http://www.compunicate.com/Lamma-zine/PG-2/AG-Cat-Finlayson.htm
A bit of it is garbled/ out of context as he edited a blurb I sent with questions he asked me as I worked last week, and I'm not impressed with some of the pics he chose off my website, but still - Fame at last???? He did want to come & photo me working but I haven't had any on that side of the island since, just private parties elsewhere.
I was so hungry on Tuesday that when Pete got home from work (minus groceries so he could make the ferry on time), we walked 30 minutes to Sok Kwu Wan, the village our ferry starts from. Its mainly composed of a tiny temple & fish restauraunts, people come out for the evening or the weekend to it. Its an OK walk, no steps at all, just undulating concrete path. On the way I spotted something odd half on the path in a darker patch, and got rather excited when I realised it was a snake. In the orange street lamps it looked brownish, but as Pete muttered something about " I think only the bright green ones are poisonous" and backed off rapidly, my mini-cameras flash lit it up.
Dopey snake on path to Sok Ku Wan - in the dark it looked brown, in the pic its green...and
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
It was bright green. So I didn't go really close like I wanted to! Small & skinny, with a yellower tinge to the head & orange edges to the tail. I'll try to find out what it was, pretty!
We stopped at the first restauraunt we found, the 'Genuine Lamma Hilton' (Hilton? really? with plastic tables & chairs & tablecloths? May be a lawsuit waiting there!). Again the set menu for 2 defeated us, but was lovely. I mean the SIZE of the portions - 1st was a huge bowl of crab & sweetcorn & egg soup, I had 6 bowls, Pete had 4 (as he preferred the chilli fish) and it was still half full!
We were kept amused by the rather non-people friendly cats belonging to the owners, with a range of kittens from tiny to half grown. Funniest was the furore caused by a cockroach running along the pier beside us, with the dad cat chasing & playing with it - because he caught it one final time, picked it up in his mouth, and legged into the kitchens with it. Hopefully for the tiny kittens to eat/ play with, and not to be added to our food.......we got 'our' ferry back to our beach, passing an immense multi-million motor yacht on the way.....wow! Looked like it had at last 3 floors including a ballroom with chandeleirs! Bit too OTT for me (think Goldie Hawn in 'Overboard' crossed with Joan Collins Dynasty style) and Pete was disgusted.
Me on the ferry (5 min) trip from Sok Ku wan back home to Ma Tat Wan
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
I spent a while tidying/ sorting for Petes sister Kate who was coming to visit on Wednesday on her way home to New Zealand. Finally, an excuse to buy more cutlery, plates, pillows, etc! We had been surviving with 2 mugs, 1 set of cutlery and 2 plates (as well as using the plastic bowls my favourite take-away fried rice from the supermarket comes in). I had been looking but only found a shop selling what I wanted this week - everywhere just does those sort of chinese flat spoons or chopsticks. Seeing locals eat I realise you scoop up your meal (noodles/ juice/ soup) in the spoon and sort of chopstick up the noodles from the spoon, letting bits fall back into it and then slurp runnier bits from the spoon. Anyway once again the great 'Japanese Homestore' supplied me with all I needed......sadly I couldn't face lugging china home, or risk it smashing after falling off our non-existant draining board (sink edge) as the plastic stuff continually does. So I got a very classy set of melamine (that sort of plastic that 'tinks' when flicked anyway) tableware. And knives, spoons and sporks (spoon with the bowl split into 2 tines) as there were no forks. Now I just have to train Pete to USE it all.
Kates plane was delayed, so instead of meeting her when she got off the airport express train in Central, Pete went to the airport. He didn't know her flight or that there were 2 arrival halls, so missed her, went back and found her asleep on the train station bench! They got the ferry from Central (no nice Aberdeen fishmarket welcome for Kate then) to Sok Kwu Wan, then took 'our' ferry from there to our beach, where I met them
Cat & just arrived Kate, Mo Tat Beach, Lamma, in front of the scenic rubbish collection point
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
(I had walked half way to SKW to meet them but luckily rang to check if they were walking from there or hiring a quad-bike guy to carry her luggage (people not allowed lifts on them). To keep her awake after we managed to get her suitcase (mainly full of stuff we requested from Petes mums farm) and my new face-paint chairs (huge tall directors chairs that really save my back as I don't need to bend to kids faces) home, we again walked to SKW. No snakes this time, still - just - daylight, tho full of mozzies!
We walked right though the village when we got there, and 25 minutes out the other side, to see if 1 of the other flats Pete first viewed was still free. Its above an ice-cream/ fry up shop!!!!! And is apparently very nicely decorated tho he has no recollection of the bathroom. Of course the block was dark & deserted, including the shop (sulk) and one nice old local man tried to help us but we had a total of about 8 words in each others language, none of which covered leaving messages for renting property! The walk was all flat/ sloped with the only steps / steep bit being just beside the flat, so it would be easier than lugging my kit trolley up & down our current steps, I suppose. And I do really like the idea of being fairly close to food/ small shops as we have no storeage and only a tiny fridge, so are always running out of food at home at the moment. PLUS there was actually 3 recycling bins as we walked back into the village!!!! Sold it for me!
The sad thing was, all the cats around there had had their tails cut off - I did read about it somewhere, something to do with the fact that the cats are too proud of their beautiful tails and thats a sin. what was worse was several had obviously had the remainder of their tails broken during the removal process so they were at funny angles, poor souls.
We had tea in one of the fish places that had promised us free beer when we ran the gauntlet of all the waiters/ owners on our way to see the flat; first time I have had cockles, I think - but I LOVED their crispy chilli shrimp, yum. There was another 'Lamma Hilton' (as opposed to last nights 'REAL Lamma Hilton of course). Wonder if they came from the shrimpers/ farm in the bay there? We walked home in the dark, found a cool huge leaf-camouflaged grasshoperry thing.
Excellent big leaf-like grashopper thing, walking back from Sok Ku Wan
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
Thursday we all went to Stanley as Kate wanted Pete to teach her windsurfing. As there was no wind at first, he took us to Stanley's covered market - a real tourist trap but impressive! I KNOW its more expensive than the others but 1) the clothes & shoes (even had my beloved Teva sandals & flip-flops which I had to import into the UK from the USA - cheaper!) were more likely to be in European sizes (I got a lovely brand new Monsoon skirt for £12 - their stuff is REALLY expensive in the UK); 2) most stalls had a space you could try stuff on in and 3) they all spoke english. Far easier!
I went back again whilst the other 2 windsurfed, then sat & read/ photographed them. Kate looked good, whether it was her skill or Petes teaching I don't know, but she was sailing up & down and didn't fall in!
Pete has gone off sending any kids we have to the "Sea School" which overlooks the bay there,(lessons as normal with lots of extra sailing etc) after seeing the military style PE & dodgy water-sports teaching going on.
We then took a minibus all the way in to Petes HQ and had lovely showers (as they provide big fluffy towels there!), so I finally met Petes immediate boss - a very pretty guy who reminds me of a young David Hasselhoff! We then got a taxi to the famed (but fairly grotty, old & boring) Star Ferry over to Kowloon.
The 'Avenue of Stars' along the waterfront (in front of the Intercontinental , John C. Senior!) was a bit of a disappointment - its billed like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but there aren't that many stars; most I hadn't heard of (fair enough)
and only about 6 of them had hand-prints in the concrete beside the names! It was funny as it was all pristine apart from Jackie Chan's spot - so many people have put their hands over his prints they are stained badly! There was also a big bronze statue of Bruce Lee, but mainly we just watched the light show on the buildings. 100's of stalls offer decent photos of you against the light-show, they must have brilliant cameras as ALL ours came out blurry! They had little kiosks where you (or the stall owners) instantly printed out your photo. I might do it with mum when she comes, as they did look good!
After a lot of walking & introducing Kate to fast food chinese style (in the not remotely junk-food Cafe de Coral chain where you get reasonable meals in about 5 minutes), we wandered looking for a foot massage. The first lady to grab us promised $90 dollars a massage and took us up to a nicely decorated room full of massive armchairs with footrests, half full, with a masseur perched in front of each client. I have a sore foot still healing so Pete asked if they could massage my dodgy wrist instead (I liked Sammy & Lochies hand massage when we got bored in the Masai Mara so thought it was a good idea. To my surprise I got ushered into another room, which was dark & filled with massage beds in cubicles. I took off my watch & ring and sat on the bed, but when she returned, with sign language the woman asked me to take off my top. Fair enough, arm/ shoulder massage included I thought. Then she started trying to remove my bra and gesturing for me to lie down. Um. So I did, and got my face into the odd hole that fits it in the bed. Then a different woman came in & started trying to take off my trousers! I was quite nervous by this point, but she sort of squashed me down and then put a big towel over my back. Sadly I think I was taller than expected, as when she pulled it over my feet she exposed my shoulders; then she pulled it back over my shoulders so my feet poked out again; she did that a couple of times before thinking of getting another towel for my feet, which was just as well as I was getting giggly. Anyway, she started giving me a back & shoulder massage and it really HURT. Far more like what I was expecting from the lady in Mombasa who really just gave us a facial! I swear she was rearranging the ribs in my back, and the bit where she was getting her fingers UNDER my shoulder blades and moving them around wasn't pleasant either. Still, she usually stopped whatever it was just before I got to the swearing/ squeaking stage! After an endless length of time when I was beginning to worry Pete & Kate would have finished & left, she stopped. I said thanks (in Cantonese), and started getting up, and to my horror she whipped off my knickers & started doing my legs & backside (shades of Natalies Turkey experience I think!). I gave up at that point; when it came to arms she did that horrible snapping off the end of my fingers; then she turned me over for a face massages and spent about 3 minutes on my arms & hands. Hmm. When I was finally allowed to dress it was an hour later! Turns out Pete & Kate got given a shoulder massage in their chairs after their feet were done so no idea why i was moved - taken advantage of I think as mine cost about 5 times more than we were quoted - and theirs was doubled - 'lymphatic drain massage' apparently! Petes horny feet & toes shocked them but he says he needs the protection for when he stands on sea urchins so refused a pedicure. And he got massaged by a bloke who wouldn't make eye contact with him or talk, though all the other guys kept asking if he worked out every day as his muscles were so good! Despite feeling sore for the next 2 days it was quite nice - may go back!
Friday we returned to Petes HQ after accidentally leaving Pete & Kates wet clothes there on Thursday, so we took advantage of that to have an all-day breakfast for lunch, yum!
We then got a taxi to Hong Kong Stations, as they have a brilliant thing where you can check in your luggage to the airport up to a day before you get on the airport express train. We then went looking for bits Kate wanted to buy, starting with the Ladies Market.
I'm not sure why its so famous, it really isnt any different to the other markets, stalls of handbags, cheap shorts & tops, converse shoes/ trainers and in this case - dodgy underwear, especially male animal-themed posing pouches, and nurses outfits!
Pete lasted a bit then when we were taking a while finding the Goldfish Market we quit and went back to Central. After an abortive attempt at finding shorts for Kates boyfriend (all the shops in town have switched to winter gear - puffa jackets and fleeces in 30 degree heat!) we rejoined Pete in a coffee shop until it was time to put Kate on her train. Petes quite upset, he really misses her and as New Zealand was one of our original destination choices I wouldn't be surprised if we at least visit it soon.
Saturday I had my first private party, in Mid levels HK for an (Italian?) girls 8th birthday. Typically I read the ferry time table wrong, rushed to get there on time then waited for over an hour! Had an exciting lunch in Kentucky Fried Chicken as it had seats and AC, tho the loos were out of order, doh! Was eating quietly when a chirp beside my ear made me jump -one of the sweet little tiny songbirds in a cage was perched on the bit dividing my table from its owners! They take the birds everywhere. Well, its an easy pet, I suppose you don't need to carry a poop-a-scoop like you do for dogs at any rate. I got a taxi and as neither of us knew the road I had to get to he took me over the mountains in the middle of HK rather than through the tunnel. Amazing views but very windy roads, I was feeling queasy. Seems to be where all the hospitals and hospices are. I arrived in the security-guarded highrise an hour early as we didn't get stuck in traffic his route!!! the nice security/ usher men let me sit in the lobby area for half an hour, where all the magazines were for luxury motor yachts etc, and they were displaying the 3 exterior redecoration options tenants had to vote on.
The cheapest was a 6 figure sum per flat! when I went up, the flat was beautiful, on 3 levels, and I set up my gear on the balcony with the ridge behind me and a fab view over private swimming pools and beautiful flats to the tallest building in HK and the channel in the distance. Then I got innundated with small girls and rapidly learnt Italian for 'pink' and 'butterfly'. Gutted I wasn't allowed to take photos as I did some really unusual new ones. I was only meant to be an hour, as they had a lady making 'jewellery' there too (basically the same as I saw in the UK - she gives then the right length for what they want to make, they thread on the beads they like, she finishes it), but I went over a bit. When I started packing they all wanted seconds, so I asked them to ask the mum if I should; they said yes,so I ended up staying an extra hour (not that I got paid for all of it, but I did get to give out a few business cards - sadly there were no goody bags to slip one to each kid in). Still, all were very polite, not as I had heard. been dreading - maybe as all were Italian, Australian or Chinese - no Brits!
Halloween Bat Moon mask Face paint cats-creations.co.uk Hong Kong
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
