Further to my last post on Google Alerts.
I don't like it.
Not only has Richard Gere not commented on my post, today I got alterted to my own obituary.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Yuyuan, Shanghai Old Town
If you are ever in Shanghai I strongly recommend the Renaissance Yuyuan gardens - it has a great spa (one treatment every day for the last three days of my trip - bliss!) good food, lovely modern bright rooms and is walking distance from the main modern streets of The Bund and Nanjing Road and also overlooks what we found to be the best but of Shanghai - the old town. This night photo was taken from the window of the lounge on the club room floor level. There is a similar view from the spa. 
The old town is actually an area of back alleys that are well worth exploring ( more photos next post) but the centre of it has a garden with beautiful pagodas, rockeries and ponds - the Yuyuan gardens.
The shopping area (think silk scarves, pashmina, teapots, calligraphy pens and the like) is housed in the area with curly roofs and is - to our surprise - not full of western tourists but almost exclusively Chinese. In fact we saw very few westerners at all in Shanghai even in the hotel.
As you can see though - there are distinct signs of western influence along side the celebrations of year of the tiger.
In this area any westerner is going to be hassled to buy fakes. But I was highly amused that each time we went from the hotel it was,"watches, handbags, looeevooton,". When we were going back to the hotel loaded with bags of cheap pashmina, the same touts would run up, "You need suitcase?' Just walk on and they go away. Or we tried speaking French as they walked past. That confused some!
So, if you see him around - he's OK, go with him! Really good vantage point for photos, no pressure to buy and no rohypnol! I
The old town is actually an area of back alleys that are well worth exploring ( more photos next post) but the centre of it has a garden with beautiful pagodas, rockeries and ponds - the Yuyuan gardens.
The shopping area (think silk scarves, pashmina, teapots, calligraphy pens and the like) is housed in the area with curly roofs and is - to our surprise - not full of western tourists but almost exclusively Chinese. In fact we saw very few westerners at all in Shanghai even in the hotel.
As you can see though - there are distinct signs of western influence along side the celebrations of year of the tiger.
In this area any westerner is going to be hassled to buy fakes. But I was highly amused that each time we went from the hotel it was,"watches, handbags, looeevooton,". When we were going back to the hotel loaded with bags of cheap pashmina, the same touts would run up, "You need suitcase?' Just walk on and they go away. Or we tried speaking French as they walked past. That confused some!
There is also another ploy which is to get you into a 'traditional tea ceremony'. Around Nanjing Road we encountered an amazing number of charming students who all wanted to practice their excellent English, all of whom were transfixed by Dennis' eyebrows and lo and behold all of them were going to a traditional tea ceremony and would be like to go? Well, no, because actually we already did that.
This is Mr Ma. Who employed a similar technique of stopping us in the old town to practice his English. we knew full well what was going on as soon as he said we could take photos from his roof top tea garden. "Free. No charge to look." 
But you know what, we like, tea, it was freezing cold. he was actually a very interesting conversationalist and we wanted to buy some stuff anyway. So we went with him and found a wonderful tea shop with beautiful wood carved walls which we would never have seen anyway. We paid for him to have tea with us - total cost for us all to have five different teas with explanations of how to make them all and their medicinal properties: £3! I confess to watching him drink each before I did to make sure it was tea and not rohypnol though!
But you know what, we like, tea, it was freezing cold. he was actually a very interesting conversationalist and we wanted to buy some stuff anyway. So we went with him and found a wonderful tea shop with beautiful wood carved walls which we would never have seen anyway. We paid for him to have tea with us - total cost for us all to have five different teas with explanations of how to make them all and their medicinal properties: £3! I confess to watching him drink each before I did to make sure it was tea and not rohypnol though!
So, if you see him around - he's OK, go with him! Really good vantage point for photos, no pressure to buy and no rohypnol! IWednesday, February 03, 2010
Using Google alerts
I do not tend to be in the forefront of new computer applications, programmes, doodahs, whatever. What usually happens is that my friend and fellow Twelve Brenda Gael Smith mentions something and I jump up all suprised and go,'What? What? I need that? Where do I get it?'
And so it was with Google Alerts. It turns out there is this neat little thingymajig that lets you see if other people are writing about you on the Internet. I should have known about this in the past because I commented on a post on Erica Spinks' blog about Mark Lipinski's magazine and he found it pretty quickly. But it was not until Ricky Tims left a comment on Brenda's blog that she mentioned that he probably used it too.
So I have been trying it out. So far I have been alterted to my own blog posts and the fact that a copy of one of my law books is on sale on ebay and that someone who is not me but has the same name was reluctant to be drawn into a planning permission debate. Yawn. Although I do think my namesake is sensible.
But I assume that the Mandarin Oriental also use it as they left a comment on my last post alerting me ( ha) to the fact that the development in Hong Kong that I thought would threaten their harbour views was going to be low rise. So I stand corrected. Although it remains the fact the harbour is much further from the Mandarin than from the Harbor Plaza where we stayed and is on a much busier road.
So anyway, I am having fun now wondering how many people I can drag here via Google Alerts?
Hi Ricky/Mark/The Mandarin/Brenda....hmm, Hi Michael Douglas. Hi Richard Gere, Hi, Patrick Dempsey..... oh I could go on all night... hi Meg Ryan ( that one was for Dennis) .....
Shanghai in the next post I promise.
And so it was with Google Alerts. It turns out there is this neat little thingymajig that lets you see if other people are writing about you on the Internet. I should have known about this in the past because I commented on a post on Erica Spinks' blog about Mark Lipinski's magazine and he found it pretty quickly. But it was not until Ricky Tims left a comment on Brenda's blog that she mentioned that he probably used it too.
So I have been trying it out. So far I have been alterted to my own blog posts and the fact that a copy of one of my law books is on sale on ebay and that someone who is not me but has the same name was reluctant to be drawn into a planning permission debate. Yawn. Although I do think my namesake is sensible.
But I assume that the Mandarin Oriental also use it as they left a comment on my last post alerting me ( ha) to the fact that the development in Hong Kong that I thought would threaten their harbour views was going to be low rise. So I stand corrected. Although it remains the fact the harbour is much further from the Mandarin than from the Harbor Plaza where we stayed and is on a much busier road.
So anyway, I am having fun now wondering how many people I can drag here via Google Alerts?
Hi Ricky/Mark/The Mandarin/Brenda....hmm, Hi Michael Douglas. Hi Richard Gere, Hi, Patrick Dempsey..... oh I could go on all night... hi Meg Ryan ( that one was for Dennis) .....
Shanghai in the next post I promise.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Hong Kong architecture
Soon, there will be much more architecture in Hong Kong. This is the land reclamation going on on Hong Kong island. We noted that this is right in front of the reknown Mandarin Oriental which is still selling harbour views. Hmm. Maybe not for much longer. And I am betting they don't mention the current foreground of those views.
Eventually there will be more shiny sky scrapers like these.
Some buildings - like the new convention centre are relatively low rise. And there are still some tiny street stalls nestled amongst the sky scrapers.
But in general terms. Hong Kong goes up. And up. Even these residential buildings.
And so the airconditioners go on the outside. Which may not look pretty but - is it just me- or is there a quilt/ embroidery pattern here?!
Eventually there will be more shiny sky scrapers like these.
Some buildings - like the new convention centre are relatively low rise. And there are still some tiny street stalls nestled amongst the sky scrapers.
But in general terms. Hong Kong goes up. And up. Even these residential buildings.
And so the airconditioners go on the outside. Which may not look pretty but - is it just me- or is there a quilt/ embroidery pattern here?!
Monday, February 01, 2010
Po Lin monastery
I am not that good at languages but I did manage to pcik up some Cantonese while in Hong Kong. The words for. "Hello. Welcome to my country." appear to be "Ay lo. Watch. Gu chi. Lu ee vu ton."
A lovely day out.
And many many people want to say hello when you walk down Nathan Road in Kowloon. Many. So if you fancy a little escape I recommend Po Lin Monastery.
A twenty minute or son train journey from kowloon central brings you to Launta Island and the terminal for a three mile cable car journey over the empty mountains of the national park.
At the top is a 'Village'. but don't be fooled into thinking it is a real village. It is a collection of shops lining the road to the monatary but it is relatively tastfully done and you can get some really good chinese food for lunch.
So good I abandoned the camera once it arrived. Once at the monastery there is lots of visual stimulus.
Colour.
People.
Little nooks and crannies.
Then there is the giant buddah, visible from miles away on the cable car and close up, well, its very giant indeed.
At the top is a 'Village'. but don't be fooled into thinking it is a real village. It is a collection of shops lining the road to the monatary but it is relatively tastfully done and you can get some really good chinese food for lunch.So good I abandoned the camera once it arrived. Once at the monastery there is lots of visual stimulus.Colour.People.Little nooks and crannies.Then there is the giant buddah, visible from miles away on the cable car and close up, well, its very giant indeed.A lovely day out.
Silk in Hong Kong
Well, we have been home for a new days now. Its a bit strange - I went to the hairdressers I think the travel blog actually stopped in Hong Kong so I am going to have to go backwards for you - but I will miss out the day when I got food poisoning. Lets just tell you the funny bit. I was on the way to collect my hand engraved chinese chop ( traditional seal) with my name in chinese (I thought it would be a useful tool for fabric embellishment) when suddenly as we got to Chop Alley uh,oh.....I threw my bag and camera case at Dennis, told him to get my seal and ran for the drainage grate. ( Note the order of priority). A couple of minutes later Dennis arrived, shop in hand to watch what was not a pretty sight. A nice chinese lady gave me water to clean myself up with and as I am standing there gasping and moaning and shaking and feeling sorry for myself, Dennis says, "I didn't get a photo of the for the blog, is that OK?"
Well , lets check - are you feeling deprived for lack of illustration?
No. Thought not. Sufffice it to say I did not make it to Happy Valley races that night. It was a bad twelve hours but I was sustained by the memory of my visit to Angus International. I was put on to this place by blog reader Di Thompson but for some reason even when she told me to go to the 18th floor of a block of flats at 8 Soares Avenue in Kowloon, I was still expecting a shop or some kind or at least business premises.
Nope. I ended up in the flat of a very pleasant man, Angus Hardern, who keeps bolts of silk in his spare room and baskets of remnants under his dining room table. And sells them for give away prices. He also does very good mail order prices.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Teaser answer
Ok, I will tell you the answer to my teaser question.
We have all had suits made at Sam's Tailors in Hong Kong. Or, in my case, have had several suits made. I started with three, (two with both skirt and trousers) which was what I planned and which turned out to be only a little bit over budget. Ah well. When I sad budget I meant kind of rough estimate. And I didn't estimate for adding silk and cashmere to my wool cloth. Between ordering them (at 7pm) and my fitting ( amazingly at 10.30 the very next morning) I decided to add another jacket.
Only I was firmly told that the Boss man 'wanted me to have a dress, jacket and trousers in an Italian cloth and a long coat jacket and trousers in the grey check.' Now he really did want me to have them. I mean, really wanted it. And its not nice to disappoint people for no reason is it? Besides, I had been watching Boss man in action and he really knows what he is talking about. I was particularly impressed when he made a lady cancel an order she had just placed with an assistant because he did not think that the fabric she had chosen would sit well with the design of dress she wanted as it did not have the requisite stretch and 'I do not want that going out with my name on because you will be disappointed.' So, no point going to the expert and not listening is there? If he says I will not regret having more clothes.....!
We have all had suits made at Sam's Tailors in Hong Kong. Or, in my case, have had several suits made. I started with three, (two with both skirt and trousers) which was what I planned and which turned out to be only a little bit over budget. Ah well. When I sad budget I meant kind of rough estimate. And I didn't estimate for adding silk and cashmere to my wool cloth. Between ordering them (at 7pm) and my fitting ( amazingly at 10.30 the very next morning) I decided to add another jacket.
Only I was firmly told that the Boss man 'wanted me to have a dress, jacket and trousers in an Italian cloth and a long coat jacket and trousers in the grey check.' Now he really did want me to have them. I mean, really wanted it. And its not nice to disappoint people for no reason is it? Besides, I had been watching Boss man in action and he really knows what he is talking about. I was particularly impressed when he made a lady cancel an order she had just placed with an assistant because he did not think that the fabric she had chosen would sit well with the design of dress she wanted as it did not have the requisite stretch and 'I do not want that going out with my name on because you will be disappointed.' So, no point going to the expert and not listening is there? If he says I will not regret having more clothes.....!Boss man is not in fact Sam, who was the original owner of the store, but is son of Sam, although I am sure that that particular way of explaining it could be phrased better given the connotations! He is Manu Melwani. Dennis captioned this photo of us discussing lapel styles, "Just sign here. don't worry, its just like a sub-prime mortgage, that's all."
In fact his prices are very reasonable for what you are getting. There are many tailors around who offer cheaper packages ( and who solicit you off the street which Sam's does definitely NOT do - it doesn't even need to advertise that much) but I would doubt the quality of cloth/ workmanship in comparison. I have another fitting for the second order and then the results will be delivered to the hotel before we leave.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Hong Kong
It is Sunday and I am pretending I live in Hong Kong on some silly corporate wage and so can afford some nice real estate with a view. So on Sundays you relax and chill and just hang out don't you?. The other days of the week are for the job of sightseeing. So, I've had a huge brunch. I am at the moment on the sofa you see here
looking at this view and watching the boats go by.
We get the Star Ferry on its regular run, some tour boats, a good few industrial tugs, a speed boat and one or two yachts and even a cruise liner. But I like the little boats that nip across in the wake of the big ones.
I am not being a total couch potato. On arrival we nipped out to the night market and yesterday we re-traced out steps from 1993 up to the top of Victoria Peak. Up there now is a huge and ugly shopping complex but you can still wander down leafy paths in quiet and the views are of course still there.
Now, what shall we do today? Maybe the rooftop pool deck to finish my book and have a jacuzzi. That would justify hopping on the famous Star Ferry from just outside the for the scenic harbour trip across to Wanchai ( cost 50p!) to the Harbour centre branch of Dymocks bookshop to buy another one and to celebrate the fact that after outrageous book prices in Australasia we are back to normal here. Then what? Hmm, the ferry across to Kowloon for afternoon tea at the Peninsula I think. Oh I could get used to Sundays like this.
looking at this view and watching the boats go by.We get the Star Ferry on its regular run, some tour boats, a good few industrial tugs, a speed boat and one or two yachts and even a cruise liner. But I like the little boats that nip across in the wake of the big ones.I am not being a total couch potato. On arrival we nipped out to the night market and yesterday we re-traced out steps from 1993 up to the top of Victoria Peak. Up there now is a huge and ugly shopping complex but you can still wander down leafy paths in quiet and the views are of course still there.Now, what shall we do today? Maybe the rooftop pool deck to finish my book and have a jacuzzi. That would justify hopping on the famous Star Ferry from just outside the for the scenic harbour trip across to Wanchai ( cost 50p!) to the Harbour centre branch of Dymocks bookshop to buy another one and to celebrate the fact that after outrageous book prices in Australasia we are back to normal here. Then what? Hmm, the ferry across to Kowloon for afternoon tea at the Peninsula I think. Oh I could get used to Sundays like this.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Teaser question
Here's one for you... what do I have in common with Steffi Graf, Bijork, Bill Clinton, Caroline Kennedy, Kylie Minogue, Diana Princess of Wales, Margaret Thatcher and Joan Collins?
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