sun Yat-sen Museum!

MacD's and Sun Yat-sen Museum

Hiking up SOHO streets

 

You have to know I am wearing jeans and my new tennis shoes.  Very comfortable, and very stable.  But I have to tell you most of the women I see in Central are wearing heels, boots with high heels, flats, sandals, but rarely tennis shoes.  I feel out of place, and much like a tourist, but very glad I am not wearing the shoes they are wearing!  I honestly don’t know how they do it day in and day out.  My feet could never stand that abuse!

 

I heard a very loud pounding that shook the ground, so I went to see what was happening.  This huge machine was pounding pilings into the ground in preparation for building another high rise.  I’m going to try to insert a video here, so I hope you can open it.  (Be patient; it might take a while to load.)

 

 

MOV00301

 

 

I wasn’t the only one entranced by the cadence.  One young student, probably about 9 or 10 years old, passed by me and was kicking out his leg straight in front of him in time with the pounding.  Step step KICK, step step KICK.  He was laughing and having a good time.  He looked so cute in his navy blue school uniform.  Wish I could have captured that on video! 

 

I walked down Caine Road, past my brother and sister-in-law’s apartment, where I saw a notice posted on their entrance which notified tenants of pilings being driven in the area and the times they would be in operation, so they would know what the noise was all about and plan accordingly.  Then just past the mid-levels escalator I took the first road to the left, which was Old Bailey Street.  It’s an amazing street:  one restaurant after another.  This is what I passed as I made my way back down toward Central:

 

 

 

French Restaurant, Old Bailey St., SOHO

 

Szechuan-Peking Restaurant, Old Bailey St., SOHO

 

Japanese Restaurant, Old Bailey St., SOHO

 

Italian Restaurant, Old Bailey St., SOHO

 

Manchu Restaurant, Old Bailey St., SOHO

 

Indonesian Restaurant, Old Bailey St., SOHO

 

For those of you who live in Tallahassee, this is quite amazing.  Of course, if you’re in a big city, maybe this is what you are used to, but I still think it’s extraordinary to see so many different kinds of restaurants in one place.  I have no idea how some of them stay in business, but actually, at lunch, this place is packed.

 

 

Continuing on down to Central bus terminus, I went down Pottinger Street, which is one of the “lanes” where the Chinese sell their wares.  When I was here in 2007, I thought these stalls were selling for Halloween because it was September, but now I see it’s year ’round merchandise!

 

Every day is Halloween!

 

You never know when there's going to be a masquerade party

 

Halloween options

 

It was getting dark as I boarded the bus at the central bus terminus. The buildings were starting to be lighted up.  At 8:00 every night there is a laser light show in the harbor.  It’s truly a sight to see and hear, as music plays and you see a beautiful light display that goes back and forth between the Hong Kong and Kowloon sides of the harbor.

 

 

Elevated walkway enroute to the bus terminus.

 

 

 

Building lighting up in Central

 

And lights turning to blue

 

The above pictures were taken from the second level of the #6X (Express) bus to Repulse Bay which goes through Aberdeen tunnel and cuts the travel time by about 10 minutes.

 

 

 

Aberdeen tunnel

 

 That’s it for today.  See you tomorrow….

 

Today was really miserable outside.  Could hardly see your hand in front of your face.  Amazing the change in weather!  I decided to take the day off and catch up on my blog, pay bills, and read.  Did I tell you this building is under repairs?  From 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. it is a constant barrage of drilling — I mean like jackhammer on sidewalk drilling, only it is on the wall next to my bedroom.  And then, in about a week, Monika and Gopal are going to be moving across the hall to a smaller apartment because they went up so much on rent it was no longer affordable — rather what they did not want to afford!  So it will be interesting going from 2 bathrooms to one and from 2 bedrooms (although the second is only about 6′ x 6′ excluding closet) to 1.  They will be getting rid of a lot of furniture and putting my bed, which is a beautiful Chinese carved wood bed, in the livingroom, which is where I will sleep.  Who knows where my two large suitcases will go….  Stay tuned for that adventure!

So today I’m just going to show you a few pictures that may be of interest.

While we were in Aberdeen, we came across a recycling bin where you can recycle clothes, printer cartridges (top left) and CDs (top right).  This is something we need to do in the States.

Recycling Center.

Roast duck and chicken street stall

 

Ready to eat steamed dumplings

 

 

I hope the item in the back is not food....

 

 

After the turtle soup has been made...

 

 

Anything for a laugh....

 

Yeah, I'm cute -- all decked out in jeans and a hoodie....

Notice to wheelchair users on how to operate stair lift.

 

Stair lift

Tuesday started off as a beautiful day, destined to reach 25 degrees centigrade or 77 degrees farenheit with 97% humidity.  Oh well.  Monika and Gopal’s cats, Donna and Xena, enjoyed the outdoors this morning while we prepared for the day.

Donna sunning....

Xena resting on her scratching pad.

 

SOHO area (South of Hollywood Road) Central

I made my way to Ladder Street, which some people call “Cat Street.”  There are lots of people selling a variety of stones, antiquities, and things you don’t see elsewhere, like clocks and door knockers.  Here are a few pictures.  I managed to restrain myself and only purchased a few stones, but I have my eye on a clock that I saw 5 years ago and they still have one.

 

 

Bronze, wood and ceramic buddhas and other figures

 

Please note that you can click on any picture to enlarge it and see the details.  I recommend you do that to the picture I posted yesterday of Aberdeen park and check out the yellow banner below the red gate.

 

 

Clocks and Phones Sold and Repaired

 

Dolls

 

The next picture is for my mother.

 

 

 

Laughing Buddha just like the one Mom bought in China for 35 cents long ago.

 

 

 With a few more hours to kill, I headed down to Des Voeux Road which runs parallel to the harbor and is home to the trams that run the length of the island from Kennedy Town (west) to Shau Kei Wan (east).  It is quite educational to simply ride the tram.  It only costs HK$2.30 whenever and wherever you get on, which is less than 40 cents US.  So I got on and rode to Kennedy Town.  When I passed Western Market, I came to an area called Dried Seafood Street.  For blocks and blocks to my left all you could see was stalls and stalls of dried seafood which are used both as a food staple and as medicines.

 

 

Taken from tram heading west to Kennedy Town. Typical road scene.

 

Air conditioning is so very important here in summer.

 

A common sight -- truckloads of bamboo for scaffolding.

 

On my way back from Kennedy Town I stopped off to buy a lottery ticket, then resumed my trip back to Central.  In HK, you can only buy lottery tickets at the HK Jockey Clubs that are scattered around town.  That is where all the parimutuel betting takes place.  I met up with Gopal at the Cricket Club for a drink, then we headed home in the car.   I considered it quite an eventful day.  Of course, it would have been more eventful had we won the lottery!

 

Ciao until tomorrow.

We started the day at the Aberdeen fish market.  I’ve shown you pictures of Aberdeen before, but not the fish market.  This place used to be wall-to-wall boats (junks, sampans) where people lived.  Their shedding of debris, sewage, etc., was not great for the local waters, so the government moved them into huge “resettlement” buildings on a nearby island called Ap Lei Chau and then connected the island with a bridge.  Most of the boat people still make their living on the water, but just don’t live on the boats anymore.  Gopal’s office is just past Aberdeen so he dropped us off while he got the car washed.  We weren’t allowed to take pictures in some areas, presumably because the fish might not be legal….  So I took pictures only in the allowed areas. 

Aberdeen Fish Market -- each fish company offloads its fish in such areas

 

Fresh fish...

Yummy clams....

After we had our fill of seafood, Monika and I got the car from Gopal and parked it in one of the Aberdeen carparks.  Then we walked through this really nice park where all the elderly Chinese were out visiting with their friends.  I love the fact that in all public parks, smoking is prohibited because they don’t want their elderly to breathe second-hand smoke.  Hong Kong has really gone all out for anti-smoking, clean air, reducing the carbon footprint, and other clean environmental habits.

Aberdeen park

We headed for a cappucino at — would you believe — McDonald’s “McCafe.”  Monika and Gopal tell me their cappucinos are better than Pacific Coffee and Starbucks — and cheaper!  I like the way they decorate the tops…

McCafe cappucinos

After a leisurely coffee, I went looking for a new pair of walking shoes, which I found.  They’re much more comfortable than the ones I brought with me.  Then we browsed through the Aberdeen Market, which is a large three story building in the center of town.  They sell fruit and vegetables on the ground floor, and everything else on the next two floors.  It’s so very convenient to go for your dried fish and chicken feet and then turn around and buy a new dress or have a suit made.

One stop shopping

Around 1:00 we stopped for a quick lunch at a local Japanese fast food restaurant.  In less than 3 minutes, I had a miso soup and a bowl of rice with beef and vegetables.  Monika had miso and a bowl of mushroom congee (rice and noodles in a slightly thickened broth).  Their pickled ginger comes in small sealed cellophane packages. 

Having had enough of Aberdeen, we drove to the Hong Kong Cricket Club where we left the car (Monika and Gopal are members) and picked up the bus to the ferry terminal in Central.  The Cricket Club is about mid-way between Central and Repulse Bay at the top of the gap in the mountains.  Anyway, Gopal’s mother (age 96) had been in the hospital ever since I got here, and she just returned home, so Monika wanted to go visit her.  I got to go along for the ride, and had met Gopal’s mother years ago.  She now lives on Lantau Island in a village called Discovery Bay.  It is a 20 minute ferry ride from Central ferry pier. 

Discovery Bay Ferry

Beautiful inside accommodations

Discovery Bay is a relatively new community.  There are no cars, only golf carts, bicycles, and buses.  The area around the bay has been developed with several pricey restaurants and shops.  It was my first time there and it was nothing at all like Hong Kong.  It would be a great place to have a small apartment just to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  However, it won’t be long before this place is full of tall apartment buildings, too.  Rentals are lower, and it would be ideal for someone who works from home and doesn’t need to be traveling back and forth by an $8 ferry every day.  They do run fairly frequently, though, so for many people it’s worth the more relaxed atmosphere.

View from Gopal's mother's apartment. Discovery Bay.

Discovery Bay waterfront promenade

After visiting and watching a few Indian soap operas with Gopal’s mother — an experience in itself — we hopped the ferry back to HK, armed with chicken curry and a stack of chapatis for dinner, compliments of the cook-boy.  We took the bus to the Cricket Club, met up with Gopal, and we all drove back to Repulse Bay.  Dinner and a movie: My Week with Marilyn. Quite a story!  It was a good day.  ’til tomorrow….

Today is Sunday. We have an invitation to visit Tony Turner and have brunch with him at a restaurant called “The Ranch” in Sai Kung in the New Territories. I trust you have all read the Wikipedia account of Hong Kong and know that there are three main regions of HK: HK Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. Of course, now the huge but relatively sparsely inhabited island of Lantau is fast becoming built up because that’s where the new airport is located.  However, it will never outpace Hong Kong Island in terms of trade and population because of the sheer distance from where all the action is!  It’s a 20 minute ferry ride that costs a bit over US$4.00 each way.  That’s expensive transport for this place where you can go as far on a bus for less than $1.00.

After a small breakfast, we prepared for our outing.  We left home at 10:00 and drove through the cross harbor tunnel to Kowloon area called Clearwater Bay.  I learned today that there are 3 cross harbor tunnels, not just one.  First we went to the Flower Market for about an hour to pick up some more flowers for the apartment.

Interesting yellow tuberous flowers hanging upside down.

Closer look at yellow tuberous flowers.

They even sell ornamental cabbage and kale in bouquets.

Then we drove up to Tony’s, switched to Tony’s car, and headed for Sai Kung.  A bit of history: when I was here 5 years ago, Tony and I were doubles partners at the Clearwater Bay Country Club and beat Gopal and his partner (Ferrari franchise owner) 6-0, 6-0, 6-1.   We had a lovely lunch of Bar-B-Q baby back ribs and fries.  Very American. 

After lunch we visited at Tony’s for a while.

Tony's pool and view...

and then headed back to HK because Monika had to open the store.  Gopal spelled Monika for an hour or so while we took a walk to Deep Water Bay.

Deep Water Bay

 Those were the big events of today.  ‘Til next time….

After breakfast, Monika gave me a lymphatic cleansing, which is a procedure that cleans your lymph system (duh!).   The reason she did was that I had injured my leg about a week ago and got a rash around my ankle and my right foot was swollen.  She said something was blocking my lymph system, keeping it from carrying away the toxins.  After the lymphatic cleansing I felt much better and the next day, my foot was no longer swollen and the rash was gone.  She is obviously very good at what she does.  Lucky me!!

After lunch, I headed for the Jade Market in Kowloon. Gopal drove me to the MTR in Central, where I took the MTR two stops and walked the rest of the way to the market.  As the name implies, jade is everywhere.  Here is what the market looks like from the outside:

Jade Market

Carved jade

 

Rings and earrings

Bracelets galore.

 

Meat Market; preparing chicken for sale.

 

Squid

Geese ready for the pan.

Ciao for today….