MAY 31, 13 .. ALASKA ..

As I have been thinking about 'where to go' with my web sites now that I am home from India and Hong Kong .. my Web Mistress and Blogspot Mentor GULLIBLE .. suggested to me that I post some photos of Alaska.  Why Not?  This suggestion makes sense to me because I sure enjoy HER photos of Alaska!

So with (just a part of) one 'big toe' in the water .. here are just two photos of what we here in Alaska are blessed to see on a daily basis!

These two below photos were snapped from my plane as we approached Anchorage.

OH YES!  From the air (as you can see!) we still have snow here!

Smiles .. Cap

I may not publish a post each and every single day .. but I plan to maintain this as an 'active' web site.  

MAY 30, 13 .. HONG KONG HARBOR ..

The time has come .. The Walrus said .. To talk of many things ..
Lewis Carroll .. Through The Looking Glass ..

I now take a 'deep-breath' and say that .. 

The Time Has Come to put a 'wrap' on this my 10th India Trip with stops in Hong Kong both going and returning.  A trip begun January 28th and concluded May 21st.  With this photo post I will have published .. what I consider to be .. all of my relevant and pertinent photographs.

Hong Kong!  What can I say that I haven't already said about the beauty and fascination that Hong Kong exudes.  Below are my closing photographs of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor.

The next two photographs below were taken through the window of the ferry to Lamma Island.  This is why they have sort of a 'surealistic-look'. They almost look like paintings.

  
I so thank-each-of-you who has honored me by following along here with me.

With Love .. Cap

MAY 29, 13 .. HONG KONG .. STAR FERRIES ..

All of you 'well-seasoned' followers of my web site here may be sighing .. 

"Captain .. I have seen all of the Star Ferry photographs that I want to see!"

This certainly may be true for some of you.  I myself NEVER TIRE of certain things.  Gullible's Penguins!  I can look at them endlessly!  

The below Star Ferry 'oriented' photographs are some you have not seen before.  

So 'here-we-go' with Hong Kong's WONDERFUL Star Ferries!

First you have to find them and 'board-them'.

The second and the lower of the two signs below is my main destination.  HONG KONG CENTRAL!

Below we all now stand at the top of the 'down-ramp' waiting for the incoming Star Ferry to unload.

And 'down-below' here the stampede of (up to 600!) arriving passengers all come .. pouring off their arriving Star Ferry and exiting up the opposite ramp.

To the immediate left below is the ship's entrance.  Do you see the 'gang plank' at the bottom of the below photo?

We are all aboard for this trip of 7 to 8 minutes over to Hong Kong Central from Kowloon.  The one-way fare across Victoria Harbor varies from 0.00 HK$ (no charge for children and disabled and 'elders' of age 65 and above) up to 3 HK$ ($0.39 US$ or thirty nine cents) for the upper deck.  The lower deck costs 2 HK$.  

There are certainly many more 'water-craft' on Victoria Harbor than my beloved Star Ferries.  Trust me!  The below five photos do not even begin to 'scratch-the-surface' as to various shipping you see on Victoria Harbor!

Below are several photos of other Star Ferries crossing Victoria Harbor.

And here-she-is!  The 'Queen of the Star Ferry Fleet' .. her name is 'Night Star'.  She is the apple-of-the-eye of all the male Star Ferries!

Here we are .. Hong Kong Central Star Ferry Pier .. the end of our 7 to 8 minute ride across Victoria Harbor.  Is Hong Kong in the background beautiful or is she beautiful!

We will end this visit to Hong Kong and its Star Ferry fleet with the below photo of one of the Star Ferries 'dressed-up' for night!

What more can I add except to repeat .. Hong Kong's Star Ferries are my single .. number one .. tourist attraction!  I have to realize that probably not every one loves Singapore Rice Noodles!

With Joy!  .. Cap

MAY 26, 13 .. KOWLOON PARK ..

One of the most interesting aspects of the area encompassing both Kowloon and Hong Kong .. are all of the 'open spaces' and 'parks' available to the citizens and visitors.

Below are several photos of Kowloon Park in Kowloon City.

I was 'just walking along' Haiphong Road in Kowloon and noticed the below truck.  I liked its 'ambiance' and decided to snap a photo of it.

Then I snapped a close-up photo showing its Chinese characters which absolutely fascinate me!

Then I continued my walk back towards the Salisbury Road YMCA and snapped the below photo of more Chinese characters.

If you will notice .. in the above three photographs .. some attractive 'greenery' is visible lurking behind the truck and along Haiphong Road.  

Upon closer investigation I found that the above 'greenery' was the South border of the enormous Kowloon Park.

I did not have time to thoroughly explore Kowloon Park but I did take the below photographs that I wanted to share with you all.

If you were to turn 90-degrees to your right as you look up the  below entry-walkway into Kowloon Park .. you would see the truck in the above first two photos.

Below is a closer view up the above entrance into Kowloon Park.  If you look closely .. straight ahead up the walkway .. you will see the high-rise buildings of Kowloon in the distance.

In the two below photos .. we have walked up the above entry-walkway and are able to see more clearly the surrounding high-rise buildings of Kowloon.

I took these photos on Saturday the 18th of May as I was returning to the YMCA from a visit to the offices of Cathay Pacific Airlines in Kowloon.  I did not have the time to carefully explore the park.  

Below is a photo of some random 'greenery' in the park.

By now you all know how much I enjoy being in this area.  Pure and simple is the fact that I could very much enjoy living here.  

Your Hong Kong Correspondent .. Cap

MAY 24, 13 .. PONDICHERRY AND HONG KONG SUPER MARKET

On this trip I found two (2) really quality U.S. caliber Super Markets.  One in Pondicherry and one in Kowloon.

I will start with the one in Pondicherry .. then I will move to the one in Hong Kong.

Do you all kind-of-sort-of vaguely remember the phenomenal (for India) Super Market in Pondicherry .. Tamil Nadu .. Southern India .. called Nilgiris .. pronounced .. Nil - Gree?

Below are four photos of Nilgiris Super Market in 'Pondi' to assist your memories. Sigh!  It seems like I was 'just-here'!

By-the-way .. Nilgiris' Super Market's name is associated with the Nilgiri Hills (Mountains) in the Western part of Tamil Nadu state in Southern India.  

Ring any bells?  OOTY and COONOOR are both located in the Nilgiri mountain region.  Food and produce and dairy products from Bangalore were carried to OOTY and COONOOR to eventually (in the year 1905 I believe) open a Nilgiris Super Market in those cities.

Now moving forward to HONG KONG and specifically to Kowloon across Victoria Harbor from Hong Kong and my visit from May 13th to May 20th.

Below are photos of .. The MARKET PLACE Super Market in Kowloon.  And .. you will see .. it is very comparable to our super markets.

Below you walk under the above sign into the super market .. and the below lady 'scolds' you for 'even-thinking' of snapping a photo!  You shyly apologize .. and 'make-like' you are putting your camera 'away'.  She smiles and turns away and you shoot a photo!  I 'know' her and I can also read minds!  She is thinking .. "I did my job and now I'll look away and you can shoot your photo!" .. "When you get upstairs WATCH OUT and be careful of your photo taking." 

Gullible!  YOU are so naughty teaching me these tricks!

IT REALLY IS up to our U.S. standards!  Much larger than the above Nilgiris Super Market in Pondicherry.

On the very lower bottom right of the below photo you can see the five (5) litre quantity bottles of drinking water. In Hong Kong the five (5) litre bottles of water are the-only-way to purchase your drinking water IF you want to save money. They sell the FIVE (5) litre bottles of water for $18 HK ($2.32 US).  Some stores sell one-and-one-half (1.5 litre) bottles of water for $21 HK ($2.71 US)!  Outrageous huh!

Walk straight ahead in the above photo and see a close-up of that area in the photo below.

It really is a SUPER MARKET !

Joy .. Cap