Thursday, March 13, 2008

The Last of Hong Kong

I'm now back in St. Louis and the weather is slowly warming up. I have a few photos that I had been wanting to take the whole time I was in HK, but was really motivated to get out and get the shots the last week I was there.

Traditional Chinese Medicine
Chinese Medicines
Hundreds of local pharmacies in Hong Kong offer a wide variety of both traditional and non traditional remedies. Walk down a particular street in Central and your nostrils will be overcome by all kinds of dried things. Antlers, squid, fish skin, bird's nest, mushrooms, fruits, roots and leaves, all dried and available in bulk to cure what ails you. These are the packaged herbal medicines displayed in a pharmacy window.

Little Shop of Buddhas
Statue Shop
This fantastic little shop in Mongkok offers a wide variety of statues, charms and shrines. Very colorful, but not a place you want to go crazy Borat style, or even wear a large backpack and attempt to navigate the narrows aisles.

New Years Markets
New Year's Shop
In Mongkok, this shop sells all kinds of decorations in the days leading up to the Chinese new year holidays. Lots of reds and golds to bring luck and riches to Hong Kongers in the year of the Rat.

Mannequin Army
Mannequin Shop
This storefront near Sham Shui Po sells plastic men and women. Every time I walked by a darkened mannequin shop, I couldn't help but look in and expect to see some movement.

Kowloon Walled City
Kowloon Walled City
I finally explored the park that is the former site of the Kowloon Walled City. The area has a very interesting history and some nice artifacts and ruins left over. Read more about it here.

Zingaro on Hung Hom Pier Lawn
Horses Away
Days after I left HK, a show was to open called Zingaro. It is some kind of performance that involves running horses, wagon trains, birds and gypsies. Here, the horses run from one tent to another. Read more about it here.

Reflecting on the Promenade, Lying
Lying Promenade Sign
My reflection points out that there is indeed no lying allowed on the Hung Hom promenade.

TST Signal Tower
Signal Tower
Before the days of powered clocks, ships in Victoria Harbor would look at this tower to set their navigation and timings tools with. It's also the tower that has been used to hoist the signal levels of approaching typhoons. It now sits nestled quitely quite far from the harbor obscured by massive buildings. But, unlike a lot of other historic structures of Hong Kong, it's still here.

HK Hashing: Lost in Space
Post Wanchai H3
My last night in Hong Kong was spent running on the Wanchai Hash. I was lucky enough to run with the Wanchai and a few others in HK. Here, I enjoy a beverage with the Hare Raiser of the Wanchai H3, Lost in Space, after my last run.