Earlier this week, we went out to a bar/lounge called Lotus, which was throwing itself a 1-year anniversary party. The food, drinks, and music were amazing the whole night. The most interesting thing we had there was a plate consisting of several small appetizers made of trout, eel, vegetables, and assorted spices, served on a leaf (lotus perhaps?). They were VERY good, and a fun night was had by all.
Yesterday was the annual Bun Festival on Cheung Chau Island, which is about a 1-hour ferry ride from Hong Kong. I went with a cameraman to cover it for Reuters. We walked into one of the bakeries to interview the owner. There were about a dozen or so people working there, making the dough, cooking the buns, and then selling them to customers and tourists, which I took several photos [see below]. The space was a bit claustrophobic but at least they had fans to help alleviate from the blazing heat and humidity outside and the throngs of crowds.
After the interview, we made our way to this designated pen for the media to film the parade processions as they passed by. We got a good spot first, then went to a local shop to get cold drinks and a quick break. The parades included guys in dragon costumes, musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments and songs, and floats with small children (my guess is 6 and younger) who were standing/propped on a beam while dressed in some costume or other. We stayed for the first hour or so of the parade before calling it a day. A small sampling of photos:
Later that night, a group of us from USC went out and saw "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." It's long, clocks in at about 2 hours and 45 minutes, so be prepared for the long haul. Without giving away specific details about the plot, I will say that the movie requires an attention span of steel because there is so much dealing and double crossing going on, it becomes very difficult to keep track of whose side everyone is on. Even I, a longtime observer of politics and the negotiating process it entails, was completely lost during some points of the movie. By the end of the movie, I think Jack the Monkey is pretty much the only one who hasn't been on the giving or receiving end of a doublecross! The action sequences and special effects are, like the previous movies, first rate. All in all - I recommend it.
Interesting observation: Buying tickets to a movie in Hong Kong is like buying plane or opera tickets because you buy them for specific reserved seats, not on a first-come, first-serve basis as in most other movie theaters I've been to.
Finally -- I picked up a copy of the new Arctic Monkeys album. Excellent stuff, I highly recommend it.
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