22nd April

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I think my block hosts the morning practice for the Hong Kong amateur hammering club - there’s noise from beside and above, and definitely more than one hammer at work in each location. Maybe I’ve taken a room in a manufacturing facility that only works weekends?

It’s interesting to study how much the press is controlled in the content that they can publish. Newspapers only ever seem to show the activities of President Hu’s government in a good light, or as a purely factual discourse. They had a minor field day when Hu met President Bush to discuss matters concerning Taiwan, introducing Hu as leader of ‘The Republic of China’, the official name of Taiwan. China, of course, is known as the People’s Republic of China.

The press also seem to draw on the same sources for information which often varies from source to source in the UK. Weather reports forecast the same high and low temperatures each day in the paper, on the TV, on the train. English-speaking TV reports all lead with same item, either hailing good news on the Hang Seng stock exchange, for example, or examining another uprising of Filipino workers who are selfishly demanding fairer pay. It’s hard to determine what’s actually happening in the face of such propaganda, and I can’t even get the news direct from Blighty without a longwave radio to pick up the World Service.

In the evening, my tailor is muted again, and his patter has now moved onto seeking ongoing business, asking if I have any friends (“No, not one” but the comment went over his head) and taking extra measurements in case I want to order anything by post. The suits (have two arms and two legs and) seem to fit very well though, although I think I’ll have to keep less in my pockets because a hundred car keys will somewhat spoil the line of the cut. Hopefully after final adjustments I’ll pick them both up on Monday.

After the fitting I walked the four miles or so to Mong Kok, straight up Nathan Road past malls, shops and street traders. It’s hard to comprehend quite how many people there are here selling goods and services, and the sheer weight of numbers and spending power needed to support the operation. Tiny doorways open out into a huge marble concourse holding twenty shops, unmarked escalators descend below the roadway to a cavern selling shirts and belts. Those lucky enough to have street frontage spill out onto the pavement, and on pedestrianised streets these extend so far as to meet in the middle with a slalom of walkway where tourists are beseeched to ‘buy more, you buy more’ once a deal has been struck.

Visibility is excellent with views from the Star Ferry right down the harbour, so I decide to head to the Peak - but I can’t find a bus up there. I stumble on a cultural festival, then back to my flat, ready for a night of clubbing with Arthur and friends. It seems to be a lot of effort to get into a club in HK, with 10 mins of bargaining to get a hand stamp. Once inside the music was pretty good though and by 1am the place was packed with people dancing to English and US R&B. It’s the only place in the world I’ve been offered Viagra in a nightclub though, if I read the handsigns correctly. I’ve no idea what time I left the club, but the taxi journey back took over 5 mins and cost just over £2.

Today’s track is from the Stereophonics, on governmental control over the press - “Mr Writer, why don’t you tell it like it really is?”

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Photos

Look - it's sunny!
The cloud breaks long enough to actually show some sunlight, instead of just having blistering temperatures all the time.

Ladies Market, Mong Kok
Back for a few more 'bargains', the place is so crowded on a weekend!

GPS 'Next stop' announcements on buses
.. so you know where you are. Seems like a good idea for tourists to me.

'Star Pisces' in Hong Kong harbour
Some ferry porn for people who are into that kind of thing.