My New Camera

Hello My Dear Great Ones,
I got myself a new cell phone.  Samsung Galaxy something or another.  It has a decent camera so I gave it a whirl.  Below are a few of my favourite pics:

Street scene near the infamous Temple Street market.

Hawkers and people of all ages show up on Temple Street once it becomes night time.

Guys hanging out with a few beers.

Cheap seafood restaurants abound on Temple Street.

Seafood is kept live in buckets.

Fruit hawker hawking his wares.

Eating at an open air restaurant.  Very nice.

Lady hanging out.

Lots of people from everywhere in the world alight on Temple Street every night.

My friend Raymond taking a break from telling people about Jesus on Temple Street.

 You can get anything and everything at the Temple Street market.

 The elevated highway goes through a parkade.

 The gleaming financial towers of Hong Kong island.

 A view of central harbour and permanent ferris wheel.

 The ICF building.  One of the tallest buildings in the world.

 Sok Kwu Wan.

 A fishermen sorting out his wares.

 My model posing before a very typical Chinese doorway.

 Walking through the tall grass to a sweet beach.

 Weird panorama shot of one of my fav beaches ever.

 My model posing amongst many, many rocks.

 Beautiful.

A lovely sunset.

Next stop Lake Constance in Switzerland.  Have a great week!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Big Wave Bay

Dear My Great Ones,
Big Wave Bay, BWB, is one of my favourite places on earth,  however with one important stipulation: THE WAVES NEED TO BE BIG!  When they are BWB has a groovy, southern California vibe with lots of surfer dudes and dudettes.   When not BWB is just an ordinary beach with lots of whiny kids and poor bathroom facilities.  Yesterday I went to BWB hoping for some Big Waves, but alas they were wimpy. Wahhh.  Still I took some pics and if one ponders a while and stretches one's mind a tad they arn't bad.  I hope the next time I head to Big Wave it will live up to its name.

The clouds were interesting...

BWB.  Much too gentle.

These trees with the interlocking branches are amazing and provide excellent shade.  Great creation from God.

Have a great week everyone!

God bless you all!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

A Small Ode to Hockey

My Dear Great Ones,
A Canadian icon died this week.  Gordie Howe, who I remember watching on an old black white TV in the early 70's,  passed on at the ripe old age of 88.   He was nicknamed Mr. Hockey because of his excellence in the sport and his longevity.  Over 30 years as a pro!  Ironically Gordie Howe spent most of his life in the United States playing for an American hockey team and he was married to an American.  Yet, the fact he came from Saskatchewan and learned to play hockey on frozen sloughs and outdoor rinks on the prairies in the Great Depression and then became a hero in the NHL is a great all Canadian story.  I am sure many Canadians who love hockey as I do took a few moments reminiscing about Gordie and their own journey with the sport of hockey.  I thought of all those cold winter days playing road hockey with the guys in the neighborhood, taking a million shots in the backyard, and watching hockey night in Canada on Saturday nights.  Being in Hong Kong has emphatically confirmed how huge hockey is in Canada.  It is not just sport, it is culture and for many a big part of their identity.  I play floor hockey with Canadian guys of all ages and sizes once a week on an iceless hockey rink here in Hong Kong.  There are a few foreigners who join us, Americans and an odd German, (not me) but the majority come from all over the great country of Canada, including Quebec! ha ha wink.   And after chasing a ball around for an hour and a half armed with REAL hockey sticks we always end up talking about our favourite teams and players.  And for a few moments we are back in Canada.  Most of the guys who I play with were not even born when Gordie Howe retired from hockey for the second time, but his mythological story is well known by even the youngsters.  It has been handed down by the generations who did see Howe play.  It is this attachment to hockey lore and the fact it is really a fun game that makes hockey so special for so many Canadians.  It is a blast, builds community, and its history becomes a part of your identity.  And that is a great thing.

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk  

A Place of Dignity and Hope

Hello Great Ones,

Dominating the skyline view, looking south from my rooftop, is the Lei Muk Shue public housing estate.  Public housing estates are all over Hong Kong and house the majority of its population.  To qualify for public housing one has to been in a low economic bracket.  Yet, unlike slummy public housing projects in other parts of the world Hong Kong's public housing estates are well maintained, have lots of parks and green space, which fosters a comfortable community spirit.  The size of the apartments range from 200 to 400 square feet.  Unreal small, and there are usually 3-5 people living in this space. @38 000 people call Lei Muk Shue estate home. Wow! Thankfully the weather in Hong Kong is decent so most people are outside throughout the day "hanging out," or busy at school and work.  However, public housing estates are so popular that there is a two to three year waiting list to get in.  Those that are not in public housing sadly suffer severe overcrowding in seedy, old apartment buildings that should be condemned.  Yet, public housing offers hope and dignity and is another reason why Hong Kong is a great place for so many people.    

Lei Muk Shue public housing estate are the buildings to your left.  The smaller building in the middle of the pic also belongs to LMS esate

The buildings of Lei Muk Shue rise high over Wo Yi Hop road.

The buildings of the estate tower over you like mountains.

Clothes are hanging out to dry from seemingly ever window of the estate.

On the grounds of the estate there are playgrounds, parks and old men playing ma jong.

Covered walkways are great against the rain.

A stone walk for old people to exercise their feet.

Young people playground, old people exercise chairs.

A mall located in the middle of the estate has everything you could possibly need.

Handy advise for an escalator.

A wet market in the basement of the mall is a feast for sight, sound, and smell.

Public transport station located at the estate ensures the @38000 people have a way of getting out of the estate.

I think Public Housing estates is another reason why Hong Kong is great. Having the government provide accessible housing for all people gives them dignity and hope.

Have a great week everyone.

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk