On the Kowloon waterfront they set up an Olympic torch and bedecked the art museum with Olympic rings:
A model of the Water Cube near the old Kowloon clock tower:
And everywhere, giant sponsor billboards and outdoor TV screens showing the action live (this screen, one of the smaller ones, is directly beneath the blue awning):
At one Starbucks, there was a whiteboard that they kept updating with the numbers of medals one by Chinese and Hong Kong athletes. And that brings up a big change I've noticed since Joey and I were here before: people seem to identify much more with China now than they used to. I don't know if it's the Olympics or just increasing comfort with Chinese rule (when we were here before, it was just a couple years after the British handover). But T-shirts and whatnot proclaiming "CHINA" are now all the rage here.
1 comment:
Great updates so far, Alan. But I do hope that there will be some sort of international beaver-related posting(s) at some point during your extended stay abroad. And if you should happen to meet Jean-Paul Gaultier, the Dieux Du Stade Rugby Team, or find yourself in the Chanel mothership boutique, even better! Photos, photos, photos, dahling! :)
In the meantime, miss you lots! But glad to see you're at least having fun and getting out to explore new cultures and cities, sample the native cuisine, and -- hopefully -- maybe even a few of the natives themselves, if ya know what I mean.
Enjoy!
Matt
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