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.
While Monika went to the store to do inventory, Gopal and I headed downtown to Wanchai to meet up with Tony Turner for an early lunch. I had my first taste of fish and chips, excellent, I might add, reminiscent of the old colonial days when we used to get them off the street wrapped in newspaper and smothered in malt vinegar.
Gopal was supposed to have a meeting after lunch but it got postponed, so he dropped me off in Central and headed back to his office. I spent the rest of the afternoon traipsing around the “lanes” where the local Chinese sell their wared. This is no mean feat, I assure you. This gives you an idea of the topography:
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.