Along one stretch of road are shrimp farms. They have ponds, raise shrimp, and serve them at outdoor tables. What a great concept. Locally raised protein, no transportation fuel or costs, served right next to the source…4-5 big wind generators, white blades, turning slowly in morning breeze…traffic along North Shore (Sunset Beach, Pipeline, etc.) is horrific. Haleiwa packed with turistas, but if you look close enough, some of the essence remains…like San Francisco: for years I bitched and moaned — no more a port, the Ugly Transamerica building, the difficulty for natives who did something other than manipulate contracts, stocks, or digital data for a living…but one day, I thought, stop bitching, it’s still the most beautiful city in America, there’s still North Beach and The South End Rowing Club, Ocean Beach, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, new hip districts like out at the beach (46th & Judah), steep hills and clear vistas, a city surrounded on 3 sides by water…so here, in Haleiwa, a tourist-inundated area, there are pockets of soulfulness, of things that attracted so many people in the first place; am seeking them out…I start getting sucked into negativity on this blog on occasion, and have started writing the occasional boilerplate letter for critics: here’s what I think about your opinion, whether it’s not obeying the Rangers or printing books in China…and now I’m getting on with it…this isn’t a forum, I’m a broadcaster, don’t want to get slowed down in debates…to tell the truth, the criticism is sometimes thought-provoking, but hey…
My life is so rich right now I can’t get more than a hint of it here. Left HKG Monday night 11 PM, after harried stopover in Guam, arrived Honolulu 5 PM Monday night; go figure. Got rental car, headed for North Shore, where I’m going to stay with friends for a few days. I remembered Haleiwa as being a soulful little town, and sure enough: Breakers restaurant: local beer on tap, pulled pork sandwich w/good fries, loud, raucous good surfer vibes, bunch of healthy people, reggae (what else?), these are my people! Made me think of how I essentially left the beach life in 1957, that is, I got into other things, and for some reason at this time in my life, I’m coming home to the beach. Cowabunga!
There were a bunch of women having a very happy birthday party, thrown by Keri (at right with her daughter) it was Anna’s 55th, they were calling it the “speed limit” birthday. Keri’s a dynamo, a force of joy and good vibes. Blurry photo, but you get the idea.
Been giving people here the mini book, they love it…they get it.
In all the various communication stuff I do, I love it when people get it.
Heading out to see what I can find to do in this land of friendly people and warm water.
One of my favorite Bob Marley songs. I like it-a-like this…Don't Rock My Boat by Bob Marley & The Wailers on Grooveshark
There is sure a lot of money in gambling!
This is my 6th day in HKG. It took me a couple of days to get off California time. I totally love this city. Right now am in one of the Pacific Coffee shops with a latte and donut and will soon head back to hotel and pack up…Going out to pick up F&G’s later the morning (Folded and Gathered, meaning unbound pages of the book). I can’t wait — I may be this book’s biggest fan…overf the past 6 months, it’s unfolded itself before our (I include Rick, Lew and David) eyes, day by day. The photos and words became as sort of collective muse — the book put itself together and we helped…Back to HKG: it sparkles, it’s got soul, fung-shui, gemütlichkeit, the food is just great — by avoiding any place with gringos, looking for places that are packed, I’ve had one great meal after another, the most expensive being $15 (with big bottle of San Miguel beer)…the rice diet is right up my alley…Yesterday Trevor & I took the Turbojet ferry to Macau. Holy moly! What a place! What a day! The Casino Lisboa is another planet, the most wild building I’ve ever seen, and impeccably built and detailed…I’m going to throw out a few pics here, have other things I need to do…That one shot is of jerky Macau is famous for…leaving for Hawaii tonight…mas despues…
I didn’t have the right lens, so shot these two and photo-merged therm — sort of distorted, but it gives you the idea. Spacy places like this all over HKG…
I’m on the 22nd floor of the BH International Hotel in the Kowloon District. It’s a mid-range hotel, no doormen, you carry yr. own bags, etc. Right down the block is Parkes Street, which must have 50 restaurants in 2 blocks. Kowloon is rich, colorful, old, funky in parts as opposed to the glitter and elegance on the other side of the water, the mall of all malls on Hong Kong island…two places to eat: (1) Mak Man Kee, 51 Parkes St., world-class won-ton soup and noodles, chef working in 12 sq. ft. kitchen, always crowded, you sit at small tables with other people, every seat taken (2) my sussing out of restaurants paid off last night; this place on next block down Parkes St., no name or street number in English — hip, friendly, no gringos in sight, fabulous (hot) hotpot w/ noodles, clams, San Miguel beer…bamboo scaffolding still famously in use in HKG…At a time like this, the limitations of this method of blogging bugs me; I really want to do a book-page-type layout, but don’t have coding skills, so am limited to one pic under another — going to change this soon…Trevor and I catching ferry to Macau today…
A few scenes from Hong Kong this afternoon: crossing on the Star Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island on a misty day; two girls throwing a birthday party for the third in the mall; Greater Flamingos in the Kowloon Park. More pics to follow.
