Taking in the Rooster and Going Home

Myself, Brutos and Eusebius had some difficult decisions to make a few days ago. We had intended in taking a flight connecting Hong Kong to Bangkok and Bangkok to Bombay, from there, catch a train to the city of Cochin in the south of India to visit our friend JK and his family. I had first met JK four years earlier in Ireland when I hired him in the company I had been working for. When he learned that I had decided to go hunting around the world he had graciously offered me to visit his family in India. An offer I fully intended taking up. And one made even sweeter when I found he and his new wife would be there until the 11th of Feb until they flew home.

When we found out at the airport that there was a problem with the visa which would mean having to wait 5 days in Hong Kong, thereby, missing our friend in India -we had some very tough decisions to make about the rest of our trip.

We decided to take in the wonderful Chinese New Year’s celebrations to give us time to make a decision what our next step would be. The festivities were amazing. It was if Halloween, Christmas, everybody’s birthday and New Year’s were all rolled into one. Colliding with a musical, colourful, week long arts and crafts extravaganza.

When we sat down to talk about our options Brutos went for staying on course, applying for the visa , checking out some more things in Hong Kong and then going on and exploring India. I wanted to go north and check out the loud whispers of the sleeping giant and his wall and Eusebius said that after much moiling and toiling and diving right to the bottom of his introspection ocean he had decided that enough rich hunting for one expedition had been had and that a return to Ireland to chronicle his events, write down his thoughts, and meet friends and family was in order. As ever, we are a democracy and with a divided house like this I always had the casting vote to make final decision. When I finally made the decision I brought Brutos for a walk to the zoo and botanical gardens in the centre of skyscraper mania in downtown. We both stood in front of the jaguar’s cage and watched his nimble powerful tale stab playfully at a fly that seemed to be hell bent on attacking one of his whiskers. As we watched I told Brutos that after 28 flights, 10 countries, 30 passport stamps, 24 hostels, 14 hotels, 7 apartments, 3 bungy jumps, 1 sky dive, zero doses of serious illness, 1 dose of sun burn, 1 dose of diarrhoea, 2 lost cameras, 4 pairs of flip-flops, 6 parcels sent home, 5000 emails, 4 tsunamis missed, 1 laptop’s miraculous survival (albeit seriously injured), 1200 photos and the longing for Tayto crisps and a proper pint of Guinness, that it was time to go home! To his credit and my surprise ( I was expecting a cogent argument about how while on this side of the planet we should go forward, multiple questions like: when would be here again? Will anything have changed at home? Why not just keep on course? Let’s lie on the beaches of Goa and explore the back streets of Mangalore and Bangalore. Let’s meditate with the Dali Lama and learn how to make a proper Indian curry paste? None of these came forward. ) He simply stabbed his tail in unison with the joyful Jaguar and said, “I agree master. Let’s go home. Hunting has been good. There will be plenty more.”

So here I am writing this final blog of this expedition from my bedroom, in my parent’s house, in windy Waterford, in the beautiful south of Ireland. Having given my mother an almighty shock in the hallway, raided the fridge and had a nap in my bed I am glad to report that it feels good to be home. The next month will be all about recharging, relaxation and rejuvenation. I'm going into hibernation and will see you all in March or sometime soon in the not too distant future.

The last 11 months have been unforgettable. My eyes feel opened and they seem to be able to see a little wider and in a little more detail; the dogs are talking again and I got that education i set off for from the very begining. I am looking forward already to my next adventures and the next chronicles of The Irish Rambling Vagabond - so stay tuned into this channel - I still don't know where or when they will be, but, i do know that they're only a whisker around the corner.

Thanks to everyone who stayed in contact with me and particularly those who sent me mails or tried to call me during the tsunami devastation. It meant a lot. I look forward to getting in contact with you all to hear how life has been treating you. Talk to you post-hibernation. Tchau. Ate Logo, Au Revoir agus Slan go Foill. The I.R.V., Eusebius and Brutos

Vogue

“A budget tells us what we can’t afford but it doesn’t keep us from buying it” William Feather


“Whoever said money can’t buy you happiness simply didn’t know where to shop” Bo Derek


Hong Kong is the most fashion conscious city I have ever visited. The people are impeccably dressed. Each hair on their head is exquisitely styled. Every lick of make-up is flawlessly applied. Every knot and bow precisely tied. Hong Kong is style, tone, trend and etiquette in constant motion. I found it very hard to keep up with. I tried for a day but quickly went into a head-spin. Put it this way. My fashion is a tiny pond. Hong Kong's fashion is a giant ocean...my friends will queue around the corner, like they do over here for the cute little animal toys they give away with McDonalds, to testify to that. The vagabond has a lot to learn when it comes to vogue.

If you ever get to Hong Kong and want to satisfy your fashion appetite just pop down to the International Financial Mall (IFC), or stroll around Queens road Central or far that matter just go anywhere in Central and you will be bombarded with colours, blasted with a variety of fabrics and bamboozled with the names of long list of brands. They've got the lot. Pashmina fine-silk scarfs, Kate Spader exorbitantly priced hangbags, golf-ball sized Tiffany diamonds and very interesting TagHeur astronaut watches. They have Patrizia Pepe, Firenze, Armani, Mango, Praerie, the very cool Ozoc, Robert Cavall, Valentino and Kenzo’s menswear. They have a giant de Grisogono store, Royce Nama chocolate shops with expensive cube collections, a selection as long as your arm of weird and wonderful, but always pricy, Montblanc pens and the widest range of Burberry this narrator has ever seen. And that’s only sticking your toe in the ocean. Hong Kong has the flair to keep up with the boutiques in Paris. The id inspirati to match the some of the most famous catwalks in Milan and the fantasia to rival some New York’s most talented fashion designers.

Have I mentioned technology yet? They love technology over here, to the extent where it is obsessional. Technology is more advanced, comes in a wider selection, is cheaper and is more fashion conscious than in Ireland. There are countless numbers of Mpeg players. Apples standard, mini and shuffle players are popular. So are iRivers rich in functionality classy set of products and the tiny, keenly priced and cleverly designed Oregon Scientific range. Everyone has a phone and only the best will do. Nokia, Ecrisson, Sony and Motorola billboards are plastered everywhere and constantly in your face. A large number of the business community seem to be opting for pocket pcs. Most of the younger and more image conscious section seem to go for whatever is the latest product, that is small, sends photos, and they can hang from a chain around their neck that will bounce nicely, clicking gently, along side there even smaller mpeg player. It’s amazing to watch. You could spend, easily, an entire day just sitting in a side street restaurant eating a seaweed dumpling, downing some snake blood, gormandising a few rice cakes and clumsily prodding a few chicken feet knuckles on a bed of rice, watching everyone strut around competing in their daily fashion war.

There is so much fashion in Hong Kong I was upset when I couldn't see a brand on the ever-present ubiquitous face masks the Hong Kongians wear to protect themselves from the low lying smog and pollution that create a murky bulbous arm of funny coloured clouds that drape from the skyscrapers like a cheap dress. But I believe that this is set to change… I heard a Chinese whisper the other day that somewhere in the serpentine backstreets and winding alleyways of this fascinating city that Nokia, Nike, Sony and Apple are rushing to get their brands first in line. That Toshiba, Adidas, McDonalds and Calvin Klein are working on miniature logos and that Dragon Eye Beer and Hong Kong Bank are going to have a strategic alliance to switch from cotton to Egyptian silk fabrics!!! Just like the real estate that soars and pierces the sky it seems that every inch of space on the Hong Kongians body is worth its weight in fashion gold.