Sunday, December 16, 2007

Lights of Hong Kong



Here is the neon glory of Hong Kong.
I have a great deal more pictures to upload, but I haven't been able to get to a computer and enough time to load the pictures, i wanted to. I am currently updating this particular piece at the HK airport on computers provided to me by the Macao tourism board. Macao = Vegas w/o bothering trying to justify the gambling with shows and crap.


Yesterday i made it to a variety of the open air markets. One was the traditional open air market that i remembered as a child, hawkers selling food, fresh fruits, vegetables, meat that is hanging, (for some reason, even in the indoor grocery stores, all the meat must apparently be hung from some hook somewhere, i can imagine an old cantonese saying to the effect of;
"The freshest meat must taste air on all sides!"). The best part of the open air food markets though were the seafood. All sorts of live fish and shellfish from styro foam containers, and hawkers deliberately dropping fish on the board so everyone can see them flop around and dance.

I also got to see the infamous "temple street" markets. Not sure how i can describe it... but imagine an entire street full of stalls that sell the kind of stuff you find at art fairs, tijuana markets, and the tables of West Chicago streets. And man alive, the stuff is dirt cheap! I could have bought nunchuks, a hello kitty vibrator, hologram key chains, a little red book, and watch for about $30 U.S. . Bargaining apparently is not just expected, but almost required. I bought these insoles for my shoes (i really needed them) without any bargaining, and the guy couldn't figure out that he was supposed to give the product when i handed over the money.

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