Lunch Time in Central and Wan Chai

1-3 - Back Alley in Central

3-5 - Wan Chai North

Deerhoof live in Hong Kong

Deerhoof played live in Hong Kong for the first time thanks to Songs for Children. See more photos and read the review here

Wide Angle in Hong Kong

1- Wan Chai
2- Sai Yin Pun
3- Kennedy Town

Central

Graham Street Market

1- Fruit stalls at Graham Street Market
2- Flower Shop at Graham Street Market
3- Wing Woo Groceries
4- Dai Pai Dong close to Graham Street Market

The pictures are of Graham Street Market in Central. Graham Street Market is one of the oldest outdoor markets in Hong Kong. It's been around for 160 years. Even before Hong Kong became a British colony there was a bazaar on this site, selling provisions to the ships arriving in Hong Kong. Unfortunately the Urban Renewal Authority is planning to redevelop Graham Street and Peel Street. When they say redevelop they actually mean tearing down the old buildings and building higher, more profitable high-rises instead. This will affect 37 building and 78 shops. It will start 2015 and be completed in 2021.

The plan is to build a giant complex with two residential buildings, a 26-storey hotel, a 32-storey office building, a footbridge linking to the escalator and an underground car park (because we need more cars in Central for sure). They are also planning an "Old Market Street" a man-made tourist attraction, which will have nothing to do with reality and surely all the charm and authenticity of the market will be lost. They will be selling traditional products and handicrafts. Sounds like the Ngong Ping Old Town to me, a disney-esque tourist attraction on Lantau selling Babushka dolls and other kitsch to mainland tourists. I fail to see how "Old Shop Street" can be of any interest for a tourist wanting to experience the many sides of Hong Kong, as gritty and dirty as they can be. Graham Street Market may not be pretty at times, but it's GENUINE and vibrant. The real Hong Kong, a real outdoor wet market, not the URA's version of it.

Instead of just renovating the buildings, like it is done in most places in the world the URA instead tears down most of the ones built in 50s and 60s, keeps the facade of the pre-war buildings and fills in the rest with hotels, luxurious apartments and other crap not catered to the existing residents of that area, but for richer class with more consumer power. Local residents are relocated and compensated. If compensation for something like that is even possible. 

   

The corner house of Wellington Street and Peel Street was housing one of the oldest shops in that area selling eggs, groceries and dried goods called Wing Woo Groceries, which was in business for more than 80 years and closed in 2009. The URA offered the owner compensation and he retired due to old age. The shops interior will be preserved for a museum.

Break

1-2 Lamma Island
3- ICC Kowloon
4- Park next to the Grand Hyatt

Lights

Saint Gotthard

On top of the Saint Gotthard Pass. Instead of the tunnel we took the scenic road on our way to Itlay. There is still some snow and ice, even in the summer.

From Italy with love

Some more photos from my short trip to northern Italy. I want to go back.

1- Lenno

2- Lenno

3- Menaggio

4- Jule

5- Lenno

6- Lago di Como

Holidays

1- A bee and Lavender in Germany
2- A boy eating ice-cream in Lenno, Lake Como, Italy
3- Cafe in Heidelberg, Germany
4- Duomo di Milano, Italy

More Macao

I love Macau! More here

Easter Sunday in Macau

We spent a day in Macau on Sunday. Here are some photos I took.

Things to do in Macau

• of course make your way through bakery lined streets to go to Ruínas de São Paulo, a church that was built from 1582 to 1602. Now only the façade remains.
• Walk up to the fort (Fortaleza do Monte) behind the ruins of St Paul.
• Eat lovely Bacalhau with scrambled eggs at a Portuguese restaurant called Boa Mesa (Travessa de S. Domingos 16ª), they have good espresso, too. UPDATE - unfortunately they closed down
• Eat as many Pastéis De Nata as you can along the way. I really like NE NE pastelaria   in Taipa (92B, Rua Correia Da Silva, Na Taipa, Vila de Taipa). They make delicious mini egg tarts.
• Visit the Lou Lim Ieoc Garden (Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida)
• Go to the Venetian Casino for half an hour to see what everybody else likes to do in Macau.
• Grab a taxi and go to Taipa Village, get a Serradura, which is Macanese Ice-cream with cookie crumbles or a beer at the main square and walk around the village a bit. There is a nice lake and some old restored houses at Avenida da Praia. The lake was once part of the South China Sea before the land reclamation and the houses belonged to rich Maccanese families, now they are museums and galleries.
• go to Colonae and eat at Fernando's of course.