Lamma Island
Sunday was a nicer day than Saturday. Still hazy, but brighter. I decided to take myself to Lamma Island, one of the many that make up Hong Kong. It’s now mainly a day-trip destination for Hong Kongers and tourists, but contained, at one time, a number of thriving fishing villages. There are two villages now - Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan, plus a few beaches.
The trip started out ominously. En route to the ferry terminal, a taxi cut in front of my bus, causing a fender bender. Fortunately, we were close to the docks, and another bus stopped and picked up the passengers from my bus to continue our trip.
Lamma is a major day-trip destination. For once in my travels, the ferry seemed to be filled with Hong Kongers, including a lot of westerners who looked like they live here. The local visitors included seniors groups, extended families, a camera club, and a few groups of helpers. Unless you’re heading for one of the beaches, a visit to Lamma consists of ferrying into one village, and walking the path to the other, with a stop at either or both ends to eat at one of the fine seafood restaurants.
Looking out from the ferry, one can really see how HK island is inhabited at the shore line and on reclaimed land. There are high-rises climbing the hills, with the mountains behind them in all directions.
Lamma is also pet and pedestrian friendly. A sign on ferry stated that, "Seats of first two rows are reserved for pet carriers." Cars are not permitted, so the pollution level may be slightly lower, but see below.
I ferried into Yung Shue Wan, a harbour town looking like many in all parts of the world – ferry dock, marinas, one main street, filled with restaurants, souvenir shops and guesthouses, curving around the shore. I made a meal of street food - curried fish balls, beef satay, ice cream drumstick, and some kind of warm mini tart. Cheap, filling and tasty, but not exactly nutritious.
The ferry I took is one of several making the voyage regularly throughout the day, so, on a nice weekend day, the place is crowded with day trippers. Hint - everyone is going in the same direction. Unless you want to feel as if you were downtown heading for the subway, stay in town for an extra 15 minutes. Give your shipmates time to clear out ahead of you.
The “Family Trail” is a well-marked path between the towns, with spurs running off to various sights. Going through Yung Shue Wan and leaving the town you see shops and stalls all along the way. Once out of town, it calms down and there is greenery, filled with birds, and offering shade - just don't look inland where you continue to see houses, pipes, and other signs of civilization.
Just outside Yung Shue Wan you come to Hung Shing Yeh – a pretty, crescent-shaped, sandy beach. Unfortunately, the large power station on the peninsula at the far end spoils the view, and probably, during the week, the sky. To give you an idea of Hong Kong’s perspective on beauty versus utility, one of the advertised highlights of the walk is a side spur up a hill to see the electricity-generating windmill – a Mercedes-Benz hood ornament on a stick. It matches the one at the CNE.
Not to be outdone by its larger neighbour, Sok Kwu Wan boasts its own eyesore – a small cement factory spoils the view when approaching the town from an elevation. Otherwise, it’s a quaint village with clusters of boathouses and fish farms in the harbour, and a renovated temple at one end. Lamma is not far off the southeast tip of Hong Kong. From Sok Kwu Wan on a clear day you can see the high-rise apartments of Ap Lei Chau.
One neat, to me, feature is a series of caves dug out of the hill side by the Japanese during WWII. They were meant to house kamikaze speedboats filled with explosives that could be used to fight off invaders. They never were.
Sok Kwu Wan is much smaller than Yung Shue Wan, but seems to have even more restaurants along its path by the shore. All have numerous tanks filled with live fish, crustaceans and mollusks. You pick your meal, they scoop it out and prepare it to order. You can’t get fresher than that. Some restaurants, including the Rainbow, have their own private shuttles offering a free ride from HK Island or the mainland upon reservation.
I have no observations, but this week's pun is from a little restaurant in Yung Shue Wan - the Deli Lamma Café.
Manila
I went to Manila Monday and Tuesday for a few days of meetings. It’s a huge city, filled with traffic and smog.
Since I had never tried it, I ate Filipino food at dinner Monday and lunch Tuesday. I don’t know how they manage to live past 50 – everything is either fried, sometimes more than once, or sweetened – sometimes both. The food was interesting and unlike other south-Asian cuisines I’ve tried, although the sauce bases are similar – soy, coconut, peanut, chilies.
One of our businesses is in Quezon City, the government office centre and site of some large universities, including the University of the Philippines (UP, as I noticed on a number of T-shirts). The other is in Makati, the upscale neighborhood that includes the local head offices of many major international companies.
Manila seems to be a city of distinct areas, We saw some of the nicer ones, including Makati. Lunch on Tuesday was in the Greenbelt shopping plaza, a beautiful, open area with a shop for every label under the sun.
Traffic here is brutal. Most Canadians, especially Torontonians couldn't even be pedestrians - they'd have to cross a street at some point. Stop signs are optional. So are traffic lights, lane markers and shoulders. Honking is an art and lane switching a science.
The people are very friendly - except for the police and security guards at every intersection and entrance. Oh yeah, and except for the bomb-sniffing German shepherds at the entrance to the hotel. The lady who goes through your briefcase is friendly, but the guy who pats down the locals before letting them in is not.
Manila airport is not one of the wonders of the world. Security is heavy – you have to show your ticket and passport to get in, and the Arrivals lounge is the road outside the terminal building. As we approached, it looked like a tail-gate party with people milling about, eating drinking and chatting, with their car trunks open.
Inside, there are separate security lines for men and women, because the check includes a wanding and a pat-down. Sort of reminds me of Ford Field in Detroit, where we underwent similar scrutiny before NCAA tournament basketball games the past two years. You have to remove your shoes, but they don’t require you to unpack any electronics. Why does every airport seem to run on its own rules?
Home Again, Home Again, Tweeldlee-dee
I’m returning home on Friday, but who’s counting the two days, three hours and 3 minutes until then. I’ll see some of you over the next two weeks, and be in touch with the rest.
Dale and I will be in Hong Kong on January 3.
Have a pleasant holiday season.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
A Pleasant Weekend
Too Much Choice
We need living room and dining room furniture and storage pieces for clothes and other stuff, so that we can put you all up in style when you come to visit.
To that end, I went to the Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau Saturday. Twenty-eight floors of upscale furniture and home furnishings, interspersed with designer outlets and various odds and sods. Actually, excluding the left-out floor numbers, it was only 23 floors. Did I just say, “only”? Talk about too much choice. The furniture was sufficient, I didn’t need the touch of Chabanel thrown in.
You could tell it’s an upscale joint by the modern Toto fixtures in the common area washrooms on each floor. I’ve been in million-dollar (Canadian) homes with worse amenities.
The stores ran the gamut from Euromodern to antique Chinese and everything in between. There was even a patio furniture store with BBQ grills to make Bobby Flay envious. The juxtaposition of stores filled with Chinese antiques and playing Christmas carols struck me as odd. I’m working on it; it’s not like I have a choice.
I saw a few things that Dale can look at when she gets here. The antique Chinese armoires and chests were beautiful, and the modern furniture with Chinese touches also looked nice.
Ap Lei Chau is an island off the southwest corner of Hong Kong Island, across from Aberdeen. It is a residential area consisting mainly of large apartment complexes, and, I believe, is one of the most crowded sections of the city.
The Hong Kong School of Motoring (government operation) is across the street from the plaza, and there is a Ferrari dealer in the plaza. I guess the student drivers and driving test takers can go across the street to drool before and/or after their lessons.
After what I went through (literally and figuratively), I gave myself permission to splurge on a steak dinner. I went down to Soho (South of Hollywood Road) and ate at an Argentinean restaurant that had received some good reviews. It wasn’t expensive, but it wasn’t wonderful. The meat was good, but it lacked something. I don’t think it was charcoal grilled. They also served the baked potato wrapped in foil – another no-no. The wine was pretty good though.
The East Asia Games
Hong Kong is hosting the 5th East Asia Games. It’s the largest sporting event ever held here and the largest of these games so far. Saturday night at 9:00, I was jolted by explosions. I looked out the living room window and saw fireworks going off down by the harbour. I realized it was for the official opening of the Games. That was just a short hors d’ouevre. At 9:15 it started up again and lasted for 15 minutes. Spectacular! They even had some set off from the roofs of the tallest buildings in town. The fireworks reflected off the high-rise towers, adding to the effect. There were dozens of local tour boats in the harbour, all lit up. I took some pictures with my phone, but they didn’t come out well. Every day I stare out the window – it’s worth the rent just for the view.
Sunday at the Museums
I went off exploring on Sunday, walked down to and around Central, looked at some of the office towers a little more closely, then hit two very good museums.
The Bank of China building is one of Dale’s favourites. It starts out as a rectangular block, then loses a quarter every ten or fifteen stories until it is one quarter its original size. Interesting, but apparently has bad fung shui. It is an I.M. Pei building.
The HSBC tower is like the CIBC towers in Toronto. The new one next to the old, except the old one here is nowhere as tall as the old Commerce Court. The new one has been dubbed “The Robot”; from one side it looks eerily like a Transformer, complete with huge cannon-like protuberances on the roof.
I looked at the Lippo Centre closely for the first time. I like it. It’s new and not in the guidebooks I have.
While touring the skyscrapers, I visited the Museum of Tea Ware in Hong Kong Park. I had missed it during my first visit (see Oct. 19). It is housed in a Victorian-era heritage home (Flagstaff House) and includes rooms dedicated to the history of tea, the different types of tea and the method or ceremony for preparing each to drink. The highlight is a history and beautiful collection of tea pots and assorted tea wares from a thousand years ago to contemporary designs. Guess what? I found a tea in their gift shop that I had not tasted before. I think Dale is going to have to keep me on a short leash. I could easily start a new hobby – collecting tea pots and wares.
After Central I walked to the ferry dock and went over to Kowloon, where I walked through Tsim Sha Tsui East and visited the HK Museum of History, a museum dedicated to the natural and human history of the city and area. It’s a great museum. I got there for the free, English-language tour. It was advertised as lasting 1½-2 hours, but our docent ran us through in an hour and a quarter – not enough time to really look at any of the exhibits. I knew enough and got enough more to provide me with a basic understanding that will be helpful in future visits.
The only problem with going over to Tsim Sha Tsui is the hawkers on the street who accost you constantly. Walking the mile or so from the Ferry dock to the museum and then back again I was offered watches, suits, handbags, saunas, massages, meals and things I didn’t understand (and I’m not sure I wanted to) at least 50 times each way. Why anyone would think a guy with a three-day growth, wearing grubby jeans and plugged into an iPod, would want a Rolex or a custom-made suit is a mystery to me.
Only a few observations this week:
• Saw a number of Buddhist monks today. I hadn’t seen any before today.
• Hong Kongers love puns. Many of the stores have names based on puns. Three from this week:
o Discount household accessories store – Homeless
o Store selling lacquered Chinese plates and gifts – Good Laque
o State-Of-The-Arts Gallery
We need living room and dining room furniture and storage pieces for clothes and other stuff, so that we can put you all up in style when you come to visit.
To that end, I went to the Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau Saturday. Twenty-eight floors of upscale furniture and home furnishings, interspersed with designer outlets and various odds and sods. Actually, excluding the left-out floor numbers, it was only 23 floors. Did I just say, “only”? Talk about too much choice. The furniture was sufficient, I didn’t need the touch of Chabanel thrown in.
You could tell it’s an upscale joint by the modern Toto fixtures in the common area washrooms on each floor. I’ve been in million-dollar (Canadian) homes with worse amenities.
The stores ran the gamut from Euromodern to antique Chinese and everything in between. There was even a patio furniture store with BBQ grills to make Bobby Flay envious. The juxtaposition of stores filled with Chinese antiques and playing Christmas carols struck me as odd. I’m working on it; it’s not like I have a choice.
I saw a few things that Dale can look at when she gets here. The antique Chinese armoires and chests were beautiful, and the modern furniture with Chinese touches also looked nice.
Ap Lei Chau is an island off the southwest corner of Hong Kong Island, across from Aberdeen. It is a residential area consisting mainly of large apartment complexes, and, I believe, is one of the most crowded sections of the city.
The Hong Kong School of Motoring (government operation) is across the street from the plaza, and there is a Ferrari dealer in the plaza. I guess the student drivers and driving test takers can go across the street to drool before and/or after their lessons.
After what I went through (literally and figuratively), I gave myself permission to splurge on a steak dinner. I went down to Soho (South of Hollywood Road) and ate at an Argentinean restaurant that had received some good reviews. It wasn’t expensive, but it wasn’t wonderful. The meat was good, but it lacked something. I don’t think it was charcoal grilled. They also served the baked potato wrapped in foil – another no-no. The wine was pretty good though.
The East Asia Games
Hong Kong is hosting the 5th East Asia Games. It’s the largest sporting event ever held here and the largest of these games so far. Saturday night at 9:00, I was jolted by explosions. I looked out the living room window and saw fireworks going off down by the harbour. I realized it was for the official opening of the Games. That was just a short hors d’ouevre. At 9:15 it started up again and lasted for 15 minutes. Spectacular! They even had some set off from the roofs of the tallest buildings in town. The fireworks reflected off the high-rise towers, adding to the effect. There were dozens of local tour boats in the harbour, all lit up. I took some pictures with my phone, but they didn’t come out well. Every day I stare out the window – it’s worth the rent just for the view.Sunday at the Museums
I went off exploring on Sunday, walked down to and around Central, looked at some of the office towers a little more closely, then hit two very good museums.
The Bank of China building is one of Dale’s favourites. It starts out as a rectangular block, then loses a quarter every ten or fifteen stories until it is one quarter its original size. Interesting, but apparently has bad fung shui. It is an I.M. Pei building.
The HSBC tower is like the CIBC towers in Toronto. The new one next to the old, except the old one here is nowhere as tall as the old Commerce Court. The new one has been dubbed “The Robot”; from one side it looks eerily like a Transformer, complete with huge cannon-like protuberances on the roof.
I looked at the Lippo Centre closely for the first time. I like it. It’s new and not in the guidebooks I have.
After Central I walked to the ferry dock and went over to Kowloon, where I walked through Tsim Sha Tsui East and visited the HK Museum of History, a museum dedicated to the natural and human history of the city and area. It’s a great museum. I got there for the free, English-language tour. It was advertised as lasting 1½-2 hours, but our docent ran us through in an hour and a quarter – not enough time to really look at any of the exhibits. I knew enough and got enough more to provide me with a basic understanding that will be helpful in future visits.
The only problem with going over to Tsim Sha Tsui is the hawkers on the street who accost you constantly. Walking the mile or so from the Ferry dock to the museum and then back again I was offered watches, suits, handbags, saunas, massages, meals and things I didn’t understand (and I’m not sure I wanted to) at least 50 times each way. Why anyone would think a guy with a three-day growth, wearing grubby jeans and plugged into an iPod, would want a Rolex or a custom-made suit is a mystery to me.
Only a few observations this week:
• Saw a number of Buddhist monks today. I hadn’t seen any before today.
• Hong Kongers love puns. Many of the stores have names based on puns. Three from this week:
o Discount household accessories store – Homeless
o Store selling lacquered Chinese plates and gifts – Good Laque
o State-Of-The-Arts Gallery
Sunday, November 29, 2009
A Walk In The Park
It’s been a long week, and the weekend came just in time. I was fading fast. Weather has improved, but the smog is brutal. This morning was grey, but the sun came out by 9:00 and the day is beautiful. Unfortunately, the sun could not burn off the haze covering the city.
I say unfortunately, because I went for another nature walk today, into the Tai Tam Country Park, around the Tai Tam reservoir system in the centre of the island. Not my idea of a walk in the park. I took the Tai Tam Country Trail up to Violet Hill and returned via the Wilson Trail. Not my idea of trails. I climbed 10,000 steps up through the woods to the top of Violet Hill (elev. 460 m.) and another 10,000 down. The birds were singing and it was quiet on the way up. Either I was early or I must have taken the reverse route, because I saw dozens of people climbing as I was descending. I think they agreed with my assessment of “not a walk in the park”. Not one smiling face among the lot. During the walk there were a number of open spaces where one could get a view of the surrounding area. Unfortunately, the haze tended to cover much of the view. I took a few pictures with my phone. If you are looking at them now it’s because Dale enhanced them or decided they were clear enough to be seen.
Christmas
It’s getting to look a lot like Christmas in Hong Kong. All the stores have their decorations up and the malls have north poles and Santas. I even walked by a storefront where they had just trimmed a few fir trees for a display. The smell was wonderful. Everywhere you go, you hear Christmas songs. I still haven’t heard Feliz Navidad, so it’s not official. I have been told that things are so bad in the US that they were advertising for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Is nothing sacred?
Given the crowds in the stores at normal times, I’m afraid to venture a guess as to what Christmas shopping crowds look like here.
A Classy Joint
Attention all potential visitors/guests. A notice in my lobby advised that some occupants had taken to leaving shoes by their apartment front door, and some had even set up shoe racks. This is against apartment by-laws and generally in poor taste. All have been given a week to remove them. That means that certain of you will not be welcome during the summer if you have to bring your shoes or sandals into the apartment. You know who you are, and you have been forewarned.
The Best Place To Live
A recent poll by CNN found that Hong Kong was the best city in the world to live. See for yourself: http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/none/worlds-greatest-city-hong-kong-576599 . I have also attached a link to some panoramic pictures of Hong Kong. The view from our apartment is very much like the third on the web page.http://www.diserio.com/hongkongskyline.html
Observations and Musings:
• They now sell baked potato flavour potato chips here – potato chips artificially enhanced to taste like potatoes. Am I missing something? What did they taste like before the addition of potato flavouring? Somebody please explain it to me.
• They have a tradition here that attracts all the tourists. At noon every day they shoot off a cannon at the harbour, near the Excelsior Hotel. I can hear it from my office. It sets off my lunch hunger pangs.
• Interesting follow-on from my comments about work hours. In Toronto I used to go to lunch at noon. Here I go between 12:30 and 1:00, and I’m early. Mind you, I eat breakfast at 7:00 before most of white collar HK is up.
• One more thing that will make Dale happy here – diagonal intersection crossings. She loved them in Pasadena.
• This week’s sign: Political Correctness in not always practiced in Hong Kong. I came across a high-end furniture/home furnishings store called The Homephiles. Don’t think you’d get away with that in the World Class City.
It’s been a long week, and the weekend came just in time. I was fading fast. Weather has improved, but the smog is brutal. This morning was grey, but the sun came out by 9:00 and the day is beautiful. Unfortunately, the sun could not burn off the haze covering the city.
I say unfortunately, because I went for another nature walk today, into the Tai Tam Country Park, around the Tai Tam reservoir system in the centre of the island. Not my idea of a walk in the park. I took the Tai Tam Country Trail up to Violet Hill and returned via the Wilson Trail. Not my idea of trails. I climbed 10,000 steps up through the woods to the top of Violet Hill (elev. 460 m.) and another 10,000 down. The birds were singing and it was quiet on the way up. Either I was early or I must have taken the reverse route, because I saw dozens of people climbing as I was descending. I think they agreed with my assessment of “not a walk in the park”. Not one smiling face among the lot. During the walk there were a number of open spaces where one could get a view of the surrounding area. Unfortunately, the haze tended to cover much of the view. I took a few pictures with my phone. If you are looking at them now it’s because Dale enhanced them or decided they were clear enough to be seen.
Christmas
It’s getting to look a lot like Christmas in Hong Kong. All the stores have their decorations up and the malls have north poles and Santas. I even walked by a storefront where they had just trimmed a few fir trees for a display. The smell was wonderful. Everywhere you go, you hear Christmas songs. I still haven’t heard Feliz Navidad, so it’s not official. I have been told that things are so bad in the US that they were advertising for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Is nothing sacred?
Given the crowds in the stores at normal times, I’m afraid to venture a guess as to what Christmas shopping crowds look like here.
A Classy Joint
Attention all potential visitors/guests. A notice in my lobby advised that some occupants had taken to leaving shoes by their apartment front door, and some had even set up shoe racks. This is against apartment by-laws and generally in poor taste. All have been given a week to remove them. That means that certain of you will not be welcome during the summer if you have to bring your shoes or sandals into the apartment. You know who you are, and you have been forewarned.
The Best Place To Live
A recent poll by CNN found that Hong Kong was the best city in the world to live. See for yourself: http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/none/worlds-greatest-city-hong-kong-576599 . I have also attached a link to some panoramic pictures of Hong Kong. The view from our apartment is very much like the third on the web page.http://www.diserio.com/hongkongskyline.html
Observations and Musings:
• They now sell baked potato flavour potato chips here – potato chips artificially enhanced to taste like potatoes. Am I missing something? What did they taste like before the addition of potato flavouring? Somebody please explain it to me.
• They have a tradition here that attracts all the tourists. At noon every day they shoot off a cannon at the harbour, near the Excelsior Hotel. I can hear it from my office. It sets off my lunch hunger pangs.
• Interesting follow-on from my comments about work hours. In Toronto I used to go to lunch at noon. Here I go between 12:30 and 1:00, and I’m early. Mind you, I eat breakfast at 7:00 before most of white collar HK is up.
• One more thing that will make Dale happy here – diagonal intersection crossings. She loved them in Pasadena.
• This week’s sign: Political Correctness in not always practiced in Hong Kong. I came across a high-end furniture/home furnishings store called The Homephiles. Don’t think you’d get away with that in the World Class City.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Winter Comes Early
The two stories of the week are the cold snap and the 10th annual Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival.
Last Sunday came in like a lion. The highs have been between 15° and 20° C all week, with lows in the 10° to 15° C range. My colleagues tell me this is February weather. (Eat your hearts out.) Doesn’t sound cold to you maybe, but when there is no heating in the apartment, the temperature falls rapidly. For a guy with no blanket, it’s no fun. (Question #2 – so what did you do, genius?) I finally went out Saturday and bought a space heater. It works like a charm and will help when winter really hits in February. (Answer to Question #1 – because Dale’s bringing blankets in January and I’m too damn cheap to buy one that will be redundant in a month.) Things appear to be getting better; forecast is for highs in the mid-20’s by Wednesday.
The film festival has been fun. I’ve seen about 10 movies so far, with one to go, as I write. They have included everything from an Israeli gangster movie to one from Kazakhstan, a comedy about a group of fat Israelis who start a sumo wrestling group, a number of documentaries/re-enactments, and a Canadian documentary called “Hannah’s Suitcase” that reminded me a lot of “Paperclips”. The quality ranged from excellent to laughable (only one), and the stories from feel-good comedies to last night’s scary feature that starred Jeff Goldblum as a Holocaust survivor in an Israeli rehab facility and Willem Dafoe as the concentration camp commandant who features prominently in his flashbacks – ‘nuff said?
The classic was the gangster film, “Maftir” – the cheesiest movie I have seen in a long time. I stayed to the end because it was so bad I couldn’t tear myself away, waiting for the next bad scene. Took place in South Tel Aviv – the South Bronx with yarmulkes. No good guys, only shades of bad – Israelis vs. Russians vs. corrupt cops. Film kept switching between b&w, colour and sepia, to remind you this is a film noir. The dialogue made CSI look like Paddy Chayefsky, including a scene where one character refers to a gun as a Smith & Weston. I followed the spoken dialogue closely to make sure it wasn’t a typo in the sub-title. The director used a lot of close-ups of the “hero” looking pensive, hurt, etc. Basically trying to act without dialogue – didn’t work.
My Chinese is not going anywhere, but my Hebrew is improving. Every Israeli in town has been to the festival, and I hear as much Hebrew around me as English. The venue is great – an AMC multiplex with high-back leather captain’s chairs and leg room for a basketball team. Attendance has been in the 60-70 range at most of the showings I’ve attended. Bottom line, I’ll go again next year.
This week’s general observations:
Last Sunday came in like a lion. The highs have been between 15° and 20° C all week, with lows in the 10° to 15° C range. My colleagues tell me this is February weather. (Eat your hearts out.) Doesn’t sound cold to you maybe, but when there is no heating in the apartment, the temperature falls rapidly. For a guy with no blanket, it’s no fun. (Question #2 – so what did you do, genius?) I finally went out Saturday and bought a space heater. It works like a charm and will help when winter really hits in February. (Answer to Question #1 – because Dale’s bringing blankets in January and I’m too damn cheap to buy one that will be redundant in a month.) Things appear to be getting better; forecast is for highs in the mid-20’s by Wednesday.
The film festival has been fun. I’ve seen about 10 movies so far, with one to go, as I write. They have included everything from an Israeli gangster movie to one from Kazakhstan, a comedy about a group of fat Israelis who start a sumo wrestling group, a number of documentaries/re-enactments, and a Canadian documentary called “Hannah’s Suitcase” that reminded me a lot of “Paperclips”. The quality ranged from excellent to laughable (only one), and the stories from feel-good comedies to last night’s scary feature that starred Jeff Goldblum as a Holocaust survivor in an Israeli rehab facility and Willem Dafoe as the concentration camp commandant who features prominently in his flashbacks – ‘nuff said?
The classic was the gangster film, “Maftir” – the cheesiest movie I have seen in a long time. I stayed to the end because it was so bad I couldn’t tear myself away, waiting for the next bad scene. Took place in South Tel Aviv – the South Bronx with yarmulkes. No good guys, only shades of bad – Israelis vs. Russians vs. corrupt cops. Film kept switching between b&w, colour and sepia, to remind you this is a film noir. The dialogue made CSI look like Paddy Chayefsky, including a scene where one character refers to a gun as a Smith & Weston. I followed the spoken dialogue closely to make sure it wasn’t a typo in the sub-title. The director used a lot of close-ups of the “hero” looking pensive, hurt, etc. Basically trying to act without dialogue – didn’t work.
My Chinese is not going anywhere, but my Hebrew is improving. Every Israeli in town has been to the festival, and I hear as much Hebrew around me as English. The venue is great – an AMC multiplex with high-back leather captain’s chairs and leg room for a basketball team. Attendance has been in the 60-70 range at most of the showings I’ve attended. Bottom line, I’ll go again next year.
This week’s general observations:
- Taking the subway is interesting if you are tall. There is only one very long, articulated car, which bends up and down, and right to left as the car moves through the tunnel. The view from above others' heads is like being inside a worm or snake as it moves.
- The shopping malls here are like those at home – they all feature the same chain stores, except here they are slightly more upscale – Chloe, Louis Vuitton, Zegna.
- The crowds of helpers out on Sundays is stunning. My bus goes by a large Catholic church, and I went by just after the mass had ended the past two weeks. There was a line of 200 or more Filipinas walking in single file down the steep slope of the narrow sidewalk, looking like the extras in a science-fiction movie
- My neighbourhood is very middle-class. I know because on Saturdays the Kumon and other tutoring centres, art classes and activity centres are packed with kids being primed to overachieve.
- It’s interesting to read foreign words that sound like English. Today, I found the deep south in the northeast of the island - Po Man Street
- The movie today was shown at the new Jewish High School. To get there, we went by chartered bus along HK's version of the Gardner Expressway. It’s an expressway that runs along the waterfront. It’s everything the Gardner (or the Met) should be – wide, well marked, fast, un-pot-holed, clean, and with a beautiful view of the harbor and Kowloon.
Observations Of A First-Time Visitor To Japan
I spent much of the week of November 9 in Tokyo. It was my first visit and I tried to observe what was going on around me. Like most everybody else, my first impression of Japan starts with the politeness and formality surrounding all encounters. The small, or even more formal, bow occurs between all subordinates and managers. While waiting for my bus at Narita airport I noticed how the supervisor at the bus stop bowed formally (hands straight down, back stiff, bend from the waist) to each bus driver as he pulled in to the stop. At the hotel, staff always made a slight bow to the guests when they served them. It continued from there.
Speaking of airports, I’ll never complain again about getting from an airport to the city. Narita is more than 60 km. from Tokyo. A cab costs about USD300, so most everybody takes the bus. In normal traffic it takes anywhere from 1½ to 2 hours. I was on a 9:40 p.m. bus, so it only took an hour.
Another common sight is the absence of foreigners. Far fewer visible minorities than in Hong Kong, for example. Also, strange that they have signs with product or store/office names in Roman letters, but nothing else. Why bother? Why get the foreigners’ hopes up and then dash them in a sea of Japanese text? They also suck you into the subway and trains with English come-ons, and then strand you at the ticket kiosk with no more Roman lettering.
The commuter trains are incredible. There are at least five different levels of service from local to super express. If you don’t know which one to take, you may find yourself bypassing your stop over and over. For the baseball fans, it reminded me of the time Pascual Perez was pitching for the Braves (he is also a former Expo) and could see the stadium but couldn’t find the exit off the highway, so he pulled over to the shoulder, left his car, hopped the fence and walked to the stadium. I was very lucky - the few times I took the subway and train I had a guide who showed me around.
Which brings us to polite. None of the Hong Kong pushing and shoving through the disembarking passengers as in Hong Kong. Again though, I wasn't travelling in high rush hour. Same view in the trains - girls on cell phones texting, boys on video games, adults plugged into who knows what.
Of course, the famous Tokyo work day makes me wonder, just when is rush hour? As my bus pulled into the city core at 11:00 p.m., I saw people walking out of offices and along the streets with their briefcases. In order to accommodate them, there are hundreds of small restaurants open late. If you have a problem with smoking in restaurants, stay away from Japan – no regulations against it. The workers, mainly men, go out in groups and stay for hours eating, drinking, speaking loudly (goes with the drinking?) and smoking.
The neatest thing I saw was at one restaurant we ate at – a huge, locking umbrella stand – room for at least 100 umbrellas. (See picture above.) You lock it in, take the key, and retrieve it at the end of the evening. If you’re drunk, you come back the next day and retrieve it. If you’re really drunk, the next day you ask one of your colleagues where it was you ate last night, go back and retrieve it. We could have used it on Wednesday when one of my colleagues lost her umbrella to someone who mistook hers for theirs. Sakano-san had to go home with the smaller version. Hint: when travelling to Tokyo, always bring an umbrella.
I feel for my colleagues in Tokyo. Their office is in a nondescript residential part of the city that no one wants to work in, making recruiting hard. It is on the Local line, so getting there requires a change of stations. There is nowhere to shop or eat – Macdonald’s is the second choice for dining out, behind the Italian restaurant.
Friday afternoon, we were in the middle of a meeting when someone came in and suggested we leave early, because President Obama was arriving and all roads into the city were being blocked off. Friday night, we ate at a top restaurant, Nobu. I couldn’t understand why there were police cars with flashing lights outside the restaurant all night, until we left. Then I found out we were around the corner from the US Embassy.
I never did see the flashing lights of the Ginza or the high tech stores on this trip. Maybe next time.
Speaking of airports, I’ll never complain again about getting from an airport to the city. Narita is more than 60 km. from Tokyo. A cab costs about USD300, so most everybody takes the bus. In normal traffic it takes anywhere from 1½ to 2 hours. I was on a 9:40 p.m. bus, so it only took an hour.
Another common sight is the absence of foreigners. Far fewer visible minorities than in Hong Kong, for example. Also, strange that they have signs with product or store/office names in Roman letters, but nothing else. Why bother? Why get the foreigners’ hopes up and then dash them in a sea of Japanese text? They also suck you into the subway and trains with English come-ons, and then strand you at the ticket kiosk with no more Roman lettering.
The commuter trains are incredible. There are at least five different levels of service from local to super express. If you don’t know which one to take, you may find yourself bypassing your stop over and over. For the baseball fans, it reminded me of the time Pascual Perez was pitching for the Braves (he is also a former Expo) and could see the stadium but couldn’t find the exit off the highway, so he pulled over to the shoulder, left his car, hopped the fence and walked to the stadium. I was very lucky - the few times I took the subway and train I had a guide who showed me around.
Which brings us to polite. None of the Hong Kong pushing and shoving through the disembarking passengers as in Hong Kong. Again though, I wasn't travelling in high rush hour. Same view in the trains - girls on cell phones texting, boys on video games, adults plugged into who knows what.
Of course, the famous Tokyo work day makes me wonder, just when is rush hour? As my bus pulled into the city core at 11:00 p.m., I saw people walking out of offices and along the streets with their briefcases. In order to accommodate them, there are hundreds of small restaurants open late. If you have a problem with smoking in restaurants, stay away from Japan – no regulations against it. The workers, mainly men, go out in groups and stay for hours eating, drinking, speaking loudly (goes with the drinking?) and smoking.
I feel for my colleagues in Tokyo. Their office is in a nondescript residential part of the city that no one wants to work in, making recruiting hard. It is on the Local line, so getting there requires a change of stations. There is nowhere to shop or eat – Macdonald’s is the second choice for dining out, behind the Italian restaurant.
Friday afternoon, we were in the middle of a meeting when someone came in and suggested we leave early, because President Obama was arriving and all roads into the city were being blocked off. Friday night, we ate at a top restaurant, Nobu. I couldn’t understand why there were police cars with flashing lights outside the restaurant all night, until we left. Then I found out we were around the corner from the US Embassy.
I never did see the flashing lights of the Ginza or the high tech stores on this trip. Maybe next time.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
"A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy To Behold" – Antiques And Tea On Hollywood Road
Spent the morning on Hollywood Road, the antique and art neighbourhood. Almost all the stores on both sides of the street west of the escalators feature Chinese antiques and furniture, with a number of schlockier stores thrown in for the tourists looking for cheap items. To the east it is mainly contemporary art galleries, with a number of restaurants and bars/pubs catering to the local expat crowd, yours truly included, who live in the Mid-levels close by the escalators. There are some magnificent pieces in the windows. I’d love to cruise the stores with someone knowledgeable.
Part of the time was spent with the manager of our real estate agency, at her cousin’s tea house. Her cousin sells tea and tea service porcelain, and conducts classes in tea appreciation, as well as tea tastings and full Chinese tea ceremonies. Just up my alley. If any of you who come to visit are tea lovers, I’ll arrange a visit.
I spent a wonderful hour there tasting two teas – a white and a “rock” tea. We had four pourings of each in order to taste the subtleties of each subsequent pour. It was conducted as a tea ceremony, but, of course, I turned it into a class and took notes. (Anyone surprised?) A very pleasant experience. The owner and the tea master (of ceremonies) both lived in Toronto and speak perfect English.
I had to leave the apartment early in order to catch the escalator while it was going down. It switches direction around 10:30 each morning.
For the Canadians reading, I felt at home when someone came up to me on the street and offered me a poppy. He was from the HK branch of the British Legion. So now I’m walking around with my poppy. The difference is that I don’t have a coat to put it on, so its in the buttonhole of my golf shirt. (Eat your hearts out.)
Well, the bed is made, literally, and I’m sleeping in it.
Once Dale and our bed get here the motel will be open for customers. I stocked the kitchen and bought all the paper goods and cleaners and sprays that Dale needs to keep the apartment to her cleanliness standards. I’ll just clean it when it gets too much for me and do a real job before she gets here. (Dale's addendum: or maybe he'll actually hire a helper to do it!)
Last night I went to a talk at the Hong Kong Jewish Historical Society by a senior judge who has lived here for 30 years. He’s from Rhodesia originally and had some interesting comments about growing up white in Africa during the 50’s and 60’s. Unfortunately, as a sitting judge he couldn’t say much about his recent career.
Work had been long but satisfying. I’m off to Tokyo on Tuesday for the rest of the week. I’ll have notes about the trip and what I see of the city next week. Everyone here has warned me that the movie, Lost In Translation, is a true reflection of the foreignness and otherworldliness of Tokyo. We have to take the commuter train from the hotel to the office. I may get lost in commuting.
Bought my pass to the Jewish Film Festival. Looks like it will provide some good entertainment, including a film about a group of fat Israelis who decide to train on their own to become sumo wrestlers. May offer a networking opportunity too. Just don’t expect reviews like Dale’s of the movies at the TIFF.
Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival 2009
This week’s observations:
• Shades of everywhere else: they have banned smoking inside restaurants, but now the debate rages as to what constitutes “inside” with respect to patios and semi-enclosed extensions.
• For the Montrealers in the audience, there is a Peel Street here, with the same slope. I’m glad the escalator is a block away.
• Further to last week’s note on the paper collectors, this past Tuesday’s paper noted in an article that 102 scrap paper traders had been fined in the first nine months of the year for underweighting paper by 10% to 38%. Quote from a community organizer, “They are poor enough so they have to make a living by collecting scrap paper. It is good that Customs now helps monitor the situation.” Sometimes governments get it right.
• Also on last week’s comments, the past week the news has been filled with reports, articles, etc. about the high price of property, with consumers’ advocates calling for the government to step in and do something, the government saying that it is looking at the situation, and, most telling, the developers stating that they will reduce some asking prices in order to cool down the market.
Spent the morning on Hollywood Road, the antique and art neighbourhood. Almost all the stores on both sides of the street west of the escalators feature Chinese antiques and furniture, with a number of schlockier stores thrown in for the tourists looking for cheap items. To the east it is mainly contemporary art galleries, with a number of restaurants and bars/pubs catering to the local expat crowd, yours truly included, who live in the Mid-levels close by the escalators. There are some magnificent pieces in the windows. I’d love to cruise the stores with someone knowledgeable.
Part of the time was spent with the manager of our real estate agency, at her cousin’s tea house. Her cousin sells tea and tea service porcelain, and conducts classes in tea appreciation, as well as tea tastings and full Chinese tea ceremonies. Just up my alley. If any of you who come to visit are tea lovers, I’ll arrange a visit.
I spent a wonderful hour there tasting two teas – a white and a “rock” tea. We had four pourings of each in order to taste the subtleties of each subsequent pour. It was conducted as a tea ceremony, but, of course, I turned it into a class and took notes. (Anyone surprised?) A very pleasant experience. The owner and the tea master (of ceremonies) both lived in Toronto and speak perfect English.
I had to leave the apartment early in order to catch the escalator while it was going down. It switches direction around 10:30 each morning.
For the Canadians reading, I felt at home when someone came up to me on the street and offered me a poppy. He was from the HK branch of the British Legion. So now I’m walking around with my poppy. The difference is that I don’t have a coat to put it on, so its in the buttonhole of my golf shirt. (Eat your hearts out.)
Well, the bed is made, literally, and I’m sleeping in it.
Once Dale and our bed get here the motel will be open for customers. I stocked the kitchen and bought all the paper goods and cleaners and sprays that Dale needs to keep the apartment to her cleanliness standards. I’ll just clean it when it gets too much for me and do a real job before she gets here. (Dale's addendum: or maybe he'll actually hire a helper to do it!)
Last night I went to a talk at the Hong Kong Jewish Historical Society by a senior judge who has lived here for 30 years. He’s from Rhodesia originally and had some interesting comments about growing up white in Africa during the 50’s and 60’s. Unfortunately, as a sitting judge he couldn’t say much about his recent career.
Work had been long but satisfying. I’m off to Tokyo on Tuesday for the rest of the week. I’ll have notes about the trip and what I see of the city next week. Everyone here has warned me that the movie, Lost In Translation, is a true reflection of the foreignness and otherworldliness of Tokyo. We have to take the commuter train from the hotel to the office. I may get lost in commuting.
Bought my pass to the Jewish Film Festival. Looks like it will provide some good entertainment, including a film about a group of fat Israelis who decide to train on their own to become sumo wrestlers. May offer a networking opportunity too. Just don’t expect reviews like Dale’s of the movies at the TIFF.
Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival 2009
This week’s observations:
• Shades of everywhere else: they have banned smoking inside restaurants, but now the debate rages as to what constitutes “inside” with respect to patios and semi-enclosed extensions.
• For the Montrealers in the audience, there is a Peel Street here, with the same slope. I’m glad the escalator is a block away.
• Further to last week’s note on the paper collectors, this past Tuesday’s paper noted in an article that 102 scrap paper traders had been fined in the first nine months of the year for underweighting paper by 10% to 38%. Quote from a community organizer, “They are poor enough so they have to make a living by collecting scrap paper. It is good that Customs now helps monitor the situation.” Sometimes governments get it right.
• Also on last week’s comments, the past week the news has been filled with reports, articles, etc. about the high price of property, with consumers’ advocates calling for the government to step in and do something, the government saying that it is looking at the situation, and, most telling, the developers stating that they will reduce some asking prices in order to cool down the market.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
I got the keys to the apartment and found Dale a job
Week of October 26
No touring to report this week. I took possession of our apartment on Saturday morning, so I spent the weekend shopping and trekking back and forth to the apartment. More on that later.
My cousin, Clifford, was in town over the weekend, so I met him for lunch on Saturday. Cathay Pacific managed to lose his luggage between Paris and HK, so he was attending his business meetings in jeans. I hope the bags catch up with him before he leaves for home this afternoon. We had a nice chat and he gave me hell for being too cheap to call my mother – Dale keeps in touch regularly. So I called her yesterday and we assured each other that everything is great in our lives.
The apartment is looking great. They renovated on Saturday and cleaned yesterday. I hope to start setting up tonight and will move in on Wednesday, when the bed is delivered. Here are some photos taken with my BlackBerry. Enjoy the view from the living room and bedrooms! I'm sure you will be impressed with our modern kitchen, too! The luxury item in our kitchen is an oven - most HK apartment do not have them.
Once I’m moved in, I’ll start to check out the shops and restaurants in the area. I tested the bus on Saturday afternoon. It was the equivalent of a rush hour, so I thought it would be a good time check – 30 minutes on the bus. Not bad.
I found Dale the perfect job. It combines books and organizing! And they are even advertizing it that way. To make it an even better combination, it’s only three blocks from the apartment and one away from the health club she plans to join. My friend Sarah told me about a used English book store near us called Flow Organic Bookshop. I checked it out yesterday. Floor-to-ceiling books in a tiny, cramped space. Outside the door, running up the stairs, are plastic bags filled with enough additional books to replace all those in the store. There is some semblance of partial order, but not much. When I got to the cash, I saw two signs. The first advertized, “Accidental shopkeeper wanted”. The second said, “Wanna have fun, playing around with books and help Flow being more organized?” Oh yeah, they’re only open from noon to 7:30, so it leaves plenty of time to go to the gym every morning. ‘Nuff said?
This week’s observations:
• Lucky numbers – the Chinese are very superstitious about numbers, especially bad are certain combinations of fours. Many buildings don’t have a 14th floor – unlike North America, 13 is ok. Also bad are 42 and 44 – my office tower has a “lower 43” and “upper 43” instead. One new residential project has been controversial for selling units on the 68th and 88th (especially lucky numbers) floors of a 50-something floor apartment. They just renumbered some bad luck floors. One legislator is trying to force them to number properly, claiming that it is dangerous for emergency crews who won’t know which actual floor to go to.
• Property prices are sky-high here. The aforementioned property sold at least one flat for HKD70,000 per square foot (CAD9,200!!). As a comparison, Toronto just passed the CAD1,000/sq. ft. mark last year in Yorkville. There is a real estate agency near our apartment called “Firstborn Property”. I think that’s the cost of their listings.
• Elevator buttons. The SARS crisis really hit HK hard. Now, every building has a clear plastic covering over the elevator floor buttons and a sign advising users that the covering is sanitized hourly. The most used button on all elevators is the “close door” button. In North America it’s there, but is usually useless because it’s on a timer. No amount of pushing will make a difference. Here, they work! The Hong Konger’s immediate step after punching his/her floor is to push the “close” button. Every second counts, I guess.
• British football fans take note – there is a Man Yiu Street and an Arsenal Avenue in Hong Kong. No Chelsea or Liverpool streets.
• Is it exploitation or market forces? There is no minimum wage in Hong Kong and I don’t think there is a formal social welfare program as we would recognize it. As a result, things are very difficult for the poor and uneducated. As a result, there appears to be little need for formal recycling programs here. In every commercial district you see people collecting paper cartons, metal cans, glass bottles, and other recyclables. I know they are probably dirt-poor, but it offers them some kind of income and significantly reduces the amount of trash that would otherwise be burned or sent to landfills.
That’s all for now.
No touring to report this week. I took possession of our apartment on Saturday morning, so I spent the weekend shopping and trekking back and forth to the apartment. More on that later.
My cousin, Clifford, was in town over the weekend, so I met him for lunch on Saturday. Cathay Pacific managed to lose his luggage between Paris and HK, so he was attending his business meetings in jeans. I hope the bags catch up with him before he leaves for home this afternoon. We had a nice chat and he gave me hell for being too cheap to call my mother – Dale keeps in touch regularly. So I called her yesterday and we assured each other that everything is great in our lives.
The apartment is looking great. They renovated on Saturday and cleaned yesterday. I hope to start setting up tonight and will move in on Wednesday, when the bed is delivered. Here are some photos taken with my BlackBerry. Enjoy the view from the living room and bedrooms! I'm sure you will be impressed with our modern kitchen, too! The luxury item in our kitchen is an oven - most HK apartment do not have them.
Once I’m moved in, I’ll start to check out the shops and restaurants in the area. I tested the bus on Saturday afternoon. It was the equivalent of a rush hour, so I thought it would be a good time check – 30 minutes on the bus. Not bad.
I found Dale the perfect job. It combines books and organizing! And they are even advertizing it that way. To make it an even better combination, it’s only three blocks from the apartment and one away from the health club she plans to join. My friend Sarah told me about a used English book store near us called Flow Organic Bookshop. I checked it out yesterday. Floor-to-ceiling books in a tiny, cramped space. Outside the door, running up the stairs, are plastic bags filled with enough additional books to replace all those in the store. There is some semblance of partial order, but not much. When I got to the cash, I saw two signs. The first advertized, “Accidental shopkeeper wanted”. The second said, “Wanna have fun, playing around with books and help Flow being more organized?” Oh yeah, they’re only open from noon to 7:30, so it leaves plenty of time to go to the gym every morning. ‘Nuff said?
This week’s observations:
• Lucky numbers – the Chinese are very superstitious about numbers, especially bad are certain combinations of fours. Many buildings don’t have a 14th floor – unlike North America, 13 is ok. Also bad are 42 and 44 – my office tower has a “lower 43” and “upper 43” instead. One new residential project has been controversial for selling units on the 68th and 88th (especially lucky numbers) floors of a 50-something floor apartment. They just renumbered some bad luck floors. One legislator is trying to force them to number properly, claiming that it is dangerous for emergency crews who won’t know which actual floor to go to.
• Property prices are sky-high here. The aforementioned property sold at least one flat for HKD70,000 per square foot (CAD9,200!!). As a comparison, Toronto just passed the CAD1,000/sq. ft. mark last year in Yorkville. There is a real estate agency near our apartment called “Firstborn Property”. I think that’s the cost of their listings.
• Elevator buttons. The SARS crisis really hit HK hard. Now, every building has a clear plastic covering over the elevator floor buttons and a sign advising users that the covering is sanitized hourly. The most used button on all elevators is the “close door” button. In North America it’s there, but is usually useless because it’s on a timer. No amount of pushing will make a difference. Here, they work! The Hong Konger’s immediate step after punching his/her floor is to push the “close” button. Every second counts, I guess.
• British football fans take note – there is a Man Yiu Street and an Arsenal Avenue in Hong Kong. No Chelsea or Liverpool streets.
• Is it exploitation or market forces? There is no minimum wage in Hong Kong and I don’t think there is a formal social welfare program as we would recognize it. As a result, things are very difficult for the poor and uneducated. As a result, there appears to be little need for formal recycling programs here. In every commercial district you see people collecting paper cartons, metal cans, glass bottles, and other recyclables. I know they are probably dirt-poor, but it offers them some kind of income and significantly reduces the amount of trash that would otherwise be burned or sent to landfills.
That’s all for now.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Our New Home - The Palatial Crest
Jeff found us an apartment in the Midlevels on Seymour Road (yes, there are still many streets with English names). Here is a photo of the building - the Palatial Crest. We will be on the 28th floor with a view of the entire city, including Kowloon. The view will surely make up for the size of the apartment! Although it's small by North American standards, it does have three bedrooms, and the guest room will be ready for our visitors once we get settled.
Week of October 19
This week at work was capped off by a fire drill on Friday afternoon. We're on the 47th floor! Needless to say, by Saturday I was not in the best shape for a couple of days walking.
Took Hershie Schachter's advice and took the #6 bus to Stanley on Saturday. Nice long ride through town. Beautiful views of Repulse Bay as we descended from the mountain to Stanley. I spent the morning walking through the area and visited the Maritime Museum, one of the local shrines and the old Police Headquarters (oldest building in town - now a supermarket [see this week's Observations]). Nice hot day, but the pollution level has been very high, so the sky was hazy all day. Also visited a jeweller in Stanley, recommended by Jessica Smith, and bought Dale a birthday/welcome-to-HK present. (SHH, don't tell her - it's a surprise.) I did not go into the market - not my thing.
The museum is in the Murray House, an old building that was preserved and moved to this location. Except, after dismantling the building and painstakingly wrapping, numbering and storing the pieces, the City lost track of them, because they had nowhere to put the building. When some local heritage activists asked about it (20 years later), they had to search the city to find them. In the meantime, over the years, the plastic wrappers had gotten wet and the numbers all washed away. They had to figure out this gigantic, 3-D jigsaw puzzle from old photos. Well, they did a pretty good job, but at the end they were left with six extra columns. So they stuck them across the street in a row. (Reminds me of when the Perlus brothers and I took our bikes apart.)
Went back to town on the #6X, the short route, through Repulse Bay and the Aberdeen Tunnel. Passed the HK Golf Club - the caddies are all fitted out in blue shirts and coolie hats - very colonial. Just north of Repulse bay is Deep Water Bay - absolutely beautiful.
Sign at the entrance to the Tunnel asks drivers to drive safely and notes that there were 17,800 accidents last year and 13,400 (electronic counter) so far this year - I think that's in the Tunnel alone. Makes me even happier we don't plan to drive while here.
Spent the next 3 hours wandering around two neighborhoods of interior design stores, looking for a bed for our guests. After realizing there were no furniture stores stores and pricing the custom-made pieces, I decided to stick with Ikea. Sorry folks, when you come to visit, we'll make up to you in other ways.
On the way home I saw a transit ad for Claritin, except they spell it Clarityne here. Wonder if that's the British spelling. I guess winter is coming no matter how close you are to the equator.
So, Sunday I went to Ikea and bought the bed - single bed with pull-out bed underneath. Just the thing for a small HK guest bedroom. Bought the top-of-the-line mattresses, though, so quit your complaining. I'll test them out by sleeping in them until Dale and our bed arrive in January.
After lunch, I headed for the Star Ferry and Kowloon. Short ride (10 minutes) and a nice view of the skyline of HK. Strolled along the harbor walk, past the concert hall and art museum - beautiful new buildings - and through the Walk of Stars - like Toronto's, filled with names only locals would know - which celebrates the HK film/entertainment industry. Smelled like a waterfront.
Walked up Nathan Road from the harbor. Looks like old-time New York, with large neon and painted signs hanging over the street. Yesterday, Dale told me about her friend commenting on the little old ladies manning the porn kiosks in the Temple Street Market. On (and off) Nathan Road, the LOLs are in front of the strip joints, welcoming passers-by. Keeps them out of trouble, I guess. Sign off the times - armed guards with rifles outside some jewellery stores. I wonder if they are loaded. I also wonder why rifles - they look formidable, but wouldn't pistols be more practical? That's what got me wondering whether they were loaded.
North of Haiphong Road the street turns more modern and corporate, but the largest mosque in HK is also there. Looks nice, but out of place, until you read that there are 200,000 Muslims in HK.
Strolled through Kowloon Park. There was a kung fu exhibition going on, complete with drums, dragon dancers and lots of kicking and shouting. The crowd loved it. Beautiful park, including an aviary, maze, Chinese garden, sculpture walk, rose garden. The aviary had some gorgeous macaws, parrot ts and cockatoos, including Banacek's white one (for those youngsters among you, go ask your mother). For the market watchers among you, they had a lamentation of swans (you could look it up), but no black ones. They did have some black-necked swans,looked like they were emerging from the financial crisis.
For those of you who know me well, it may come as a surprise, but so far, my favorite places in the city have been those where I can walk, listen to my music and convene with nature - HK Park, the Botanical Garden & Zoo, the trans-Peak walk. I've put my hedonistic, shopaholic self on vacation.
The streets off Nathan are interesting. The shops are probably like what the rest of HK looked like 20 years ago. Filled with stores selling all kinds of stuff, including all the tailors. One restaurant tried to make non-Chinese feel at home. Over their menu signs they had the words "Travellers are welcome". Unfortunately, you were only welcome if you could read Chinese, because nothing else was written in any other language.
A drug store caught my eye. It was called the Health First Pharmacy. However, the "P" and the second "A" had fallen off the sign. For a few minutes I wondered what "CY" stood for and why anyone would call their place the Health First Harm. They also had another sign with a cute play on words - Medecent. I trust their non-medical products are also decent.
This weekend must have been an auspicious one for weddings. There were wedding parties everywhere in Stanley, Hong Kong Park, and other landmarks taking pictures or traipsing through the streets, with someone trying desperately to hold up the bride's train (or their own long gowns).
One magnificent building by the harbor bears the sign Heritage 1881. It now houses another group of designer labels - just what this city needs.
By the time I got home, my feet, calves and quads were crying out. Climbing stairs was a pain. Today is a holiday, so I determined to stay home and take it easy. I didn't come to the office until after the Yankees game.
This Week's Observations:
That's it for this week. Stay tuned for the next instalment.
Took Hershie Schachter's advice and took the #6 bus to Stanley on Saturday. Nice long ride through town. Beautiful views of Repulse Bay as we descended from the mountain to Stanley. I spent the morning walking through the area and visited the Maritime Museum, one of the local shrines and the old Police Headquarters (oldest building in town - now a supermarket [see this week's Observations]). Nice hot day, but the pollution level has been very high, so the sky was hazy all day. Also visited a jeweller in Stanley, recommended by Jessica Smith, and bought Dale a birthday/welcome-to-HK present. (SHH, don't tell her - it's a surprise.) I did not go into the market - not my thing.
The museum is in the Murray House, an old building that was preserved and moved to this location. Except, after dismantling the building and painstakingly wrapping, numbering and storing the pieces, the City lost track of them, because they had nowhere to put the building. When some local heritage activists asked about it (20 years later), they had to search the city to find them. In the meantime, over the years, the plastic wrappers had gotten wet and the numbers all washed away. They had to figure out this gigantic, 3-D jigsaw puzzle from old photos. Well, they did a pretty good job, but at the end they were left with six extra columns. So they stuck them across the street in a row. (Reminds me of when the Perlus brothers and I took our bikes apart.)
Went back to town on the #6X, the short route, through Repulse Bay and the Aberdeen Tunnel. Passed the HK Golf Club - the caddies are all fitted out in blue shirts and coolie hats - very colonial. Just north of Repulse bay is Deep Water Bay - absolutely beautiful.
Sign at the entrance to the Tunnel asks drivers to drive safely and notes that there were 17,800 accidents last year and 13,400 (electronic counter) so far this year - I think that's in the Tunnel alone. Makes me even happier we don't plan to drive while here.
Spent the next 3 hours wandering around two neighborhoods of interior design stores, looking for a bed for our guests. After realizing there were no furniture stores stores and pricing the custom-made pieces, I decided to stick with Ikea. Sorry folks, when you come to visit, we'll make up to you in other ways.
On the way home I saw a transit ad for Claritin, except they spell it Clarityne here. Wonder if that's the British spelling. I guess winter is coming no matter how close you are to the equator.
So, Sunday I went to Ikea and bought the bed - single bed with pull-out bed underneath. Just the thing for a small HK guest bedroom. Bought the top-of-the-line mattresses, though, so quit your complaining. I'll test them out by sleeping in them until Dale and our bed arrive in January.
After lunch, I headed for the Star Ferry and Kowloon. Short ride (10 minutes) and a nice view of the skyline of HK. Strolled along the harbor walk, past the concert hall and art museum - beautiful new buildings - and through the Walk of Stars - like Toronto's, filled with names only locals would know - which celebrates the HK film/entertainment industry. Smelled like a waterfront.
Walked up Nathan Road from the harbor. Looks like old-time New York, with large neon and painted signs hanging over the street. Yesterday, Dale told me about her friend commenting on the little old ladies manning the porn kiosks in the Temple Street Market. On (and off) Nathan Road, the LOLs are in front of the strip joints, welcoming passers-by. Keeps them out of trouble, I guess. Sign off the times - armed guards with rifles outside some jewellery stores. I wonder if they are loaded. I also wonder why rifles - they look formidable, but wouldn't pistols be more practical? That's what got me wondering whether they were loaded.
North of Haiphong Road the street turns more modern and corporate, but the largest mosque in HK is also there. Looks nice, but out of place, until you read that there are 200,000 Muslims in HK.
Strolled through Kowloon Park. There was a kung fu exhibition going on, complete with drums, dragon dancers and lots of kicking and shouting. The crowd loved it. Beautiful park, including an aviary, maze, Chinese garden, sculpture walk, rose garden. The aviary had some gorgeous macaws, parrot ts and cockatoos, including Banacek's white one (for those youngsters among you, go ask your mother). For the market watchers among you, they had a lamentation of swans (you could look it up), but no black ones. They did have some black-necked swans,looked like they were emerging from the financial crisis.
For those of you who know me well, it may come as a surprise, but so far, my favorite places in the city have been those where I can walk, listen to my music and convene with nature - HK Park, the Botanical Garden & Zoo, the trans-Peak walk. I've put my hedonistic, shopaholic self on vacation.
The streets off Nathan are interesting. The shops are probably like what the rest of HK looked like 20 years ago. Filled with stores selling all kinds of stuff, including all the tailors. One restaurant tried to make non-Chinese feel at home. Over their menu signs they had the words "Travellers are welcome". Unfortunately, you were only welcome if you could read Chinese, because nothing else was written in any other language.
A drug store caught my eye. It was called the Health First Pharmacy. However, the "P" and the second "A" had fallen off the sign. For a few minutes I wondered what "CY" stood for and why anyone would call their place the Health First Harm. They also had another sign with a cute play on words - Medecent. I trust their non-medical products are also decent.
This weekend must have been an auspicious one for weddings. There were wedding parties everywhere in Stanley, Hong Kong Park, and other landmarks taking pictures or traipsing through the streets, with someone trying desperately to hold up the bride's train (or their own long gowns).
One magnificent building by the harbor bears the sign Heritage 1881. It now houses another group of designer labels - just what this city needs.
By the time I got home, my feet, calves and quads were crying out. Climbing stairs was a pain. Today is a holiday, so I determined to stay home and take it easy. I didn't come to the office until after the Yankees game.
This Week's Observations:
- Hong Kong makes Montreal look like heritage preservation central. No matter how nice, old or historic the building, it's in danger of being torn down or turned into a store.
- I wonder if all the watch stores are owned by rich guys who treat their inventory as an investment. There are enough expensive watches on sale here to fit every wrist in the city - on both hands. There's never anyone inside, and the staff don't look like they mind it.
- The advantage of wearing my earbuds and listening to music - easier to avoid the hawkers. I don't even know what the hundreds of guys around Nathan Road were selling - tailors and watches, I think.
- I know they work like slaves all week and only have Sunday off, but the "helpers" camped out in all the parks do take away from the beauty.
- You can tell the mainland tourists here - they're the ones lined up in front of the currency exchange booths.
- Torontonians must be at a disadvantage when they come here - they'll never cross a street. Montrealers have a definite advantage - we know how to dodge cars and take advantage of a temporary jam to get across streets with no lights or stop signs. Also, Torontonians are too nice to cross at lights. When the throngs cross at the light, it's every man for himself to get across before the light changes, especially if you're bucking the prevailing pedestrian traffic.
- The sports channels keep showing the same events over and over. Every Champions Cup soccer game is rebroadcast 3 or 4 times. Sunday morning, I turned on the Saturday night Yankees game and only while I was talking to Dale did I learn that it was postponed and I was actually watching Thursday's game.
That's it for this week. Stay tuned for the next instalment.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Jeff's observations after two weeks in HK
Do any of you remember the Stephen Wright routine where he talks about dogs and says his friend bought a dog and took it for its walks all at the same time so he wouldn't have to do it anymore? That's the way I feel each weekend after doing nothing all week. Today I left at 9:45 and returned for good at 5:30. I walked at least 145 songs on my iPod, because I usually didn't listen to it when I wasn't walking.
I went to The Peak ("The" with a capital T) this morning and walked the trail that runs around the top. To get there I wanted to take the famous Peak Tram. I took the subway to the central bus terminal and got onto the #15 bus, which clearly said "The Peak" on the front. After 10 minutes, I realized that I should have taken the 15C, which runs a short distance to the base of the Tram. Instead, I got a magnificent tour of the road up to the top of The Peak - serendipity. An addition to the tourist agenda, but not for those who are prone to seasickness. The best seats are at the top of the double-decker, and the road winds like the best of those in Europe.
Anyway, I finally got there and started my walk. Some magnificent views and a way to really see how green much of the island really is. It's a combination nature trail (paved) and walking path, with information stations everywhere explaining the history, flora and fauna of the area. Saw some pretty butterflies and one gigundous spider in an intricate web. I would have missed it but for the couple ahead of me taking pictures. With its legs spread it was the size of my fist. There is even a small waterfall that runs down the mountain and collects in pools below the road - very peaceful. A place to take out the earbuds and just listen to the water. Unfortunately, there are no benches there. The walk is about 3-4 km and much of it is in the shade, so very comfortable. Lots of runners, but no cyclists (sorry, Michael). One of the highlights of the walk was the very fit female runner who passed in front of me wearing shorts that started below her hips and ended half-way down her buns (sorry, John Shaw, I didn't have a camera).
Finally got to take the Tram down the hill - nice, steep, but no thrill, except maybe for a civil engineer. The bus ride up was better. From there I walked to Pacific Place, another huge business complex with an upscale mall. Tried to get the Jewish Film Festival book at the AMC there, but the little girls at the desk didn't know what I was talking about. Had lunch there. I felt strangely good listening to a group speaking French (from France).
Got home around 2:00 and spent the rest of the afternoon being domestic and checking out my immediate surroundings. I found the street for home renovations - I walked three long blocks, up one side and down the other of what could have been the Home Depot - flooring, plumbing, light fixtures, cabinets and cabinet hardware, tiles, home furnishings, locks, etc. Went back to the street market and bought a few things, including some gelatinous rice (what they call "sticky rice" at home) and some barbecued pork for supper. The fish mongers are still the coolest - live fish, in tanks or lying on tables. Take them home as is or have them killed and cleaned right there. If you like crab, this is the world capital.
I finally gave in and decided to add some variation to my meals. I broke down today and bought bread, butter, Life and Just Right cereal. The Life is made in the US, but for export only, and has writing in English and Spanish. The Just Right is made in Australia, but has some Chinese writing - interesting. I also bought an iceberg lettuce - imported from the US, cost CAD0.55 - try getting that price at Loblaw's.
Some observations:
- One store had a big sign offering "New Arrinals"
- There is a high end jeweller called Frei Willye. Been around since the fifties. I didn't go in to see if they had any dolphin jewellery.
- There are more hairdressers here per square mile than anywhere else. (Actually, there are more everything here than anywhere else.) I can't figure out if any of them do men's hair, but I haven't seen any barber shops.
- Shopping where I live is like a combination of Fifth Avenue and the third world. High-end by the hundreds next to tiny storefronts selling raw beans and rice or hair scrunchies.
Work's going well. Trying to work fewer hours than Andrew, but I don't think I'm managing. It's tough to leave work at 7:30 without feeling guilty when three or four others are still there. Except for the days when I have 8:00 or 9:00 pm calls to Toronto, I try to limit my stay to 12 hours.
TV sucks. Many of the English stations are business/news stations and the others show documentaries, every version of CSI or sports that I'm not interested in - they are big into racquet sports and cars here. Also lots of Brit and Aussie soaps. One radio station that plays nice classical much of the time, but that's it. So I stay plugged in - iPod or internet.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Hong Kong Here We Come
Jeff has arrived in Hong Kong! He's settling in, eating dim-sum, and learning how to use his BlackBerry.The dreadful summer humidity has lifted, and the temperature is a balmy 31 degrees.
His office is located in Causeway Bay:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causeway_Bay
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