King Khufu, Jasmin essential oil and ancient golden masks

The world’s fascination with Egypt has echoed through many centuries like the sonic boom of an overhead jet. Like the cracking thunder first heard its grandeur once seen is permanently impressed on the mind’s eye forever. On this occasion my rambling brought me to Cairo for work not play. Microsoft’s Cairo Microsoft Innovation Centre (CMIC) is expanding and we are searching for research software engineers to help us prototype some new products in the Search and Health verticals. My job was to visit them with two of my American colleagues to hear what they are doing and discuss how we can help them recruit. So for any of you out there who have a doctorate in applied research and have strong object orientated development skills, and, can speak Egyptian, let me know and I might have you a job!

Thankfully while there we all built in a day into our trip to see the sites. We decided the best way to do it was to get the amazing Four Season’s concierge service to order us transport and a guide. While expensive at 700 US dollars our approach paid off handsomely when we were introduced to Mohammed our 7 series black BMW driver who knew every back street in the city and Leila our local Cairo guide who possessed a Masters in Egyptology from Cairo University and was a fountain of knowledge.

First stop were the magnanimous towering enigmatic pyramids of Giza. The only remaining standing Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. When I was boy of eleven years of age my mother asked me what I would like for my birthday. I answered ‘a Celtic jersey, please’. She hunted high and low but wasn’t able to get it for me in time. It was only months later that the jersey was in stock and I was able to get its beautiful cotton on my body. It thought be patience and the joys of finally getting something you desire. I can still remember how excited I was when I received it, quickly put it on and peered at the mirror in my bedroom as if I was a professional soccer player. The episode reminds me of Cairo. For a long time I have also wanted to come to Giza but it seemed to always elude me for one reason or another. But I’ve always remained patient knowing that someday I would visit. A bit like the eleven year old flicking his legs at a mirror and an imaginary ball in his bedroom my first site of the pyramids doused and soaked my thoughts in a well of wonder. As I turned a side street in our car and saw the sky almost filled to the top with a brown imperious triangle with a massive hanging shadow I can remember thinking, “the great pyramids of Egypt, hello old friend. Finally I get the chance to introduce myself”.

Nearly 5,000 years ago Giza became the royal burial ground (the necropolis) for Memphis, the then capital of Egypt. Within 100 years the Egyptians built three towering pyramids complexes to serve as the resting places for their dead kings. Surrounding these tombs were smaller satellite pyramids and a sprinkle of modest structures called masrtaba, for the king’s family and royal court. The tallest and most famous of the three pyramids belongs to King Khufu. It is estimated to contain over 2 million blocks of stone weighting an average of 2.5 tonnes with some stones reaching up to 15 tonnes. In the centre of the pyramid deep inside its walls is the king’s chamber holding his sarcophagus. This is where I went a bee line for when I visited. For a small fee I was told to leave my camera behind and to enter a small slit near the base of the rocks and to start my ascent. For those who are claustrophobic I would not advise taking this on. The walls are very thin and there is a lot of back bending crawling up a small shaft that is at a 51 degree angle. It took about 7 minutes to get to the epicenter and see the empty lidless tomb that had been stolen of its treasures 600 years after its creation. The tomb itself is roughly 20 paced feet long by 12 feet wide. It’s height approximately 20 feet. I shall never forget the peace inside once I entered and the cool air that drafted in from the ingenious built in vents at the top of the chamber. Time stood still. Knowing that 100,000 people spent 50+ years not as slaves but as willing citizens of Cairo to honour their king and bring him to this small chamber and to finally see it was a bit like getting smacked on your frontal lobes with a big wet fish. 30 minutes later while on my camel and posing for some photos with Khufu’s amazing pyramid in the background I kept thinking to myself “I‘m one lucky bast*rd to have just been inside there.”



No, no, no, but that wasn’t enough. After Giza we headed into the city centre to buy some of the world famous Egyptian essential oils. A real nose sniffing treat and highly recommended for those tired of the usual aftershave brands that cost an arm and a leg in high sobriety. This stuff was the real deal with 20,000 petals being crushed and distilled to produce a single 500ml bottle of pure essential oil that if you choose could be mixed with distilled water and pure alcohol to provide an amazing smell. I ended up coming away 250 Euros out of my pocket with 5 bottle of a mixture of Jasmin, Eucalyptus, Violet, Lavender, Gardinia, Lemon and Carnation oils. I also both some pipette like oil holders with built in dobber that you can dip an swab across your neck. Great presents that should last decades. A bit like Jamie Oliver’s teaching in Cook with Jamie explaining what proportions of oils and vinegar to use when making a salad dressing I now have a better understanding of what proportions of water, alcohol and essential oil to use to make a well balanced perfume.

Smelling literally like a perfume shop we next went to the Egyptian museum. The highlight for me being the mighty Ramesses II and also the boy king Tutankhamen’s life sized golden mask. An excellent dreamy evocative tour especially after visiting the pyramids.

Visiting Cairo and Giza makes you feel like downloading Raiders of the Lost Arch, jumping on a chariot and trail blazing the dusty roads of Cairo on your way to the Luxor templates and the Valley of the Kings. I’m definitely coming back here and would recommend anyone interested in history to get here to soak up the atmosphere. Next time unlike this time I’ll be better read on the sites so I understand just a little more the countless wonders this enchanting land has to offer. I have a lot of rambling that needs to be done in the red soiled sun drenched land of the pharaoh kings. On the list are: The Theban Hills, the tomb of Tuthmosis 111, the tomb of Ramses VI, the Hatshepsut temple, the Ramesseum, Sharm el-Sheikh, Alexandria and the Aswan damn. And next time I'll be bringing my Celtic jersey for good measure.

Istanbul and the Blue Mosque

Call it what you will but Constantinople, Byzantium or Istanbul is like no other city I have visited in my life. It is a city immersed in a deep sleepy history that frequently comes alive with a visit to one of its many wonderful mosques, churches, synagogues, palaces, bazaars, museums, baths and harems. What impresses me most about Istanbul is the manner in which it provides the west with a clear example of how ‘warts and all’ secularism can work. Respect is everywhere and so is a picture of Mustafa Kemal, or "Ataturk" who was the soldier turned politician that halted the invasion of the Greeks in 1922 and brought democracy, and western values to a new created Turkish republic. In Turkey he is a demi-god. It is he who cleverly took religion out of politics and who galvanized the Muslims, Christians, Arabs, Turks, and Kurds to name but a few to stop their bickering over internal feuds and push as a nation cohesively towards a brighter future. To do this he changed the alphabetic to a Latin based system and made religiously sensitive sites like the Hagia Sophia and Topkai Palace into museums rather than dividing them between Muslims or Christians who have their history deeply intertwined in both after many changes of power over the generations.

While Istanbul still has its problems with the PKK or Kurdish freedom fighter movement, the occupation of Cyprus, and the Armenian genocide issue halting its application into the European Europe the respect I saw for multiple cultures, the slow deep patience towards progression and the optimism of the people for a better future is clealry evident in the mist and fog that hovers like a white blanket over the mighty Bospherous in the early morning. Turkey will more than likely join the rest of Europe and they are prepared to wait whatever the time is necessary to sort out their own problems in the eyes of Europe before that happens. It will be very interesting to see how this unfolds for in the coming years. I for one will be paying special attention to the subject as the months roll by.

I stayed 4 days in Istanbul which was a really nice amount of time to allow me soak in the beautiful sites and charms of this amazing city. There were many but here are some of the highlights.

1.The Blue Mosque which takes its name from its blue tile work decorating its internals is one of the most famous religious buildings in the world. Serene and magical it is best visited during one of the 5 prayers times in the day that Muslims worship Allah. It was commissioned between 1609 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmet 1st and it is very easy to imagine the throngs of people using it then as they do now. Its six minarets or towers pierce the Istanbul skyline impressive during day and especially night. I had the fortune of seeing it from the lounge bar on the 6th floor of the Richmond hotel in the famous Taxim area on the packed musical winding Istikal Caddesi (the Grafton street of Istanbul). Before you enter spend some time at the water wall on the outside of the building where the Muslims wash their feet, hands and face before they enter. Also, when inside also go to the back of the church to see the very discreet women praying section which marks the line from which men and women can pray.

2.Hagia Sophia or the “church of the holy wisdom” is among the world’s greatest architectural achievements. More than 1,400 years old it is still standing the tests of time and is a reminder of how sophisticated the world of the 6th century Byzantine capital was. The building was the most revered Christian church for over 1,000 years anywhere in the world but was converted to a mosque by the Ottomans in the 15th century. For me the tattered mosaic depicting the archangel Gabriel adorning the lower wall of the apse along with the mihrab pointing to Mecca are its most impressive features.

3.No visit to the capital is complete without a visit to the Spice Bazaar. Unlike the hugely unimpressive Grand Bazaar that mostly sells low quality classic touristic memorabilia that Spice Bazaar delivers on its promise. It is an explosion of color and smell. I really enjoyed it and went back twice in my visit just so I could soak up its atmosphere again before I left. Pictures and video footage can probably do this place much more justice than I ever could with words. I came away with a kilo of mouth wateringly fresh Turkish delight, 2 vacuum packed packets of Love Tea and Chamomile Buds Tea as well as a healthy packed of fresh curry and ginger powders which are now proudly sitting in small jars in my kitchen waiting to be used.



4.Between 1459 and 1465, shortly after his conquest of Constantinople Mehmet 11 built the Topkapi Palace. Rather than a single stand alone palace it was designed with 4 enormous courtyards with huge surrounding walls. Nowadays it is a magnificent museum which consists of the Sultans harem, the archeological museum and the treasury which holds the Topkapi dagger, the forearm of John the Baptist and a strand of hair which belonged to the prophet Mohammed. All are worth visiting. My advice would be to go to Topkapi early in the morning. Go to bed early the night before and get up first thing in the morning to be there for 9m. Your efforts will be rewarded by allowing you circumventing annoying long queues to get into each section of the palace. You will also receive a Brucie Bonus by being allowed stare longer at the amazing Topkapi dagger and impressive Sulatan’s harem quarters if you are not being rushed on by lines of people coming behind you. PS – Pay the extra entry price for a guide of the site. While expensive at 10 euros per person with a little haggling you should be able to get the price lowered. At a minimum buy one of the audio handset guides!

5.The Bosperous River is a beautiful silver veiled wedge that cuts West from East and the Golden horn from the Galata Tower and Beyoglu. What I loved about it was the countless boats of all different sizes that can be seen on its busy waters and the huge number of fishermen that link the bridge all day chatting and joking while they drop a line to see if they can catch a tasty mackerel. What is well worth doing is going to one of the restaurants under the Galata Bridge. Soak up the view, grab a tea and watch life go by for a few hours.

6.And finally, there is Istikal Caddesi which is the busy street I have ever been on. It kicks 6th avenue in New York and Grafton street, both of which I love, into touch. It is really long about the same size of the bottom of O’Connell Street to the top off Grafton Street. It is a lot like both the aforementioned with western shops and lots of pubs and restaurants. It also has its fair share of buskers and shoe shiners. What I liked about it was the sheer number of people on the street wearing so many different types of clothes and smiles. It was amazing to hear all the different languages in full flow like one giant bumble bee hovering over the city and taking a break to look at the little specs below. Noteworthy, also was the countless winding backstreets which held lots of little pubs and meeting places where older men drank tea and played backgammon and where the liberal Turks partied hard into the early hours of the morning.

Also worth experiencing are a good scrub down and massage in a Turkish bath and dabbling in one of the many varieties of kebabs or kebaps as they call them in the capital. Be prepared for a little aching after both. The baths involved being contorted, twisted and stepped on where as the kebabs on numerous occasions want to get in and get out of your body as quick as as one of the jet boats want to get up the Bosphorous. Last but not least make sure to have a shave in one of the barbers. It is heavenly and an experience you won't ever forget especially when they set your ears on fire to get rid of unwanted hairs :)



This blog would not be complete without me mentioning the huge drops of unremitting hospitality that rained down on me from everywhere I went. The people are amazingly friendly. I would put them on a par with my Brazilian experiences. The Irish still have a thing or two to learn on this front. We need to break out of the all to often "convenience" hospitality mode we sometimes find ourselves coasting in and need to truely make an effort to make our guests feel like part of our families like the Kurdish and Turkish muslims did for me.

Pike Market - Seattle

Hotel: Marriott (Waterfront) $199 pp per night. ****
Temp: 6-11 rainy and windy
Must sees: Pike Market and Space Needle.


City of grunge? North Western American high-tech old frontier town? Jewel of the Sound? Home of Mount Rainer and Peugeot Sound? Sparkling? Meandering? Hilly? Charming? Rebellious? Complex yet easy going? Suprising yet contradictory? Yes.Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And home of the eccentric Pike market. Oh yes indeed.

I'm here in Seattle and have been slowly reeled in and captivated by its charming complexity. While still showing all the tell tail signs of one of the US's biggest cities with its yellow taxi parade, phalanx of homeless people and billowing Chevies, Humvees and Uts Seattle seems to have a lot more to offer than meets the eye. While famous for Microsoft and Starbucks, Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain it also is home to Pike Market which is the oldest continuous market in the nation. It was set up in 1907 to give fishmongers the opportunity to bypass middle men and sell straight to the public but quickly grew and attracted a home for bakers, florists, farmers, butchers and cheese makers. Nowadays it also includes book shops, cafes, arts and crafts sellers, buskers and artists. Each day approximately 40,000 visitors travel to this haven of colour and noise on the downtown waterfront of Seattle's city centre and soak in the atmosphere of the lively and infectiously happy demeanor of the stall owners and artists. It's very hard not to leave without a healthy injection of positivism pulsating in the veins. Touching a little on the art deco of Greenwich village, the cramped but colourful feel of Meeting House Square of Temple Bar on a bright Saturday afternoon and the madness of Thailand's Chengmai's midnight markets its buzzing with activity and theming with loads of great bargains. I ate some wild Peugeot Sound raw crab and a cinnamon and apple crep on my first visit and also bought some Albert Camus, Alphonse Mucha, Peter Tchaikovsky and George Carver postcards for my apartment back in Dublin. If left to my own devices and with a small pocket full of change and an hour to kill I'm sure my bag would have been heavier and the souls of my feet lighter.

Portugal and Sevilla

HI there... it's been a while. I promise I'll post more in the future. I'm just back from 11 days touring around the Iberian peninsula. I started the trip on the 28th of December flying into Faro in the Algarve and finished on the 8th of January flying out of Faro. But did I simply just stay in Faro. Yeah right. Alberfueira, Lagos, Lisboa, Sintra, Estoril, Evora, Monserat and Sevilla sat nicely in between. Next stop Seattle in February and Hanover in March.

Captivating Vienna

I've been terribly impressed with Vienna. The sense of learning is impressive. The culture is palpable. Yesterday I rambled through it's quaint streets and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I came across an experimental musical duo: a DJ playing slow house beats and an ecentric scientist looking muscian banging out some slow notes on a trumpet. In front of them was a simple sign on a piece of cloth on the road saying - Mozart you don't have to have a bad childhood. Then I met a tenor is a side street collaseum. He was the most woderful singer I have ever seen live. While being hear for work and not having too much time to take it in the sites. The stuff I have seen have left we wanting more.

61 flights in 26 months

It has been 15 months since I have returned from my trip around the world. It is 26 months since I set off on my rambling around the world. Since then my blog has been dormant but my travels have not. I have been to Seattle, Paris, New York, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Rio, Salvador and spent 4 months living in Sao Paulo. I have made many new friends and seen many new wonders. I have learned many new things about languages and cultures and fed myself and the dogs on various new delights. Now I am back to write some more. The journey has just begun...

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.

Hong Kong

I love Hong Kong. It's so different to anything i've experienced in my life. So how does someone describe a place that shouldn't be, but is. How does someone describe the world's largest Cantonese city. How does someone describe such a unique cosmopoltion area that holds a massive 7 million people in a territiry of just 1100 sq km's? I'm not going to even try. You need to come here and see it for yourself, however, i will point out some of my observations to date:

[1] NUMBERS
Number 8 is the magic number over here. Everyone tries to get number 8 on their car regs, on their telephone or as the number of their apartment. They will pay substantial increases in money to do so. Each year the Hong Kong government draws in millions of dollars for charity by auctioning licence plates that feature the lucky number. August is also by far the most important month for marriages.



[2] FOODS
Some foods are considered to bring luck. Noodles equals a long life. Sea moss, and oysters bring wealth. Peach juice is seen as an elixir. Other foods are bad luck. If a woman eats eggplant she may have sterility problems. If a man eats pig's brains he may become impotent.

[3] ZODIAC
Like the Western system of astrology there are 12 signs, but in China they are all animals. Your sign is based on the year of your birth. It is said that the chart comes from when Budda summoned all the creatures of the world to come and visit him. Only 12 turned up. Budda decided to call each month after one of them. The first was the rat, then the ox, tiger, rabbit and so on. Being born in the year of the tiger is seen to ve very lucky, the year of the pig, the opposite. In a weeks time it is New Years over here. It will be the year of the rouster.

[4] FENG SHUI
They take this deadly serious over here. A geomancer, or expert in this code is a highly sought after individual. If you are trying to buy a new apartment or a grave. Or if the governent is laying down new lights on the road or a railway track these gurus are brought in to say exactly which way things should be pointing or placed or if the project should go ahead in the first place. Some trees are said to house spirits. As a result, for this reason, some villages and temples in the New Territories still have feng shui woods for the good spirits to live in. Businesses will often call in a geomancer if they are not being profitable or struggling with hitting their targets. Often moving a door or window to a new place or introducing a fish tank can establish the lost energy flows in the air and change the corporations fortunes.

[5] TECHNOLOGY
I went by ferry to a district yesterday called Mongkong to see if i could buy some gadgets. The place was three times as packed as Grafton street on Christmas eve and they had technology hanging out of the shops. I have never seen anything like it. The smallest mpeg players imaginable that hang from your ear of neck. Mobile phones that could make your dinner and cameras that took pictures almost of themselves. It's frightening to see the insatiable demand for new technology by the people here. They simply have to have the lastest version of everything as soon as possible. And they will commonly quee overnight to have.

Will report some more in the coming days.