DEC 31, 14 .. 23 MERCER STREET .. SHEUNG WAN .. HONG KONG .. PART II ..

On December the 19th I wrote (DEC 19, 14 .. 23 MERCER STREET .. SHEUNG WAN .. PART I .. ) Part I of this multi-part Post regarding my studio apartment here at 23 Mercer Street in the Sheung Wan District of Hong Kong. In the DEC 19th Post I showed a number of photos of the exterior entrance and scenes of the area surrounding the CHUK ON BUILDING at 23 Mercer Street. 

Sheung Wan is pronounced as ONE word .. SHENWAN ..

To refresh your memories here are several views of the entrance to 23 Mercer Street.

The black wooden ramp leads directly into the lobby of 23 Mercer Street also known as the CHUK ON BUILDING.

In the map below IF you ZOOM-IN you can see the CHUK ON BUILDING located on Mercer Street.

Notice on the left margin of the map below the vertical scale with a (+) Button at the top and a (-) Button at the bottom. You can ZOOM-IN much closer by pressing the (+) Button or ZOOM-OUT by pressing the (-) Button .. As you do this ZOOMING-IN the red balloon will move off the screen to the left. Just put your cursor onto the map and while holding it down move the map to the left while moving your cursor to the right to again bring the balloon back into view. You will also have to move the map up and down as well. Just EXPERIMENT with it .. you WILL get it!

The time has come the Walrus said to talk of many things!

It’s time to go inside. Do you see the gentleman coming out of the elevator inside the lobby of 23 Mercer Street? The elevator is a slam-dunk feature of 23 Mercer Street.

I don’t know what-is-up with the guards in the buildings here in Hong Kong. At the Union Mansion the guards were hyper about not being photographed. The guard here at 23 Mercer politely got up and stepped aside when I took out my camera. You can see the edge of his black chair in the below photo. He is just out-of-sight on the left edge of the photo.

We just had a nice smooth ride up to the 9th (and the top) Floor of 23 Mercer Street and have gotten out. Below we are looking back at the elevator door. To the right below is a second door (Number 90) that we are about to unlock and pass through. Notice this door beside the 90 has two locks. A dead bolt at the top and a door knob lock at the bottom.

Two locks to assure security .. and .. more keys to keep track of!

Now we are going to open the locked door of Number 90 and enter another small lobby. Good security. First you pass the guard at his desk down in the street lobby. Second you face a door with TWO locks here on the 9th Floor.

Do you see another small lobby with VERY RED DOORS inside of this security door?

There are three individual apartments in this inner lobby. Ours is the door on the extreme left edge of the above and below photos.

First you pass a guard in the downstairs lobby. Second you unlock a security door with TWO locks. Third you have TWO more locks to unlock .. a dead bolt at the top and a locking door knob at the bottom. FOUR more keys for me to keep track off!

Before we go into Studio Apartment 901 .. I am going to turn around 180-degrees to look behind me to show you the view that I see when I come out of the apartment. I must tell you all this! I am ‘getting-into-the-joy’ of WINDOWS! When I walk out of the apartment during the day I have natural light and IF the window is open I have air. This window is fully operational in that it will open and close fully. The door that you see on the right is the door beside the elevator. I left it open as a point of reference to the above photos showing it from the outer hallway beside the elevator.  The door on the left is the door into Studio Apartment 901.

Below is what I see .. the outer door is kept shut for security.

Two close-up photos of the window above.

Below is a clear view of what you can partially see out the window in the above photo if you look down and to your left.

If I ‘ pan-up ‘ you see the below view.

“No Captain No! Not more Hong Kong High Rise Buildings!” .. WHAT CAN I SAY MY FRIENDS? We are in HONG KONG and HONG KONG has many High Rise Buildings.

PATTI ! Below is your first glance at the interior of Studio Apartment Number 901 at 23 Mercer Street in the Sheung Wan District of Hong Kong. Welcome home to your home in Hong Kong!

Straight ahead of you are the translucent doors to the shower and toilet. On your right is the Kitchen and Bathroom sink. The teeny weeny little walnut colored sliver on the lower left center of the below photo under the electrical outlet boxes and switches is the back of the bed.

Now we are going to walk straight ahead and turn to our left at the head of the bed and see the bedroom. On the left below notice a walnut colored room closet.

I pulled the drape back first on the right window ..

And then I pulled back the drape on the left window .. The light you see at the top of the left window below is NOT outside but it is a reflection of the bedroom overhead light.

You would swear that there is a light outside wouldn’t you? Two more features to take note of in the below photo .. You have already noted above the black walnut colored room closet. Now notice the top of a lamp that is sitting upon a small desk and a nice shelf on the wall on the left edge of the below photo.

I promised you a PHOTO SHOOT didn’t I? I can’t say often enough how much a mirror opens up a room!

Sweet (well IT thinks it is!) little desk.

While it is still fresh in our mind let’s take a look into the closet. First at the top part ..

Then a look at the bottom part of the room closet .. notice the two large roomy drawers ..

Now we will take a look out of the two windows. We have TWO quite different views. Let’s begin with .. what I will call .. the LESSER view out the left window. You can pretty well tell in the below photo that the left view is mundane! But it is what it is isn’t it? Do you think that the view thinks to itself .. “I am a LESSER VIEW!” .. NO it thinks .. “I am a working class view Dad!” ..

OK .. here is our WORKING CLASS view ..

Work .. Work .. Work ..

Now let’s take a look out the right window .. “OH GOOD GRIEF CAPTAIN! MORE HONG KONG HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS!” .. What do you expect .. this is HONG KONG!

Now that we have looked out the TWO FULLY OPERATIONAL windows we will turn around and look at the head of the bed. It is a nice bed.

Notice another wall shelf above the bed in the below photo.

While I am here with the above photo of the wall shelf above the bed .. I have decided to show you what this shelf looks like in actual use ..

The device on the right end of the wall shelf is my C.P.A.P. Breathing Machine for my Sleep Apnea. I knew Patti would be interested in where I have the C.P.A.P. Machine and so I have slipped these two photos into this Post.

And here is a REALLY great feature of the bed!

There is ample room UNDER THE BED for storage of my luggage. This would rates a ‘Zilla NIFTY!

Without really moving my feet very much I have turned a few notches to my right and now look back at the kitchen. On the right edge of the below photo is the wall shelf above the desk and the wall mirror I showed above. I have a small pillow sitting on the desk. At the extreme upper edge in the center of the below photo you can see the supports for a Micro-Wave Oven.

Below you can see that I have panned-up my camera with respect to the above photo to show you the Micro-Wave Oven above the Kitchen working area. In both photos you see an EXTREMELY important kitchen appliance. This is an electric Tea Pot that will bring a full litre of water to a roaring boil in about two minutes flat. So I can enjoy my Instant Noodles almost instantly. It is widely recommended that we Westerners do not drink the Hong Kong tap water. One minute at a full boil and it is safe to drink. I let it cool and use it for brushing my teeth. I USE the tap water to wash my face however. In India you do NOT use tap water from the neck up for fear of eye infections. This being said other residents do drink the tap water saying that the Hong Kong tap water far exceeds the World Health specifications for safe water. I will continue to purchase bottled water.

I wonder IF they have Micro-Wave Popcorn here in Hong Kong!

I did not show you another Kitchen Appliance that lives in Studio Apartment Number 901 .. a slick little electric Multi-Cooker .. It steams .. It grills .. It stews and makes soup .. It stir fries .. You will notice that Electric Tea Pot wants to be in all the photos that he (she?) can slip into!

And LAST but NOT least .. look what else we have. A NIFTY little refrigerator!

Lets go back to coming into Studio Apartment Number 901 at 23 Mercer Street in Sheung Wan (say SHEN WAN as one word) in HONG KONG ! Can anyone reading along here with me tell that I CRAVE being in Hong Kong !

Now we will walk straight ahead .. open up the translucent door into the Shower and Toilet and show you that feature of the studio apartment.

You have the toilet and you have the shower and you have the shower curtain between them.

I think that I have pretty well covered our small Studio Apartment at 23 Mercer Street.

I am paying 10,000 Hong Kong Dollars per month. This translates to $1,290 U.S. Dollars per month or approximately $43 U.S. Dollars per day. I am going to keep the apartment for a minimum of two months through the end of February 2015. IF I want to have it for the month of March I must give notice on the 1st of February. So we shall see what we shall see.

I will close with this interesting fact. I have now accumulated a fair number of friends here. More than a few have lived in Hong Kong for THIRTY YEARS or longer. These friends have the same enthusiasm and joy at being in Hong Kong that I have as a newcomer having come here for 24 years now. I could stay here. Will I? Who knows.

MUCH JOY !  Cap ..

What happened to our Captain? We don’t know .. he was walking along just bubbling over and giggling to himself saying over and over how much he loves being in Hong Kong and pooof .. he just disappeared!

I have never in my entire life been happier! Equally so?  Yes of course .. but never more so!

As I gently press Publish it is 3:22AM .. Thursday the 1st of January 2015 ..

HAPPY JOYOUS NEW YEAR 2015

• ← DEC 30, 14 .. ALL OF MY ROOMS .. NOVEMBER 13th – DECEMBER 28th .. 2014 ..
• JAN 1, 15 .. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015 TO YOU AND TO YOURS .. →