Mas Para Sol: Hong Kong Photo Update

OK, been a while, here a bunch of photos...

A view of Kowloon Peninsula from Causeway Bay. People probably still live on those boats.

One of the 3 cultures which populated Hong Kong lived their whole life on boats.

Looking into Central from Causeway Bay

Breakdancing under the bridge on a Sunday at Causeway Bay

One Sundays all the house workers from the Philippines/Indonesia and elsewhere get the day off by work. They spend it by picnicking in Victoria park. Sitting on plastic sheets and eating packed lunches or fruit.

A photo of me at Kennedy Town, an outlying suburb of HK city, and the end of the tram line.

Paper clothes and other items to be burned at a funeral. The idea is that the material items go up in smoke with the spirits and give the dead a comfortable afterlife.

Kennedy town scene

Strange Fruit

The Bank of China tower which is the symbol of Hong Kong. It is free to go to the 43rd floor for the view.

A select view from the Bank of China tower

I love riding the trams, I am going to miss them!!!

A sunset at Causeway Bay. Just chill.

The Horse Races at Happy Valley

The race track. The whole area is full of expats. You hear thick British accents and occasional French way more than Chinese...

Rose Mansion at Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon.

Another view in the TST area of Kowloon. Kowloon is somewhat lower scale than the Hong Kong island side. It always feels good to get back to the island.

Odd steep staircase in the street where I live...

I don't remember where I got this shot at all. Possibly riding the top deck of a tram...

Free Friday arts show at the HK arts center. This whole event felt like something I would do at home. Low turnout, bad acoustics, and a general feeling of "meh'.

Tia Chi in the park. I went for two mornings. Javier, my classmate, has been going for weeks and is now adopted by the group. They gave him a fan. :)

Walking back to TST on the Kowloon side of the bay. The buildings are decked for Christmas.

Random show at a random bar below the Hopewell center. I was the only one in the audience. I requested "I will survive" and they played it quite well. Interesting accented version...though all the songs were in English...

Taking the Ferry to Kowloon. There is the HK Arts and Convention center in the far distance, and the Ferry Term directly in the near distance.

Yeah, almost the same photo...just the HK convention center there...

This is a shopping center in Kowloon as soon as you leave the Ferry. I forget the name of it. There are so so so many shopping centers in Hong Kong. It is huuuuuuuuuugeee. I can't describe it. Most people don't think HK is that big of a city, I guess it isn't, but it sure is compact. There is no way you could know where every store is. It is always changing. I see delivery people lost on the streets with maps asking for directions. Hong Kong is big. I don't care what people say!

Giant people, escalator. Sometimes art happens...

Kowloon is known for fakes. Fake Rolex's, fake Polo T-shirts, fake Prada, fake I-phones, Fake Air-walks, fake whatever... How do you know the Rolex's aren't fake? A guy with a gun guards them.

A bubble tea place. Bubble tea is oh sooo good. Particularly if you are shopping. Notice how overstaffed the place is. That is another thing I am going to miss. The overstaffing. Service is excellent, tips are non-existent.

Random view of Kowloon park. Largest walled park or sommat.

Display at the Health and Sanitation museum where I got a free packed which contained: alcohol hand sanitizer, baby wipes, and 5 of those face mask things people wear to defend against Swine flu..The Kowloon peninsula of HK is the most densely populated place on Earth, but if you want some alone time, just go to this museum, it is always empty.

Oh, hey, tenuous, solid, covert, duplicitous, profitable. ;)

Kowloon Park ready for the East Asia games which will launch this Saturday, the 5th.

Random furniture!

More randomness, cause that is a city...

This is how they sell aquarium fish. Though retail tends to spill out into the streets for every kind of item. Got to maximize the rent value. Ultimate business people. Please remember.

Some random game around Mong Kok.

The Temple of the "Temple Street" night market in Kowloon.

Closer view...

Christmas decor back around TST...

H1N1 prepared. Free face masks. (See museum post)

Ughhh, I should not have posted this one. Anyways, me being a cliche...

Kowloon Park, East Asia Games, etc...

Another view of Central from the Tram lines...did I mention missing the trams?

Some medicine thing... acupuncture...etc..

Some weird shop like two blocks down from where I live. Just look at those jeans!

Hanging out on the top floor terrace of Javier's plush apartment building. We drink tea, eat 99% cocoa chocolates, talk about our past and futures, soak in the view. This is the city life.

View from the terrace.

Mercedes in Wan Chai. Javier's neighborhood, and my second neighborhood/hang out.

You also spot the occasional Roles Royce, Porsche, Lamborghini, etc...The teacher at school was adamant in insisting that Mercedes Benz is not an expensive car...what a different world this is...