Saturday I met Pete after work - he was hiding in his office as the huge regatta had finished and there were teams/ celebrators/ big wigs all over his tiny & usually deserted centre. They'd set up BBQ's/ serving tables/ bars down in front of the jetty & had fairy lights & lanterns all along the tiny beach (high tide!), as well as up on the restaurant level. We did the BBQ thing - you order what you'd like on your account, they give you it all ready wrapped in tinfoil (sweetcorn , baked potatoes) etc, and you cook it on any empty space on the massive BBQ thats sort of waist high in a ring. He even got given a can of baked beans with the lid off, yum. I was most disappointed as some git took my sweetcorn when I was in the loo! Don't know if it was just that their 'crowd' decided to cook then, but all the tables around the BBQ at that point were full of Australians, maybe just gravitating towards their natural habitat. We were quite anti-social & didn't start any conversations but really, true yachties aren't usually his/ my type.
OK so I got up at 6.30 on Sunday to get the early ferry into Aberdeen - luckily Pete decided to go to work early too so gave me a hand! I then waited further along the harbour for the bigger more modern ferry (which stank of wee) to the OTHER (west) coast of my island, which dropped me off at Yung Shue Wan. Thats where Pete lived before I arrived, and is a proper little town with lots of touristy shops and news-agent type stores as well as the seafood restauraunts its known for. Also loads of the wee 3 storey flats like we live in - apparently 4 is a really unlucky number so even high-rises don't have a 4th floor (for the locals) or a 13th (for the foreigners).
I dragged my heavily laden new granny-shopping-trolley (has a huge pink Burberry-tartan style soft bag attached which was better at holding all my kit than the luggage trolley) all the way through the town, out the back and along a narrow concrete path to reach the not-very-scenic but truthfully names Power Station Beach (huge power station opposite it).
All the Lamma fun day stalls were set up along a wide concrete path parallel to the beach; the fundraiser is for Tibetan Children's Charities. No stall/ shelters apart from a few locals who had use of quad-bikes with trailers; luckily my pitch was on the tree-shaded side of the path so I only got a bit of sun. Sadly we were so sheltered from the breeze by the trees either side of the path we all got MUNCHED by mozzies all day! There was a massive jumble stall most of the length of the road behind me, which was unfortunate for my earnings as whenever I got a lull I could see really cool stuff being turned over by hordes of Phillipino lady customers. As it was I spent about £12 on second hand clothes which was impressive as I think most stuff was under £1.50! Still, got a load of nice cool & light hippy-ish or Indian type stuff, most with tags still on - so brand new! Luckily I had no time to fight through the crowds to the far end of the stalls where there were amazing embroidered clothes, bedspreads etc being sold by Thai ladies. They were selling some really clever but odd sort of concertined paper things that could be sunhats, bowls, or vases depending how wide you stretched them. Lots of new-age hippy stalls too - Pete did say there was a massive arty/ alternative culture on this side of Lamma.
Day started slow (was drippingly hot) then I got busy in bursts. What annoyed me was there was a good deal going for parents where they paid to have their kids hands stamped, and the stamp gave the kids access to loads of free stuff like games - and a face-painter. I only saw a few she had done, little doodled spiders on cheeks etc, but a lot of people thought I was HER and free, despite all my signs, so there was much arguing when it came to paying me.
I don't know WHAT she was painting with but really odd horrible stuff, I was asked to 'fix' her work a few times and one poor lad had this awful dull blue mask thing on that I had to sort of scrape off after I tried to wash it off..... Also several times kids would say 'mum's paying' as they sat down, and having seen them chatting to an adult in the queue with a bunch of kids, I would think that was her. But of course come paying she would only be responsible for some of them, grrrr, lost a fair bit I think. Never mind. What was cool was a of adults including 1 chinese guy who was TERRIFIED, that chose faces for each other - drew a big crowd for me!
Tiger & butterfly face painting Hong Kong Lamma www.cats-creations.co.uk
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
Worst was there were no easy-acces public loos - the OTHER beach (other side of the town) has loads, but not this 1! I got told it was at least a 20 minute walk on a normal day to our nearest,and as the path was so packed you could only shuffle, I decided I couldn't really leave my stall that long. So I had to wade into the sea discreetly. Still, it cooled me off for a bit!
Darth Maul face painting Hong Kong Lamma www.cats-creations.co.uk
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
What was annoying was all the dogs - most had collars on so weren't strays, but many were really pushy & nosey, and the one that decided our stall was in the coolest spot & wouldn't leave us alone was REALLY scabby, back all cracked & oozey, yuk, poor thing. Seeing the pampered pooches who must have come from HK island was a shock after this crowd of loose beasts (the one in the pram made me laugh - see the pic). Pete warned mte about the dog poo hazard but maybe they had it cleaned up for the fun day - thank god!
I packed up when it was dark, and towed all my stuff back. I passed the mad amber lady outside her shop where Pete & his mum went when he got my birthday prezzie but didn't stop to meet her as I hear she talks incessantly.
Mad amber shop lady (where put got my birthday pres)taken by Petes mum before I arrived in HK
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
Pete was sweet enough to get the ferry out there after work to meet me, but as I was far quicker getting back to the pier than in the morning we were able to meet up and get back on the ferry which he'd just arrived on, to go back to HK which was great as we made the connection to our home ferry rather than having to wait another 3 hours. If we don't move onto a boat/ off the island I hope we might move back to there, as although the ferry to Aberdeen goes less often, thats because another ferry from there goes straight to Central. And there are corner shops/ mini markets in the town. And people! But Pete says it used to wind him up as its so noisy & gets packed wih weekenders/ tourists, so who knows.
Pete's been teaching himself to swim 'properly' as opposed to what they taught in school - has a load of books out and is learning from the experts who do olympics/ channels etc. All seems quite complicated, but he stops off in Deep Water Bay (has shark nets & free showers) either on the way to, or in the dark on the way from (and there are loads of men swimming in the dark) work. We're stilll waiting to hear back from the boat owner - gave him an offer way below what he's asking, unless he's fixed/ cured the beetle damage so who knows. He only told me last week that when he 'saved' the wee tiny sailboat from his work and was using it to commute, he became notorious in the club. Staff he didn't know including high up bosses were ringing him to check he was OK, usually as he was in storms or dodging giant container ships, and he was worriedly mentioned in meetings (probably incase he got sunk/ drwoned & it reflected badly?)!!!! Does seem a bit daft that more of them don't do it seeing as they are supposed to be sailing fanatics. I suppose most of the upper echelons live in posh places on HK? So I wonder what they think of his boat living/ building scheme.
What turns my stomach is the people fishing for their tea in the harbours - yug! Oil from boats is the CLEANEST thing in there! I have mentioned the mad weekend (and weekday actually) fishers who come out to the island & hang off all the piers & rocks with hand-lines or rods? (Got really annoyed with 1 idiot who had her line spread all over the pier, but we didn't see it until AFTER it wrapped around the wheels of my cart as we struggled to untangle it to lift it onto the ferry without taking her & her kit with us!). I only just noticed the containers they take their fish home in. Some have home-made carriers; they get a big plastic container (like a big sailing boat's water container/ those army fuel tanks with the handle in the corner), turn it on its side (with the lid screwed on) and cut an oblong hole in the long then narrow side that is now the top. Then they puncture each of the 2 longest lips to thread 2 rope loops as handles, and away they go. Anything they catch goes into sea water in there to keep fresh for the trip home. The 'gadgetted up' fisher people have bought carriers, out of that nylon cool box stuff, with a net accross the top to stop escapees. One had dropped a big fat prawn where we wait for the ferry, and I watched a huge wasp carefully climbing inside the dead shellfish, scooping out a bit of flesh, flying off with it & coming back for another load. Didn't think they did that! We are getting more and more hikers/ walking groups now its cooler (allegedly - 32 degrees again this week) and they keep making Pete jump by singing along to his guitar strummings when he's on the balcony. Still, anything to drown out the hideous chinese opera - it really does sound like someone trying to tune in a radio programme where a cats trapped in an electrified grand piano.
