Friday. I have to apologize to all my readers. I have been too busy to post, but am doing my best now and over the next few days to update you on my daily activities since March 8.
The time difference between here and the eastern coast of the US, where I am from, has mixed me up because the date in my camera is still set on US time. I’ve been depending on the date the pictures were taken to help me remember what I have been doing every day! March 9 is actually Saturday, so please excuse the error. Somehow I managed to miss a day of reporting (probably Friday the real 8th) but does it really matter? To me, yes, but to the readers perhaps not so much.
Just to quickly say what I did on Friday the 8th, I had a hair appointment at 11:30 — which I scouted out the day before, as I reported. I really like how Dennis cut my hair, and he was a very personable guy. Afterwards, I called my sister-in-law, who was still at work and wanted to join up with me at 1:30. I had an hour to kill, so I walked to Prince’s Building to find a shop called Alessi. I had brought a metal bowl with me that was missing a leg, and Monika had wanted to know if they could repair it, since she bought it there. They told me they do not do repairs, so I just chucked the bowl in the nearest refuse bin, upon Monika’s instruction. That lightened my load considerably. I made it back to our meeting place in good time. We walked half a block to Nga Trang, a Vietnamese restaurant. The food was outstanding. Midway through our meal, another patron sat beside us, as is the custom in crowded restaurants. Turns out Boots knew her from the FCC, so we had a very nice conversation amongst the three of us. I made up my mind that on occasion, when I am in Central, I will pick up some TO GO meals at Nga Trang and bring them back for dinner with Gopal and Monika. After lunch, Boots had to go back to work, so we said our good-byes and that we’d see each other again on Sunday when she and my brother would be coming over for Indian food at Gopal and Monika’s apartment. I did more exploring in Central, which I always love to do. I think the pictures I posted on the other March 8 included some taken on the real March 8. Those two days obviously sort of blended together in my mind.
Today, Saturday, I headed out fairly early so I could spend a lot of time exploring Sham Shui Po, which is reknown for its fabrics and beads and all sorts of stuff from which to make jewelry and jeweled fabrics, like sequined purses and blouses, etc.
I had a very nice time on the bus to Central. I went to the top level, as usual, and sat next to a Chinese man who almost instantly struck up a conversation. He asked if I was going to go shopping, and I told him I was headed to Sham Shui Po, but today just to look and later to buy. He said that was a good idea. After talking for a while, with him even showing me pictures of his family on his smartphone, I asked him what he did in his career, since his English was pretty good. He told me he was 75 and had retired 10 years ago, and that he had only had 2 jobs in his life. His first was with (did I remember?) TWA. I told him I certainly did remember TWA because I had been a stewardess with Pan Am, their rival airline. That was funny. He then said his second job was with a chemical company. I asked him which one. He said, E. I. DuPont Company. I looked at him with incredulty. I said, “That is amazing. That is the company my father worked for all of his career, and it’s why we came to Hong Kong in 1962! My father was #2 man for DuPont Far East.” We both laughed and then tried to figure out if any names were familiar, but alas there was too much of a time difference. He only started working for DuPont in 1979. My father had retired by then, as was a good nearly 20 years older than this man was. He had been in charge of safety at all the plants that DuPont owned or did business with. That was quite an experience. Before he left, he asked if I communicated via Facebook and I said yes. Then he gave me his Facebook name: Samko, which means “Uncle Sam.” I have, unfortunately, not been able to find him with that name. Others, but not him. Sad to have lost my connection with him.
Believe it or not, this was the first time I took the Star Ferry across the harbor. When I lived here in 1962-65, I took the Star Ferry every day to school. Of course, things have changed a lot since then. Much of the land at the waterfront has been reclaimed, massive tall buildings have been built, and the Star Ferry pier has been relocated. The trip across takes only 5 minutes compared to 7 or 8 when I was a student. The ferries are no faster; the distance is shorter!
At the Hong Kong side ferry pier, there is an historical display of the Star Ferry. It originated in 1880 when Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, a Parsee (Zoroastrians who fled Iran due to religious persecution) cook, decided he would start a ferry service between Hong Kong island and Kowloon with his steamboat, the Morning Star. A second deck was added, and within 10 years the service was bought by Sir Catchick Paul Chater who created the Star Ferry Company. Every vessel has “Star” in the name, and the boat with the green bottom and white upper deck is one of the icons of Hong Kong. At both the Hong Kong and Kowloon sides of the ferry, there is a clock tower. The one on Hong Kong side belongs to the Star Ferry Company, has a clock on all four sides, keeps time via state-of-the-art GPS tied to universal time, and has 5 bells which are tuned to result in a perfect, harmonious Westminster chime every 15 minutes. This clock tower is an important landmark at the waterfront in Central. The one on the Kowloon side is also a landmark, but it is now officially called the Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower. It still stands where the railway station used to be.
Approaching Star Ferry Pier from elevated walkway. Reclamation underway as always.
Star Ferry Pier and clock tower
Star Ferry at pier
Inside front section of Star Ferry, showing seat backs that move both directions.
Last people on this trip shown leaving the ferry.
Once all passengers have alighted, the new ones are allowed to board. This is quite a herd when schools let out and during rush hour!
Having made my way across the harbor, I then took a #2 bus to Sham Shui Po. The excellent staff at Hong Kong Travel right at the ferry pier told me which bus to take and when to get off, showed me a map and everything. I am lost without maps!
I got off at Kweilin Street and walked 2 blocks to the street where all the bead shops are. Every shop offered something different. Several looked very much like the shops I saw at the Jade Market. Some offered just chains. One offered all plastic beads, one all wooden beads, one all silver items, several offered a vast variety of stone beads, another glass beads. One store was just for ribbons. One was just for buttons. Another for sequins.
I really did spend hours just walking around and looking and checking on prices of everything so when I go to Shenzhen (China) later I can compare to see which is the better buy. I also did not want to buy until I saw what they had and would then make up a list of what I absolutely need to have for my business. I was walking around and it was beginning to get dark when I noticed people lined up for blocks and wondered what the attraction was. I followed the line to its origin and discovered they were all waiting for freshly deep fried bean curd strips, sheets, and rolls. Must be quite a delicacy. Unfortunately, I did not have time to wait in line to try it out!
I found the return bus stop, and back I went to the Star Ferry and Central.
Night lights in HK Central from Star Ferry
One of the “sights” that attracts people leaving the Star Ferry as they walk along the escalated walkway toward Des Voeux Road is the Apple store. Two glass enclosed floors – built across one of the busiest roadways in HK — always packed with people trying the Apple products and buying! too. Imagine that!
HK Apple Store