COUNTDOWN

27 days left in hong kong. i had been severely missing home, it's never felt so far away, but i think i've gotten used to solitary life. watched four films, days of being wild last and it put me in a mood. after leaving the archive at 7:00, i sat by the harbor till it got dark and then went to have dinner in the area. as of late, i've been eating alone more and more, usually sharing a table with a stranger. tonight, i sat across an older man who was reading the newspaper the entire time. when alone, it's nice to be left to one's thoughts, to let the mind wander, to realize the details you've been paying attention to, etcetc.

had a fun weekend, saturday was walter's birthday so we went to a french "restaurant" that took up half a floor of an old industrial building. uncle made reservations and they sent us a personalized menu beforehand. walter gave a long installment of his family's history during the dinner. we passed by this gas station/car wash when we walked back home



the next day uncle walked with me around the back streets of wan chai, which reminded me of san francisco b/c of the slanted and narrow streets. this shop was going out of business and had the strangest assortment of goods left over



shaded haven in an alley



we had lunch at a revolving restaurant on the 66th floor of the hopewell



watched a play in the afternoon, and then had dinner at a restaurant founded 140 yrs ago and known for its swiss sauce chicken. this one was built circa 1960s in tsim sha tsui



after dinner, we took a ferry back to hk island to see queen's pier before it gets relocated. there was a hunger strike going on earlier this week to protest/resist its removal. the place is mostly used by philipinos on sundays. one of them was dancing to thriller when we were there. the hunger strikers, tents, banners, photos, and flyers created quite a scene, made uncle and i wonder if we'd take up the cause, given different circumstances