this and that - hong kong 2012, part 4

This is a more personal post of the photo diary of a recent trip to Hong Kong.

Victoria Garden Park - is is the largest city park in Hong Kong; it looks very much the same except the trees are much bigger and what used to be clear distant skyline is now full of high rise buildings

 this building in Mongkok was Southeast Radio Technical College that is long gone

 a school I attended briefly on Prince Edward

this block of arts deco buildings across the street still remain but now for much longer; you can see these were very nice residences when there were less people long ago; many with spacious balconies but most were converted to interior space

 all the balconies have long been converted into interior space

behind them is the Flower Street - I loved to walk this street before and after school as it used to have the cool European cars parked on both side of the street

You don't see this Chinese clinic much now - this one near Causeway Bay must be around a very long time. There were patients queuing up before it open that day. It is very reputable and still very popular. It specially treating any bone and ligament related ailments. You go there if you break your leg or having a chronic back pain.

the classic decor with traditional furnishing

engine room of the Star Ferry lower deck

gangway of the Star Ferry

Nathan Road

you all know where this is - the only remain of the Hong Kong-China Train Station is the clock tower; the clock tower is the most important history landmark of Kowloon which the Chinese government was going to raze it; only the outcries from the citizens has stopped them

the tallest building is IFC - it is home to the city's first Apple Store

 Ocean Terminal

this store has the biggest collection of high quality of art and craft articles of China; I feel very poor going inside; they also have a huge collection of high end articles of carved elephants tucks which I suspect many are made with poached elephants from recent years

the Marine Police Head Quarter during the British rule - it is a luxury shopping mall and restaurants; the classic building on the top is the only original building while the rest including the terraced structure are new.

 this was a re-purposed fire station

 the back side of the Peninsula - only the lower portion is original

this is one of the more unique building

Haiphong Road 海防道

one of many alleys nearby which I liked to crisscross going to school; also there were barber stalls where we had our haircuts

 short cut to Nathan Road

 Mirador Mansion

 Chungking Mansions - there are countless budget guest houses in there

a few of these currency exchange shops has the best rate - stay away from the 2 nearest to the street however

 one of the place we lived - we moved in when it was brand new

 

another place we lived - there used to be a Shanghai grocery store downstairs; what is most amazing it the Chinese pharmacy 龍城大葯房 on he lower left is still there

in Hong Kong I notice that they always put up this hefty steel structure at construction sites to protect the pedestrians from falling objects

 Champagne Court where one of my brother was born

we came here for free vaccine as a child - fortunately this history building has been preserved and restored

 behind it on the top of the hill is the famous Hong Kong Weather Office 天文台 (not pictured)

 

 unfortunately they coated the bricks with this ugly pinkish hue

 the Catholic cathedral next door

 we played here a lot

Kowloon Tsai Park is on the right side of this street - it bisects the wealthy Kowloon Tong 九龍塘  neighborhood and the much poorer Kowloon City 九龍城 neighborhood

across the street these are very wealthy residents especially in the old days; in fact very few colonial architectures are this pristine and not ruined by alterations to gain more indoor living space

 one of the entrance to the park

i learnt to swim in this park - the pools are closed for maintenance for a few months during my trip

The empty pools look very attractive. However during my childhood the pools were always jam packed with people of all ages. The water was grossly dirty and heavily chlorinated. Kids peed in the water etc...
entrance to the public swimming pools - I can vividly remember the pungent odor of the changing rooms as you enter the entrance after paying the small fee

in the neighborhood a modern cross art decor building - it is actually a power substation; love the huge balconies

given present huge Hong Kong population density it is hard to imagine the day when this very large private building was built

 these very old buildings has been condemned - to be torn down to make room for new development

 this is one of the few remaining shanty towns

nearly all the residential units inside has been condemned

 the only thing remain is this temple that is still operating

the alleys look like hutongs 胡同 in Beijing

mother of nature too is helping to reclaim the land from the vacant buildings

 a school my brother attended

these two nice mid-century buildings near Hung Hom used to be the head quarter of Ford - it is now BMW office and showroom; the design looks to have some Bauhaus influence

nearby is a cluster of very nice residential buildings - you have to be rather wealthy to live in one of the units

a very stark contrast from these high density apartments - many units are now sub-divided inside into low cost rentals

Hung Hom is to the left of the overpass

 the street to grandma's - the street was an open produce market for the Hung Hom neighborhood

 grandma used to live here

I want up the stair to see what it now look like and I passed a lady standing on a ladder tempering electric meter to set back the power usage; apparently it is a very common crime

the nearby streets are very much the same

one of the steel supply shop walking towards Hong Hom Station - the stranger just walk into my shot

there is a cluster of shops for funeral - one of the very good (and accurate) Hong Kong underworld movie "Triad Election" was filmed extensively on the streets behind these newer buildings

the Hong Hom Station is quite new and modern - it was around 5pm on a Friday and I had a hell of a time getting on a bus to my guest house on the island side

 my very spartan room in this low budget guest house - it is however quite clean

believe me or not, while it is quite tired, this is better than many homes nowadays there