Well the start of today saw in in work shirt and shoes.  I’m not sure if friends and colleagues realised I was serious about going to my tailor while over here.  Sandy goes across to the UK twice a year for regular and new clients, plus for Harrow Boys School where he does the tailored school uniforms.  I was told about him by two different, unconnected people and so got my first suit from him in November 2010.  At the time he made the trousers too wide and the jacket sleeves were not long enough for my taste (I prefer half cuff visible, not full).  Anyhow my first stop was three minutes walk from the hotel as he’s based in the office area of Star House, by the White Star ferry terminal.  I was remeasured for a new 3-piece suit (plus spare trousers) to find that I’m actually slightly slimmer than last time (not that I had noticed).  I’ll be going back this evening for a first fitting.  If I’m lucky the suit will be ready before I head back to Blighty, else he’l send it on.  My old suit is presently with him so that the trousers can be taken in and the jacket sleeves lengthened.  I’m not sure how prices may have changed in the last four years, but Sandy has charged me the same as last time.

One thing I’m now noticing, having wandered out day time, is how much is changing around the pier.  The old police building (sold and barricaded up last time I was here) has now gone with a widened road juntion by where it had formerly been and a new high end (and slightly tacky in parts) shoppoing centre.  While most the mound has now gone the original building is still there (and looking good) plus there’s a couple of old trees from what presumably was the original parade ground.  These are at their original height sitting on butresses.   Photos will go onlins showing these within time.

By this stage it was lunch time and so I took a risk and wandered round to Chatham Rd then headed up to the Beverley Commercial Centre.  This is just off the touist track, down a side alley.  The basement is a ‘locals’ restaurant, Lin Kee Hot Pot & Seafood Restaurant, that I’ve been going to since my first visit to HK.  Last time I was here it was closed for Chinese New Year and looking online you can’t find it so I was nervous that it was now closed.  Fortunately it was not so I descended to eat.  At first I felt slightly cheated, you see being a locals place in the past there was no menu in Elnglish, nor could any/many of the staff speak English, so I had with my my ‘Rossetta Stone’ of an old ordering slip myself, Pak and Ian had gradually translated over a number of visits.  This time there was a pictorial English menu.  I felt cheated, but it will make ordering easier.  I went for a stock order of sui mai,ha gau, and cha sui bao as it was getting late and I was hungry.  Next time I’ll pick some thing else.  The dim sum was as good as ever and I left happy of heart and content of stomach.

Post eating I went for a random wander towards Nathan Road and promptly found a small arcade devoted to second hand cameras and gear.  Now this is not a tourist place, not some where to go for getting a ‘good deal’ on the latest compact.  In Hong Kong you get shopping areas for different goods and this must have been the one for photographic gear.  I salivated at the film Leicas, Hassleblads, Voightlanders, Mimayas, Bronicas, et al, plus kept a look out for the one Nikon Lens I still want (te now discontinued 135mm f2.0 DC).  Fortunately none of the shops seem to have one in their window displays and so my wallet escaped abuse, especially as the prices were a lot lower than those I’ve seen for similar in the UK.

I carried on and got to Nathan Road before heading down towards the bay and then the hotel for a rest, to put on some sun screen (it’s starting to get bright here) and to upload some photos (need a USB adapter when I replace this laptop – took 18 minutes to copy 56 raws across).

Later I’ll head along the bay and maybe head across the water before coming back to put the work shirt and shoes back on for the fitting,