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My girlfriend looked around a fashion store called 'Wanko'
- not something I wanted showing up on my credit card statement (then you'd really say to yourself 'I don't believe I paid
for that'). 'Gag' footwear had little to recommend it either. And finally I saw what must be the place to go when
you're completely fed up with everything - the 'Fuk Tat' shop in Sheung Wan.
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On the old Kai Tak Airport
The new airport has deprived arriving passengers of the legendary
aircraft carrier approach into Kai Tak in Kowloon, complete with views into apartments with people having dinner or just hanging
out their boxer shorts. Kai Tak was built on a narrow strip of reclaimed land sticking out into Kowloon Bay. I'm told that
pilots were sad to see Kai Tak close down because it was one of the last places in the world where they could throw a 747
around like a fighter jet with and keep a straight face. Now they have to go all the way to South America to do it.
Christmas Morning
Christmas Eve on the waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui was gridlocked
with people soaking up the spectacular night time view of Hong Kong Island from across Victoria Harbour. Predictably the next
morning the place looked like the aftermath of the world's largest 21st birthday party. A few Chinese boys were still sleeping
in the gutter, proving that like broken hearts and skinned knees, hangovers transcend culture.
Cows
Returning to Chek Lap Kok airport on the last night I kept an eye
out for the cow signs on the expressway. And then I saw one, the black silhouette of a cow inside a red triangle, like an
inverted "Give Way" sign. I asked the bus driver what it was all about. It turns out that some of the land reclaimed on Lantau
Island to build the new airport was once farmland. And apparently even in Hong Kong you can lose cows. In the early days of
the airport operation a few cows wandered onto the expressway with predictable results. 'I've hit a few myself,' said the
driver. 'We had T-bone for a week.'
See also - Hong Kong Rugby 7's
Fantastic Days
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