Trip to Hong Kong retrospective...

I've just got back from Hong Kong and had to fly back via Bangkok which added on quite a few hours.  Hong Kong was fascinating and exciting. I've never been there before, my stopovers to Europe have always gone via Singapore before. I look forward to going back to Hong Kong some time but maybe avoiding the both European New Year and Chinese New Year as the accomodation prices skyrocket at those times. We ended up staying in a small apartment in an area called Mong Kok which is the most densely populated area on earth (or so I am told). I can well believe it as it was a struggle to walk back to our apartment at night through the crowds. We booked the apartment through WIMDU after finding all the hotels and hostels put their prices up 80% over New Year.

Hong Kong is a shoppers paradise especially if you are a size 8-10 and have small feet (which I don't). Fabric is very cheap and I bought mostly silk to keep the bag weight down. Silk organza was about NZ$7 a metre as opposed to $20 + in New Zealand. The area for fabric, sewing supplies and trims is Sham Shui Po. In the same area is Dragon shopping building which was great for shopping and had wonderful gibberish t-shirts for kids.

 On my first day in Hong Kong I was struck by the contrasts I saw in different areas of the city.
Down near the Star Ferry there are lots of very expensive shops, and this Christmas tree made of Fererro Rocher Chocolates. The attendants were replacing a few that must have been broken or eaten the night before.

Tiny old ladies pushing heavy carts along the roads on Hong Kong Island while fancy cars whizz by.

 

Snoopy bike leaning against a wooden carving made of what looks like a gnarled root.

Man Mo temple seen between older apartments with new apartments towering above.

In fact many of my photos over the 10 days were taken of apartment blocks.

At New Year we attended a banquet for the shibori symposium then watched fireworks from the roof of a large hotel. It was a good way of avoiding the huge crowds of people on the streets that night.

A few days later a group of Shibori Symposium people went on a boat trip around the harbour to see the nightly light show.

This was the best photo, most of the others look like I was a bit drunk but it was a sailing junk so I have an excuse :-)

Imagine the amount of electricity used in this nightly light show, not sure why I bother going around the house turning off lights each evening.
At the end of the symposium we went on a walking tour of an area of Hong Kong lsland. Hollywood Road and some of the market areas. The most interesting bit for me was the shops where they sold paper food and money to buy for the dead so they will have stuff in the afterlife. At least I think that is the story.

 Paper cakes

 paper seafood

 Paper gold bars

 Paper meals including tofu blocks

Paper ducks and chickens.
There were also paper Ipads, Ipods, cellphones, cars and much more. I did think about bringing back some paper Ipads for my sons but thought that would be a bit mean.

 Above - Chinese New Year decorations including Dragon Puppets as the new year will be the Year of the Dragon.

A market stall in 'Cat' Street which has many years of items piled on top of each other. Would make a good archeological dig.

The next post will have more about the Shibori symposium itself.