NOV 29, 14 .. THERE IS NO SAFE SHORT-CUT IN ASIA ..

There is no safe short-cut in Asia and there is no safe short-cut in many European Cities either .. I know .. I lived in West Germany for four years. When it comes to side streets and back roads you cannot accurately predict where they will lead you.  You THINK you know .. but you haven’t a clue in reality.

I know where I am going .. I am going back to my Union Mansion ..

And I have been here enough days that I sure as the dickens KNOW my way back home.  Wrong.  I decided to take a short-cut.  The problem is I got totally lost because the street was a complete U-shaped configuration and it did not end up where I wanted to go.  When I came out at the other end of the U .. I was far enough upstream that I did not even vaguely realize what I had done.

So I just relaxed my way along until finally I was back in familiar territory.  When I got home I back tracked and learned what I had done incorrectly.

OK.  Talk about being lost .. I first came to Hong Kong on October 24th of 1990.  I stayed at the Park Hotel. While staying at the Park Hotel I discovered the wonderful the Wing On Department Store. So the Wing On Department store has always been for me a must-visit for old-times-sake place. Then I began staying at the YMCA on Salisbury Road and I learned how to find my way to the Wing On Department store from the YMCA and the Kowloon Star Ferry Terminal.

This morning I was up bright and early (Lord Captain! Tell them something new) and I went to my 8:30AM morning meeting at the Mariners’ Club on Middle Road.

WHAT! .. Lychee! .. WHAT ON EARTH AM I GOING TO DO WITH YOU!  You don’t belong here at the Mariners’ Club .. You belong to the Borrett Road Group!  Just when I got the Canada Goose from Jack Miner’s quieted down YOU SHOW UP LYCHEE!

“DAD!” .. “Dad did you just call me Dad!” .. honk honk honk HONK!

Good Grief You Two .. Where was I?  Got it!

Since Patti and I did not get to the Wing On Department Store because it is a rather long walk from the YMCA / Star Ferry Terminal area .. I made it my Saturday Mission to visit it.  The Mariner’s Club is close to both the Star Ferry Terminal and the YMCA so I knew for certain how to find my way to the Wing On Department Store.

QUICK ASIDE ..

I also know how to get to my new home here in the Union Mansion both from the Star Ferry Terminal and the YMCA.  This is important .. both the Star Ferry Terminal and the YMCA are my starting points for The Wing On Store and The Union Mansion. From each I can find both The Wing On Store and The Union Mansion.

So out and off I went.  And I was successful in finding my beloved Wing On Department Store. When I walked out of the Wing On Store I had an ODD EERIE FEELLING! I saw the below scene.  Over there is my Union Mansion .. the red brick building.

Oh My God!  The Wing On Store is literally across the street from The Union Mansion!  Truly it is BUT because of the MTR Station Entry structure and a lot of trees you see above .. at ground level you CANNOT from street level actually see the Wing On Department Store from the Union Mansion.  None the less is has been a complete shock to discover this fact.

Below is my best effort at a very crude ‘sketch’ showing you the relative positions of The Union Mansion (UM) and The Wing On (WO) Store. There the two of them are .. in the upper right hand corner below .. basically across the street from one another.

Then further South and East of the Union Mansion (UM) and the Wing On (WO) Store .. In the lower left above .. you see the YMCA (Y) and Star Ferry Terminal (SFT).

Instead of merely walking basically across the street .. AS HARD AS IT IS TO BELIEVE!!.. I decided to go all the way back to the YMCA or even the Star Ferry Terminal to work my way back to the Wing On Store.

Now I realize that my October 1990 visit to the Park Hotel is just up the street from the Union Mansion. I am still stunned by this fact.  I am now living in the area I was staying at back in October of 1990 during my very first visit to Hong Kong.  Until today I did not have a clue as to this fact.

Now for something TRULY WONDERFUL!

Below is a young chinese girl.  On a Saturday afternoon doing her homework.

She was working away behind me as I am sitting here at the computer doing this Post.  I got up and I made a telephone call and WOW!

I looked down at the desk from the telephone where I was standing and saw that she was busily working at what turned out to be her homework and look what I saw!

I actually got to witness .. I actually got to see in person .. a young Chinese child doing her homework assignment ..

LEARNING TO DRAW MANDARIN CHARACTERS!

With my intense interest in the Mandarin characters and the fact I believe learning them assists the young Asia children to develop their minds do you all realize how special this was for me.

I said “May I please see this?” .. Then as I held what was her school homework I said .. “May I take a photograph of your homework?” ..

She and her mother .. a housekeeper here at the HOMY INN just .. BEAMED at my interest.

Her name is Miu Miu .. pronounced as a kitten .. Mew Mew .. And some of you wonder why I write .. Thank You Oh God Of Abraham for allowing me to be here doing what I am doing. There is no place on the planet I would rather be and there is nothing I would rather be doing than what I am doing!

Smiles .. Cap ..

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