Going back in time: Shang Wan and Mao-mania, etc, etc, etc...

So, due to exams, I haven't done anything interesting during the last two days thanks to my exam today but Sunday was rather fun. My roommate Janice and I went to Sheung Wan. I really had no clue what was there or where it was but of course, such things would not stop me. She had this guide book, which had a map so there was a lot less random wandering as would happen if I were to travel alone... sans guide book. We started out at a place called the Western Market:



The building was rather magnificent on the outside, although the inside was full of cloth stores for no apparent reason.

Anyways, we continued our wanderings and for those of you who don't know Cantonese, the "Sheung" in Sheung Wan means up and it seemed very fitting considering that walking anywhere there involved walking uphill. Many of the scenes reminded me of the Cantonese dramas I used to watch with my parents when I was a kid while other things looked absolutely surreal:






On the guidebook, there was a very precise walking path, but being me, I had to wander off into random alleys with cool things and hawking stalls. One of the spots listed in the guidebook was "Cat Street". I had no clue what it was but I think we randomly came upon it during my random wanderings. My infinite improbability was at work again.

In any case, wikipedia claims that Cat Street got its name because,

In the past it was a common joke that, if you had something stolen, you were almost certain to find it for sale back in Cat Street. In Cantonese slang thieves are called rats, and the dealers who purchase goods from the rats are cats.

However, I disagree... randomly. Personally, I think that it's because if you change the tone for "Mao" from second to first tone in Mandarin, you get the sound for cat and this was where the kommies in Hong Kong congregated. (I'm joking by the way...) Anyways, there was just a lot of Mao and communist paraphernalia.

By the way, I was really tempted to buy that Stalin bust for Julia... or Ailsa.


Yay! Proletarians! LOL...

Anyways, the day ended with a delicious lunch. I had suckling pig for the first time. Yummm... (Sorry the picture is screwy, I know.)


Oh yes, and just to be random, I'll end with a picture I took today of Snoopy Land in Shatin.


P.S. I'll be in China for the next week so I have no clue if I'll be able to update.