Fun in Hong Kong

Note,

I've heard that a reader has been receiving versions of the email with no text after the pictures begin. I have noticed that the blog (which I email the updates to) has the same problem which I have corrected in earlier postings. Please let me know if the emails you have been receiving from me seem to end abruptly and I will at least try to fix it on my blog. Or you can get a Mac. Laurie and I would like to hear back from you if you get a chance. If you do reply to us, please delete my email from your reply because email is extremely slow on board and receiving my pictures back in a reply gums up the works.

We've been in Hong Kong for the past two days. The first day we docked at a pier where we met our guide and took a shuttle to town. Then, at 6:00 pm they moved the ship, sailing past the harbour during the 8pm light show, then anchoring until the end of our second day in Hong Kong. We stayed ashore (passed up a cruise dinner) so we could have dinner ashore and watch the light show from the Hong Kong Island side. It was the first time I watched the cruise ship I'm supposed to be on sail past without panicking. We took the tender back to the ship around 10:30pm. The tenders were not lifeboats, but large ferries and the trip took close to an hour. It was reasonably planned and executed by Princess. They made the best of the anchoring location they were assigned to. I understand that things will not go as smoothly and they predict three hours to tender everyone ashore in Vietnam where we have a private tour scheduled. They were only docked earlier in the day so they could provision the ship. Now we have bananas again as well as fresher salads, etc.

They were not as excited to see us as they had been in Qingdao. The welcome committee dwindled to 8 drummers but they had 5 dragons and a guy with a cheap mask.

I finally managed to get a photo of a thermal scan screen. They have all been different but this is an example of the ghosts marching by. They had a more colorful rendition in China but that was in China and this was in a lounge on the ship as passengers were preparing to disembark in Hong Kong. I'll probably get another chance in Vietnam tomorrow.

Hong Kong is incredible. Not as much buildnig going on, it's already built. They are making more room by leviling a mountain and pouring the rock in to the harbour. Makes usable land at both ends. There is a lot of prosperity here. There is a 50 year agreement with China to leave things alone here and people are happy with that.

We changed our itinerary to include some shopping stops. Our guide took us to a place that makes handbags inspired by designers. They are not knockoffs, but really improvements on the original without the label. Laurie was quite pleased.

Laurie and read that this was a great place to get prescription eyeglasses made but I didn't see the bargain. The cheap glasses are the same cheap glasses that you don't want at Lenscrafters, and I think the name brand ones are no cheaper (or not enough cheaper) to make it worth the bother. Laurie did get some non prescripton sunglasses that are nice.

Custom tailors are all over the place but we (Laurie) only liked the fabric at the most expensive tailor so I am having three shirts made. We returned for the fitting yesteday afternoon and naturally they fit well. We should be able to pick up the finished shirts later today. (update: Shirts fit great.)

Interesting fact:

They use bamboo scaffolding instead of steel for scaffolds up to 30 stories high. Bamboo is better than steel because it is unaffected by the weather, it is strong and flexible. They just tie pieces together with plastic strapping.

Note the worker on the bamboo scaffold. This is a zoomed in photo of the previous building.

They just tie the bamboo together with plastic strapping, no screws, nails or other attachments.

We visited the bird market. Because living spaces are so small, people have birds instead of dogs or cats but they still take their pets out for walks.
The bird market is the place to buy your bird food but singing birds prefer live grasshoppers. You cut off their legs (the grasshoppers) so it is easier for your bird to catch his meal and their meal won't hop out of the bird cage. You can also buy crickets or worms by the bowl. Live ones. I have movies too because it's more disgusting to see a vendor scoop out a cup full of wiggling insects. The grasshoppers are in plastic or net bags, already counted out for your convenience.

Live grasshoppers in the bags.

There is also fresh honey for sale at the Flower Market.

Maybe a little too fresh. Don't forget to use your strainer to get rid of the bee parts.

Speaking of fresh we went into a supermarket (I found Dr.Pepper canned in Australia made with sugar instead of HFCS.) and they had big tanks of full grown live fish. They stopped me from taking pictures because I was too slow on the trigger. I guess I was standing there with my camera out and my jaw dropped, watching the spectacle. They take out the live fish of your choice, whack it on the table to dispatch it, scale it (and I don't mean weigh it), gut it, bag it, then weigh it. That's fresh fish. Don't stand too close or you'll be smelling not-so-fresh later in the day. I did not see any llve chickens in the store. This was a modern grocery store, not a little back street Mom & Pop establishment.

We took a harbour cruise past a floating fishing village.

Aberdeen fishing village is on the water with modern buildings in the background. Fishing families have two boats, one to live on, and one which they take out for fishing. They do have to pay to keep their boats here.

There are subsidized apartments for the "sandwich people." Sandwich people earn too much for free government housing but could not afford a regular apartment without a government subsidy.

Sandwich apartment buildings.

We stayed ashore for the light show. There are many unique skyscrapers. We saw a 4,200 square foot apartment selling for $20,000,000 US.

The building with the diagonal lights has sharp edges like a knife and has upset it's neighbors because the feel the sharp edges interfere with their "Feng Shui," harmony with nature.

Our ship sails by without us.

We decided to take the shuttle to the top of Victoria peak the next day but it was foggy and the view was shrouded. We enjoyed Hong Kong. There are more stories to tell but no more time. We are in Veitnam for the next two days then another day at sea. We move the clocks back another hour tonight. We'll be 12 hours ahead of the east coast again.

Regards,

Steve & Laurie