There was also a street lined with electronics shops. Much of what I saw sitting out looked used. Our group leader said that you can get good/new stuff, you just have to ask for "authentic". She had gotten a very nice lens for her camera there.
The neighborhood itself was significantly poorer than most I have seen. The apartments are divided flats. Apparently there have been instances where a fire starts in one flat and takes down an entire block.
At Christmas the streets are lined with Christmas decorations for sale. Everything that we wait till the day after Christmas to buy in the States is sold here for less!
I am also told that it is a very interesting neighborhood to see lit up at night. I will have to try that sometime.
Here are some pictures of the neighborhood. I don't believe I have mentioned this before, but many people hang their clothes outside their windows to dry. I believe you can see some in these pictures.
Here are some pictures of some of the stores. I couldn't resist the lizard in one of the fabric shops:)
While in Sham Shui Po I went into a Tin Hau Temple. This is the first one I have gone into. Usually you are not allowed to take pictures, but we were told that we could in this one.
The first four pictures here are from the exterior of the Temple. The large oven is for large sacrifices. Sacrifices are made to relatives who have died to comfort them. Sometimes these can be things like iPads, tvs, etc.
The next few pictures are from inside the Temple. You can see the various altars. There were incense sticks to burn. There was also large incense (shaped like a bee hive) hung from the ceiling that was burning. These had prayer cards above them and a silver plate to catch the ashes below. You can see them in one of the pictures. Apparently there is not always something to catch the burning incense, so you need to be careful.
After Sham Shui Po we headed to Tsim Sha Tsui for lunch. This is where our group leader lives. Tsim Sha Tsui is the first stop in Kowloon on the MTR if you head over from Admiralty. This was a very neat area as well. I was shown a restaurant that supposedly serves the best Peking Duck for anyone interested:) Unfortunately we ate in a "Western" restaurant, Rocco's. I guess this was requested after our last meeting. Our group leader lives in an apartment that is above the K11 Mall. She took us into the mall to show us a Mona Lisa that is made of toast. Yes, you read that correctly, toast! Apparently the iPhone changes from time to time:)
After leaving everyone in Tsim Sha Tsui I headed to the HK Education Bureau in Mong Kok. I had an "interview" scheduled to get my Registered Teacher's License. I use the word "interview" loosely. I had sent in all of my paperwork. Just like with the HKID and the driver's license, that is step one. Then you go in with all of the originals and they verify them. Technically you have to be a registered teacher to substitute. However, you have to have a teaching contract to become a registered teacher. I wasn't sure how this would shake out. Everything was accepted on my application, but...I need to take a test and I need a contract from the school:) Today I called the school to see how to proceed. They now have my application to substitute (yes, full application with references, resume, etc.). They will look over it, then if I get called to substitute and decide I want to continue they will give me some type of letter to get my registration. What happened to the days of just putting your name on a list and as long as you had a bachelor's degree you received a call?? We'll see how it goes.
My day still wasn't over after the trip to Mong Kok. Last week I won two tickets to see The Taming of the Shrew at the American Women's Association Welcome Back Breakfast. My two tickets turned into 4 because the other winner didn't claim her 2. I invited 3 friends to join me. Two responded yes and the third hadn't responded when I received a call from AWA saying the other winner had come in late to claim her two tickets:) I gave one back, which was all she needed. This was an all female production out of London of The Taming of the Shrew. They were quite talented and we enjoyed it. It was nice to get out and do something like this. It was especially nice that one of my friends who joined me has lived here 21 years, so she knew right where to take us!
Dave returns from the U.S. tonight and tomorrow morning we head to Wuxi, China for PJ's first baseball tournament. My next blog will be about Wuxi!
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