Hong Kong....Day 4...revisiting

Day four of our bead tour was spent revisiting some vendors that we needed to finish up with.

First, I wanted to share the view from my hotel room window.   This is the back of a shopping mall which is in the process of being remodeled.  The workers have been constructing this scaffolding of bamboo all week.   It is truly amazing!

We got a little later start than usual, because some of our group wanted to sleep in a bit.   Then, it was off to the pearl district to finish up business and pick up a few (!) extra strands.   Next was lunch.

Guy just wanted to eat lunch at Ben and Jerry's, but, as you can see, J-ME was having none of that!   Me either.

View of the street near our hotel.










We then walked back to the Jade Market to pick up a few things which had been set aside for us.   Along the way, we stopped in an antique store which specialized in beautiful old jade and antique beads.

The Produce Market was in full swing by then. 

Seems like THE place to shop!

Here we are, entering the Jade Market.

I think our little band of buyers made this vendor's day!!








After the Jade Market, we piled into a taxi for our second visit to the trim and button district.   Just wait until you see the fantastic buttons I am bringing back!   They will make fantastic clasps for beadwork, and I am hand carrying them back.   I would take a picture of them, but I am too exhausted.   You just have to come in next week to see them in person.

Hong Kong....Day 3...Stones

Our third day in Hong Kong, and the weather is still perfect.   Temperatures in the 70's and low humidity.

Today was stone day, but I think we could also title it 'Trains, Planes and Automobiles'  because we used so many forms of transportation in one day!   First, we took the subway to the stone district (believe it or not, a totally different area from the pearl district.)

Hung Hom is the name of the area of Kowloon that is home to most of the cut stone dealers.

After getting off the subway, though, we had to figure out which way to go.

After consulting the map (note the seriousness of the situation) we realized that the actual stone district was still too much of walk, so we loaded ourselves into two taxis.   Yes, if we had just taken the cabs from the hotel, it may have cost us a dollar more, and saved us an hour, but would not have been nearly as much fun.

But, we finally made it to our first stone stop.

Here I am picking out just the right beads for you.

At our second stop, Kara mugs for the camera.



Just look at all those stones!

My order is being totaled.   Please be kind to me!!

We all relax in the 'bead lounge' waiting for the rest of our party to be totaled.   'Peace, out' from Guy.

After a fabulous lunch of sushi, we hit more stone vendors, then another adventure!   We took a local bus back to our hotel, an adventure since the mini bus we were advised to take would never hold our party of 8, so we took a different bus.   We really did not know where to get off, and part of our party was on the top, and part on the bottom of the double decker bus, but we figured it all out.

A quick stop to unload our booty, wash up, then off to the 'Ladies Market' for some flea market shopping, a Vietnamese dinner, then taxi back to our hotel, and computer work until midnight.   With such a busy schedule, when is a girl to shop for shoes?   Don't worry, I did manage to find a pair.   And wait til you see these!!